With the sad news that Chase Canada left our market and discontinued two of Canada's favourite No Foreign Transaction fee cards we were being bombarded with questions on which cards still offer this benefit. First off, for those who are unaware, most credit and charge cards in Canada charge a fee for making purchases in a currency that is not Canadian dollars. This fee, known as the Foreign Transaction Fee is charged over and above the actual exchange rate. The good thing is credit card companies (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) tend to have extremely good exchange rates compared to banks and currency conversion outlets. Secondly, we should let you know that there aren't many that do and there is a big reason why. We explain in the following article of ours as to why:

• Why we haven't seen No Forex fees take off
  

That being said, you still have some options before you. You can choose a true no foreign transaction fee credit card where you won't be charged fees on any non Canadian currency purchases or you can be selective and use a card that offers rewards that provide a higher return than the foreign transaction fee. We cover both in this article and will update it accordingly as cards change or are introduced whereby they would fit into one of these two classifications.

True No Foreign Transaction Fee Cards

Currently these are the only cards in Canada that have No Foreign Transaction Fees on all purchases:

• Brim Mastercard (no annual fee)
• Brim World Mastercard ($99 annual fee)
• Brim World Elite Mastercard ($199 annual fee)
• Home Trust Preferred Visa (no annual fee - not available in Quebec) - No cash back rewards offered on foreign transactions
• HSBC World Elite Mastercard ($149 annual fee)
• HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard ($99 to $149 annual fee)
• HSBC Jade World Elite Mastercard (Invite only)
• Koho Premium Prepaid Visa ($9 monthly or $84 Annual Fee)
• Scotiabank Gold American Express card ($120 Annual Fee)
• Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card ($139 Annual Fee)
• Stack Mastercard (No annual fee, prepaid card)
  

All of the above cards except the Home Trust Preferred Visa do have rewards programs attached to them that also provide rewards in the 0.5% to 2% range on foreign transactions which is pretty decent considering you aren't paying any forex fees! As well the Brim Cards have pretty decent insurance packages included for the fee based cards and so do the HSBC Mastercards. Cards like the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card not only have the no Forex Fee but have great insurance and includes an awesome Priority Pass package.

Recommended Reading: The Ultimate No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Card Portfolio

This month's No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Card Spotlight:

HSBC World Elite® Mastercard®

HSBC World Elite® Mastercard® Earn up to 70,000 Points. PLUS a full annual fee rebate for the Primary Cardholder for the first year Primary Cardholder Annual Fee: $149 (1st year annual fee waiver) Authorized User Annual Fee: $50 Per Card Annual interest rate: 19.9% on purchases and 22.9% on funds advances and balance transfers. $80,000 personal or $150,000 household annual income • Welcome Bonus of 20,000 Points (up to $100 value) PLUS apply by September 27th and get an additional 20,000 Points (up $100 value) when you spend $5,000 within 6 months of account opening*, and get a 1st Year annual fee waiver for Primary Cardholder*($149 value/$99 value), earn 10,000 Points (up to $50 value) for adding your 1st Authorized User*, and receive an additional 20,000 Points (up to $100 value) as an Anniversary Bonus* • Earn 3% in travel rewards on all eligible travel purchases (6 Points per $1) and earn 1.5% in travel rewards on all other eligible purchases (3 Points per $1) • No foreign transaction fees. Only the exchange rate will apply • Enjoy maximum flexibility and redeem your Points on your terms for: • Travel • Gift cards and valuable merchandise • Financial rewards • Rewards for miles *Terms and Conditions apply ®/TM Mastercard and World Elite are registered trademarks, and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. Used pursuant to licence This offer is only available to residents of Canada other than the province of Quebec (Quebec residents eligible for separate offer)

Cards that charge a foreign transaction fee but provide higher reward returns

You have other options outside the above cards if you have a mix of Canadian spending and foreign spending and want to funnel your points into one account or need benefits that aren't included with any of the cards listed above. We break these out into two more categories as some cards provide higher rewards on all foreign currency transactions while other only do so in select merchant categories:

Higher rewards on all foreign purchases

• Amazon.ca Rewards Mastercard (no annual fee) - The Amazon card charges a 2.5% Foreign Transasction fee but rewards a 2.5% return on those purchases essentially making it a no Foreign Transaction fee card. The 2.5% return is only available to Prime Members.
• Meridian Visa Infinite Travel Rewards Card - Earns 3 Points per dollar on foreign transactions giving a net benefit of 0.5% ($99 annual fee)
• Rogers Platinum Mastercard - Earns 3% cash back on US$ purchases giving a net benefit of 0.5% (No annual fee)*
• Rogers World Elite Mastercard - Earns 3% cash back on US$ purchases giving a net benefit of 0.5% (No annual fee)*
  

Higher rewards on select merchant category foreign purchases

• American Express Cobalt Card - Earns 5 points per dollar on most foreign Eats and Drinks categories giving a minimum net benefit of 2.5% ($10 monthly fee)
• CIBC Dividend VISA Infinite card - Earns 4% back on most foreign gas stations and grocery store categories giving a net benefit of 1.5% ($120 annual fee)
• Scotia Momentum VISA Infinite card - Earns 4% back on most foreign gas stations and grocery store categories giving a net benefit of 1.5% ($99 annual fee)
• Scotiabank Platinum American Express Card - Earns 4 points per dollar on most foreign gas stations, grocery stores, dining and entertainment categories giving a net benefit of 1.5% ($299 annual fee)
• TD Cash Back Visa Infinite Card - Earns 3% back on most foreign gas stations and grocery store categories giving a net benefit of 0.5% ($120 annual fee)
  

There are even more cards you could consider, primarily co-branded frequent flyer and frequent guest cards that depending on how you redeem the points or miles earned on those cards could provide a higher return than the foreign transaction fee charged. Also note that we only take into account full time earn rates and did not include cards that may offer limited time higher earn rates as an introductory offer.

Remember there are many more steps to choosing a credit card other than just the foreign transaction fee unless you have other cards in your portfolio and want one strictly for this reason. If you are looking at the whole picture we recommend visiting our various resources to help you choose a card or cards:

• Rewards Canada's guide to choosing a travel rewards credit card
• Rewards Canada Ultimate Credit Card Portfolios
• Rewards Canada's Top Travel Rewards Credit Cards for 2021
  

Other Options

There are other options outside of what we list above to save money when you travel. You could always look into a U.S. dollar credit card (most Canadian banks have one) or even prepaid foreign currency cards.

Talk to us!

Did we miss any cards that we should add to the list above? Do you use any of the cards listed above to save on these fees? Tell us in the comments section below or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter!

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