The 4 best credit cards to use in Europe

Woman in Bratislava after choosing the best credit cards to use in Europe.Image: Woman in Bratislava after choosing the best credit cards to use in Europe.
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This offer is no longer available on our site: Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card

If you’re traveling to Europe, you’ll want a travel rewards credit card that offers rewards that align with your traveling style, provides cardholder perks that will enhance your trip and doesn’t charge you a foreign transaction fee.

There are a few travel credit cards that check all these boxes — here are our top four picks.



Best for travelers who want flexibility: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Here’s why: The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers 60,000 bonus points if you spend $4,000 in purchases within your first 3 months of account opening. And you can redeem the points to book travel at a rate of 1.5 cents per point through Chase Travel℠ — or you can transfer the points to partner loyalty programs.

The $550 annual fee can be scary at first glance, but the card does offer up to $300 in travel statement credits annually.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® also gives you complimentary membership for Priority Pass Select airport lounges, with lounge access for you and up to two guests (be sure to sign up for the program, which you need to do separately). The card also offers a statement credit of up to $100 every four years for TSA PreCheck, Nexus or Global Entry membership, as well as a variety of purchase and travel protections.

This card has a lot to offer — read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve® to learn more.

Best for wining and dining: Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card

Here’s why: If you’re planning on eating your way across Europe while visiting the big tourist attractions, earning cash back rewards on dining and entertainment purchases could be a higher priority than travel rewards.

The Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card offers 4% cash back on dining, entertainment and certain streaming service purchases, 3% cash back on grocery store purchases (for when you need a snack rather than a meal), and 1% cash back on all other purchases. The card also offers a $300 sign-up bonus if you make $3,000 worth of purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account.

The Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card does have an annual fee of $95. If you don’t think you’ll spend enough to justify the annual fee, there’s a sister card without one — the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card. But its rewards rates aren’t as high.

Dive into the details to figure out if the Capital One® Savor® Cash Rewards Credit Card is right for you.

Best for college students: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students

From our partner

Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students

See details, rates & fees

Here’s why: If you’re a college student, you may be just starting your credit-building journey. The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students offers rewards along with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.

Using the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students lets you earn an unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent, which you can redeem for statement credits toward travel expenses.

What’s more, there’s a welcome bonus of 25,000 points when you spend $1,000 on purchases within 90 days of opening your account.

Find out about the other pros (and a few cons) in our review of the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students.

Best for simple travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

From our partner

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

4.3 out of 5

From cardholders in the last year

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Here’s why: This card offers a decent unlimited rewards rate for every $1 you spend. Plus, your points never expire as long as you keep the account open.

You can earn five points per $1 spent if you book a hotel or car rental through Capital One Travel. Plus, you’ll earn two miles per $1 spent on all purchases.

While the card charges a $95 annual fee, you might be able to offset it with its TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit of up to $100. Plus, new cardholders can earn 75,000 bonus miles — worth $750 when redeemed for travel — after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months after account opening.

Read our full review of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card to learn more.


How we picked these cards

Our top picks share several features that we think are important if you’re traveling to Europe. We started with cards that met two benchmarks: no foreign transaction fees, and either a Visa or Mastercard (because they’re more widely accepted than American Express or Discover cards).

From there, we narrowed the list based on different types of travelers — luxury, budget and student — and looked for cards with benefits and annual fees to match. We also wanted to highlight travel rewards and cash back rewards programs.

While travel rewards programs may offer more flexible and potentially more rewarding redemptions, some people prefer the simplicity of knowing exactly how much cash back they earn with each purchase.

Best credit cards to use in Europe: How to make the most of them

Start your planning process early to get the most out of your card, particularly if you’re eyeing a card that offers a sign-up bonus. You may be able to use your card to book your travel and accommodations, earning bonus rewards and meeting part of the initial spend requirement for any sign-up offers available.

Also, read up on all the cardholder benefits and exclusions, such as baggage delay protection, trip interruption or delay reimbursements, and rental car coverage, as the rules may vary depending on the card you have and where you’re traveling. And before taking off, be sure to let your card issuer know when and where you’re going to avoid any hiccups during your trip.


About the author: Louis DeNicola is a personal finance writer and has written for American Express, Discover and Nova Credit. In addition to being a contributing writer at Credit Karma, you can find his work on Business Insider, Cheapi… Read more.