The best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees of August 2021

The best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees of August 2021:

Using a credit card with foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad can be a costly mistake. Imagine coming home from a lovely trip to seeing a huge bill — all because of a 3% foreign transaction fee added on top of your actual purchases.

Luckily, virtually all of the top rewards credit cards no longer charge this fee. Below, you'll find some of our favorite rewards credit cards without foreign transaction fees, with an emphasis on travel rewards cards that offer bonus points and miles for airfare, hotels, and more.

Best travel card with an annual fee under $100: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

One of the most popular and recommended travel rewards credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 2 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on dining and travel, including internationally.

Read more: Chase Sapphire Preferred card review

Dining includes things like restaurants, bars, pubs, coffee shops, and more, while travel includes airfare, hotels, Airbnb, taxis, ride-share services like Uber and Lyft, subways, and more. Right now, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card also offers a record-high sign-up bonus of 60,000 points when you spend $4,000 in the first three months. 

Best premium travel card: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is essentially a beefed-up version of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, with a higher annual fee and a few key differences.

Read more: Chase Sapphire Reserve review

You get a $300 statement credit each cardmember year to cover your first $300 of travel charges, and a higher earning rate of 3x points on travel (which you earn after you earn your $300 travel credit) and dining purchases (plus 10x points on Lyft rides through March 2022 and 1 point per dollar on everything else).

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® earns a bonus of Chase Sapphire Reserve® when you spend $4,000 in the first three months. 

Best with no annual fee: Discover it® Cash Back

The Discover it® Cash Back earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 spent each quarter in bonus categories once activated (then 1%) Discover It Cashback rotation. There's no traditional welcome bonus; instead, Discover will match all the rewards you earn after the first year. Along with no foreign transaction fees, Discover cards never charge an annual fee.

Read more: Discover it Cash Back credit card review

Discover has already shared all of its bonus categories for 2021, which include grocery stores, Walgreens, and CVS (January to March), gas stations, wholesale clubs, and select streaming services (April - June), restaurants and Paypal (July - September), and Amazon.com, Walmart.com, and Target.com (October - December). 

The premium card with the most benefits: Platinum Card® from American Express

Platinum Card® from American Express is more or less the flagship premium travel card, offering rewards, perks, and benefits that can net a ton of value for cardholders — whether you're traveling or staying close to home. That's more than enough to make up for its hefty $550 annual fee (See Rates).

Read more: Amex Platinum card review

Platinum Card® from American Express has no foreign transaction fees and earns 5x points on flights booked directly with the airline and through Amex Travel (starting January 1, 2021, the 5x points will apply up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), 5x points on prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, and 1x points on everything else. 

There's also an excellent welcome offer: 60,000 points after your spend at least $5,000 in your first 3 months of account opening.

You'll also get up to a $200 annual airline fee credit**, up to $200 in Uber credits (including Uber Eats)** each year ($15 each month, plus a bonus of $20 in December), access to more than 1,200 airport lounges around the world, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott**, and up to $100 in Saks Fifth Avenue credits per year**.

Major airline credit cards

• Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®
• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card(See Rates)
• United℠ Explorer Card

The mainstream credit cards from the three major US airlines— American Airlines, Delta, and United— all come with similar perks, including variations of priority boarding, free checked bags, the opportunity to earn miles on everyday purchases, and more. Plus, these cards have no foreign transaction fees.

Read more: The best airline credit cards of 2021

The best option for you depends on where you live and which airlines you have access to. The cards each come with different new member offers, and while there are a few other differences between them, they have annual fees of $95 to $99 that are waived the first year (See Rates).

The simplest rewards structure: Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card is another great option without foreign transaction fees and with an annual fee under $100, especially now that you can transfer Capital One miles to various airline programs.

Read more: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card review

The card earns 2 miles per dollar on everything — the simplest rewards structure among travel credit cards. You can also redeem Capital One miles at a fixed rate of 1 cent each toward travel purchases made with your card, without having to worry about award charts and blackout dates.

Frequently asked questions — no foreign transaction fee cards

How did we choose the best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees?

Virtually all of the best travel rewards credit cards waive foreign transaction fees by this point, so for this guide, we focused on narrowing it down to the best options in a variety of categories. We drew heavily from our editors' expertise and the input of experts, as quoted in our guide to the best rewards credit cards, to come up with this list in the most popular categories of cards. 

You'll find a top pick for cash back, a top pick for travel rewards (in two different budget categories), our top airline credit card options, and more.

How do foreign transaction fees work?

When you're using a credit card that charges a foreign transaction fee and you make a purchase abroad, you'll be charged an extra fee, as a percentage of your purchase amount. The fee is generally 3% of your purchase, and it will be added to your monthly bill.  

Your foreign transaction fee may be broken down into two parts: a fee charged by the payment network (as in Visa or Mastercard) and a fee charged by your credit card company.

Do foreign transaction fees apply online?

In addition to applying to purchases you make while traveling abroad, a foreign transaction fee could be charged when you make a purchase from a vendor that's based outside of your home country. If you're shopping with a retailer or travel company based abroad, your best bet is paying with a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees just to be safe.

• Related Content Module: More Credit Card Coverage

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