best credit card for overseas

I have an american express delta card, mainly because I usually travel on Delta for both work and personal trips. I do pay for the privilege with a yearly fee, but it gets me a free checked bag for any travel and if I am stuck on a long layover I can get into the Delta Clubs for less than $30 (Great wi-fi, comfortable seats, free drinks and snacks). I earn Delta miles when I use it, and I am at a level where I get a yearly companion ticket. So for me, even if I don't use it frequently, it still has travel value for me. The card has no other fees for use or a foreign transaction fee(FTF), so I do not know what fees the previous poster was referring to except maybe the fees merchants pay..

I also have a Mastercard that has no FTF, so between the two, I am fairly well set, though I do have other cards I can bring as a deep reserve. As for acceptance, there is much outdated information. I used to have an AMEX issued by my employer for travel 15-20 years ago. At that time, yes, there were many places that did not accept it. However since they got into more the traditional CC market and became the Delta card issuer, they have expanded the number of merchants vastly. I rarely run into a hotel that does not honor it, unless they take no CC at all. Restaurants are not usually a problem and shops where tourists hang out typically accept it as well. I guess in combination with another card, it has never been an issue.

I think the bottom line is, if you mainly fly Delta, then it is a great card, if not, then there are other no FTF cards out there that may be better for you.

Your Capital One Venture card pays 3% back on everything you charge. It comes with a $59 yearly charge, but it can be recovered in "rewards" if you're a high charge customer. They also have some other travel credit cards that don't have a yearly charge, but they pay back 1 or 2 per cent. It's best to compare yearly charges, interest rates on unpaid balances and other terms before deciding.
Capital One cards get the full currency conversion--day by day. Some credit cards rip you off on the conversion.

I want nothing to do with American Express, as they ripped us off once on cashing some of their travelers' checks at one of their locations in Europe--prior to ATM machines.

on a trip in 2014 including Germany and Switzerland, a person traveling with us brought their American Express card. He asked if it was accepted at every shop and restaurant we went to. Only about 3 out of 25+ places took it, and these were not mom & pop places in the sticks. I use one for major expenses - larger hotels, plane tickets, rental cars - but not for daily use.

As universally as it accepted in the US, Amex acceptance in Europe is spotty. Visa and MasterCard are more readily accepted but many smaller merchants will not accept any credit cards. Other than Chase, another good card provider is CapitalOne. They have a number of different programs available with no FX fees. They offer reward cards, no fee cards, and annual fee cards. I had an AMEX Delta card as well as regular AMEX card. I recently closed the Delta account because the other AMEX card let me accrue miles and transfer them to many other airlines. I've been able to get reward flights directly on Delta, Alitalia, Air France, Air Canada and in ten days fly to Rome on Iberia. Sometimes there's a promotion with an airline in which they give bonus miles when you transfer miles from your AMEX rewards to the airline's mileage program.

Something else to consider is your ATM or debit card. If your bank charges FX fees on top of transaction fees, look into opening a checking account that doesn't. My main checking account with PNC Bank charges 3% plus a transaction charge on foreign transactions. To avoid this, I opened an account at CapitalOne Bank. The account has no FX fees or monthly fees. Similar accounts are available from many credit unions. Your card must link to a checking account, not savings. I always take cards from 2 different banks just in case one is not accepted.

Amex is widely accepted here and Visa as well, although cash is more common. Before your trip, check with your credit card company to get the pin number. Some of the smaller restaurants and hotels may not accept credit cards, but will often accept a debit card. My son in the US signed up for the Delta Amex which offered a large sign up bonus and no foreign translation fees. Delta offers a status match, which you should do if you have status on another airline. If you sign up for this, you will have 90 days to meet the criteria and get the same status as the other airline. The requirements are fairly minimal and the match in status comes with other benefits including upgraded seating, etc. If you lean towards Chase, they just introduced a new credit card, link below. It currently has a 100,000 sign up bonus, comes with priority pass as well as lounge access. The annual fees for this and Amex Platinum are higher, but if you travel internationally frequently, it may be worth it.

https://creditcards.chase.com/credit-cards/chase-sapphire-reserve1?CELL=6304&IS2F=Y71UH0

Certain American Express cards have the best rental car CDW option I've found. If you might rent a car, it's worth looking for. I'll carry an American Express card just for that (it will work at all the major retail and transportation places, if not at all the small businesses).

I have a Capital One Venture Card. I got it for travel but I'm not pleased with them because of how they handled a transaction recently. It ended up costing me more than $100, $80 of it their fault. I'm ready to take my business elsewhere. I'm not a fan of big banks and Capital One falls in that category.

Regarding debit cards. I'm thrilled to have a chip and pin card to use for this trip. It will likely reduce my use of cash. Mine is from USAA, but I just opened a basic checking for my mom at Navy FCU and they sent her a chip and pin debit also.

best credit card for overseas

My hands down favorite is; someone else's.........

Chase Sapphire Preferred.... 50,000 miles if you spend $3000 in the first three months. Double points for travel and restaurants. $0 Foreign Transaction Fees!!!! Points can be used with Air France and KLM.

There are lots of decent options depending on your preference for miles vs. points vs. rebates. Since I'm now taking long trips (albeit budget ones), I'm currently charging quite a bit each year. I prefer a mileage card that will help me earn free flights for future trips. The United Mileage Plus card has no extra foreign-transaction fees and works for me. Mine costs $99/year, but there's also a free version that has the same low cost for foreign transactions.

My back-up card is from Capital One, also without extra fees. But it yields points rather than miles, and the cash-value of those points is lower than the value of the miles I can earn on the United card.

I also have an American card, but it has a significant foreign transaction fee (I think 3%), so I use it only about once every six months to be sure my miles don't expire.

There may be hotel affinity cards that are useful for folks who commonly stay at upper-bracket hotels, but I've never researched those.

If I were in the market for a new card, one thing I'd consider is whether I was sure I could meet the charging threshold for whatever bonus is on offer. Some of the mileage bonuses are enough to cover a roundtrip to Europe. But some cards require that the miles be earned in the current calendar year, rather than within twelve months, so you might need to start using the card in January.

For those planning driving vacations overseas, it sounds as if the fee for one of the CDW-covering AmEx cards is well worth it.

Capital One offers a number of credit cards, each with different costs and benefits: https://www.capitalone.com/credit-cards/compare/

My Quicksilver pays a 1.5% "reward" and has a $0 annual fee. Also no foreign transaction fees and essentially Interbank exchange rates.

Two service things I like about the Capital One Quicksilver:

• Foreign travel notifications can be made "on-line" without having to wait for a real person.
• Our "his and hers" cards are linked to the same account but have different numbers. In the event that one card is compromised and needs to be "locked", the other is suppose to be still usable. It's like having separate credit cards.

USAA offers a credit card with the same advantages (no foreign transaction fee, 1 1/2% rebate on all purchases, online travel notification and no annual fee).

Best credit card? The one that works where you need it to. Forget miles, cash back, and all the other perks. Those don't make the card "best" just most beneficial to you.

American Express is good for hotels, rental cars and plane tickets. Not much else in Europe. B&Bs won't take them (many won't take any credit card at all, so be careful). Most other merchants take Visa or MasterCard if they accept any cards at all. Capital One cards seem to work best.

I'm not saying that cash is the only way to go in Europe anymore because my last trip showed me that it isn't , but it is still easiest form of payment. So make sure you have away to get cash.

Since you are traveling to Switzerland, I wanted to write again regarding acceptance of American Express and credit cards in general. With technology changing rapidly, especially with the usage of mobile phones to make purchases, credit card acceptance is something I rarely have to think about, except in remote areas or small b&b's and restaurants. As a local, paying with cash is more common in my experience, but not because of lack of acceptance of other forms of payment. If you are a tourist, then it's normal to pay with credit and debit than cash because you don't want to have to carry so much cash with you while you are traveling. Pins are used to verify payment, so it is important to have that number with you. Here's a link for sbb.ch which shows the latest technology they installed a year ago which outlines their acceptance of Amex, WavePay, etc. If you are staying at a small b&b, I would telephone or email them and ask if they accept your form of payment. Otherwise, you can expect that in most cases, your cards will be accepted and you need just have cash for the smaller restaurants, etc. that you may visit. It's a good idea to have two different types of credit cards as well as a debit card.

http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/am-bahnhof/dhl-service-point/automatic-ticket-machine.html

When I had Amer Ex travelers checks, I always cashed them at banks in Germany and Austria, one time was at the AmerEx office in West Berlin.

So....the answer is mixed.

Something else to consider is your ATM or debit card. If your bank charges FX fees on top of transaction fees, look into opening a checking account that doesn't. My main checking account with PNC Bank charges 3% plus a transaction charge on foreign transactions. To avoid this, I opened an account at CapitalOne Bank. The account has no FX fees or monthly fees.

In addition to avoiding these fees, look out for the owner-operated ATM fees. Only a few cards will reimburse them.

http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/best-debit_cards-ATM-overseas-fees-1433.php

I carry two debit cards, in case one is not accepted by an ATM network, or is lost.

Certain American Express cards have the best rental car CDW option I've found. If you might rent a car, it's worth looking for. I'll carry an American Express card just for that

Does Europcar or Gemut accept AMEX?

I have used the Chase Sapphire Preferred in The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Spain, and the U.K. without any problem. That is every European country that I have traveled to in the last three years. It is a "chip and signature" and that has never been a problem. But I have never tried to buy a train ticket from a machine or used it to pump gas.

I also like the fact that when I call them I get a human on the phone right away.

Amex is accepted for payment, however for the damage waiver, you need to read the coverage inclusions and exclusions for your particular Amex, as well as the country. I lean towards taking the insurance the rental company offers. For me, when I am driving a car worth thousands of dollars, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

https://www.europcar.com/payment-methods

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/benefits/detail/car-rental-insurance/premier-gold

As far as credit cards and acceptance to the vendor who accepts it, it does not matter which company issues the card. A Visa is a Visa, and a MasterCard is a MasterCard. Every customers criteria is different and most decide based on what we are looking for in a card at that time. Some may want miles, some may want cash back, some may want a low interest rate, others may travel internationally and want no foreign transaction fees.
It is common in Europe to have a PIN when using a credit card, and always with a debit card. There are times when my transaction goes through without ever being asked for my PIN. Sometimes I am asked for a PIN and asked to sign a slip. I don't think I've seen a ticket station in Europe in a long time that does not accept at least a Visa or MasterCard.