Guide to No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards for Canadians

When Chase Canada left our market several years ago 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 in 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 cards in Canada that do have this benefit 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.

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 Transaction 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)

Higher rewards on US$ purchases

• Rogers Red World Elite Mastercard - Earns 3% cash back on US$ purchases giving a net benefit of 0.5%. For Rogers/Shaw/Fido customers who redeem the cash back for Roger/Shaw/Fido purchases they boost the reward by 50% so it works out to 4.5% cash back on US$ purchases giving a net benefit of 2% (No annual fee)*
• Rogers Red Mastercard - Earns 3% cash back on US$ purchases giving a net benefit of 0.5% - only valid if you are a Rogers customer and redeem towards a Rogers/Fido/Shaw purchase. (No annual fee)*

Higher rewards on select merchant category foreign purchases

• 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% ($139 annual fee)
• TD Business Travel Visa* Card - Earn 6 TD Rewards Points for every $1 you spend on Foreign Currency Purchases giving a net benefit of 0.5% when redeemed for travel via Expedia for TD ($149 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 Ultimate Credit Card Portfolios
• Rewards Canada's Top Travel Rewards Credit Cards
  

Finally you could always look into a U.S. dollar credit card (most Canadian banks have one) to get actual U.S. credit cards from U.S. banks