Best 10 credit cards with no foreign transaction fees

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Foreign transaction fees can quickly add up and eat into your travel budget. These fees get charged when you make a purchase in a foreign country. They range between 1%-3% of the total transaction. While that doesn’t seem like much at first, it can make traveling much more expensive than it needs to be.

Luckily, avoiding these fees is as simple as bringing the right credit card on your travels. Here are our 10 favorite cards that don’t charge foreign transaction fees.

The best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees

Many cards don’t charge foreign transaction fees, but the best ones also come with added travel benefits. Here are some popular cards that offer no foreign transaction fees:

• Best travel card: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Credit Card
• Best for earning miles: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• Best for earning cash back: Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Best for luxury travel: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Best for business travel: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
• Best for dining and entertainment: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
• Best for no annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
• Best for dining and groceries: American Express® Gold Card 
• Best for airline miles: United℠ Explorer Card
• Best for hotel rewards: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

Best travel card: Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a top-rated travel card — for good reason.

With this card, you’ll earn 5X points on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 5X on Lyft rides (through March 2025), and 3X on dining (including eligible delivery services), select streaming, and online grocery purchases. You’ll earn 2X points on all other travel and 1X on all other purchases.

The main draw of this card is the Ultimate Rewards program, which includes many transfer partners. You can redeem points for 25% more when booking through the Ultimate Rewards portal.

Pros:

• No foreign transaction fees
• Generous tiered travel rewards
• Flexible redemption options
• High-value sign-up bonus
• Travel insurance benefits
• Travel credits

Cons:

• $95 annual fee
• Redemptions can be complicated
• No lounge access
• Regular APR is high

Best for earning miles: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

If you want a solid travel card without the complication of tiered rewards, the Capital One Venture Rewards Card could be right for you.

You’ll earn 5X miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2X miles on everything else. You can redeem miles for travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars, and more.

Miles never expire, and there are no blackout dates, so you can use your miles whenever (or wherever) you choose.

The Venture Rewards card also has many travel benefits, making it a solid choice for globetrotters. On top of no foreign transaction fees, cardholders enjoy access to travel accident insurance and 24/7 concierge service.

Pros:

• Straightforward rewards
• Unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase
• Valuable sign-up bonus
• No foreign transaction fees
• Travel accident insurance
• 24/7 concierge service
• Flexible redemption with no blackout dates

Cons:

• Must have good to excellent credit
• $95 annual fee

Best for earning cash back on travel: Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card

Consider the Quicksilver Cash Rewards card if you’re interested in earning cash back on your travel expenses. This card has a simple rewards program that allows you to earn cash back on every purchase.

You’ll earn 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day. With this card, you won’t have to worry about spending categories or limits.

The Quicksilver Cash Rewards card has no annual fee and includes a lengthy intro 0% APR offer on purchases and balance transfers. It also includes some travel benefits, like a 24/7 concierge service.

Pros:

• Earn unlimited cash back on all purchases
• No annual fee
• Length 0% intro APR offer
• No foreign transaction fees
• Solid welcome bonus

Cons:

• High variable APR after the intro period
• Balance transfer fees
• Limited bonus-earning categories
• No airline or hotel loyalty program perks

Best for luxury travel: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve card has many benefits and rewards, making it a stand-out choice for frequent travelers.

You can earn 10X points on hotels and rental cars booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards and on Lyft purchases (through March 2025). You’ll earn 5X points on air travel booked through Ultimate Rewards, 3X points on restaurant and general travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases. Travel rewards rates kick in after annual travel credit has been used.

You can redeem points for 50% more when booking through the Ultimate Rewards portal — higher than the Preferred card. The Reserve card also has a large sign-up bonus, travel credits, travel insurance, airport perks, and more.

Pros:

• Substantial sign-up bonus
• Redeem points for 50% more via Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Flexible redemption options
• Complimentary lounge access
• $300 travel credit
• Waived fees for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck

Cons:

• High annual fee of $550
• Fewer luxury hotel perks compared to other cards
• Excellent credit required

Best for business travel: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

The Ink Business Preferred card is an excellent option for international business travel.

Cardholders can earn 3X points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on select travel and business categories each year (then 1X points). You’ll earn 1X on all other purchases.

Like the Chase Preferred card, the Ink Business Preferred offers a 25% bonus when redeeming points via the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. You also get perks like trip cancellation/interruption insurance, purchase protection, and cell phone protection.

Pros:

• Solid rewards program
• 25% bonus on travel redemptions through Ultimate Rewards
• Added travel benefits
• Solid welcome bonus

Cons:

• Annual fee of $95
• Welcome bonus comes with a higher spending requirement
• Requires good to excellent credit
• Bonus rewards are capped

Best for dining and entertainment: Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

If your weekends are full of dining out or catching up on the latest TV show, the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card may be a good one to add to your wallet. It comes with no annual fee and includes a longer-than-average 0% introductory APR offer.

You can earn 10% cash back on purchases made on Uber or Uber Eats (through Nov. 14, 2024), 8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment Purchases, 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked using Capital One Travel, and unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, streaming subscriptions, and grocery store purchases (excluding superstores). You’ll earn 1% back on all other purchases.

Pros:

• No annual fee
• Above-average cash-back rewards
• Length 0% introductory APR offer
• Low spending limit to earn welcome bonus

Cons:

• Fewer travel rewards than other cards
• Redemptions may be less valuable than other cards
• Regular APR is high
• Good to excellent credit required

Best for no annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

Want to earn travel rewards without the annual cost? The Autograph card doesn’t charge an annual fee and earns 3X points on travel purchases.

You’ll also earn 3X points at restaurants, gas stations and EV charging stations, transit, select streaming services, and phone plans. You’ll earn 1X points on all other purchases.

This card includes a length 0% introductory APR offer and a solid welcome bonus. You can redeem rewards for travel, gift cards, or a statement credit.

Pros:

• 3X bonus spend on multiple categories
• No annual fee
• No expiration dates or caps on rewards
• Solid 0% intro APR offer
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons:

• Fewer options for redemptions
• Fewer travel perks than other cards

Best for dining and groceries: American Express® Gold Card

Not only does the Gold card offer solid travel benefits, but it also caters specifically to dining and grocery expenses. You’ll earn 4X points on restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.), Uber Eats, and U.S. supermarket purchases (on up to $25,000 in supermarket purchases per year, then 1X points). You’ll also earn 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or via American Express Travel and 1X on all other purchases.

Other card perks include an annual dining credit, hotel credit, and Uber Cash credit. You’ll also get travel perks, including complimentary hotel upgrades and travel insurance.

Pros:

• Elevated points on restaurant and grocery spending
• Dining credits
• No foreign transaction fees
• Travel insurance

Cons:

• $250 annual fee. See rates and fees.
• Regular APR is high

Best for airline miles: United℠ Explorer Card

If you’re a frequent United flyer, the United℠ Explorer Card can help maximize your airline miles and avoid foreign transaction fees. Cardholders earn 2 miles per dollar spent on United® purchases and dining and hotel stays. For all other purchases, you'll still earn 1 mile per dollar.

The card also offers added travel perks, such as a free checked bag for you and a companion on each United flight, priority boarding, and two United Club℠ one-time passes each year. You’ll also get a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® application fees.

Pros:

• $0 annual fee for the first year (then $95)
• Solid sign-up bonus
• Valuable travel perks, including free checked bags, priority boarding, and United Club access
• Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
• No foreign transaction fees

Cons:

• Limited flexibility in redeeming miles
• Additional perks may not be helpful if you don't frequently fly United

Best for hotel rewards: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card

Are you a Hilton regular? You may want to use this card next time you book your stay.

Rewards can be lucrative: You’ll earn 12X points on eligible purchases at Hilton hotels and resorts, 6X points at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations, and 4X on U.S. online retail purchases. You’ll also earn 3X points on other eligible purchases.

The catch? There is a higher annual fee, but if you travel frequently, the rewards more than compensate for it. You can redeem points for stays at any of Hilton's hotels and resorts worldwide and on exclusive experiences, Lyft rides, Amazon.com, and more.

The card also grants complimentary Hilton Honors Gold elite status, which comes with benefits like room upgrades, late check-out, and complimentary breakfast at select hotels.

Pros:

• Generous welcome bonus
• High earning potential for Hilton purchases
• Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold elite status
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Access to American Express benefits, such as Amex Offers

Cons:

• Annual fee of $150. See rates and fees.
• Inflexible redemptions
• Limited benefits outside of the Hilton Honors program

How to pick the best travel card

Cards without foreign transaction fees often come with attractive travel rewards and benefits.

When picking a card, look at its rewards program and make sure it aligns with your spending. Choose a card with flexible redemptions if you want to use points or miles for different things. Cash back rewards can be a good alternative if you want to keep earning and redeeming rewards simple.

While some travel cards have annual fees, they can still be worthwhile, as their benefits may outweigh the cost. Certain premium cards with higher annual fees often come with travel credits that can offset the yearly cost.

Plus, having a credit card that offers travel-specific perks like travel insurance can be extremely valuable, especially when traveling internationally.

The bottom line

With the right card, paying for expenses while traveling in a foreign country becomes much simpler. You won’t see an onslaught of charges on your card that eat away at your vacation budget.

You can avoid these fees by paying with the right credit card — maybe even one on this list.

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included in the post.