If you like to travel or are thinking of taking a vacation outside of the United States, here are the best credit cards you can use abroad. These credit cards offer excellent benefits to travelers such as points or miles, security, travel insurance, etc.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
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The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers 2 miles for every dollar you spend or on every purchase you make, plus you can earn 10 miles on hotel reservations through the Hotels.com page.
After you spend $ 3,000 in the first 3 months of opening the account, you can earn a 50,000 bonus in miles. The miles you earn when making purchases can be redeemed or used to buy hotel rooms, cruises, flights, rent a car, etc. In addition, when you obtain a credit card you can receive up to $ 100 in credit, which you can use at the security points of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA, for its acronym in English) at airports. Card interest can range from 17.99% to 25.24% APR.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
With the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card, you can earn 50,000 points after you spend $ 4,000 on purchases during the first 3 months of opening the account. Points can be redeemed for cash, gift card, or products offered by Chase. If you want to exchange them for cash, the 50,000 points have a value of $ 500.
For travel, this card offers several benefits such as the opportunity to earn 2 points on each purchase you make. For example, you can buy plane tickets, eat in restaurants, or reserve a hotel room and receive points. Also, if you are not traveling, you can earn a point on each purchase you make. On the other hand, with the Chase credit card, you will not have to pay the fees for transactions outside of the United States. For example, if you purchase $ 5,000 abroad, you would not have to pay $ 150 for transaction fees.
The credit card offers insurance for luggage and plane tickets. If your flight is canceled or you get sick, you could be reimbursed up to $ 10,000 per person or $ 20,000 per trip.
Wells Fargo Propel American Express
The Wells Fargo Propel American Express Card offers an additional 30,000 reward points when you spend $ 3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. The 30,000 points are worth $ 300 in cash. You can earn 3 points when you buy meals in restaurants, gasoline, public transport, flights, hotels, etc. The card has no annual fee and there is no limit on the points you can earn. Similarly, you can buy tickets to concerts, plays, and special events before they go on sale with the Wells Fargo Propel American Express credit card.
Moreover, you will not have to pay foreign currency conversion fees. The credit card offers cell phone protection by helping you protect your cell phone from damage or theft. During the first year, you will not have to pay interest, then the interest on the card can vary from 14.74% to 27.24% APR.
Bank of America Travel Rewards
With the Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card you can earn 1.5 in points for every dollar you spend, anywhere. You will not have to pay an annual fee or foreign transaction fees. The points you earn can be used to pay for flights, hotels, vacation packages, cruises, car rentals, or baggage charges.
If during the first 90 days of opening the account, you spend at least $ 1,000 on purchases, you will be able to obtain a bonus of 25,000 points, which can be exchanged for credit, on the account statement, of $ 250 to apply to travel purchases
The Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card offers 0% interest for the first 12 billing cycles for purchases. Then a variable interest of 17.24% at 25.24% APR will be applied.
Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard
By obtaining the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard credit card and spending 5,000 in the first 90 days you can get a bonus of 70,000 miles. The miles can be exchanged for $ 700 for travel expenses or offers.
In the same way, you can earn 2 miles on each purchase you make, the miles you earn can be exchanged for gift cards, travel credit, and merchandise.
The card has an annual fee of $ 89, has no fees for foreign transactions, and during the first year you will not have to pay interest on balance transfers. After the first year, the interest could range from 18.24% to 25.24% APR, depending on your credit score.
What should I know about travel credit cards?
Before applying for a credit card you must be clear about your needs and budget. Since in this way you can choose the one that best suits your shopping habits. After you establish your needs, you should know the following concepts and advantages that the cards offer:
Security
Credit cards are protected by the provisions of the Fair Credit Billing Act. With this protection, if you suspect that you have been a victim of fraud when making online purchases, you can stop paying for the purchase while the case is investigated. In addition, depending on the type of credit card and the bank, you will not be responsible for unauthorized purchases made with the credit card.
Points or thousands
Most credit cards offer a certain amount of miles or points for every purchase or dollar you spend. After obtaining a certain amount of points or miles, you can exchange them for cash, gift cards, or use them to make purchases at participating stores. For example, you can earn 1 point for every $ 1 you spend. Then when you reach 25,000 points you can redeem it for $ 250 in cash.
APR or interest
The APR on a credit card is the percentage of the annual rate that you will have to pay, that is, it is the interest. You should choose a credit card that has low-interest rates and a low annual fee. Since this way, you will not get into debt and the monthly payments of the card will be more comfortable.
Charges for transfers abroad
When you are traveling abroad and using your credit card, some banks may charge you a fee to change currency. Because of this, you should choose a card that offers 0 charges for transfers or purchases abroad, so that you do not overspend and can save.
