What is the best card/bank to be used in Europe?

You need two cards
1) Buying online. That is a credit card.
3) Getting money out of a cash machine. That is a debit card, i.e. one that extracts money from your normal bank account. You can get money out of a cash machine with a credit card, but that counts as a cash advance, and you are charged interest from the moment you make the withdrawal, expensive, only do in an emergency.

In both cases the normal card you use at home should work.

2) Zero/no fees - need to look up bank websites, or go in and ask.
Charges: If the cash machine (ATM) is bank owned, there should be no charges to use the machine. But:
* Your bank may add a "foreign use fee", even if they weren't charged one by the machine owner.
* You will loose 3%-5% in currency conversion. This will not be listed, but the exchange rate will be 3-5% worse than the "mid rate". You cannot avoid this.

• It is always good practice to take two cards, and keep them in different places. Then if one is lost/stolen/destroyed you still have a backup.
• Tell your bank in advance you are going to use your cards in a foreign country. Otherwise they might see it as a fraudulent transaction and block the card.

Thanks Chris !

If I re-phrase my question to become: For an American who is travelling to Europe, What is the best bank/card to use so s/he would pay the minimum charges? Any recommended banks or cards names, Please?

I'll add some more to Chris's advice.
RE Credit cards:
It is good to have one credit card with the "Visa" logo, and one with the "MasterCard" logo.
CapitalOne offers both types, many with no annual fee, and most without the traditional 3% foreign transaction fees.
Most credit unions also issue no fee cards.
All should have chips in addition to the magnetic strips and have a 4 digit PIN associated with them so that they can be used for "unmanned" transactions like railway ticket machines, toll booths, gas pumps. They can also be used in an ATM machines in an emergency to get a cash advance. Like Chis said, this is emergency only, so a low interest rate would be advantageous as you are charged interest from the date of transaction. My experience is that this is still preferable to changing cash at an exchange booth.

RE Bank debit cards:
Credit unions often have no "out-of-network" usage fees.
Credit unions usually offer cards with low foreign transaction fees. Less than 1 %. This is usually a function of the logo on the card, Visa or MasterCard. Visa does charge about 0.9 % to use their network. MasterCard may be less.
When I have checked my transactions from past trips, it is very close to the crossing rate at that time, plus the 0.9% fee.
These rates are constantly changing during the day as they represent large (multi $1,000,000) trades between banks. They often fluctuate at 1 % throughout the course of the day, and up to 3% when some big external event happens. Two transactions made minutes apart will have different transaction rates.
Charles Schwab also has a debit card without fees.
Generally, the bigger the bank, the more the fees. So Bank of America, Citicorp, Wells Fargo will be the worst. Your friendly local credit union or community bank will be the best.

As explained and given your requirements, you need two cards, a credit card and a debit card. No foreign transaction fee credit and debit cards are readily available. While many credit unions and community banks offer cards that meet your stated needs, not all are foreign transaction fee free. Shop carefully.

Thanks Sam !

I have checked Capital One cards: https://www.capitalone.com/credit-cards/compare/

I am confused on which one would be the best, and I don't know which one to choose. Any help, Please?

Mary, I checked out the Platinum card in your link (because I used to have one.) Nowhere in the long list of regulations did I see any mention of foreign exchange, suggesting that perhaps you are looking for other considerations, such as rewards. Any credit card belonging to one of the international networks can make the purchases you mentioned in your first post. Just be sure that the charge is made in US$. The exchange rate will not be in your favour; it never is. The fee for changing foreign currency is your worry.
You have been warned not to get money out of a bank machine with a credit card except in dire emergency. That Capital One card will charge you almost 25% interest, beginning the moment the machine spits it out. For me, the cheapest way to travel abroad is to forget about credit cards and use cash, obtained with a debit/ATM card in a large amount from a bank machine upon arrival. Don't pay a fee for each picky little purchase, which may work at home but is costly outside your country. And I carry cards based on accounts in two banks; the cards are never in the same wallet at once, for security.

Southam, you wrote "Just be sure that the charge is made in US$" - I would say exactly the opposite, "make sure that the charge is in the local currency".
If you see a price in a foreign currency like US$ (foreign to the country the website is from), then the website owner has done a conversion, and they can choose any conversion rate they like, adding %%% to the cost and there is nothing you can do after you have paid. If you pay in the local currency, your credit card company is doing the conversion, and that is almost always a better rate for you.
And, for buying items or getting money from a cash machine, make sure the amount is shown in local currency. This is the dreaded "DCC" (Dynamic currency conversion), where the business converts to "your" currency, but puts an extra %%% in the conversion whilst doing so. Never never accept a converted amount.

And, Mary does not say where she is from, US$ may not be her home currency.

Mary, the link you posted ( https://www.capitalone.com/credit-cards/compare/ ) shows credit cards, not debit cards. I looked at the fees section. It doesn't mention foreign use charges. You would have to ask.
Your normal debit card you use at home to get money from a cash machine is probably OK in Europe, but you would need to ask, and ask what the fees are.

If you live in America, the Schwab VISA debit card is great. No cost to create, maintain or use. Fees charged by ATM networks rebated monthly. Easy to set up without being anywhere near Schwab.

My situation is a bit complicated ! Every year, I spend:

290 days in European countries.
20 days in some Middle Eastern countries.
10 days in South Africa
The rest which is about 45 days are at the US.

This is how I live, and will continue to live for the next 20 years, I guess.

I do have credit cards from European banks, But still I want and need an american one !

Of course, I will ONLY withdraw cash in dire emergency. But, I do need an American card that I can use when I am shopping online or even I can pay for it in any shops around the world.

Therefore, Guys from your own experience what exact banks and card names are you using and recommend?

Based on my situation, I don't think I need debit card - maybe I am wrong. But I really need a card that I can use anywhere anytime online or in any place.

Here is our set-up, your mileage may vary:
CapitalOne Mastercard credit card, chipped, no foreign transaction fees, charges done at the exchange rate (period),our card ahs 1.25% cashback, you can pick what program you want.
CapitalOne Money Market account, we each have a separate ATM card, no ATM charges, the surcharge on our ATM withdrawals for the exchange averages under 1/2 of 1 %. This is not a debit card, no chip
Schwab account (linked to the empty brokerage account), again we each have a separately numbered ATM card, chipped card which can also be used in automated machines, no ATM charges, no foreign fee, cost of the transaction has generally been under .3 of 1%. We have been able to make online payments for tickets from here with the Schwab when a credit card had a surcharge.
We have had great customer service from both companies.
Having two separate ATM cards on each account allows each of us to withdraw the daily max ($600 CapOne, $1000 Schwab) when we needed to pay for lodging.

@Lary, Youwrote: "CapitalOne Mastercard credit card, chipped, no foreign transaction fees, charges done at the exchange rate (period),our card ahs 1.25% cashback, you can pick what program you want." => Sounds excellent !!!

Please, Have a look at: https://www.capitalone.com/credit-cards/compare/ which one of these credit cards are you using? Can you tell me the exact name?

I use a Capital One ATM card with no annual fee, no transaction fee, and a very good exchange rate on foreign-curency withdrawals, very close to the interbank rate. You can set up an account online. I also have an ATM card from my credit union with similar characteristics.

For overseas purchases I prefer to use my United MileagePlus Explorer credit card (issued by Chase), because I earn miles with it. The exchange rates are very good and there is no surcharge for foreign use. My specific card has an annual fee, but I believe Chase still offers a United mileage card with no annual fee; it just lacks some of the benefits like a second bag checked free.

I have an American mileage credit card that has no annual fee, but it is not a good one to use overseas, because it adds fees on foreign charges. Therefore, my backup credit card for foreign trips is a second card from Capital One. No special fees on foreign charges, a good exchange rate, but offering points rather than miles on purchases.

Here is what I use:
Andrews Federal Credit Union Credit Card: No fees, no foreign transaction fees. True Chip and Pin card that makes life easier at automated machines.
Charles Schwab Investor Checking Debit Card: No fees, no foreign transaction fees. Also true Chip and Pin.

You are getting pushback from people because any withdrawal of cash on a credit card will incur charges as a cash advance on a credit card. A withdrawal of cash with a debit card will not.

If you only want one card, go with the debit card, but most people would suggest that shopping online with a debit card exposes you to more risk than shopping online with a credit card. That is why people have two different cards. One for online purchases, one for cash withdrawals.

"I do have credit cards from European banks, But still I want and need an american one !"

I'm not clear why this is. Do your current cards have extra charges for use in the US, or for use online? Plenty of people use their European cards in the US, so they certainly work here just fine. And as long as you clear it with your card issuer beforehand, your European cards should work on US websites (those of us with US cards have to do this before buying from European websites).

If you explain the problem with your European cards, people can give better answers.

And yes, if you're looking to withdraw cash from ATM's and are worried about fees, you'll need a debit card; there are no credit cards that don't have pretty high fees for this.

In addition to Charles Schwab and Capital One, TD Bank lets you use their debit cards in European ATM's with low or no fees (depending on which account you choose; the low fee checking account requires a $100 minimum balance, while the no fee checking account requires a $2500 minimum balance). I've been very pleased with them.

Mary, our CapOne card was started in 2010, the programs are somewhat different as the bank has changed some. The closest to what we have would be the Quicksilver Rewards Visa card, no annual fee, you get 1/5% cashback (that you can take as statement credits anytime without having to reach a predetermined amount), no foreign transaction fees. Perhaps I should talk to them to see if we can switch programs.

Thank you all, I am very appreciative for your inputs !

@Lary, The quick silver has transfer fees!

@Harold, The regulations and the nature of my work don't allow me to use any of my European banks cards outside EU, Thus, I do need an American one which I could use in the US and anywhere else.

As for the TD Bank, Do you mean TD Cash: https://www.tdbank.com/personalcreditcard/cashrewardscard.html ? Or, Something else?

@Carol, As for Andrews Federal Credit Union Credit Card, Which one of these are you using (https://www.andrewsfcu.org/personal/loans-and-credit/credit-cards.html)? Visa Platinum Rewards or Visa Platinum Secured?

The Andrews Federal Credit Union card I use is the platinum rewards.

For TD, I'm referring to debit cards tied to checking accounts, for cash withdrawals from European ATM's. I believe their credit cards have fees for foreign use, but I haven't checked lately.

Transfer fees are only for balance transfers used to pay off one credit card and move your balances to a different card. Every card issued by any US based bank will have transfer fees (I'm sure there may be a few that don't but those most likely have other conditions attached to using the transfer option). Not sure why there is a concern as no mention of consolidating your balances by transfer was mentioned, and not even sure if it is possible with foreign issued cards.

ALL Capital One Credit cards have zero foreign transaction fees. It is one of their marketing points that helped establish them. The cards they issue to people with higher credit ratings in the US all are also annual fee free. I have the Quicksilver one which pays me 1.5% cash back on all purchases and have used it extensively in Europe with zero fees or exchange rate markups.

But be careful which Capital One Debit card you get. Some do have fees. The one that I use which has zero fees of any kind and requires no minimum balances is the Capital One 360 Debit MasterCard. Open it and maintain it online from anywhere. Works without issue everywhere I have been in Europe and North America so far. There is also no inflating of the exchange rate -- what Google says is the exchange rate for a currency when your transaction posts is what Capital One 360 charges you.