Only taking one CCard which one?
 

Trip to London....which credit card should I take? Will take some cash and ATM but what is the best credit card to use for exchange rates?

I always use my Capital One World Card because of the foreign exchange costs.

I concur - Capital One is the card to take, as it has no annual fee and does not charge a foreign conversion fee for transactions.

Regardless of which card you choose to use, you should be sure to let the bank know you will be using it outside your usual area.

Also - even though I use the Capital One card exclusively when I travel, I always bring along an extra different credit card - just in case my C-One card is lost or stolen, or if the magnetic strip is somehow damaged. Unless you have enough cash in your bank account (the ATM card)to cover emergencies, if you lose your credit card, you're sort of up the creek ...

I use one C.C. but my husband stashes a 2nd, different one 'just in case'.

Thanks for the information on Capitol One cards. I don't have one but will apply now to use it in Italy in April. Do I have to apply for a specific "level" of card? Sher mentions the "World" care. Is that the best one?
Thanks

Very, very bad idea taking only ONE credit card. Obviously take one main one and a spare.It is wise to always travel with two credit cards and put one away on a safe; to be used only on an emergency basis if the other gets lost, stolen, etc... Another tip? Make copies of your credit cards with emergency numbers etc... in case they get lost/stolen yourself/somebody at home could call immediately to cancel.

I have a regular Capital One credit card (No hassle? something) and it also has no foreign exchange or transaction fee. I think that's true of most Cap One credit cards, not just the "world" card.

hi joebear,

I agree about taking more than one card as a back up. there are a number of threads about this. also if you are using a debti card, make sure that you work out the limit on it per use/day - if you ask for too many Es at a time, do this 3 times and it wil probably swallow your card. for that reason, I usually try to use my card for the first time at an ATM at a bank which is open, so if it swallows my card, I can get it back.

another point is that sometimes, when you have booked tickets or tours using one c/c, you need to have the same one to pick up the tickets - this happened to us at the opera in Madrid and it was only luck that I had the right c/c with me.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

We always take two cards...one is always reserved as a back-up (and we've had to use the second one more than once.

If you can take a VISA card you may be a little better off than taking a MasterCard...notice I said "a little"

I would recommend taking two credit cards--one to carry and one to keep safe somewhere else. I lost my credit card in Rome and used my spare.

agree with viajero and others.. you should take two cards.. just in case.

American Express isn't as widely accepted as MasterCard or Visa. It can be used some places but that would be my last choice to take if I were to only take 1 card.

I travel with a group of women, from 3-7 of us travel from US to Europe yearly. Since 2002 at least one person has had trouble with a credit card or ATM card, usually lasts at least one day. I agree with others who say take two cards, and if traveling with friends check with them to see which brand they are taking. If one system is down, others could be used and settle up the next day. Totally unexcpected things happen, I'd hate to have a trip ruined because I only had one card and it was lost or stolen.

I really don't know what the difference is. Until recently, I had what I thought was a regular Capital One MasterCard. Then they called me and asked me if I wanted to upgrade and I think they said World Card but I think the only difference is that I get points.

Just a regular Capital One MasterCard would be just fine.

We also take another card just in case but primarily use the CO card unless something goes wrong.

And I always call them about a week before I leave and notify them.

I would *never* travel with only one credit card. What if something happens that it does not work for whatever reason?

I would not travel with only one card. If something happens to it (not necessarily theft - but a bank issue - you could be up the creek).

You need at least 2. I do AmEx (most places we go accept it) and a Visa. but you can do 2 Visas or MCs - both of which are very widely accepted. AmEx is widely accepted in more upscale places. Diner's Club is rarely accepted and Discover is not supported at all in europe.

I travel with two cards at least.
I use my USAA card which has the best exchange rate.

(And by the way Diners Club is now Mastercard and is therefore accepted pretty much anylace)

I also would not just travel with one credit card. We actually only had American Express and our debit cards but got a Citibank mastercard prior to our trip to Europe last year. I was too concerned about places not taking Amex and sometimes there are issues with debit cards...

Hi J,

Is there a reason why you are taking only 1 CC?

To save weight?

What happens if your CC is compromised?

((I))

Oh, I will take one and my husband will aslo along with the ATM. I worded the questions poorly...I wanted to plan to use the one with the best exchange rate and have others for backup. I am planning to apply for Capital One....I suppose I can just ask which one and post that information soon.

I have a citibank Mastercard and used it last year for travel in Africa without any finance charges. Now, they charge 3.3% of each transaction. My Macys Visa only charges 1%...so not sure if the subprime mess has caused increase in finance charges, but i would suggest everyone call and confirm. It can add up quickly. i'm going to check into the Capital One Card.

We use our Capital One card, but we also take a back-up. And we stash them as follows;

Hubby keeps both Capital cards (mine and his) in his moneybelt, I keep both of the other cards in mine.

That way, if one of us gets mugged and the card gets stolen or we lose the belt, we have the other to use until everything is cleared up.

I called Capitol One and asked them to help me pick which of their cards without a foreign transaction fee would be right for me. They were very helpful.

BUT: it was kind of a good thing that I kept asking questions before I ended the call. Somehow, I got to asking about payment periods and it turned out that at least for the card I got, the only way to avoid interest on the balance was to pay the balance within 15 days of billing or something quite like that. I'm a little tired and confused now, but it was definetly different than my usual billing cycle type of payment.

If you are not worried about interest on a balance, it is no big deal. But we pay off all cc's each month in order to avoid all interest payments. The deal with my particular Capital One card was that to avoid interest, the balance had to be paid in a time period less than normal.

Definitely get a Capital One card! I just applied for one this spring for our trip to Italy, and I wish that I had used it for everything--no fees whatsoever on the charges I made. Plus no annual fee; I'll be dropping my other cards before the next renewal cycle.

I didn't want to see a lot of my purchases again on a credit card bill, so I paid cash that I got from ATMs. The fees really added up on those. Next trip: Capital One, and only the essential ATM cash.

I can't prove it, but I think withdrawing cash from ATMs and using it for day-to-day purchases is safer than handing your credit card to every PhD working the tables at the corner bistro.

Credit card purchases should be for big tickets like hotels and trains - and are required by auto rentals, I believe.

HI J,

Take two, in case something happens to your primary card.

((I))

Just reviewed my statements from my recent trip and Visa charged 3%; Amex 1% for the foreign transactions. I paid off the Visa and then AmEx and I am going to get one of those Capital One cards before next trip. I'll use AmEx or Visa to buy plane tix so I get miles but unless I figure out the points system for Cap One I'll just use them for overseas purchases.

hot sure if this has been sauid already, as I'm too lazy to read the whole thread.

but I would urge anyone like the OP NOT just to bring one c/card. we were just on holiday in Iceland, where many of the petrol stations will ONLY take c/cards - no cash. yes, really.

at one, when we were really low on petrol and there probably wasn't another for 50 miles or so, it would not accept the c/c I'd used just that morning to pay for our hotel. so i knew it was Ok and also that it wasn't "maxed out".

if I hadn't had a back -up, we'd have been in the soup.

the back-up was fine and the original one worked with no problems at the next one too.

regards, ann

I think all Capitol One cards have that same no foreign fee feature, it's a company-wide policy, not card-specific.

VISA does not charge 3 pct. Someone's own particular VISA issuer may end up charging 3 pct, but it is not "VISA" doing it. I also have an AMEX card, and they charge 3 pct, not 1 pct. Their terms say so, and I just used mind a couple weeks ago, actually, and the calculations on my bill amount to 1.8 pct over the interbank rate on the exact date I made the purchase, however, rates were changing enough around that date, that if they used the exchange rate just one day later than the purchase date (which may be when it went through, it would make it 2 pct. It isn't one percent, though, I know that as their terms even say so.