Best card for foreign exchange?
Feb 24, 2005 | 1:55 pm
#31
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Groveland, FL, USA
Programs: Starriot LTP, UA Silver, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 1,097
Originally Posted by AZ_MISMAN
No miles, but Farm Bureau Bank (http://www.farmbureaubank.com) Visa pays 1% cash back. There are NO foreign conversion fees from FBB, and they absorb the fee that Visa passes on.
Bob
Bob
Feb 25, 2005 | 10:27 am
#32
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: ABQ
Programs: SPEBSQSA
Posts: 3,795
Originally Posted by rtpflyer
I followed your link, but could only find info on a "NEW" Farm Bureau Bank MasterCard. It APPEARS that the Visa card is no longer offered to new customers on this web site. (There was a note in the fine print about the MasterCard to the effect that points previously earned by current Visa Card holders are NOT transferrable to the NEW MasterCard Program.) I wouldn't count on (without checking) the NEW MasterCard to have no foreign exchange transaction fees added.
Bob
Feb 25, 2005 | 12:48 pm
#33
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 145
I was also surprised about one poster's claim about AMEX being the best for foreign exchange. It is the worst in my own experience. MBNA is the best among my deck of cards. Now Amtrak MBNA card is of limited utility. An alternative appears to MBNA Merrill + visa. Does anyone has experience with the M+ for foreign exchange?
Feb 25, 2005 | 1:14 pm
#34
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: united 1p, usair silver, nz gold, hilton gold, starwood gold
Posts: 509
Is MBNA UK the same as far as foreign exchanges?
Seems to me Virgin had a co-branded card.
Seems to me Virgin had a co-branded card.
Feb 25, 2005 | 3:42 pm
#35
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL
Programs: AA 4MM EXP; Starwood Lifetime Plt
Posts: 2,498
MBNA Fidelity
My vote goes to the MBNA Fidelity card, with 1.5% cash rebate. Fidelity also has a debit card with PNC (no rebate) and an American Express Gold card (no rebate and 2% surchage), both of which are inferior to the MBNA card. Diners Club was formerly my card of choice, but I now use it only for auto rental when foreign exchange is involved.
Feb 25, 2005 | 3:49 pm
#36
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 257
IMHO a Citibank Debit card is #1 followed by Capital 1 or MBNA........no fees and the rates are excellent.
Feb 26, 2005 | 4:44 pm
#37
Join Date: May 2003
Location: 1 hour from Khao Yai, Thailand. No longer Bangkok, China, Taiwan , Palm Coast, FL, LA, or Chicago though still exiled, again, from the Bay Area.
Programs: Only the good ones
Posts: 5,574
Citibank AAdvantage Debit MC has always had very low cost, though even using Citi's "branded" ATM's overseas, they impose a fee of $1.50 for using the ATM.
BofA has a Platinum Visa Debit card that works well. At the branch in HK recently, there was no commission or fees for currency exchanges which were done at the rate quoted in the WSJ that morning.
BofA has a Platinum Visa Debit card that works well. At the branch in HK recently, there was no commission or fees for currency exchanges which were done at the rate quoted in the WSJ that morning.
Feb 26, 2005 | 5:42 pm
#38
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL
Programs: AA 4MM EXP; Starwood Lifetime Plt
Posts: 2,498
Originally Posted by rbAA
Citibank AAdvantage Debit MC has always had very low cost, though even using Citi's "branded" ATM's overseas, they impose a fee of $1.50 for using the ATM.
The vanilla no-miles Citibank Debit card, as far as I know, never has any charges for use at a Citibank ATM anywhere. That goes both for charges by the home Citibank branch or the other Citibank branch, whether US or foreign. In fact, I can't recall ever being charged by my US home Citibank branch for withdrawals anywhere in the world at any ATM owned by anyone. The other ATM may charge, of course, but outside of the US this seems rare to me. In some countries (Canada, Chile ...) the ATM says it may (or even will) charge, but there is no explicit indication of this in the debit and the exchange rate seems very close to the published rate.
Feb 27, 2005 | 6:43 am
#39
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP, HH Dia, Hyatt Dia, SPG Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 297
now the FBB mastercard charges 2%
Foreign Country Transactions: 2% of the U.S. Dollar amount
Foreign Country Transactions: 2% of the U.S. Dollar amount
Originally Posted by AZ_MISMAN
No miles, but Farm Bureau Bank (http://www.farmbureaubank.com) Visa pays 1% cash back. There are NO foreign conversion fees from FBB, and they absorb the fee that Visa passes on.
Bob
Bob
Feb 28, 2005 | 1:57 pm
#40
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Programs: LH Senator, Million Miler but now only Silver DL, No status AA
Posts: 134
I've been very happy with the State Farm Bank Platinum Rewards Visa:
http://www.statefarm.com/bank/classic.asp
The 1% that Visa charges gets rolled into the exchange rate, and there is no additional charge beyond that. The card offers 1% "State Farm Dollars" rebate. These can be spent on any State Farm insurance product or simply deposited into a State Farm Bank Checking or Savings account. I also use them for my regular banking as they have great accounts with low/no fees and free internet banking.
Maybe not quite as good as the Fidelity card that someone else mentioned, but you don't need to have a brokerage account to use your rewards.
http://www.statefarm.com/bank/classic.asp
The 1% that Visa charges gets rolled into the exchange rate, and there is no additional charge beyond that. The card offers 1% "State Farm Dollars" rebate. These can be spent on any State Farm insurance product or simply deposited into a State Farm Bank Checking or Savings account. I also use them for my regular banking as they have great accounts with low/no fees and free internet banking.
Maybe not quite as good as the Fidelity card that someone else mentioned, but you don't need to have a brokerage account to use your rewards.
Feb 28, 2005 | 3:12 pm
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 18,080
Originally Posted by saimike
citibank ATM's have not let me down the vast majority of the time. their exchange rates r usually competitive, and if u hv a citibank acct, u can withdraw at any citibank ATM worldwide with no extra fees.
DO NOT, however, use a Citi AAdvantage MC overseas as they have just implemented a 3% "finance charge" on top of the the mastercard interbank rate. Talk about big time rip-off!
Instead, you might consider the Capital One VISA or MC which are generally easy to obtain and use the interbank rate (so you pay the MC/VISA 1% fee, but no additional markup).
Feb 28, 2005 | 4:20 pm
#42
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: YOW
Posts: 150
Best MILEAGE Earning Card
Title says it, we've had a lot of options presented, but this being milesbuzz, what do you think is the best US-based miles-earning card for foreign transactions?
Looks like AA is out...
Looks like AA is out...
Feb 28, 2005 | 4:49 pm
#43
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Posts: 2,513
Originally Posted by wrightbrother
Title says it, we've had a lot of options presented, but this being milesbuzz, what do you think is the best US-based miles-earning card for foreign transactions?
Looks like AA is out...
Looks like AA is out...
Feb 28, 2005 | 6:51 pm
#44
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL
Programs: AA 4MM EXP; Starwood Lifetime Plt
Posts: 2,498
Originally Posted by wrightbrother
Title says it, we've had a lot of options presented, but this being milesbuzz, what do you think is the best US-based miles-earning card for foreign transactions?
Looks like AA is out...
Looks like AA is out...
Another possibility would be MBNA's no-fee (with total 1% exchange surcharge) mileage cards. I know they have Lufthansa (Star Alliance), and Gold Points (also transfer to AA, but at a very unfavorable rate), as well as others.
Mar 3, 2005 | 12:38 pm
#45
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL
Programs: AA 4MM EXP; Starwood Lifetime Plt
Posts: 2,498
no more MC 1% fee
Heres a new angle to this. MC is apparently dropping its 1% foreign currency surcharge. Citibank has already announced that it will raise its own surcharge from 2% to 3% to grab the fee that used to go to MC. In phone call to MBNA, I was told that they have no plans to institute a 1% fee, or any other fee, on foreign charges. That means that the difference between MBNA and Citibank just went up to a full 3%, or 4.5% if you use MBNAs Fidelity rebate card. Its hard to see any justification for using a Citibank card abroad under these circumstances. Even if you want miles from a particular airline, there are much cheaper ways to get them.