Travel Tips

Travel Tip: More Credit Cards Remove Foreign Transaction Fees

HawaiianYou may have heard the news that free checking accounts are going the way of the dodo.

But, in brighter news, some credit cards are actually becoming more travel friendly by getting rid of foreign-transaction fees.

Those fees are traditionally a nasty surprise for anyone who travels abroad.

Between fees issued by your bank and Visa or MasterCard, you can end up paying 3 percent or more on purchases made overseas.

But now, Hawaiian Airlines has partnered with Barclays and Bank of Hawaii with its new MasterCard. In addition to offering miles and a free checked bag, cardholders no longer have foreign transaction fees.

Delta just changed its agreement with Amex to remove foreign transaction fees from its cards, starting in May 2014.

But it’s not just airline credit cards. Many hotel-branded credit cards—including those partnered with Hilton, Marriott, Fairmont, and Hyatt—have removed those fees.

As for non-branded cards, it used to be just Discover and Capital One that didn’t have those fees. Now, the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Chase Ink Plus, and the Barclaycard Arrival cards are also following the trend.

For more information, visit the Money, Currency & Credit archives.

Keep reading for more travel tips.