The 3 Best Credit Cards To Use in Europe in 2024

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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 picks.

Best for travelers who want flexibility: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Best for college students: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students
Best for simple travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

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 $120 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 — learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

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

From our partner

Offer Terms
Annual Fee	Intro Purchase APR	Intro Balance Transfer APR	Regular Purchase APR	Regular Balance Transfer APR
$0	0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases	See Terms*	18.49% – 28.49% Variable APR on purchases	18.49% – 28.49% Variable APR on balance transfers

Offer Terms
Annual Fee
$0
Intro Purchase APR
0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases
Intro Balance Transfer APR
See Terms*
Regular Purchase APR
18.49% – 28.49% Variable APR on purchases
Regular Balance Transfer APR
18.49% – 28.49% Variable APR on balance transfers

Additional Rates and Fees

Cash Advance Rate	See Terms*
Cash Advance Fee	See Terms*
Late Fee	See Terms*
Penalty APR	up to 29.99% APR
Balance Transfer Fee	3% for 60 days from account opening, then 4%
Foreign Transaction Fee	$0
Return Payment Fee	See Terms*

Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening – that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.
Use your card to book your trip how and where you want – you’re not limited to specific websites with blackout dates or restrictions.
Redeem points for a statement credit to pay for travel or dining purchases, such as flights, hotel stays, car and vacation rentals, baggage fees, and also at restaurants including takeout.
0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 18.49% – 28.49% will apply. A 3% Intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days your account is open. After the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4%.
When handled responsibly, a credit card can help you build your credit history, which could be helpful when looking for an apartment, a car loan, and even a job. Access your FICO® Score for free within Online Banking or your Mobile Banking app.
Contactless Cards – The security of a chip card, with the convenience of a tap.
This online only offer may not be available if you leave this page or if you visit a Bank of America financial center. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.

^*See the online provider's credit card application for details about terms and conditions. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. However, all credit card information is presented without warranty. When you click on the "Apply Now" button, you can review the credit card terms and conditions on the provider's website.

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.

Learn more about the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students.

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

From our partner

Offer Terms
Annual Fee	Intro Purchase APR	Intro Balance Transfer APR	Regular Purchase APR	Regular Balance Transfer APR
$95	N/A	N/A	19.99% – 29.49% (Variable)	19.99% – 29.49% (Variable)

Offer Terms
Annual Fee
$95
Intro Purchase APR
N/A
Intro Balance Transfer APR
N/A
Regular Purchase APR
19.99% – 29.49% (Variable)
Regular Balance Transfer APR
19.99% – 29.49% (Variable)

Additional Rates and Fees

Cash Advance Rate	29.49% (Variable)
Cash Advance Fee	5% of the amount of the cash advance, but not less than $5
Late Fee	Up to $40
Penalty APR	None
Balance Transfer Fee	$0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Foreign Transaction Fee	None
Return Payment Fee	See Terms*

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options
Miles won’t expire for the life of the account and there’s no limit to how many you can earn
Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs

See details, rates & fees

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, vacation rental 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 $120. You’ll also get a bonus of 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months after opening your account.

Learn more about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

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.

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The 3 best credit cards to use in Europe

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