If international travel is new to you, you may not know that using your usual credit or debit card in Paris could bring unexpected foreign transaction fees. Fortunately, avoiding these fees is simple with a bit of forethought.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through all the ways to dodge these charges while using your card in Paris, plus recommend the best no-fee cards. That way, you can save your funds for more exciting things—like visiting the Louvre or doing a cooking class.
Let’s start with the basics: What are foreign transaction fees?
Many credit and debit cards let you make purchases in other currencies, however, it comes at a pretty pricey cost of around 3% per transaction.
While that might not sound like a lot, you’ll be surprised at how quickly it adds up, even on a brief visit. Lucky for you, there are plenty of cards out there that waive foreign transaction fees, no matter where you’re from, making it easy to avoid these charges altogether.
When they ask “do you want to pay in euros or your own currency?”
To start, in Paris and other tourist-heavy areas across Europe, it’s common to be prompted at checkout to pay in euros or your home currency. And while it may seem convenient to pay in your home currency, especially if you’re unsure about conversion rates, never do it. Always select the local currency (euros in Paris). Paying in your home currency usually comes with very inflated exchange rates, meaning you’re paying much more for the same purchase.
This tip also applies when withdrawing cash from ATMs—choosing euros is one of the easiest ways to save on fees when using your card in Paris.
What cards can you use in France that have no foreign transaction fees?
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (US residents)
My first card recommendation with no foreign transaction fees is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. It’s a great first card for Americans who want no transaction fees but are also interested in getting some travel perks and protections to go with it. For example, your card comes with benefits like trip cancellation insurance, primary car rental insurance and lost luggage insurance, meaning you might not have to also pay for separate travel insurance, saving you a bit of cash.
You also earn points every time you spend on your card, especially when dining out or travelling, where you’ll earn up to 5 points per dollar spent (there are different spending bonus categories so this varies.) These points can then be used to get free or discount flights, hotels and more.
The annual fee for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is $95, which is quite low compared to other travel cards and doesn’t seem like much considering you get $50 annual credit for hotel bookings made through Chase Travel℠ .
This card is accepted EVERYWHERE across Europe, and I use the more advanced version of this card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, as my go-to travel card so I can earn points while avoiding foreign transaction fees.
Take note: points are not earned until after the first $300 is spent annually on purchases in the travel category with your Chase Sapphire Reserve®. The first $300 spent goes towards the $300 Annual Travel Credit.
Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred®Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (US residents)
This card also has no foreign transaction fees (a must) and is very travel-friendly — I actually used this card back when I was studying abroad and backpacking around Europe. It also comes with great travel perks like an application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (up to $120) and includes travel insurance. You’ll earn miles for your spending which can be redeemed on things like travel or gift cards, and it has a low annual fee of $95.
Learn more about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Image Courtesy of Wise via Instagram
Wise (worldwide)
The Wise card, which anyone around the world can get, has no transaction fees and great exchange rates, plus you can withdraw up to €200 monthly from ATMs for free. You can start using your Wise card instantly with Google or Apple Pay, and getting the card costs just a one-time fee of €7 or the equivalent in your currency. It offers handy security options like the ability to freeze the card via the Wise app or website, and you get transaction notifications. With over 200,000 Trustpilot reviews and a 4.3-star rating, the Wise card is highly trusted. Plus, there’s 24/7 support in 14 languages if you ever have any problems, making this a great card to use in Paris with no foreign transaction fees.
Travelex (multiple countries)
The Travelex Money Card is a prepaid currency card that lets you load up to 15 currencies (including euros) to spend worldwide without any foreign transaction fees. It’s not linked to your bank account, which adds an extra layer of security to your money that you don’t get with a typical debit card. The card can be managed through the Travelex Money App, which lets you freeze and unfreeze the card, check balances, and top it up on the go. It also doesn’t charge overseas ATM/cash machine fees.
The downside of this card is that it has to be topped up, and it’s annoying to work out how much more you need to add towards the end of your trip. They also charge you a €2 per month “in-activity fee” even if your card has expired, but only if you still have a balance left on it.
Take note that you can’t use this card anywhere around the world, it can only be used with 22 selected currencies and if you are travelling between a few different currencies in one trip, you’ll have to bounce your money around to each of your “accounts”, which is a bit inconvenient.
In my opinion, the prepaid card is a pretty old-school way to travel these days, with so many easier-to-use options that also give you travel perks and protections.
We hope this helps you save a LOT of money while you’re travelling Paris and spending in euros… there’s absolutely no reason to pay foreign transaction fees once you grab any of these cards.
*The information for the Wise Card and Travelex Money card has been collected independently by Love and London. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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