If You Can Only Bring One Card With You For International Travel, Which One Should It Be?

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When we travel outside of the U.S., I always make sure that we’re bringing the right credit cards with us. I have several boxes to check off to ensure we’re covered just in case something goes sideways during our travels.

I want to make sure that the cards I bring don’t charge foreign transaction fees. I used to worry about having a card with Chip + PIN functionality for when we need to use an automated kiosk, but that’s not as much of an issue with contactless payments. Additionally, I bring my ATM card, so I do have a card with a PIN.

I also bring along any cards we used to make reservations for the trip. If you made a train reservation, bought show tickets, arranged for a tour or paid for your hotel, they might ask to see the credit card you used to make the booking. That’s a good reason to try to stick to one or two cards when making advance reservations, if you can.

But what if I had to stick to only one card for the whole trip? Which one would it be?

What Expenses Do You Have When Traveling?

Think about what your main expenses are when traveling. Much of the heavy lifting for the trip has already been done. If you’re flying overseas, your airfare is likely already paid for, so there’s no need to bring a card with good airfare rewards. Hopefully, you’ve booked your lodging as well, or at least have a card on file for those charges.
For us, our spending on international trips falls into four main categories:

• Food
• Local Transportation
• Entertainment
• Miscellaneous (souvenirs, gifts, small purchases)

So, what card is the best for those categories?

What’s the One Card for the Trip?

If I’m only able to bring one card, I’d want a Visa or Mastercard—many small businesses and transit systems overseas still don’t accept American Express, despite the significant global progress they’ve made.

Chase Sapphire Preferred

My top pick is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It’s widely accepted, doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, and earns 2x points on travel and 3x on dining expenses. That means subways, taxis, buses, trains, Ubers, restaurants, cafés, and food markets—all the core categories for a typical vacation—will earn bonus points.
Those points can be transferred to a wide variety of airline and hotel programs, making them more flexible than simple cash back. Plus, it’s a Visa, so I know it’ll be accepted almost everywhere.

Other Good Options

The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 3x points in both travel and dining categories, but it comes with a higher annual fee, and I can no longer consider it an option for us since I recently canceled the card. The Citi Strata Premier is another good choice, earning 3x points on air travel, hotels, and dining, although it doesn’t offer the same level of travel protections as Chase.

If I Could Bring More Than One Card…

If I could bring one credit card and my debit card, I’d still choose the Sapphire Preferred. My debit card would cover ATM withdrawals and serve as a backup for PIN-required purchases. If I could add a second credit card, I’d bring the American Express® Green Card, which earns 3x Membership Rewards points on travel and dining. Since some of our go-to transfer partners are part of Amex’s program, those points come in handy.

Why Not a Flat 2% Cash Back Card?

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may recall that I previously relied on the Barclays Arrival+ as my go-to card for international travel. It earned 2% back (when redeemed for travel), had no foreign transaction fees, and offered true Chip + PIN functionality—a nice perk when using kiosks or unattended payment terminals abroad.

But Barclays pulled the Arrival+ from the market, and it’s no longer available to new applicants. So for this post, I wanted to focus on cards that are currently open to everyone, and that includes travelers who prefer cash back simplicity over juggling points programs.

A great option in this category is the Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature Card. It earns an unlimited 2% cash back when you deposit rewards into an eligible Fidelity account, and it has no foreign transaction fees. It’s also a Visa, so worldwide acceptance is rarely an issue.

Still, while that’s a very respectable setup for international travel, I’d rather earn 2x or 3x transferrable points toward my next trip than 2% back. Points from programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards often unlock outsized value, especially when redeemed for flights or hotels through transfer partners.

So while flat 2% cash back cards have their place, especially for those who want to keep things simple, I still lean toward rewards cards that give me more flexibility and higher potential value when I redeem.

Final Thoughts

Fortunately, I never have to bring just one card. I usually travel with three or four, and Sharon does the same. We spread them across banks to avoid problems if one gets flagged for fraud or goes missing. We’ll bring a co-branded hotel card to charge our stay, and if you have an American Express Platinum card, you’ll want to bring it for lounge access.
I also make sure the cards are loaded into Apple Wallet so we can use contactless payments, which are increasingly accepted worldwide.

Your decision about which cards to bring should be based on your expected expenses. If you realize a gap in your wallet—like no card earning bonuses on food or transportation—that may help guide your next application.

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