Questions about Credit Cards with no Foreign Transaction Fees

I have the Capital One Quicksilver Visa cash back card as well as their MasterCard debit card (linked to a checking account). Both have worked seamlessly and without transaction fees for the last 5 years. I was able to get a second Visa linked to my account in my nephew's name when I took him on a trip so he would have his own contactless card for transit, food, etc.

I haven't had the time or energy to figure out if CapitalOne travel reward cards were "worth" it. I used to have a Delta AmEx card and did successfully leverage a mileage bonus, but it required a lot of spending planning that was a hassle (especially since AmEx isn't universally accepted). These days I put the cash back I earn on my Visa into a travel savings account - perhaps not the most lucrative travel plan but it is simple and works for me.

As you research you might find some helpful info here:
https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/travel/

I can comment only on the Capital One Venture card. I got this card years ago specifically for the no foreign transaction fees and the fact I earn 2 travel points for every dollar I spend. Each point is worth one cent towards redeeming travel purchases. Many cards require purchases to be in certain categories such as dining, gas, etc. in order to earn points. I have about a $60 annual fee. I also didn’t want to tie myself to specific air or hotel brands.
I always buy my own travel insurance to cover things that the card insurance might not.
Capital One uses the online 3rd party site Hopper for their travel bookings. I’ve never used them so can’t say how good they are. I strongly recommend to always book directly for airline travel as it’s best to deal directly with the airline for any changes or issues.
I can recommend this card for the points and no FTFs, and they also have excellent fraud controls and a very easy to use app.

While not a credit card, Charles Schawb's debit card does not charge a foreign transaction fee.

I have Chase, Cap 1, and Schwab. Each serves a different purpose. Schwab is a debit card but covers ATM fees. Chase has the travel insurance. Cap 1 gives a penny or so back, which I’d rather have than points or miles. In my opinion, the card travel portals have elevated prices compared to going straight to the airline or hotel and booking directly. Therefore, whatever Chase points I do acquire, I use up for hotels.

I highly recommend the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card. Before you look at the $550 annual fee and discard it out of hand, read below.
Benefits:
$300 travel credit a year. (now you are only $250 out of pocket)
Comprehensive travel and automobile insurance coverage while traveling. (See if you can get an annual policy for less than $250)
Priority Pass Lounge Membership at many lounges worldwide (usual cost would be about $30 a visit without)
Door Dash, Insta Cart, and Lyft memberships and discounts.
In addition, you earn at least 1% back on everything you charge, with higher amounts for travel related charges.
Finally, there is a signup bonus of 60,000 miles which is either worth $600 if you just get cash back on your card, or can be transferred to several different airlines for use in their frequent flier programs. If you choose to use chase travel (you don't have to) then those points would be worth $900.

I have made money every year I have had this card! This fall I will travel to Istanbul in Business Class from Seattle on Turkish Airlines with miles I transferred from this card.

Since there is the huge initial sign up bonus, you could really try the card for one year and see if it is the match for you and still be way ahead, even with the fee.

My stock broker gave me a card, and waved the annual fee. No insurance, but no FT fees. I live in Europe a lot of the year and use it, and my bank ATM daily.

If you really want to get serious about a card set for travel, do some research and figure out what you want a card for, which may wind up being more than one card.

I have one card for daily use, has a bunch of travel perks (free bags, lounge access, premium rental auto insurance, some other coverages) plus helps me maintain status (so far) It also accrues miles/points that can help get free tickets or upgrades. It is one of the Delta cards, but every airline has something, and general cards like the Chase Sapphire or Capital One Venture series also work. Which one is best really depends on how you travel, how often, and how much you spend in a year.

If you are looking at a card for points/miles for tickets, be prepared to charge tens of thousands of Dollars a year to see a real benefit, also verify that those points do not expire, or you can try the card churn thing and nab intro offers each year.

However, for a card to use while traveling, I went a whole other way. I have a UNFCU Elite Visa, it is highly secure, is PIN Priority (I enter a PIN for any large purchases that are not contactless), and has 3DS for online purchases. It has worked in about any conceivable transaction in Europe, I have avoided issues seen on here with unmanned kiosks, websites that will not process a charge, and a variety of other issues.

I do also have my Schwab Debit card, not for charges, but for cash withdrawal. As others said, the main attraction is refunded ATM use fees.

Of course, when I travel I have those cards with me (scattered in different locations) and usually have 3 credit cards and 2 debit cards, not counting what my wife might have.

I'm the outlier here. I don't chase airline or hotel rewards. My limited experience with having to use the credit card company's travel sites is that if you convert the points to dollars you are paying more for the flight in award points than you are if you paid with money.

Instead I have a Wells Fargo no annual fee and no FX fee card. I get 3% cash back on all travel and restaurant purchases. The initial amount that needed to be spent on the card was something like $1500 in three months. Pretty easy to do just with buying groceries and gas. There isn't rental car insurance or other travel insurance included. That's another game I don't want to play. Maybe I don't travel internationally enough but it's just not worth the mental gymnastics to me to worry about whether my credit card company will pay if I dent my rental car. Since I rarely rent a car internationally I just buy the rental company's insurance when I do rent. Regarding hotels I always book refundable so at least that portion of a trip is "insured".

I would suggest checking out websites such as thepointsguy and nerdwallet to find the credit card that works best for you. There are a number of factors that only you can answer such as whether you'd like more points from dining, grocery shopping, or something else.

Keep in mind that American Express can be hard to use in Europe (and often here in the U.S.), so you are better off with a Visa or Master Card.

When you are booking through Chase or Capital One, it is essentially the same as booking on a third-party website like Expedia, except you are using their websites and their points. I don't know how it works for flights as I've never done it, but I personally don't like doing it for hotels because, just like booking on a third-party website, you often get the worst rooms and there is the occasional story about people not getting a room at all if the hotel unexpectedly fills up. Nor do you get the perks that sometimes come with booking directly through a hotel's website.

I never paid much attention to the insurance part of the cards so I can't answer about that.

Finally, I know you said that you don't want to be tied to a single airline or hotel, but I wouldn't overlook the hotel credit cards. The Chase Marriott Boundless card for instance comes with a $95 annual fee however it also comes with an annual free night certificate, which we recently used to get a hotel room that would have cost us over $200, so that more than makes up for the annual fee. The credit card also comes with status which has resulted in getting the occasional free upgrade at check-in to better rooms, rooms with better views, free breakfast vouchers, etc. It's a pretty nice deal all-around.

We also use the Charles Schwab debit card while in Europe.

Thanks to all for your input.
Still haven't decided, but your thoughts have greatly helped me in understanding the in and outs of the credit card possibilities.
Fortunately, we have a no fee debit card (through our small hometown bank) for ATM. Again, thank you!

There is another thread from about a month ago that goes into a lot of detail. Worth looking for.

We both have Cabela's Capital One cards which we ended up with when we were purchasing new binoculars for a winter Yellowstone trip several years ago. There's no annual fee, no Foreign Transaction fees, and no travel insurance. When we travel, he uses his for gas and restaurants, and I use mine for the lodging. The points we accumulate can be used at Cabelas's (and I think Bass Pro, but we never shop there), and we use them on things like clothing, snacks, coolers, footwear, outdoor chairs, and hiking poles. It works for us.

The Target Mastercard has no foreign transaction fees. This card also offers 5% discount on all Target purchases, 2% in rewards on dining and gas, 1% on all other purchases outside Target or Target.com.

In Michigan the Community Choice Credit Union (CCCU) offers a VISA with no foreign transaction fee. Even better it gives you rebates of up to $36 a month with a certain number of transactions within a monthly period. I always get the maximum rebate when I travel. There are many offices across southeastern MI with one being a mile from my home.

The AAA has a credit credit (Visa) that is a travel card. No fee for use in a foreign country but there is fee for withdrawals. You do not have to be a member to apply for the card. My thought is it’s a good trade off and I rarely even come close to the cost of a yearly fee for a travel card. They are easy to deal with and customer service is spectacular. You can talk to humans and advise them of your travel plans.

Two basic details I absolutely look for in applying for a credit card, ie, if they don't offer them...I'm no customer.

1. annual fee ,

2 foreign transaction fee.

I brought 4 cc over this time, with varying limits but all without the FT fee and annual fee, 3 of them equipped with the PIN, which was called for in certain train ticket machines.