The key to choosing a travel credit card for your international travels is to figure out which one will get you the best value. If you have the chance to run most of your travel through one airline or hotel chain, getting a co-branded credit card may be the perfect choice for you. However, if your travel patterns require a bit more flexibility and you are happy to leverage transfer partners, then a flexible rewards credit card is the way to go. If you’re just starting to build your credit or are in school, there are a few options that are still rewarding.
Here are a factors to consider when selecting the best international travel credit card for you:
Rewards
Think about whether the card earns any kind of rewards and whether there are any bonus categories. If you normally do not spend money on those categories, then perhaps that is not the right card for you.
Foreign Transaction Fee
Even if a rewards credit card offers fantastic earnings potential, it likely won’t make sense to use it for making purchases abroad if it carries a foreign transaction fee. For this reason, you’ll want to look for cards that offer the best combination of no foreign fees and strong earnings rates.
Annual Fee
Annual fees for premium travel cards can be steep, but these credit cards also tend to come loaded with benefits like airport lounge access, travel credits and fee credits for trusted traveler programs. If you don’t think these types of benefits would be of value to you, though, opt for travel credit cards that charge lower annual fees or none at all.
Welcome Bonus
A generous welcome bonus can help you choose one card over another one when they offer similar benefits. But make sure to go after the higher bonuses only if you can meet the minimum spending requirement without overextending your budget.
You’ll also want to have a use for those points in mind. Otherwise, you may end up choosing the wrong card and be stuck with points you have no use for.
