Best Credit Cards to Have While Traveling Abroad

Last Updated : Jan. 12, 2023, 6:15 p.m.

Traveling abroad is on everyone’s bucket list. International flights having one or two stops during the journey are cheaper than direct flights. Some people have plans to roam around the city but others prefer just chilling out in the lounge. Nowadays, everyone uses credit cards and especially for online purchases such as flight tickets, people prefer paying via a credit card maybe because they get discounts. There are several Best Credit Cards for International Travel that offer travel benefits.

Similarly, a credit card with free lounge access is preferred by travellers so that the tiredness of long journeys and delayed flights can be lessened. Also, it is advisable to use a credit card abroad. So, to more about it and if you have recent plans of traveling to your favorite country and looking for credit cards with complimentary lounge access, here is the list of options you can choose from.

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Top 8 Credit Cards for International Travel

Several banks have come together to strengthen the credit card segment. As we all are aware of the fact how the traveling industry is booming especially after the COVID Pandemic. Moreover, if you love international trips and you are a frequent flyer then you can look over these Best Airlines Credit Cards in India .

Citibank PremierMiles Credit Card

We are all aware that flying is an expensive mode of transportation. Meanwhile, banks have been helping people through a variety of credit cards. As a result, one of them is the Citi PremierMiles Card. However, it was also considered to be one of the Best Credit Cards due to a number of advantages it provides. Further, it offers benefits such as free airport lounge access, air miles, contactless credit card benefits, and so on.

Here are some of the major air benefits provided by the Citi PremierMiles Card:

• Domestic airport lounge access is complimentary.
• Earn up to 10 Air Miles for every Rs. 100 spent on airline transactions.
• For all other transactions, you will receive 4 Air Miles for every Rs. 100 spent.
• The air miles can be redeemed with over 100 airline and hotel partners.
• Save up to 20% at some of the best restaurants in town.
• You will receive Air Miles that will never expire. Further, you can use them whenever you want.

JetPrivilege HDFC Bank World Credit Card

The JetPrivilege HDFC Bank World Credit Card is truly a blessing for a frequent traveler. It is one of the Best HDFC Credit Cards . In addition to travel benefits, you can avail of privileges across various categories.

Explore the benefits of this one of the Best Credit Cards for International Travel:

• Spend Rs. 150 from the date of issue of the card and get 500 InterMiles.
• Avail of a Rs. 250 flight and hotel discount voucher.
• Get up to 500 InterMiles as a renewal bonus. However, it is only applicable on spending Rs. 150 from the date of renewal of the card.
• Hotel discount voucher worth Rs. 250
• Avail a discount on Etihad Airways Economy class ticket bookings.
• 2.5 X Accelerated earnings for Etihad Flight bookings.
• On spending Rs. 150 on Etihad flights you will get 5 InterMiles.
• Spend Rs. 150 on hotels, flights, and International spending and get 4 InterMiles.
• Avail up to 2 InterMiles by spending Rs. 150 on all domestic hotels, air, travel, utility, apparel, and restaurants.
• You will receive 1 InterMiles on every Rs. 150 spent on other categories.
• Complimentary lounge access up to 2 per year.
• For spending Rs. 150 on all international shopping and online merchants you will get 4 JPMiles.
• Get 4 JPMiles on every Rs. 150 spent on purchases made on revenue tickets.
• On all domestic Hotels, Air, Travel, Utility, Apparel, and Restaurants get on all domestic Hotels, Air, Travel, Utility, Apparel, and Restaurants only.

Air India SBI Platinum Card

It is one of the Best SBI Credit Cards for frequent travelers. However, if you are someone who prefers Air India flight over others then you can make the most out of it. Air India has collaborated with SBI and launched this co-branded credit card . Nonetheless, it is equipped with several travel benefits and you can also win a free flight ticket here.

Key benefits of this one of the Best Credit Cards for International Travel are as follows:

• As a welcome gift you will get 5000 reward points.
• Flying Returns membership in the Air India Frequent Flyer Program is free.
• On spending Rs. 100 you will get 2 reward points.
• Annually you will get 15000 reward points as a bonus.
• Easily convert your reward points into Air India Miles.
• For spending Rs. 100 on Air India tickets for yourself every time you will earn 15 reward points.
• If you book Air India tickets for others and get 5 reward points.
• 1% fuel surcharge.

RBL World Safari Credit Card

The RBL World Safari Credit Card as the name suggests was launched to cater to the traveler inside you. Moreover, it is a premium credit card for international travel. As a welcome gift, you will avail here a MakeMyTrip Voucher worth Rs. 3000. Besides that you will also earn travel points that you can redeem and complimentary lounge access.

Highlights of the Best Credit Cards for International Travel:

• Get a 0% markup fee on all foreign currency transactions.
• Welcome bonus of MakeMyTrip voucher worth Rs. 3000.
• You will get Travel Points for all the spends.
• Travel Points can be redeemed for flights and hotel bookings.
• Spend Rs. 100 and earn 2 Travel Points.
• Get up to 5 Travel Points for spending Rs. 100 on Travel.
• If you spend Rs. 2.5 Lakh in a year you will get 10,000 bonus Travel Points.
• Spend Rs. 5 Lakh in a year and get additional 15,000 Travel Points.
• Complimentary domestic lounge visits up to 2 every quarter.
• Access to more than 1300 International airport lounge visits.
• Priority Pass Membership.
• Get 2 complimentary international lounge visits using your Priority Pass.

InterMiles HDFC Bank Signature Credit Card

It is a travel and lifestyle-intended credit card. Further, this HDFC Credit Card is for someone who wants InterMiles and discounts over traveling. You can avail here of privileges such as InterMiles, vouchers, discounts, complimentary visits, MasterCard Lounge Program, and many more. Moreover, it is one of the Best Credit Cards for International Travel.

Read all the advantages you can get from this HDFC international credit card:

• Bonus InterMiles of 8000.
• Spend Rs. 6000 within the first 30 days of card set up and get 3000 InterMiles.
• In 90 days spend Rs. 90,000 on retail and get 5,000 InterMiles.
• First year you will get Rs. 750 Flight Discount vouchers.
• Hotel Discount vouchers of Rs. 2000 for the first year.
• On spending Rs. 150 on retail every time you will get 6 InterMiles.
• Book a flight ticket by spending Rs. 150 and get 12 InterMiles.
• Avail 12 InterMiles by spending Rs. 150 on hotel booking.
• Book Etihad Airways Economy Class tickets and get a 5% discount.
• Get up to 10% discount on booking Etihad Airways Business Class tickets.
• On booking Etihad Airways tickets you can avail of up to 2.5X bonus InterMiles.
• Luxury travel experience by just presenting InterMiles HDFC Bank World / Signature Credit Card along with your Boarding Pass to access.
• Complimentary visits up to 16 every year. However, it is limited to 4 per quarter.
• Priority pass membership worth $99.
• International lounge access to more than 600 airports.

Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip Credit Card

It is one of the Best Credit Cards for International Travel. However, it is one of the Best Travel Credit Cards that you can avail of with a nominal joining fee. Besides, it provides amazing international travel benefits to you.

Mentioned below are the pointers that describe the benefits of the Standard Chartered EaseMyTrip Credit Card:

• Get 10x rewards on spending Rs. 100 at standalone Hotel and Airline websites/apps/outlets.
• On hotel booking get an instant 20% discount.
• Book flights through EaseMyTrip and get a flat 10% discount.
• 1 domestic airport lounge visits at no cost.
• Complimentary international lounge visits up to 2.

Axis Bank Miles and More World Credit Card

Axis Bank has always been ahead in the competition when it comes to the credit card segment. Therefore, it has created Miles and More Credit Cards for frequent flyers. Moreover, whether you travel domestically or internationally this Axis Credit Card will help you in any way out.

Mentioned below are the pointers that best explain the benefits of Miles and More Credit Card Axis Bank:

• Get a Priority Pass as a welcome bonus.
• You will get Bonus Welcome Award Miles on joining the credit card.
• Priority Pass Lounge Access.
• International airport lounge visits.
• 24 hours a day dedicated concierge services.

Axis Bank Titanium Smart Traveller Credit Card

This Axis Bank Credit Card is one of the Best Credit Cards for International Travel, as the name suggests. It allows you to save a lot of money and take advantage of various types of lucrative deals. You can also get a variety of lifestyle and travel benefits by paying a small joining fee. The Titanium Smart Traveler Credit Card was undoubtedly designed with Indian customers’ diverse demands in mind.

Below are some of the benefits of the Titanium Smart Traveler Axis Bank Credit Card:

• Get a 1% fuel surcharge waiver across all the petrol stations in India.
• Exclusive 15% off on selected restaurants in India.
• 8 reward points for spending Rs. 200 on traveling abroad.
• Spend Rs. 200 on hotels, airlines, holiday packages, and booking of train and bus, and get 4 reward points.
• Using the credit card in India for spending Rs. 200 you will get 2 reward points.

What are the transaction fees and charges on Credit Cards?

Most debit and credit cards charge a fee every time you buy something abroad. These fees are usually around 3% of the purchase price. But some debit cards and credit cards don’t charge these fees. So, it is recommended to go through the charges before you decide to get a particular credit card. Below are the types of charges applicable to international credit cards.  There are basically three types of charges involved:

1. Foreign Currency Conversion fee – The credit card you own is an Indian credit card with Indian Rupees in it. When you use this card abroad, you will be charged a foreign currency conversion fee as well. Visa and MasterCard automatically charge a 1-2% fee on foreign currency exchange and anything in excess of it is generally a small margin of profit for the bank.
2. Foreign Transaction Charge – Irrespective of the currency, transaction amount, or cash withdrawal, providers (SBI, ICICI, HDFC, BOB, PNB etc.) charge a foreign transaction Charge, which makes up for around 2.5 -3.5% figure of the total transaction amount.
3. Cash Advance Fee – Just like cash advances are chargeable within the country, there is an additional fee for withdrawing money overseas via a Credit Card. For each withdrawal, you can incur an additional fee of 1-4% along with the standard cash withdrawal rate for your Credit Card, together with the international cash withdrawal fee. So, don’t do it until and unless it’s an emergency.

How to select a perfect International Credit Card?

The charges you will be paying on withdrawal and using a credit card are obviosuly not welcomed. But, you always have the choice to check the fees and charges before you get them. The information  on transaction charges and cash advance is available with the issuing bank like SBI, ICICI etc. You can contact their customer care department to find out about the same before packing your bags.

Why should you use Credit Cards abroad?

Even though using a credit card abroad for shopping and withdrawal may be expensive, it is still recommended. Read below the reason behind this.

1. Credit cards give you complimentary lounge access.
2. Low foreign currency mark-up fee.
3. Free bonus points on annual transactions.
4. Insurance cover for accidental death during air travel.
5. Redeem reward points for flight bookings.
6. Hotels generally ask you to deposit your credit card as a security deposit.

7. If your credit card gets lost abroad, most credit card providers limit your liability which is not available for lost debit cards.

With the above information on some of the best credit cards for international travel, you might have got the idea how can you choose the most suitable one for yourself.

Conclusion

Credit cards are useful for a variety of purposes, including travel, shopping, lifestyle benefits, and more. They are specifically designed to meet customer demand. Furthermore, the features of the above-mentioned Best Credit Cards for International Travel are making a difference. To meet the needs of a broader audience, the bank has been updating them. As a result, if you enjoy traveling, give them a shot.