Aug 15, 2007
Several readers have confirmed our tentative conclusion that Capital One credit cards are the nation's best for international travel
It seemed too good to be true: that Capital One, of Salt Lake City, Utah, not only gave you a favorable exchange rate but did not deduct the 2% "transaction fee" that nearly all banks charge for use of your credit cards in a foreign country. Yet without a dissenting voice (to date), several widely-scattered readers have responded that their actual experience in using Capital One credit cards has been favorable. One typical response: "I have had Capital One cards for several years, and they are the only ones I will use overseas because of this policy. I've never been charged a foreign currency exchange fee of any type by them. Their exchange rates are usually right at what I find at www.xe.com, so they're not burying the fee with higher exchange rates, either."
Another reader claims that in addition to foregoing a bank's 2% transaction fee, Capital One does not charge the basic 1% fee that all Visa and Mastercards incur for use of the cards in a foreign country. One other reader cautions that you should phone Capital One in advance to advise them when you are traveling abroad, since Capital One's super-sensitive security department occasionally blocks a card for "suspicious use" in a foreign country. You obtain a Capital One card by writing to: Capital One Card Center, P.O. Box 30284, Salt Lake City, UT 84130-9842, or by going to www.capitalone.com.
Write and read comments about this post.
Another reader claims that in addition to foregoing a bank's 2% transaction fee, Capital One does not charge the basic 1% fee that all Visa and Mastercards incur for use of the cards in a foreign country. One other reader cautions that you should phone Capital One in advance to advise them when you are traveling abroad, since Capital One's super-sensitive security department occasionally blocks a card for "suspicious use" in a foreign country. You obtain a Capital One card by writing to: Capital One Card Center, P.O. Box 30284, Salt Lake City, UT 84130-9842, or by going to www.capitalone.com.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: money
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
