Best card for foreign exchange?
#1996
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: LAX
Programs: AA Plat, DL, AS, UA, IHG Plat
Posts: 2,407
Are there any Wells Fargo PMA customers here that have used their ATM overseas? Did the withdraw really comes through at *actual* exchange rate (i.e. without the 3% forex surcharge) and waived non-Wells ATM fee?
I know what the account fine prints says... I'm looking for real life collaborating evidence
I know what the account fine prints says... I'm looking for real life collaborating evidence
#1997
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Seoul
Programs: Skypass Morning Calm Premium
Posts: 22
Credit card newbie
Hello all,i'm actually new to the forums. So i am very sorry if this question has been asked before.
Im sorry to kind of delve into this thread but it's very long and i honestly only read about 30 pages of content. A lot of these 0% transaction and low transaction cards seem to be for people with very good credit, though im not sure. I am working abroad after just finishing university and i just have one credit card and have had it for 2 years now(haven't been late on payments) and I'm wondering how good of credit do you have to have to be accepted into these 0% or 1 % fee foreign transaction fees?
If anyone can recommend me a kind of intro card id much appreciate it.
Im sorry to kind of delve into this thread but it's very long and i honestly only read about 30 pages of content. A lot of these 0% transaction and low transaction cards seem to be for people with very good credit, though im not sure. I am working abroad after just finishing university and i just have one credit card and have had it for 2 years now(haven't been late on payments) and I'm wondering how good of credit do you have to have to be accepted into these 0% or 1 % fee foreign transaction fees?
If anyone can recommend me a kind of intro card id much appreciate it.
#1998
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 317
Hello all,i'm actually new to the forums. So i am very sorry if this question has been asked before.
Im sorry to kind of delve into this thread but it's very long and i honestly only read about 30 pages of content. A lot of these 0% transaction and low transaction cards seem to be for people with very good credit, though im not sure. I am working abroad after just finishing university and i just have one credit card and have had it for 2 years now(haven't been late on payments) and I'm wondering how good of credit do you have to have to be accepted into these 0% or 1 % fee foreign transaction fees?
If anyone can recommend me a kind of intro card id much appreciate it.
Im sorry to kind of delve into this thread but it's very long and i honestly only read about 30 pages of content. A lot of these 0% transaction and low transaction cards seem to be for people with very good credit, though im not sure. I am working abroad after just finishing university and i just have one credit card and have had it for 2 years now(haven't been late on payments) and I'm wondering how good of credit do you have to have to be accepted into these 0% or 1 % fee foreign transaction fees?
If anyone can recommend me a kind of intro card id much appreciate it.
Good luck and welcome to FT!
#1999
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Oak Park, IL
Programs: AA 2 MM LIfetime Platinum, SPG Platinum, Hilton Silver, BA
Posts: 3,585
I don't think that cards without a foreign exchange require better credit then others - it is just a perk of the card. The Citi Premier Pass card doesn't have a foreign exchange fee - there are bonuses out there and I believe waiver of the first year fee. You get thank you points which can be used for flights and you still get your regular miles on those flights. If you bank at citibank there are more ways to get thank you points.
#2000
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 305
I've used my CIBC Visa for years in all my international traveling. It gives you 1% cash back and no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee. It's a Canadian Dollar CC. Check out cibc.com.
#2001
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Seoul
Programs: Skypass Morning Calm Premium
Posts: 22
thank you all so much, i sincerely appreciate it and i cannot wait to become part of this community.
#2002
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,722
BEWARE OF BARCLAYS WEBSITE when using Global Access partner cards
For those of you who have Bank of America cards please beware that some of the ATMs listed on the Barclays website are not in fact fee-free Barclays-owned ATMs. I used one yesterday at Marble Arch, London that turned out to be owned by "Rafael's Bank" dba Thomas Cook. Today I see a $5 ATM fee from BofA Probably should have stopped when I saw that the machine didn't have the Barclays logo but was tired of walking around after finding that the machine first Barclays branch was out of order.
Needless to say I have never encountered this problem with any other Global Alliance partners including Banco Santander (Mexico) or Westpac (Australia and NZ) where ATMs are always in service and always fee-free. Also true for BofA in the USA.
I think good advice for UK-bound travelers is take a few minutes when you arrive at LHR (or LGW) to stop by a Barclays ATM so that you don't have to find yourself stranded and needing cash later and at the mercy of Barclays shoddy website and network.
For those of you who have Bank of America cards please beware that some of the ATMs listed on the Barclays website are not in fact fee-free Barclays-owned ATMs. I used one yesterday at Marble Arch, London that turned out to be owned by "Rafael's Bank" dba Thomas Cook. Today I see a $5 ATM fee from BofA Probably should have stopped when I saw that the machine didn't have the Barclays logo but was tired of walking around after finding that the machine first Barclays branch was out of order.
Needless to say I have never encountered this problem with any other Global Alliance partners including Banco Santander (Mexico) or Westpac (Australia and NZ) where ATMs are always in service and always fee-free. Also true for BofA in the USA.
I think good advice for UK-bound travelers is take a few minutes when you arrive at LHR (or LGW) to stop by a Barclays ATM so that you don't have to find yourself stranded and needing cash later and at the mercy of Barclays shoddy website and network.
#2003
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL
Programs: AA 4MM EXP; Starwood Lifetime Plt
Posts: 2,498
BEWARE OF BARCLAYS WEBSITE when using Global Access partner cards
...
I think good advice for UK-bound travelers is take a few minutes when you arrive at LHR (or LGW) to stop by a Barclays ATM so that you don't have to find yourself stranded and needing cash later and at the mercy of Barclays shoddy website and network.
...
I think good advice for UK-bound travelers is take a few minutes when you arrive at LHR (or LGW) to stop by a Barclays ATM so that you don't have to find yourself stranded and needing cash later and at the mercy of Barclays shoddy website and network.
#2004
Join Date: Jul 2001
Posts: 3,975
Bank of Internet adding 1% forex charge
I have the debit card from Bank of Internet, which had 0% forex charges, and they've given notice that as of Sept. 1, 2011, they'll make it 1%. The way it really worked is that I think they reported the charge with 1% as Visa converted it, and reimbursed anything left over after dividing the dollar amount by 5, calling it the ATM fee reimbursement. This spring I could have one €200 withdrawal counted as $290.30, and they reimbursed $0.30 as the fee, and a few days later the same € were $289.80, and they reimbursed $4.80. Sometimes you actually got better than the interbank exchange rate. I guess this means the charge will be what Visa shows, and they won't have the "fee reimbursement."
I also have an ING Direct account. With their sale to Capital One, not sure if I can expect it to have 0% forex in the future.
I also have an ING Direct account. With their sale to Capital One, not sure if I can expect it to have 0% forex in the future.
#2005
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 218
the capital one no hassle rewards platinum card has zero forex fees
#2006
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: BOM-SIN-EWR
Programs: UA*G (1K again), Sixt Plat, *was*: SQ QPP01 & SK EBS/EBG, LH SEN, AA EXP, 9wPlat
Posts: 8,606
Just wondering if there's any credit card with zero or close to zero forex - which *also* covers car rental collision/damage?
#2007
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: West Africa
Programs: Flying Blue, Mileage Plus
Posts: 204
Recently I've been using PenFed Amex for rental cars overseas -- the Penfed Amex booking tool/concierge has been excellent finding rates a good deal lower than I could find elsewhere.
#2008
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: NYC
Posts: 8,498
If your CapOne card is a Visa Signature, you get the usual Visa Signature (secondary) coverage. I also use PenFed Amex which has (secondary) coverage. But read the fine print carefully to see what this covers in each case, and look out for excluded countries (Visa Sig has a few, but none for PenFed Amex).
#2009
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: West Africa
Programs: Flying Blue, Mileage Plus
Posts: 204
The PenFed Amex is issued directly by PenFed but uses the Amex network and provides a subset of Amex travel arrangement services through an agreement with Amex; the insurance for PenFed Amex is from AXA, a truly global insurance company.
#2010
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: BOM-SIN-EWR
Programs: UA*G (1K again), Sixt Plat, *was*: SQ QPP01 & SK EBS/EBG, LH SEN, AA EXP, 9wPlat
Posts: 8,606