If you travel internationally, two big hotel loyalty programs have introduced credit card products that you might want to consider. The Priority Club Rewards Visa and the Hyatt Rewards Visa, both from Chase, offer a benefit that’s worth a lot if you take many trips overseas. Neither card charges you the annoying 3 percent foreign transaction fee that most cards (products from Capital One being a notable exception) charge for purchases made outside the USA. That is one benefit that could literally be worth hundreds for an extensive international traveler.
Each of these cards have a host of other benefits that you can check out on their respective websites. Hilton and Starwood are my hotel programs of choice, and of course, the Starwood Card from American Express is my all time favorite credit card. That said, I am pondering with the idea of picking up one of these cards, likely the Hyatt card, for the lack of a foreign transaction fee alone. The Hyatt card comes with Platinum status in Hyatt’s Gold Passport loyalty program, and you also receive 2 free nights at a Hyatt property after your first purchase. Depending on where you stay, that could be worth several hundred dollars.
Introducing 2 new traveler-focused credit cards without a foreign transaction fee is an interesting development. Let’s hope it’s a trend that continues. Could an airline card without foreign transaction fees be in the offing? Time will tell. Chase also issues the United Mileage Plus credit cards. I’m not getting my hopes up, but maybe, just maybe one of the premium United cards can ditch the foreign transaction fee too?!
Hat tip to Gary, from whom I first learned of the Hyatt Card rollout.
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