<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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That's incorrect. AmEx cards (all of them) are among the worst for international travel, as not only they surcharge 2% for transactions in foreign currencies, but also their exchange rate is almost 1% less favorable compared to the one used by VISA or MC.
There are several banks that issue credit cards with no bank-imposed surcharge (just 1% added by VISA and MC alike). My favorite is MBNA, as it also has great customer service. Amtrak MC from MBNA has no annual fee, just 1% total surcharge for international transactions, earns 1 Amtrak point per $ spent, and Amtrak points can be exchanged for UA or CO miles 1:1 in the increments of 5,000.