I'm late to the conversation so I didn't review all 14 pages but....

AMEX charges 2%, most Visa/MC charge 3%

When I go abroad, I use my ATM card which I believe Visa charges 1% on top of the wholesale rate for the day (which is what they did for years before all the banks started charging extra fees on top of this 1%). Gives great exchange rates, minimal fees and don't think you can do better any other way. Plus the ATMs in Asia and Europe tend not to charge the $1-4 bucks for using the ATM. Also Netbank doesn't charge me anything from their end. This is great since it eliminates having to carry lots of cash, getting travelers checks, and is so convenient....more so than ATMs in the US almost....