Best Pick for: Travel Rewards
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the most popular travel rewards cards and for good reason. With points for typical travel expenses, a great intro bonus offer and decent travel protections – all for a lower-end annual fee – this card is hard to beat. (But check out the Chase Sapphire Reserve® for an upgraded option that’s even better.)
Runners-up
- Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- American Express® Green Card
- PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card
Best Pick for: Premium Travel Rewards
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Frequent travelers can get a lot of mileage out of the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. The annual fee is mostly offset by the annual travel credit, leaving you with excellent rewards and benefits for an effective annual fee that’s not too much higher than the Cash Sapphire Preferred® Card.
Runners-up
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
- U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card
Best Pick for: Dining Abroad
American Express® Gold Card
American Express isn’t as widely accepted around the world as Visa or Mastercard. depending on your travel plans though, it could work out well. If you’re sticking with big cities, tourist hotspots and international brands, you may avoid many problems. But if you’re traveling off the beaten path, you may want a card with better acceptance. Check out the runners-up for some excellent options.
Runners-up
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Capital One Savor Rewards Credit Card
Best Pick for: Cash Back Rewards
Capital One Savor Rewards Credit Card
Points can be tricky. How much are they really worth? Are you willing to transfer rewards and look for the best prices? How long will you spend trying to find a good deal before you settle for a low-point-value redemption?
Some people are willing to work with points; however, if you want a more straightforward rewards program, try out the Capital One Savor Rewards Credit Card. You’ll earn simple cash back at a great rate on dining, and the other categories aren’t too shabby either.
Runners-up
- Capital One Quicksilver Rewards
- Capital One SavorOne Rewards
Best Pick for: No Annual Fee
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Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
Not ready to pay for a new credit card? No problem.
You can use the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card to earn a surprising number of miles through Hotels.com, making this one of the most rewarding cards – travel or otherwise – with no annual fee. You won’t get a bunch of luxury perks, of course, but you can transfer miles to a selection of airline partners where they may be of more value (a much-loved card feature).
Runners-up
- Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Quicksilver Rewards
- Hilton Honors American Express Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card from Chase
- Capital One SavorOne Rewards
Best Pick for: Airline Rewards
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
Most airline credit cards are pretty similar, with discounts on in-flight purchases, free checked bags and priority boarding. But the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card goes a bit further with an annual credit to help offset its annual fee.
You won’t get free checked bags – but that’s because Southwest always allows two free checked bags! (Of standard size.)
Runners-up
- Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Credit Card
- United℠ Explorer Card
- JetBlue Plus Card
- AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®
Best Pick for: Hotel Rewards
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Hotel credit cards tend to be pretty valuable with their offers of outstanding rewards and benefits focused on one particular chain. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is no exception.
If you find yourself at Hilton hotels more than once or twice per year, imagine what you could get from extra points to the free weekend nights to enhanced member status. There’s even lounge access to help you relax or be more productive at the airport as well as credits that help the card pay for itself.
Runners-up
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card
- The World of Hyatt Credit Card
- IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card
Best Pick for: Business Travel Rewards
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
If you want the best for business travel, you can’t overlook The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. With premium perks and rewards to match, it provides quite a bit more than your average business card.
Like its personal counterpart, the Business Platinum Card® comes with excellent airport lounge access through Amex’s Global Lounge Collection℠, which covers Priority Pass and a variety of other lounge brands, including high-end Centurion℠ Lounges.
Runners-up
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- American Express® Business Gold Card
- Capital One Spark 2X Miles for Business
- Capital One Spark 1.5X Miles Select for Business
- Divvy Credit Card
Foreign Transaction Fees of the Largest Credit Card Issuers
Below you’ll find the foreign transaction fees for some of the largest issuers. Most of them also offer cards that don’t carry foreign transaction fees, but it’s no more than 3% of the transaction when they do have them.
| Credit Card Issuer | Foreign Transaction Fee |
| Discover | 0% |
| Capital One | 0% |
| American Express | 0% or 2.7% |
| Bank of America | 0% or 3% |
| Barclays | 0% or 3% |
| Chase | 0% or 3% |
| Citi | 0% or 3% |
| Synchrony | 0% or 3% |
| U.S. Bank | 0%, 2%, or 3% |
| Wells Fargo | 0% or 3% |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a foreign transaction fee?
A foreign transaction fee (also known as a foreign currency exchange fee) is an extra charge for credit card purchases made in foreign currency.
Depending on your card, you may be charged a foreign transaction fee if you’re traveling and making purchases outside the U.S. or just buying something from a merchant based outside the States. If that sounds like you, see some of our favorite cards for international travel.
How much are foreign transaction fees on average?
Credit cards often charge 3% for purchases made in foreign currency; some can be more or less than that. You can check your card’s terms to see its foreign transaction fee.
Although many credit cards charge foreign transaction fees, they’re typically waived for travel cards, which tend to include many airline and hotel cards.
What are the best cards with no foreign transaction fees?
Our favorite cards without foreign transaction fees include:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: This card offers all-around solid travel rewards and benefits.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®: If you want high-end travel perks with great redemption options, this card is the card for you.
- American Express® Gold Card: This card earns great rewards on air travel and dining.
- Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: This is a travel card that doesn’t charge an annual fee.
- Airline credit cards: Your airline of choice likely has a credit card with no foreign transaction fee.
- Hotel credit cards: Most hotel cards don’t charge extra for purchases outside the U.S.
What credit card issuers don’t charge foreign transaction fees?
Most credit card issuers include foreign transaction fees on at least some of their cards. Capital One and Discover break the mold, as they don’t charge foreign currency exchange fees on any of their cards.
Other than that, you’ll find cards without foreign transaction fees from issuers including:
- American Express
- Chase
- Citi
- Bank of America
- U.S. Bank
