Don’t get ripped off when spending money abroad. The secret solution is buried in the fine print of your credit card agreement. Most cards charge 3% on all foreign currency transactions. If you spent $1000 while abroad, that’s an extra $30 expense! You’ll pay even more if you exchange physical currency at a bank or the airport. Luckily, there’s a way around this. The best credit cards don’t charge foreign exchange fees or annual fees, giving you access to a fair exchange rate wherever cards are accepted. Many of these cards offer additional cash rewards and bonuses on top of that! If that sounds interesting to you, let’s jump into my 2024 list of top travel cards and find one that will make your travel experience a breeze.
| This site uses affiliate links, so we may earn small commissions when you click. Thanks for supporting us and spreading the bliss! Read our disclaimer here. |
Contents
Which Credit Cards Give You the Most Value?
It can be overwhelming to compare the benefits of all the different rewards credit cards. Many of them restrict how you can spend your points, effectively tricking you into spending more. If you’re mostly interested in saving money, it’s best to look for cards that allow cash redemption. You’ll find all the best options on this list. Keep reading to find my review of the best cash-back credit cards for smart travelers.
What’s Best for Your Lifestyle?
If you want to save time, skip to my #1 pick, or choose your lifestyle below:
Methodology
For me, good travel credit cards have to meet the following criteria:
- No foreign transaction fees
- No annual fees
- Rewards redeemable in cash
After screening for the above requirements, I ranked the remaining credit cards by the following benefits:
- Cash back % on all purchases
- Cash back % on spending categories
- Sign up bonus and interest-free period
1. Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card
| Restaurants | 3% |
| Travel | 3% |
| Gas | 3% |
| Transit | 3% |
| Streaming | 3% |
| Phone Plans | 3% |
| All Other | 1% |
| Bonus | $200 after spending $1000 in your first 3 months |
The Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card ticks the most boxes of any travel card. It presents an unbeatable combination of cash-redeemable reward points and a competitive signup bonus. It’s rare to see rewards for the travel category, and this rewards structure is unmatched by any other card charging zero annual fees or foreign exchange fees.
2. Venmo Credit Card
| Cash Back (all) | 1% |
| 2nd Highest Spend Category | 2% |
| Highest Spend Category | 3% |
If you want to maximize rewards with as little effort as possible, check out Venmo’s Credit Card. Their cash rewards program is one of a kind. Each month, you’ll get 3% and 2% cash back on your two highest spending categories from the following list: Dining & Nightlife, Travel, Bills & Utilities, Health & Beauty, Grocery, Gas, Transportation, Entertainment. You’ll earn 1% on everything else. That’s a pretty great deal considering most cards only give you two bonus categories. It’s like having four cash-back cards combined into one!
3. Capital One SavorOne
| Grocery | 3% |
| Dining & Entertainment | 3% |
| Streaming Services | 3% |
| All Other | 1% |
| Bonus | $200 after spending $500 in your first 3 months |
| Interest-free period | 15 months |
During my two-year-long backpacking trip, the Capital One SavorOne card was my go-to payment method. The extra cash back on food and entertainment is great for travelers. Entertainment is defined as movie theaters, sports promoters (professional and semi-professional live events), theatrical promoters, amusement parks, tourist attractions, aquariums, zoos, dance halls, record stores, pool halls or bowling alleys. On top of that, you get some of the best sign-up benefits any card will offer.
4. US Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card
| Cash Back (all) | 1% |
| Grocery | 2% |
| Dining | 4% |
| Bonus | $200 after spending $1,000 in your first 3 months |
| Interest-free period | 12 months |
The US Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card is similar to Capital One’s SavorOne, with a little extra earning power on dining expenses. Although that’s great for the long-term, the inferior sign-up benefits make this card a slightly less attractive deal to me. Still, this card is perfect for anyone with high spending in the dining category.
5. Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card
| Cash Back (all) | 1% |
| Amazon & Whole Foods | 3% |
| Dining, Gas & Drug Stores | 2% |
| Bonus | $50 Amazon gift card at sign-up |
I really like the reward structure of Amazon’s Rewards Visa Card, because it gives great earning potential for the most common household expenses. If this card also had more sign-up benefits, it would be really hard to beat!
6. Capital One Quicksilver
| Cash Back (all) | 1.5% |
| Bonus | $200 after spending $500 in your first 3 months |
| Interest-free period | 15 months |
This is just a basic, good overall deal. Capital One’s Quicksilver card offers a single, competitive 1.5% cash-back rate on all purchases, and offers a great sign-up bonus.
7. Deserve Pro
| Cash Back (all) | 1% |
| Dining | 2% |
| Travel | 3% |
Ultra-frequent travelers will love Deserve Pro. There’s no sign-up bonus or interest-free period, but over the long term, this is a valuable cash-back credit card for frequent flyers.
8. Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards
| Cash Back (all) | 1% |
| Home, Auto & Health | 3% |
I give Upgrade an “A” for creativity with their Triple Cash Rewards card. You earn 1% cash back on general purchases, and 3% on specific home, auto and health categories. Upgrade also uses a personal loan payoff structure, which could be beneficial if you accumulate a large balance. There’s no other cash back credit card like it!
9. Discover IT® Miles Travel Credit Card
| Cash Back (all) | 1.5% |
| Bonus | 2x rewards for your first year |
| Interest-free period | 14 months |
The Discover IT® Miles Travel Credit Card made this list especially because it’s a valuable alternative to Visa and Mastercard. With 1.5% cash back on all purchases and some decent sign-on benefits, I think it’s worth your consideration.
10. HSBC Cash Rewards Credit Card
| Cash Back (all) | 1.5% |
| Bonus | 2x rewards for your first year |
| Interest-free period | 12 months |
HSBC’s Cash Rewards Credit Card is relatively average on this list, but it’s still competitive. They also offer some better options if you have certain customer relationships with HSBC bank.
11. Discover IT® Cash Back Credit Card
| Cash Back (all) | 1% |
| Rotating Categories | 5% category changes every 3 months |
| Bonus | 2x rewards for your first year |
| Interest-free period | 14 months |
The Discover IT® Cash Back Credit Card is another good alternative to Visa and Mastercard. I’m not a fan of rotating categories, which is why this card doesn’t rank very high in this list. But if you’re willing to modify your spending habits to maximize the quarterly 5% spending categories, this card could have some serious earning potential! Even though it’s not specifically advertised for this card, Discover says they don’t charge foreign exchange fees.
12. Upgrade Card
| Cash Back (all) | 1.5% |
Unlike the Upgrade’s Triple Cash Rewards Card, Upgrade Card just gives you flat-rate cash rewards. I find nothing wrong with that, but there might be some better options in this list if you have solid credit. Upgrade uses a personal loan payoff structure, which could be beneficial if you accumulate a large balance.
13. Petal 2 Visa® Credit Card
| Cash Back (all) | 1.5% |
The Petal 2 Visa® Credit Card might be a good option if you’re still trying to build your credit history. Their website claims they use your banking history to aid the application process, instead of relying solely on your credit score. There’s also a Petal 1 card that rewards you for using certain partner merchants.
14. Apple Card
| Cash Back (all) | 1% |
| Apple Pay | 2% |
| Purchases at Apple or select merchants | 3% |
If your a frequent Apple Pay user, you could be paying 2% less on every transaction with Apple Card! The current Apple select merchants are just a few brands, so it might be hard to benefit from the 3% category. It’s kind of an interesting way to get apple discounts though!
15. Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card
| Points (all) | 1.5% redeemable for dining and travel |
| Bonus | $250 after spending $1000 in your first 3 months |
| Interest-free period | 12 months |
I had to make one small exception to my methodology. I included the Bank of America Travel Rewards Credit Card in this list because it allows points to be redeemed on any dining and travel expenses. Although it’s not a true cash-back program, redemption is more flexible than most travel points programs. With a decent sign-up deal, it deserves to be mentioned.
Why Credit Cards Pay Rewards
If you’re new to using credit cards, there’s something you must know. Credit card companies love to profit from people who keep an unpaid balance. Credit cards can charge interest rates over 20% per year! That helps to fund the cash-back rewards programs I’m promoting here.
Please don’t become exploited. If you want to maximize the benefits of your credit card, pay down your balance to zero every month, and automate your payments if possible. I follow a strict rule to never pay a single penny in credit card interest. If discipline is a problem for you, consider using a bank account like Schwab instead. They offer similar benefits like free foreign transactions and free ATM withdrawals worldwide.
Using Interest-Free Periods
Some cards charge zero interest on your principal balance for your first few months. Although it seems like free money, it’s really a dangerous marketing tactic designed to attract people who carry large balances. I suspect these 0% interest periods mostly harm people by luring them into spending amounts they can’t afford. My advice: Don’t fall for it! Letting your balance balloon is a risky bet.
Conclusion
That’s it for my list of all the best cash-back credit cards for international travel. Pick your favorite and apply to get basic no-fee cash rewards. If you’re approved, you’ll essentially get discounts on every purchase you make with your card, and you can travel and spend with ease! Just make sure to pay back your full balance every month so you don’t have to pay any interest. Thanks for reading, and click below to share the bliss!
