Best Credit cards for Traveling Abroad

We recently were contacted by US News Money and asked if we had an interest in sharing what they had discovered in their research on credit cards and which ones are best for different wants.

Look, we both have traveled overseas a bunch and have some firsthand experience in what’s good and what’s not. What’s better, cash back or airline miles? We have our own opinions but the folks at US News Money have a bunch more time to research the big picture.

For us there are some basic things to keep in mind. How fast would you accumulate points, miles or cash and do they expire? This can be critical to save for that big trip. We have experienced first hand being treated like a second class citizen by one airline miles card and from another where the points expired. One of us uses a mileage card still the other a Capitol One Discover Cash back card. Some of the basics are - no foreign transaction fees, good rewards, no or low annual fees and travel perks like insurance or concierge services. You should also make sure your card has a chip as we found out a few years ago in Europe. They are ahead of the US in using the latest security technology's. You should also Cary a debit card overseas as it is much easier and cheaper to get cash from an ATM if you need it. Speaking of cheaper, at the point of sale, a foreign merchant may ask if you want to be charged in dollars instead of local currency, so that you have a better idea of what the item you’re purchasing costs. While this dynamic currency conversion may sound like a good idea, it’s best to decline and pay in local currency. The fee's you can rack up can be significant so just get an idea of what the local conversion is and pay in local currency.

But enough rambling from us, check out the US News Money article here. US News Money

Happy Travel Adventures,

Cheers,