Best No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards

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 an annual fee on the low end — this card is hard to beat. (But check out the Reserve below for an upgraded option that’s even better.)

• 5X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Lyft rides (through March 2020)
• 2X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on:
  • Travel
  • Dining
• 1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar for every other purchase
• 60,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $600–$1,200 (assuming 1–2 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 15%–30%

• 25% point bonus: When redeeming for travel expenses through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Point transfer: Transfer points at a 1:1 rate to leading airline and hotel frequent travel programs, like Marriott Bonvoy and United MileagePlus.
• DoorDash membership: A free membership (DashPass) for at least a year, which provides free delivery for orders of $15 or more
• Luxury Hotel Collection: Book eligible rooms to get perks like daily breakfast for two, complimentary WiFi, room upgrades, early check-in, late checkout, and unique gifts.
• Visa Signature Concierge: Call to speak with your personal concierge any time, day or night.
• Premium Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver: Get primary coverage on eligible car rentals so you don’t have to pay for insurance and your premiums won’t go up after an accident.
• Shop through Chase/Chase Offers: Earn more points by shopping at participating retailers in the Shop through Chase and Chase Offers marketplaces.
• Annual fee: $95

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 Sapphire Preferred’s.

• 10X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on Lyft rides (through March 2020)
• 3X Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on:
  • Travel (after using the full $300 travel credit)
  • Dining
• 1X Ultimate Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
• 50,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $500–$1,000 (assuming 1–2 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 12.5%–25%

• $300 annual travel credit: Get a $300 travel credit every year, that will be automatically applied toward a broad range of travel-related expenses charged to the card
• Priority Pass Select membership: Membership includes access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide plus a selection of restaurants. The cardholder and two guests can enter for free; additional guests cost $27 each
• Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection: Provides complimentary services and benefits at participating hotels and resorts, including room upgrades, daily breakfast for two, and special gifts
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit: Get a statement credit to offset the cost of applying for Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85), once every four years
• Elite Hotel Benefits at Relais & Châteaux: Accelerated progress towards Club 5C member status with Relais & Châteaux luxury hotel and resort properties
• Visa Infinite Concierge: Call for non-emergency help of all kinds, like making dinner reservations or finding good tickets to a show
• Car rental privileges: Rental upgrades, discounts, and promotional offers at Avis, Silvercar, and National Car Rental
• Lyft Pink membership: One free year of Lyft Pink, which includes 15% off rides, relaxed cancellations, surprise offers, and priority airport pickup
• DoorDash membership: A free membership (DashPass) for a year, which provides free delivery for orders of $15 or more
• $60 annual DoorDash credit: Get $60 in DoorDash credits in 2020, and $60 in credits in 2021
• 50% point bonus: When redeeming for travel expenses through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Point transfer: Transfer your points at a 1:1 rate to a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs, like United, JetBlue, and Marriott
• No foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee: $550

The American Express® Gold Card recently expanded its restaurant category to include dining establishments worldwide, rather than being limited to the U.S., making it a strong contender for traveling foodies.

American Express isn’t as widely accepted around the world as Visa or Mastercard, but, depending on your travel plans, it could work out well. If you’re sticking with big cities, tourist hotspots, and international brands, you may not run into many problems. But if you’re traveling off the beaten path you may want a card with better acceptance. Check out the runners up below for some excellent options.

• 4X Membership Rewards points per dollar at:
  • Restaurants worldwide
  • U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 spent annually)
• 3X Membership Rewards points per dollar on:
  • Flights booked directly through airlines
  • Flights booked through American Express Travel
• 1X Membership Rewards point per dollar on all other purchases
• 35,000 bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $350–$700 (assuming 1–2 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 8.75%–17.5%

• $120 annual dining credit: Earn up to $10 in statement credits per month for purchases at eligible restaurants and food delivery services.
• $100 annual airline fee credit: Use this to pay for incidental airline fees, like baggage and in-flight food and drinks. Does not apply to flight tickets.
• Point transfer: To airline and hotel loyalty programs, like JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Marriott Bonvoy, and Hyatt
• The Hotel Collection: Provides up to $100 in credits for every eligible hotel stay of two nights or more
• Amex Offers: Find significant discounts at a changing selection of merchants, like (at the time of publication) BestBuy.com, Macys.com, and Staples.
• Complimentary ShopRunner membership: ShopRunner provides free two-day shipping and returns at participating online retailers.
• Annual fee: $250 (Rates & Fees)
• Charge card: You must pay your balance in full each month.

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, but if you want a more straightforward rewards program try out the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card. You’ll earn simple cash back at a great rate on dining, and the other categories aren’t too shabby either.

• 8% cash back at Vivid Seats (until 5/2020)
• 4% cash back on Dining and Entertainment
• 2% cash back at Grocery stores
• 1% cash back for every other purchase
• $300 cash bonus for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months
  • Return on spend: 10% (based on Credit Card Insider calculations of approximate reward value earned divided by spend)

• Complimentary Postmates Unlimited membership: Get a statement credit each month for a Postmates Unlimited membership ($9.99/month), until December 2019.
• CreditWise: Check your VantageScore 3.0 credit score for free, based on your TransUnion credit report, and see information from that report.
• World Elite Mastercard Concierge: Call any time for non-emergency help with making reservations, finding hard-to-find gifts, and more.
• World Elite Mastercard benefits: Including Price Protection, Extended Warranty, MasterRental Insurance, Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, and more.
• No foreign transaction fee
• Annual fee: $0 intro for first year; $95 after that

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 with no annual fee, travel or otherwise. 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 more valuable (a much-loved card feature).

• 1.25X miles per dollar for every other purchase
• 20,000 bonus miles for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $200–$400 (assuming 1–2 cents per mile)
  • Return on spend: 20%–40% (based on Credit Card Insider calculations of approximate reward value earned divided by spend)

• Mile transfer: To a variety of airline loyalty programs
• Luxury Hotel Collection: Provides benefits at eligible hotels, like a $25 food and beverage credit, complimentary WiFi, automatic room upgrades, and more
• Shopping and Travel protections: Purchase Security, Roadside Dispatch, an Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, and more
• Purchase APR: 0% 12 months, then 13.49% - 23.49% Variable APR
• No foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee: $0

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.)

• 8X points per dollar at Southwest Airlines
  • 2X points per dollar from the card
  • 6X points per dollar or more from Base fare type
• 2X points per dollar at Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partners
• 1X point per dollar for every other purchase
• 40,000 bonus points for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
  • Value: $400–$600 (assuming 1–1.5 cents per point)
  • Return on spend: 40%–60%
• 35,000 bonus points for spending $5,000 in the first 6 months
  • Value: $350–$525
  • Return on spend (given $4,000 spent): 8.75%–13.13%

• 7,500 annual bonus points: You’ll receive 7,500 bonus points every year on your account anniversary.
• $75 annual Southwest travel credit: An automatic statement credit every year for Southwest purchases, excluding upgraded boardings and in-flight purchases
• Upgraded boardings: Get four upgraded boardings per year (reimbursed as a statement credit at the end of the year).
• Tier Qualifying Points: Every $10,000 spent earns 1,500 Tier Qualifying Points toward A-List status, up to $100,000 spent annually.
• 20% discount on in-flight purchases on Southwest flights: 20% off eligible in-flight purchases, like food, drinks, and WiFi
• No foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee: $149

Hotel credit cards tend to be pretty valuable, with outstanding rewards and benefits focused on one particular chain. The Hilton Honors 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 all these extra points, along with the free weekend nights and enhanced member status. There are even credits that help the card pay for itself, and lounge access to help you relax or be more productive at the airport.

• 14X Hilton Honors Bonus points per dollar for eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio
• 7X Hilton Honors Bonus points per dollar on:
  • Flights booked directly with airlines or Amex Travel
  • Car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies
  • U.S. restaurants
• 3X Hilton Honors Bonus points per dollar on all other purchases
• 150,000 Bonus points for spending $4,000 in the first 3 months after account opening
  • Value: $600–$1,500 (assuming 0.4–1 cent per point)
  • Return on spend: 15%–37.5%

• Complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status: Includes a 100% bonus on Base points earned, room upgrades to suites when available, executive lounge access, a 48-hour room guarantee, and more
• Annual free Weekend Night Award: One free night every year, and earn another free weekend night by spending $60,000 in a calendar year
• $100 Hilton on-property credit: Good for every eligible stay of two nights or more, valid for incidental fees only
• Annual $250 Hilton resort statement credit
• Annual $250 airline fee statement credit: For incidental fees only
• Priority Pass Select membership: Free access to Priority Pass airport lounges for you and up to two guests (excludes non-lounge experiences)
• No foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee: $450