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Credit cards with no foreign transaction fee

A foreign transaction fee is a percentage an issuer adds to purchases made abroad or in a foreign currency, set at 3% on most cards that charge it and 2.7% on two American Express cards ⁠1⁠2⁠3⁠4. Twenty-four of the 45 cards we cover charge none, including cards from all eight issuers we cover ⁠5⁠6⁠7⁠8⁠9⁠10⁠11⁠12.

Compiled from official sources 24 cards from 8 issuers Last reviewed How we research
Contents6 sections

How the fee is charged

The fee is a percentage of each transaction, and each issuer words it slightly differently in its rates and fees table. Chase's terms for the Freedom Unlimited set it at 3% of the amount of each transaction in U.S. dollars, and Wells Fargo's for the Active Cash at 3% of each transaction converted to U.S. dollars ⁠1⁠13. Citi's Double Cash charges 3% of the U.S. dollar amount of each purchase, and U.S. Bank's Cash+ 3% of each foreign transaction ⁠14⁠15. American Express charges 2.7% of each transaction after conversion to US dollars on the Blue Cash Everyday and Blue Cash Preferred ⁠3⁠4.

What triggers the fee depends on the issuer's wording. Bank of America applies it to each transaction made in a foreign currency, adding that it is in addition to any other applicable fee ⁠2. American Express's no-fee statement for the Gold Card refers to purchases made outside of the United States, and adds that ATMs or merchants may charge their own fee on foreign transactions ⁠5.

Where each no-fee statement comes from

For most of the 24 cards the statement is a line in the card's own fee table: Chase lists Foreign Transactions as None for the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve and Freedom Flex, Bank of America lists None for the Travel Rewards, Premium Rewards and Premium Rewards Elite, and Wells Fargo lists None for the Autograph and Autograph Journey ⁠8⁠16⁠17⁠6⁠18⁠19⁠12⁠20. Citi lists the fee for foreign purchases as None for the Strata Premier and Strata Elite, and U.S. Bank lists None for the Altitude Connect ⁠9⁠21⁠11. American Express states in the Gold Card and Platinum Card terms that it will not charge a foreign transaction fee on purchases outside the United States ⁠5⁠22.

Capital One's cards work differently. The product pages for the Venture X, Venture and the other Capital One cards say no foreign transaction fee is charged, while the pricing terms we checked have no foreign transaction fee row at all ⁠23⁠24⁠7.

The Discover cards

For the Discover it Cash Back, Discover it Chrome and Discover it Miles, the no-fee statement is company-wide rather than a line in each card's fee table. Capital One's help center page on traveling says that Capital One does not charge foreign transaction fees on purchases made outside the United States ⁠10. The Credit Card Agreement for Discover by Capital One says no currency conversion fees are charged, and the Discover it Cash Back application terms list no foreign transaction fee ⁠25⁠26. Capital One explains that a foreign-currency transaction is converted to U.S. dollars at the rate in effect on the processing date, which may differ from the rate on the transaction date ⁠10.

How the cards differ

Eleven of the 24 also have no annual fee, among them the Chase Freedom Flex, Wells Fargo Autograph, U.S. Bank Altitude Connect, Bank of America Travel Rewards and Capital One Quicksilver ⁠17⁠12⁠11⁠6⁠27⁠28. The fee often differs between cards from the same issuer: the Freedom Flex charges none while the Freedom Unlimited charges 3%, and the Autograph charges none while the Active Cash charges 3% ⁠17⁠1⁠12⁠13. Among Bank of America's student and secured versions, only the Travel Rewards versions drop the fee ⁠29⁠30⁠31.

Cards with no foreign transaction fee

24 of the 45 cards we cover list no foreign transaction fee. Select a heading to sort the table. Each card’s page has the full terms.

Credit cards with no foreign transaction fee, by annual fee
Bank of America Travel Rewards credit cardBank of America $0 Points⁠6
Capital One Platinum Credit CardCapital One $0 No rewards listed⁠32
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit CardCapital One $0 Cash back⁠28
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit CardCapital One $0 Cash back⁠33
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit CardCapital One $0 Miles⁠34
Chase Freedom Flex Credit CardChase $0 Cash back⁠17⁠35
Discover it Cash Back Credit CardDiscover $0 Cash back⁠10⁠25
Discover it Chrome Gas & Restaurants Credit CardDiscover $0 Cash back⁠10⁠25
Discover it Miles Credit CardDiscover $0 Miles⁠10⁠25
U.S. Bank Altitude Connect Visa Signature CardU.S. Bank $0 Points⁠11⁠36
Wells Fargo Autograph CardWells Fargo $0 Points⁠12
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit CardCapital One $39 Cash back⁠37
Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit CardCapital One $39 Cash back⁠38
Bank of America Premium Rewards credit cardBank of America $95 Points⁠18
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardCapital One $95 Miles⁠7
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit CardChase $95 Points⁠8
Citi Strata Premier CardCiti $95 Points⁠39⁠9
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey CardWells Fargo $95 Points⁠20
American Express Gold CardAmerican Express $325 Points⁠5
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit CardCapital One $395 Miles⁠23
Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite credit cardBank of America $550 Points⁠19
Citi Strata Elite CardCiti $595 Points⁠40⁠21
Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit CardChase $795 Points⁠16
Platinum Card from American ExpressAmerican Express $895 Points⁠22

Related: No annual fee. Need several benefits at once? Use the card finder.

Sources

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