Issuers Have Wide Variance In International Credit Card Fees

Almost every credit card charges some sort of international transaction fee on purchases overseas. Visa and MasterCard charge a 1% processing fee on international transactions, and most card-issuing banks add their own fees on top of that. These fees, known as international transaction fees or foreign transaction fees, are generally a percentage of your overall purchase price.

Below are the international transaction fees from each issuer:

• Capital One: 0% transaction fee. (Capital One does not charge its own fee or pass along the 1% fee that Visa or MasterCard impose.)
• Providian: 1% transaction fee
• American Express: 2%
• Juniper Bank: 2%
• Bank of America: 3%
• Chase: 3%
• Citibank: 3%
• HSBC: 3%
• MBNA: 3%
• U.S. Bancorp (U.S. Bank): 3%
• Wells Fargo: 3%

“This is invaluable information, as these fees don’t even occur to many international travelers until they’ve returned home and received their credit card statements,” says Justin McHenry, Research Director of IndexCreditCards.com. “That said, however, these numbers don’t exist in a vacuum. Consumers traveling internationally should still consider all aspects of the cards they use, especially interest rates if they carry balances. A one percent savings on your international transactions won’t be much consolation if your card has high interest and a high balance.”