I obtained the personal "plus" version of the SWA card, which came with 50,000 bonus points and the hope for a 3,000 point renewal bonus, all for a $69 fee. I opted for this version because there seemed little reason to get the premier version, which comes with a $99 fee.

Today I got a little surprise, when two foreign transactions posted with a 3% foreign transaction fee. In reviewing both the materials that came with the card and the on line description, it appears that Chase is correct in assessing these, as the waiver of the fees does not appear in the literature. I had not previously focused on this.

For me, this means discontinuing use of the SWA card for foreign purposes, and moving to a card that offers a waiver. Fortunately, I found out about it before I left on my foreign trip (having used the SWA card now to book two rail tickets).