<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by pgary:
My favorite for international travel is the AMEX card, because, last I heard, they do not charge the usual 2% rip off fee for currency conversions that the more greedy banks charge.
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From my Starpoints Amex card agreement: "If you initiate a transaction in a foreign currency, it will be converted into U.S. dollars on the date it is processed by us or our agents at a rate set by us based on an interbank, tourist or (where required by law) official rate, increased in each instance by up to 2%."
They have indeed charged me a full 2% in the past two years, and from all I have seen in FlyerTalk, they do the same for ANY Amex card.
That rate still beats the 3% total fee from VISA/local bank. Like prncess674, it's my first choice. And the fee is actually only $30, effective after one year's free use.