Best Credit Card to use in Europe?

Capital One card is frequently recommended. Check the web site for their cards and fees. There are many cards that do not charge currency conversion fees or annual fees.

Credit unions are not branches of the government. Their names reflect the group of people they are set up to serve.

I use the Capital One card mentioned above and have good success with it. Another option would be the Andrews Federal Credit Union card, which also reportedly has no fees. It also has the bonus of being a true chip & PIN card. While few casual travelers need a chip & PIN card, it will come in handy living there for 6 months and using retailers off the beaten path or using automated machines. Enjoy your study abroad, I think you'll find it one of your greatest life experiences!

In addition to the Andrews Federal Credit Union, the State Department Federal Credit Union also offers a Visa EMV (chip & pin) credit card. Interest rates as low as 6.99%, no foreign transaction fee and no annual fee. Also, they don't charge an ATM transaction fee for their debit card. If you don't otherwise qualify for membership, join the American Consumers Council at no cost and you'll be eligible to open an account. There is one twist to getting the credit card, though, it's not automatically part of membership. You must fill out a loan application and your credit report will be checked. The whole process takes some time, so if you're leaving in March, get started now. Info applies to both Andrews and State Dep't CU's.

I'm planning a trip in March and have discovered a down side to Capital One Visa: it doesn't participate in Verified by Visa. Therefore I was unable to use it to purchase rail tickets for France or British Airways flights on line (had to use the phone, that took forever and I worried that the names would be spelled wrong on our tickets). Also although we called Capital One and told them we were purchasing for this trip, they locked the Visa after I bought the plane tickets so I had to fish out another card to purchase seats on the flights.

Not sure about the Andrews card, but the State Department card does employ the Verified by Visa security feature.

Thanks for all the replies! I looked into the State Dept. card and it seems like you have to set up some sort of bank account with the government, which is something I'm not very interested in doing. I haven't looked into Andrews yet though. Thanks again guys!

Chase Sapphire card - no transaction fee, double miles (transferable to United, BA and a few others) on restaurants and travel.

Best Credit Card for international travel: Capital One

Credit Card - There are several that do not charge an exchange fee - Capital One, SWA, etc. Debit/ATM Card - There are several that charge $1 fee with free withdrawals. Do not get a Capital one debit/ATM card - Capital One charges an exchange fee to 3% plus an ATM fee of $2 per usage.

Hi Andrew, I always use American Express Credit card. It has 0% international transaction fee. Mine is from Bank of America. I don't pay any annual fees either.
Don't use it to withdraw cash from ATM, that involves fees. I just use a debit card for it.

Also, if you get Bank of America ATM/ debit card, and use in Deutche Bank to withdraw cash, there is no ATM fee. I think there is a 1% transaction fee only. Call the bank to check on it, i may be wrong.

Yes Capital One is great for overseas. They don't charge transaction fees.

Careful with an American Express card, it is not widely accepted in many areas. It is OK for upscale restaurants and four/five star hotels.

Irene, how do you not pay fees for American Express, it always seems to have the highest fees unless you charge like 100,000 dollars on it a year .. yikes.

Pat,
my card doesn't have any annual fees, and I certanely not charge that much on it, in fact some years I never even use it at all. I usually stay in 3 star hotels and never had a problem them accepting it, especially in Germany. May be it has something to do with the bank which issued it? Some places may only accept Visa or Mastercard though, I agree and carry visa card with me just in case.

I have a capitol one platinum card and I called the customer sevice number to ask them some questions on what fees they charge when over in Europe. They said that they don't charge transaction fees, but the ATM withdrawal fees is kind of expensive (it's a $10 charge, plus what the ATM charges). Also, she told me that in order to let them know of my trip to Europe that I can go online to my account and set up a travel notification. If I set up a travel notification with the dates of my trip, then I can let Capitol One know that it's me who is going to be using my card over in Europe and it wasn't someone who hacked into my account and is trying to steal my money. This is a good way to let Capitol One know not to block your card when you are trying to use it in another country. You can also call them and set up a travel notification, as well. Hope this helps! Capitol One Customer Service #: 1-800-955-7070

I am also researching credit cards for a European trip. I found that a lot of the cards are chip and signature not chip and pin. I am looking into PenFed because they actually use a pin. Only issue is the card with the better travel benefits is a Amex. Anyone have experience with this card?

Hi, Going to Europe with your 'signature' card will make some purchases difficult. Many places still have a signature machine "in the back room". If you try buying gasoline at the 24 hour no-attendant stations with a signature card. You will get NO gasoline. The signature card is being phased out in Europe, an old technology. I recommend you contact your credit card provider and request a "chip" or "EMV" card. They won't have one, but it will put pressure on them to offer this option. Wells Fargo did a trial in 2012 with 15,000 of their select customers. Trial is over and no new cards are currently available. Chip cards through Chase (British Air Chase, or Hyatt Chase) have $75-95 yearly fees. Some day, some day...
wayne iNWI

While you may get by fine without a chip and PIN card, there is no reason to travel to Europe without one as a backup. The USAA Savings Bank chip and PIN Mastercard has no annual fee, but has a 1% foreign transaction fee. Well worth it if you're in a pinch. See USAA chip and PIN FAQS:
http://content.usaa.com/mcontent/static_assets/om/Media/docs/126885.pdf Looking at BofA info online it appears they offer a chip and signature card, and their customer service confirmed that for now that is the case. Chip and signature is not the same as chip and PIN.

It's still relatively rare to actually need a chip and pin card. I've run into situations a handful of times where a chip and pin credit card would have been nice to have - metro when low on cash, automated gas stations, and the rare retailer who doesn't know how to process cards "the old way". In every case, I was able to work around it without too much effort. At this point I wouldn't spend any time worrying about chip and pin and wouldn't pay a large fee to carry one. When one is available that isn't a bad deal, it's probably worth carrying as a back-up card.

Bank of America has a travel rewards card that offers chip and pin and no foreign transaction fee. If you already have a card with them, give them a call and see what they can do for you.

I just wanted to thank you all again for your help! I decided to go with one of the Citi cards and am looking forward to using it abroad. Thanks again!