Credit card referral

I am getting an Andrews Federal Credit Union account so I can get their PIN and chip Visa card. No fees, no foreign transaction fees. You can join and apply online.

Instead of a credit card you should use a debit card at an ATM, tied to a checking account. I recommend USAA Savings Bank. Free checking & good debit card with no fees overseas except 1% foreign transaction fee. Easy to work with. We've had the card for years with no trouble.

They do have good credit cards too if that's what you want. But taking cash advances from credit cards can be very expensive & is generally not recommended except in an emergency.

Bank of America now has a Travel Rewards card. No fee to get it, no foreign transaction fees. Has a chip. great.

If you use a credit card at an ATM, it is called a cash advance, and interest begins accruing on this loan the minute the ATM dispenses the cash, not at the end of the cycle. Don't do it except in an emergency.

Check out the Barclay Arrival card. No foreign transaction fees and a good introductory "mileage" deal. It's good to use on plane, train, hotels charges. But I agree on not using a credit card at ATMs.

I agree with the others about not using a credit card at an ATM machine. But it is a good idea to have a credit card with you on the trip. What about a credit card associated with an Airline? They all give you a mileage bonus the first time you use it, and frequently it is enough to get you a transatlantic flight. Pick the airline you think you will use the most.

My fiancé and I just looked into the same thing and decided on a Marriott Rewards credit card. I already had a rewards number and had some points from a previous stay. I got an offer in the mail for a credit card with 60,000 bonus points and a free night stay upon opening the card. We knew we wanted to book our honeymoon in a variety of stages (airfare then lodging then excursions) so using a credit card was a good option for us. I was able to get a card for each of us and our limit is high enough for this trip. One of the great things about the card is the microchip in the card, plus no international transaction fees. We just paid off the first charge of several thousand and have earned quite a few free nights for future travel. It seemed like a win/win for us to earn points and free nights since we hope to travel more after the honeymoon.

Thanks to all for taking the time to respond. Very helpful.

Just got the United Airlines credit card. Annual fee is waived for the first year (and I'll just cancel before that hits) and, since we are flying United, the travel perks are great. 2 free day passes to the United Club, which will be helpful for our 8 hour layover in Newark. Priority boarding and 2 free bags each (which we won't need, but still). No foreign transaction fees. 5% or $10 ATM fee, plus it's cash advance. I won't use that unless an emergency. I'm going to check with my bank to see if I can use my debit card overseas. My question to the forum - do I need a chip card because this one seems to be swipe only.

Thanks!

We got a chase Sapphire preferred credit card. It has a chip and you collect points esp for travel related expenses. No foreign transaction fees.
It is free the first year and $95 after that, so you can just cancel it.

It is chip and signature ( the pin can only be used for a cash advance, which as everyone has already said should only be done in an emergency. )
After extensive research there is no chip and pin credit card for purchases, only chip and signature. It also has a magnetic strip for use in this country.
Bank of America also has a chip and signature card, and capital one I believe.
Chip debit cards or ATM cards do not exist in this country yet, only magnetic strip cards.

"After extensive research there is no chip and pin credit card for purchases, only chip and signature. It also has a magnetic strip for use in this country."

Your research was not extensive enough. I have a true chip and pin credit card from USAA and it is free. There have been several threads on various RS Forums which give information on where to get chip and pin credit cards. There are not many and most, but not all, are from high end cards with a fee. One of the other free chip and pin cards is from a credit union, I cannot remember the name- Andrews maybe, in the Washington, DC area. Now, that said, the chip feature does not work in the US because the US merchants do not have the required equipment so the card has, as you said, a magnetic strip in addition to the chip.

I second the Chase Sapphire card. Chip and PIN and NO foreign transaction fee.

I use a citi HiltonHonors Visa card with chip and signature. No foreign transaction fee, and earns me points for Hilton hotels. Worked fine on my recent trip to the UK.