It’s the norm in the credit card world to charge a foreign transaction fee of about 3%, which negates any rewards you might earn for a purchase abroad. Because of this, we recommend carrying a few cards that don’t charge any transaction fees when you travel internationally. In this guide, we’ll cover the best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees.
Compare all top card bonuses here.
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | Best welcome bonus |
| Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card | Best for flat-rate earning |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Best for premium travel |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | Best luxury benefits |
| United℠ Explorer Card | Best for United flyers |
| Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card | Best for luxury hotel perks |
| Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card | Best for Marriott travelers |
What We Considered
Besides lack of foreign transaction fees, we looked at a variety of factors when we made this best rewards cards list. Including:
- Welcome bonus
- Earning potential
- Annual fees
- Point values
- Rewards flexibility
- Rewards simplicity
The Best Credit Cards With No Foreign Transaction Fees
CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED® CARD
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card currently has an offer for 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Redeeming the 60,000 bonus points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, which is praised by users, will get you $750 in value towards travel. The 60K bonus points are worth $750 because you get 25% more value whenever you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Even better, strategize with Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer partners to potentially get even more value. Each point can be worth up to 2 cents apiece (60k points = ~$1,200). Read more on this here.
CAPITAL ONE® VENTURE® REWARDS CREDIT CARD
The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card currently earns 100,000 bonus miles when you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening. Or if are unable to meet the $20k spending requirement, you can still earn 50,000 bonus miles for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. These bonus miles are equal to $1000 or $500, respectively, in travel and are easy to redeem as a statement credit towards the cost of your travel purchases. Take advantage of Capital One’s travel partners and these up to 100k miles can be worth around $1400 in value.
This card will earn an ongoing 2 miles for every dollar you spend on all purchases. 100 miles is equal to $1 in travel rewards. If you don’t redeem towards travel purchases, your miles will have less value.
The annual fee is $95.
CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE®
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® card is offering 80,000 bonus points (worth up to $1,600 in travel per our valuations). You’ll need to spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening to qualify for the bonus. These 80k points are redeemable for $1,200 toward travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
This is a premium travel card with a premium annual fee of $550. But, you’ll receive premium benefits such as 5X points on air travel, 10x points spent on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after earning your $300 annual travel credit, 3X points on all other travel and dining, and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
The card also features an application fee credit (up to $100) for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®, access to 1,300+ airport lounges with Priority Pass Select, and 50% more in travel redemption through Chase Ultimate Rewards. With Pay Yourself BackSM, your points are worth 50% more for existing purchases in select, rotating categories.
THE PLATINUM CARD® FROM AMERICAN EXPRESS
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The Platinum Card® from American Express has a special offer for 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 in purchases within your first 6 months.
Membership Rewards® points are some of the most valuable in the market. Redeeming these points by booking travel through American Express or by redeeming for gift cards will give you a standard 1 cent per point value. The 100k bonus points are worth $1,000 going this route.
You can potentially get more value by transferring your points to Membership Rewards travel partners. Using this strategy can get you up to an average value of 2 cents per point. Get around $2,000 in value with 100,000 points this way. Read more on this here.
With this card, earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
The biggest drawback to this card is the $695 annual fee (see Rates & Fees, Terms Apply), which puts it in the premium class of credit cards. The card has a market because it offers premium travel benefits, such as 5X points for flights (up to $500,000 on these purchases) and eligible hotels, access to 40+ Centurion Loung and Studio locations worldwide, up to $200 airline fee credit annually, and an annual Walmart+ membership. These benefits are given as statement credits.
For frequent travelers, the added benefits make sense in terms of value and added luxury.
CHASE UNITED℠ EXPLORER CARD
The Chase United℠ Explorer Card from Chase has an offer for up to 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 total in the first 3 months. We value these 50k miles at around $700.
The card earns 2X miles on dining and eligible delivery services, hotel stays and United® purchases. United purchases include:
- Tickets
- Economy Plus
- Inflight food, beverages, Wi-Fi
- Other United charges
You’ll earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Other benefits include up to $100 as a statement credit for the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck™ application fee every 4 years. You and a traveling companion on the same reservation will each receive the first standard checked bag free. This card provides priority boarding privileges and 2 one-time passes each year to United Clubs.
The Chase United Explorer Card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95 thereafter.
HILTON HONORS AMERICAN EXPRESS ASPIRE CARD
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card offers a 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points. You can find the bonus offer directly through the American Express website.
Cardholders are rewarded with 1 weekend night reward with the new card and every year after renewal. Additionally, you can earn 1 more night after spending $60,000 on purchases in a calendar year.
This card earns 14X Hilton Honors bonus points at participating hotels or resorts within the Hilton Portfolio; 7X Hilton Honors bonus points for flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies, U.S. restaurants; and 3X Hilton Honors bonus points on all other eligible purchases.
The premium card does also offer another generous benefit – access to over 1,300 VIP lounges with the Priority Pass Select for you and up to 2 guests per visit.
The annual fee for this premium card is $450. See Rates & Fees, Terms Apply.
All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by MoneysMyLife and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
MARRIOTT BONVOY BOUNDLESS® CREDIT CARD
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card from Chase has an offer for 3 Free Nights after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
New to the card, you will earn 3x Bonvoy points on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining. The card is also offering an Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 spent.
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card earns 17 points for every $1 spent at over 7,000+ participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels. You’ll receive 2 points per $1 spent on all other purchases.
You’ll get a Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every account anniversary year and automatic Silver Elite Status. Additionally, you’ll receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year.
This card has no foreign transaction fees and the annual fee is $95.
Additional Guides
While we focused on credit cards with no foreign transaction fees in this post, you’ll want to choose a card with additional earning potential that matches your spending behavior. For our guide on the best credit cards in other categories, check out these other posts:
Bottom Line
If you frequently travel internationally, it makes sense to carry a card with no foreign transaction fees. Otherwise, that 3% charge will negate the rewards you earn.
When picking the “right” card for you, make sure to look into the card’s welcome bonus, rewards rates, benefits and fees to determine which one will give you the most value.
READ MORE: SEE THE BEST BANK BONUSES HERE AND THE BEST INVESTING BONUSES HERE.
