Comments on: Best International Credit Card

By: Mike K

Mike K — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:49:19 +0000

Only weird thing is that capital one cannot tell you the exchange rate they use themselves for any of your foreign charges or what the original amount of your foreign charges were (in the foreign currency). This concerns me a bit because if the foreign company pads a bit on, you wouldn’t have any way of knowing.

By: Kari

Kari — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:01:40 +0000

BTW – I’m a US resident

By: Kari

Kari — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:00:08 +0000

To update, I just called Capital One to confirm and there still are no extra charges to use the card internationally.

By: michael crichton

michael crichton — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:48:16 +0000

does capital one credit card charge you overseas charges? also does it charge you currency exchange charges?

By: Christine

Christine — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:34:05 +0000

AGREED!!!!! NEVER email your personal information!!!

By: Patrick

Patrick — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:25:56 +0000

Very interesting forum but as a Canadian resident I don’t find the same conditions as US residents regarding the Capital One Master Card.
I just received a new Capital One Master Card and read the literature.
We have a 2.5% currency conversion charge.
Also, when you buy in a foreign country, your purchase is converted by Capital One into US dollars then into Canadian dollars.
Capital One conditions are: “…when you use your card to make transactions in a foreign currency, we receive the transaction in US$ and convert it into Cdn$. We make the conversions at our rate of exchange current at the time, plus a 2.5% currency conversion charge.
Nobody at Capital one has been able to give me the rates at each step of the transaction (buy or sell exchange rates???). Why Capital One Canada would not go directly from Euro or Yen to Cdn dollar? Would somebody knows how it works and what is the final percentage rate applied to your purchase?

By: Andrea

Andrea — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:30:02 +0000

Does the no-fee still hold true for Capital One? I happen to have a credit card with them, and would use exclusively as I’m moving overseas. Also, what does it mean that Capital One charges a 1% foreign currency fee and a -1% issuer fee?
Thanks.

By: retireandgo

retireandgo — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:12:27 +0000

Sarab,
I have been using the CapitalOne card for all of my foreign trips, even to Canada, because they “eat” the fee that VISA charges them. Therefore you will get NO “foreign-transaction fee” on your credit card bill, as you will get with the other cards.
The ONLY problem and it is with ALL American-issued cards, is we are still in the dark ages, as Europe and elsewhere switch to a “chip-and-pin” system.

By: Jeb

Jeb — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:41:21 +0000

“Before you go overseas I would make sure you scan the contents of your wallet, passport, and any other travel docs and send it as an attachment to yourself at one of the big online email places. (gmail, yahoo, hotmail)”

That sounds like the worst Idea I’ve ever heard in my entire life. You must have been a 8 times victim of Identity theft..

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:48:29 +0000

The exchange rate that the credit card companies use should be virtually the same for all of them as it goes through a clearing house.

Just use the Capital One credit card when out of the US and you won’t get charged the foreign transaction fee, which varies fro 1 to 4% with the other companies. Check your contract or call them to verify.

The one problem to avoid is letting a foreign vendor charge you in dollars, as the car rental company National tried to do with me in England. They “converted” the pound at the rate of $1.70 and told me it would cost me such and such dollars. At the time, the posted rate online was $1.64. Always pay in the local currency and you will get a better exchange rate.

By: Carl

Carl — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 02:25:39 +0000

Aside from the transaction fee, does anyone know if one credit card gives a better exchange rate than the others?

Thanks

By: Mary Beth

Mary Beth — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:13:09 +0000

Sean,
I checked out the Schwab high yield investor checking but the fine print says it does not cover foreign exchange fees from ATM withdrawals. You say though that you have received refunds for those fees? We’re going to London in August and thought it might be the best way to beat our bank’s 2.5% finance charge for FX on ATM withdrawals. Would you agree?

By: Vicki

Vicki — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:56:23 +0000

Most of this is very interesting but does anyone have information on getting an “international card” to use in South Korea? South Korean seems to do things very differently than others…..

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:21:10 +0000

Thanks for informing us, Sean. I have the Capital One Money Market debit card. They pay around 2% on your money in the account, which you hook up with your usual bank or credit union checking account in order to transfer money to them. I am not aware of a refund on the ATM machine fees, but it is their own card, not a VISA debit card, so you will NOT pay any international transaction fees.

By: Sean

Sean — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:50:29 +0000

Although it’s not a credit card, the Charles Schwab High Yield Investor Checking Account pays all international and domestic transaction fees (including ATM and Visa exchanges fees both domestic and international). After vacationing in Europe for over two months, I got a refund (always at the end of the month) in over $200 in ATM/Visa exchange fees.

Again, it’s not a credit card, but I think it’s much better given that few places accept credit cards in Europe. Check it out at http://www.schwab.com