Are you planning a trip overseas, or are you a frequent international traveler searching for a no hassle credit card just to use while out of the United States? Using credit cards abroad are a little confusing than using one here in the States because of having to convert funds to foreign money exchange rates. Merchants operating in a foreign country will in all likelihood add something called a “dynamic currency conversion” charge besides other fees which may be issued when using a credit card. A dynamic currency conversion fee is the amount charged by the retailer when he agrees to use your card. While there are many cards which can be used overseas, such as American Express, Capital One, Chase, and US Bank, they will all charge different fees in regards to international purchases and other uses in order to deal with foreign money exchanges. While applying for a no hassle credit card may be easy (i.e., if you have a good to excellent credit rating!), you will need to know about other issues involved with using a credit card overseas.
For example, if you are in Ireland and decide to use an Bank of America card at a store, you will have to pay three fees besides the cost of the merchandise, such as the percent rate that Vise (the actual company backing the card) will charge you just for processing the transaction. However, an extra 2% fee will be charged by Bank of America for being a second processor of the transaction. Then the store you are making a purchase in will want to make up for its costs as well, and add that dynamic currency conversion fee to the other two fees, plus the cost of the item. If the item you are buying costs $25 in American money, you might end up paying two or three dollars more than the actual price, and that is not including the usual tax charged for taxable merchandise.
Experts recommend using the Capital One card and the Discover Card for expenses charged and incurred while traveling abroad, especially in any of the European Union countries. Although the Discover card is not accepted in as many places as the Capital One card, it is a better card as far as interest rates and fees for overseas use, so it might be in your best financial interest to do some research ahead of time and find out if any of the places you plan on traveling to accept the Discover card. The Capital One no hassle credit card is very appealing to the international traveler, with its cash back rewards, no yearly fee, 0% rate on any purchases, and extra 2% cash back on gas and grocery store purchases. It only takes several minutes to apply for a travel rewards Capital One credit card and is a great choice for use in traveling abroad.
Another great card to use while traveling abroad is the Capital One Venture card, which will pay twice as many miles for every $1 that is spent on merchandise. There is a $59 annual fee, however, but the Venture card offers very reasonable interest rates and does not charge for that foreign currency transaction fee which so many other cards charge for.
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