Best Credit and Debit Card Setup for International Travel

The two most important card features to have when traveling are (1) no foreign transaction fee on credit cards and (2) no ATM fees on debit cards.

You would be surprised how only a few cards have these features in the market.

In this blog post I will list out some of the best credit and debit cards with no foreign transaction fee and no ATM fees. I will also provide a few card combinations that will help make your next international trip easier.

Let’s get started.

First, let’s look at some of the best travel credit cards.

Capital One Venture X

A few standout features that makes Capital One Venture X the king of travel credit cards:

Unlimited 2X on everything

Lounge Access

VISA - wide acceptance internationally

No foreign transaction fee

All these features make this card the easiest recommendation if you are on the search for a premium travel card.

Especially, the combination of (1) 2X on everything (2) VISA and (3) no foreign transaction fee makes the card an exception in the credit card market.

Capital One Savor Rewards

Two of my highest spend categories when traveling are the following:

Food (restaurants, groceries)

Entertainment (tours, movies, attractions, museums, etc)

The Capital One Savor Rewards card covers both these categories at 3X. Even better, for the "food" category, unlike the American Express Gold card, the 3X covers global restaurants (not only in the US).

Also, the card is a Mastercard with no foreign transaction fee.

Citi Strata Premier

Similar to the Savor Rewards, Citi Strata Premier is a Mastercard with no foreign transaction fee.

However, it has a greater category coverage with 3X:

Restaurants

Groceries

Flights

Hotels

Gas

EV Charging

When you are traveling, some of these categories will be your highest expense categories. Being covered 3X for all of them is a great bonus.

Now, let’s look at debit cards.

Charles Schwab Debit Card

Although not a mainstream bank like Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, or even Capital One, Charles Scwab has the best debit card product in the market when it comes to international travel.

The Charles Schwab Debit Card has 2 standout feature:

ATM Fee Rebates

Debit card lock / unlock

Both these features came in real handy when I travelled to Bangladesh for my wedding last year.

Firstly, I never like carrying too much cash when traveling internationally. Also, using currency exchanges in airports can be an absolute ripoff. That’s why I always prefer withdrawing small amounts of local currency, as needed, once I reach my destination.

In Bangladesh, I saved around $55 ATM fees. Using most other debit cards, I would have paid that fee. With Charles Scwab Debit Card, I get a rebate for all ATM fees on the 27th of the same month.

During my wedding day, I dropped my wallet carrying the Charles Scwab Debit Card. I had $1,500 in that Checking Account.

When I realized, I opened the app and locked my card immediately. After that, when I landed back in the US, through their awesome customer support I asked for a replacement card with a new PIN. The entire process took me 15 minutes only.

Fidelity Debit Card

Similarly, the Fidelity Debit Card has the same two standout features:

Unlimited ATM Fee Rebates

Debit card lock / unlock

So, if you are in the Fidelity investment ecosystem, this can be a great choice!

Whichever debit card you choose, I would recommend using the backing Checking Account for travel purposes only.

Don’t keep your life savings in that account. Instead, before hopping on your flight, transfer an appropriate amount to these accounts that you can freely use when traveling.

This way you have two benefits:

You don’t overspend

If you get robbed, you only lose what you can afford to

That’s why personally I carry the Charles Schwab debit card.

Great Travel Debit and Credit Card Combinations

Now that I have told you about the individual cards, let’s talk about a few nice combinations.

Venture X + Savor One + Debit Card

Venture X - lounge access, 2X unlimited

Savor One - 3X restaurants/groceries/entertainment, Mastercard (alternative to VISA)

Charles Schwab / Fidelity Debit Card - Unlimited ATM fee rebates on cash withdrawals

Venture X + Debit Card

Venture X - lounge access, 2X unlimited all categories, VISA (wide acceptance)

Charles Schwab / Fidelity Debit Card - Unlimited ATM fee rebates on cash withdrawals

Citi Strata Premier + Debit Card

Citi Strata Premier - 3X restaurants/groceries/gas/flights/hotels/ev-charging, Mastercard (one card setup)

Charles Schwab / Fidelity Debit Card - Unlimited ATM fee rebates on cash withdrawals

Quick Thoughts

In your next international trip make sure you are carrying credit cards with strong multipliers, no foreign transaction fee, and wide network coverage (VISA or Mastercard). Similarly, make sure your debit card gives you unlimited ATM fee rebates so that you can withdraw as much money as you need, without worrying about currency exchanges and ATM fees.

If you want to get started, I would recommend my personal set up - Capital One Venture X credit card and the Charles Schwab debit card.