Bank of America credit cards with no foreign transaction fee

Bank of America normally charges a 3% fee for transactions you make in foreign currencies or outside the United States. You’ll find this with half of the provider’s cards. However, the majority of its products — namely, the travel credit cards — charge 0% foreign transaction fees. These cards typically have annual fees between $0 and $95.

How to compare Bank of America credit cards with no foreign transaction fee

Paying no foreign transaction fees is a useful perk for anyone traveling abroad or for online shopping with foreign merchants. But there are other card features that you should keep in mind before you choose a card, such as:

• The type of travel card.
  Bank of America offers two types of travel credit cards — cobranded and general. The first type is mostly focused on earning and redeeming rewards on one travel brand, say Alaska Airlines, Royal Caribbean or Amtrak, while the second type of cards lets you earn and redeem rewards on all flights, hotels, cruises and other type of travel purchases.
• Annual fee.
  A card with $0 annual fee is always the most cost-effective solution. But to get the most benefits, a card with an annual fee is the way to go.
• Signup bonus.
  You’ll find signup bonuses with almost all Bank of America cards with no foreign transaction fees. Starting from $150 and more, you can easily offset any annual fees and earn something on top.

Typical benefits of Bank of America credit cards with no foreign transaction fees

Aside from paying no foreign transaction fees, other benefits you’ll find are:

• Rewards. Since most of the cards with no foreign transaction fees are travel cards, you get to earn travel rewards on your purchases. These can either be branded, say Alaska Airlines miles, or travel points that you can redeem for flights with a variety of airlines.
• Signup bonus. Each of these cards also comes with a signup bonus. Depending on whether you pay an annual fee or not, your bonus can vary from $150 to $500.
• Travel perks. Depending on the card, you could get additional perks like an airline companion pass, elite status tier, airline credit or TSA PreCheck and Global Entry application fee credit.

Is a Bank of America card with no foreign transaction fee worth it?

This largely depends on personal needs. For example, for an occasional excursion abroad or buying items and services from foreign merchants, a simple, no-annual-fee card with no foreign transaction fees would do the trick; It won’t cost you anything to own the card, plus you’ll save 3% off of every transaction. That’s $30 saved on $1,000 spent.

But frequent travelers who want the best value for the money should consider a no-foreign-transaction-fee card that has an annual fee because this type of cards often comes with the best travel benefits and rewards.

Bottom line

Bank of America has an extensive collection of no-foreign-transaction-fee cards. It offers its own general travel cards as well as several cobranded products.

If you’d like to learn more, read our guide to no-foreign-transaction-fee credit cards.