If you’re like 90% of people on Hinge & Tinder that love to travel, you’re probably fed up of having to go to the Bureau de Change every time you travel.
The over-caffeinated Customer Services Assistant always gives you that, “I’m going to screw you over!” look whenever you ask how much you’ll get for $100 or £100. Tapping her meaty sausage fingers into her 1980s Casio calculator.
Well times have changed!
With a credit card you can use internationally you will always get the best foreign exchange rates, and you’ll never have to carry around wads of foreign cash that are usually worthless the minute you land back home.
Jetsetter? Top 5 Credit Cards You Can Use Internationally Table of Contents
Credit Cards You Can Use Internationally Table of Contents
What to Look For in a Credit Card You Can Use Internationally?
Top 5 Credit Cards You Can Use Internationally
What Credit Cards Can I Use Internationally?
Should I Get An International Credit Card or Travelers Checks
Credit Cards You Can Use Internationally Table of Contents
What to Look For in a Credit Card You Can Use Internationally?
Top 5 Credit Cards You Can Use Internationally
Barclaycard Rewards Visa Credit Card
Halifax Clarity Mastercard Credit Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
What Credit Cards Can I Use Internationally?
Do I Need a Credit Card With a Chip & Pin If I Travel Abroad?
Should I Get An International Credit Card or Travelers Checks
What to Look For in a Credit Card You Can Use Internationally?
You’re probably wondering what you should be looking for when trying to pick a credit card you can use internationally, right? We’ll walk through some of the key things you should be looking for when comparing international credit cards.
Low or No Annual Fees
Always look for an international credit card that has low annual fees, ideally you want a credit card with no annual fees so you can spend that money on your international travels instead.
International credit cards with high annual memberships fees usually try to balance things out with better rewards, intro offers and alternative perks like free airport parking or airport lounge access.
So, make sure you take a moment to work out whether an international credit card that charges you an annual fee is better value than international credit cards with no fees.
High Rewards Rates
One of the best perks with getting a credit card that you can use internationally is that you can get really high rewards rates.
Some international credit cards can give you up to 8% cashback when you spend using the card.
Other international credit cards can give you up to 5x the rewards points that you can redeem against frequent flyer programs like Avios points.
Great Intro Offers
Most credit cards for international travellers offer great introductory offers, like tens of thousands of points, free airport lounge access or even hundreds of dollars or pounds in cash.
But…make sure you don’t get distracted by the introductory offers, always look at the interest rate (APR) the international credit card is offering and whether they charge foreign currency fees.
Low or No Foreign Transfer Fees
Speaking of foreign transfer fees…one of the most important things to look for when you’re comparing credit cards for international travel is whether the credit union charges no foreign transfer fees.
This means you will always get the best value for your money every time you use your credit card abroad.
Most Bureau de Change companies make their money by charging you higher rates or foreign exchange fees, that is why the glutinous assistant gets so much joy punching the numbers on her calculator.
So if you get an international credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transfer fees you can make your money stretch much further whilst travelling abroad.
Top 5 Credit Cards You Can Use Internationally
We’ve gone for a mix of both US & UK credit cards you can use internationally.
American Express Gold Card
The American Express Gold Credit Card is one of the best all time international travel credit cards.
It comes with 60,000 bonus membership rewards points from the minute you join that you can redeem for flights, cashback and other tasty rewards.
The American Express Gold Card is one of our favourite international credit cards as you can get up to 3x rewards points for all flights that you book using the credit card. Over time this can add up to a free flight or a free upgrade to first class.
One thing to know is that the American Express Gold Card works slightly differently to other international credit cards. It comes with a $250 annual membership fee and Pay Over Time APR.
Benefits of The American Express Gold Card at a Glance
- No foreign exchange transfer fees
- Great if you have a good or excellent credit score
- Baggage insurance of up to $1,250 included
- Up to 4x rewards points for purchases made using your credit card
Barclaycard Rewards Visa Credit Card
One of the most popular international credit cards for people travelling from the UK. The Barclaycard Rewards Visa Credit card has pretty strict eligibility criteria.
You will need:
- A good or excellent credit score
- A credit report with a least 4 years of good credit history
- An annual income of over £21,000
This international credit card doesn’t charge you any interest on your international payments or ATM cash withdrawals, as long as you pay your balance off in full at the end of every month.
Benefits of The Barclaycard Rewards Visa Credit Card at a Glance
- This international credit card has no foreign currency fees
- You can earn up to 0.25% cashback on international purchases
- You will not have to pay any fees on money you withdraw from ATMs
Halifax Clarity Mastercard Credit Card
If you’re planning on taking out cash whilst you are travelling internationally, the Halifax Clarity Mastercard Credit Card could be the perfect international travel credit card for you.
This is as Halifax charges you no fees when you pay for things abroad, and also charges you no credit card fees when you take out money from an international ATM.
It does come with a pretty high annual percentage rate (APR) of between 19.94% and 27.94%
Benefits of The Halifax Clarity Mastercard Credit Card at a Glance
- This international credit card charges no foreign transaction fees
- You will not be charged a cash withdrawal fee when taking out money from an ATM abroad
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card
If you are an airline jetsetter and love booking international hotels, the Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card might just be the perfect international credit card for you.
It comes with a high annual membership fee of $550 and is pretty much exclusively only available to international travellers with excellent FICO credit scores.
One of the great things about this international credit card is that it comes with a Priority Pass that provides lounge access to over 1,000 VIP airport lounges around the world.
If you’re looking for an international travel credit card with loads of perks, this is a really good option for you.
Benefits of The Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card at a Glance
- You can get up to 5x rewards points every time you book airline tickets
- You can get up to 10x travel rewards points every time you book a hotel or international car rental
- A great welcome bonus of 50,000 points
- No foreign transaction fees
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
If you are a frequent international traveller and stay in hotels often, the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card could be perfect for you.
This international credit card gives you 5x the normal reward points for every hotel and rental car that you book through Capital One Travel.
You’ll need an excellent or good FICO score to be able to get the Capital One VenutreOne Rewards Credit Card.
This international credit card comes without any annual membership fees and doesn’t charge any foreign exchange fees.
You’ll have to pay between 15.49% and 25.49% APR for any monthly balance that you hold on this international credit card.
The great thing about the Capital One VenutreOne Rewards Credit Card is that you get a 20,000 welcome bonus miles the moment you spend $500. Oh and it also comes with 0% APR for up to 12 months on all purchases you make with this credit card.
Benefits of The Capital One VenutreOne Rewards Credit Card at a Glance
- An introductory offer of 0% APR for 12 months on all purchases using this international credit card
- No foregin transaction fees allowing your money to stretch as far as possible
- You can get up to 5x rewards points when booking hotels
- Your rewards points and travel miles do not expire for as long as you have this international credit card
What Credit Cards Can I Use Internationally?
There are four major international card payment networks, these are Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover.
One thing to always remember is that outside the U.S, Discover cards and American Express cards are usually not accepted in as many places around the world as Visa & Mastercard credit cards are.
As long as your credit card has a Mastercard or Visa logo on it, you should be able to use it internationally without any issues.
Do I Need a Credit Card With a Chip & Pin If I Travel Abroad?
In a nutshell, yes you need a credit card with a chip and pin if you travel abroad.
Most international credit cards now issued have both a signature plus magnetic strip and a chip and pin. These are called chip-and-signature cards.
Most credit card providers outside of the USA, use chip and pin as the main way to verify transactions, instead of asking you to sign for a purchase. A PIN (Personal Identification Number) is a series of numbers, usually 4 or 5, that you will have to tap into the credit card terminal at a shop every time you want to buy something whilst travelling.
So, before you get a credit card for international travel, make sure it has a chip and pin feature that you can use around the world.
Should I Get An International Credit Card or Travelers Checks
International travel credit cards and debit cards with no foregin exchange fees have been replacing international travelers checks over the past 5-10 years.
You can still get travelers checks, but it just usually isn’t worth the hassle. The main reasons people used to get travelers checks are:
Protection & Security
If someone steals your travelers checks or you lose them whilst you are abroad the issuers would replace them.
This is no longer an issue as your international credit card provider can usually replace your credit card just as quickly or even a bit quicker.
Easily Exchangeable for Cash
You can exchange travelers checks for cash in just about any country around the world.
In summary, an international credit card is usually better to have and easier to use whilst you are travelling internationally when compared to old school travelers checks.
Know Someone Who Loves Travelling?
If you know someone who loves travelling make sure you share this article with them.
Help them make their money stretch further whilst they are abroad and avoid that fat fingered glorified money counter at the Bureau de Change.
