The 3 best credit cards to use in Europe (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 $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 college students: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card for Students

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

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.

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 reimbursem*nts, 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.