Best credit cards for overseas travel

The table below displays the best-rated overseas travel credit cards from our Online Partners, sorted by our expert Star Ratings (highest to lowest).

GM, Research
Editor-in-Chief
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  • Star Rating - lowest first
  • Star Rating - highest first
  • Currency conversion on purchases - lowest first
  • Currency conversion on purchases - highest first
  • Overseas ATM cash advance fee on a $300 withdrawal - lowest first
  • Overseas ATM cash advance fee on a $300 withdrawal - highest first
  • Annual fee - lowest first
  • Annual fee - highest first
promoted
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
3%
$18
$59
dot
0.00% p.a. interest rate on balance transfers for 26 mths. Rate reverts to 21.49% p.a. Balance transfer fee of 2% applies.
Offer
Apply in full online
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
promoted
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
3%
$18
$55
dot
0% p.a. interest rate on balance transfers for 24 mths.
dot
2% BT fee applies.
Offer
Apply in full online
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
promoted
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 234945.
0%
$9
$0
Offer
Discount
Apply in full online
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 234945.
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 234945.
promoted
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 234945.
0%
$9
$59
Offer
Travel insurance
Apply in full online
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 234945.
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 234945.
promoted
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
0%
$0
$108
Apply in full online
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
promoted
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 234945.
2.95%
$17.85
$49
Offer
Apply in full online
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 234945.
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 234945.
promoted
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
3%
$18
$55
Bonus
Offer
Apply in full online
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
promoted
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
3%
$18
$55
Offer
Apply in full online
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
promoted
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 291313.
3%
No cash advance
$95
Bonus
Travel insurance
Apply in full online
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 291313.
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 291313.
promoted
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 234527.
3.50%
$18
$30
$0 in first year
Bonus
Discount
Apply in full online
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 234527.
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 234527.
promoted
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
3%
$18
$59
Bonus
Apply in full online
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
promoted
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
3%
$18
$59
Offer
Apply in full online
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 233714.

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canstar-rating-icon Canstar Star Rating

Unsure of a term in the above table? View glossary

The initial results in the table above are sorted by Star Rating (High-Low) , then Currency conversion on purchases (Low-High) , then Annual fee (Low-High) . Additional filters may have been applied, which impact the results displayed in the table - filters can be applied or removed at any time.

promoted
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 291313.
Earn up to 90,000 bonus Qantas Points
dot
Earn up to 90,000 bonus Qantas Points
dot
Min spend $3k in 3 months. Offer ends 13 Jan 2026.
dot
T&Cs apply. New American Express Card Members only
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 291313. See Terms & Conditions.
Fees & charges apply. Australian Credit Licence 291313. See Terms & Conditions.

What is a travel credit card?

A travel credit card is a credit card with features designed for people who intend on spending money overseas. For example, travel credit cards typically offer low or no currency conversion fees and other features like complimentary travel insurance and the ability to earn rewards points or frequent flyer points.

You can use the table at the top of this page to compare different options in overseas travel cards. It shows overseas travel credit cards from our Online Partners, ordered by their Star Rating (5 Stars being the highest), which is based on our Star Ratings and Awards methodology. You can also add or change the filters, such as finding cards with special offers or those offered by particular providers.

What are the best credit cards for overseas travel?

The best travel credit card will depend on your individual circumstances and needs—including how frequently you travel. Typically, travellers may want to consider:

  • What are the currency conversion fees? There are low or no currency conversion fee cards available.
  • Is there an annual fee?
  • Are there other costs, such as account-keeping fees or charges for adding an additional cardholder?
  • How much does it cost to withdraw funds from an ATM (here and overseas)?
  • Does the card have features that are important to you, such as complimentary travel insurance, purchase protection or the ability to earn points?

You can also consider the best credit cards for overseas travel assessed and rated by Canstar’s expert researchers. Our Star Ratings and Awards results are based on the products’ price and features, which are reviewed annually. You can view the Star Ratings next to the product name in the table at the top of this page (5-Stars being the highest rating).

Canstar’s Research team rated the cards based on two different types of overseas travellers. (The products listed below were rated in September 2024.)

Occasional travellers are customers who are looking for a low-cost credit card to take on an overseas trip, perhaps as a once-off or once a year trip. Canstar’s researchers gave the following travel credit cards a 5-Star Rating in Canstar’s 2024 Travel Credit Card Star Ratings and Awards:

  • BankVic Qantas Visa Credit Card
  • Bankwest Breeze Platinum Mastercard
  • Bankwest More Platinum Mastercard
  • Bankwest Qantas Platinum Mastercard
  • Bankwest Zero Mastercard
  • Bankwest Zero Platinum Mastercard
  • Bendigo Bank Ready Credit Card
  • HSBC Low Rate Credit Card
  • HSBC Premier World Mastercard – Qantas Rewards Option
  • HSBC Premier World Mastercard – Rewards
  • Hume Bank Value Card
  • ING Orange One Low Rate Classic Card
  • ING Orange One Rewards Platinum Card
  • Latitude Financial Services 28 Degrees Global Platinum Mastercard
  • St.George Bank No Annual Fee Visa
  • Teachers Mutual Bank Credit Card
  • Westpac Lite Card
  • Westpac Low Fee Card

Regular travellers are customers who are looking for a fully featured credit card to use overseas on a regular basis or at least a few times per year. The following travel credit cards received a 5-Star Rating in Canstar’s 2024 Travel Credit Card Star Rating and Awards:

  • BankVic Qantas Visa Credit Card
  • Bankwest Breeze Platinum Mastercard
  • Bankwest More Platinum Mastercard
  • Bankwest More World Mastercard
  • Bankwest Qantas Platinum Mastercard
  • Bankwest Qantas World Mastercard
  • Bankwest Zero Platinum Mastercard
  • Bendigo Bank Ready Credit Card
  • Commonwealth Bank Smart Awards – Qantas Option
  • Commonwealth Bank Smart Awards – Rewards Option
  • Commonwealth Bank Ultimate Awards – Rewards
  • HSBC Low Rate Credit Card
  • HSBC Premier World Mastercard – Qantas Rewards Option
  • HSBC Premier World Mastercard – Rewards Plus Option
  • ING Orange One Low Rate Classic Card
  • ING Orange One Rewards Platinum
  • Latitude Financial Services 28 Degrees Global Platinum Mastercard
  • NAB Rewards Signature Card
  • Westpac Lite Card

Frequently Asked Questions about Travel Credit Cards

Yes, most credit cards can be used overseas. For instance, if you have a Visa or Mastercard credit card, it will be accepted wherever you see the Visa or Mastercard symbol. But it’s important to check the fees that apply when you use your card overseas, including currency conversion fees, cash advance fees and overseas ATM fees.

If you decide to use your everyday credit card overseas, it’s a good idea to let your credit card provider know. If you don’t, your provider may think your overseas transactions are suspicious and place a temporary lock on your card.

You don’t necessarily need a specific credit card when travelling overseas. A travel credit card, however, may be useful if you need to put down a security payment when hiring a car or booking accommodation. You could potentially also use your regular transaction debit card, a travel debit card or travel money card.

But it’s important to read and understand any potential overseas transaction fees that may be charged when using your card internationally. It may also be helpful to check how easy it would be to manage and access your account when you’re travelling.

If you decide to use your everyday card overseas, it’s a good idea to let your credit card provider or bank/financial institution know before you leave Australia. If you don’t, your provider may think your overseas transactions are suspicious and place a temporary lock on your card.

Otherwise, if you’re unsure whether you need a travel credit card, it can be worthwhile to weigh up the pros and cons.

Some of the pros and cons of using a travel credit card can include:

Pros

  • Widely accepted – in Australia, most credit cards are issued by Visa, Mastercard or American Express. This means you can use your travel credit card wherever that payment network is accepted overseas.
  • Extra features – depending on your credit card, you may be able to get extra features like complimentary travel insurance, airport lounge access, reward and frequent flyer points.
  • More flexible budget – as you have access to a line of credit, you may be able to travel with a more flexible budget and cover any unexpected expenses that arise.

Cons

  • Fees – you may be charged fees including annual, currency conversion, overseas ATM and cash advance fees.
  • Interest – if you don’t repay your credit card balance in full by the due date, you will generally be charged interest.
  • Temptation to overspend – you have access to a line of credit, so there is a potential temptation to overspend, compared to using a travel debit card or travel money card, for example.

When you use a credit card, you are borrowing funds from your credit card provider. You will need to repay the amount you borrow, plus any interest, fees and charges. Interest rates are not considered as part of Canstar’s Travel Credit Card Star Ratings and Awards, as a credit card can become an extremely expensive way to pay for a holiday if it is not paid off within the interest-free period. Instead, the ratings focus on the transaction costs and benefits of using a certain credit card product overseas.

If you want to access and spend your own money overseas, you could instead consider a travel debit card or travel money card.

Canstar Credit Card Star Ratings and Awards

Looking for an award-winning credit card product or to switch providers or brands? Canstar rates products based on price and features in our Credit Card Star Ratings and Awards. Our expert Research team shares insights about which products offer 5-Star value and which providers offer outstanding value overall.

Canstar rates a range of financial products, covering banking, insurance and investment. We also reveal which providers have the most satisfied customers in our dedicated Customer Satisfaction Awards.

Credit Card Star Ratings and Awards

Latest in credit cards

About the authors

Nina Rinella, Editor-in-Chief

Nina Rinella
As Canstar’s Editor-in-Chief, Nina heads up a team of talented journalists committed to helping empower consumers to take greater control of their finances. Nina has written countless articles about finance and has been interviewed on finance topics by media organisations including The Australian, Realestate.com.au, Domain, the Herald Sun and the Sydney Morning Herald. Previously Nina founded her own agency where she provided content and communications support to clients around Australia for 8 years. She also spent four years as the PR Manager for American Express Australia, and has worked at a Brisbane communications agency where she supported dozens of clients, including Sunsuper and Suncorp. When she’s not dreaming up ways to put a fresh spin on finance, she’s taking her own advice by trying to pay her house off as quickly as possible and raising two money-savvy kids. Nina has a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in English Literature from the University of Queensland. She’s also an experienced presenter, and has hosted numerous events and YouTube series. You can follow her on LinkedIn and Canstar on Facebook. Meet the Canstar Editorial Team. Have a media enquiry, and interested in featuring Nina as a financial expert and commentator? Contact Canstar’s Media Team today.

Joshua Sale, GM, Research

Joshua Sale
Joshua Sale is responsible for developing the methodology and delivering Canstar’s flagship Star Ratings, as part of Canstar’s Research Team. With tertiary qualifications in economics and finance, he enjoys helping Australians find more suitable financial products by transforming complex calculations into a consumer-friendly Star Rating that explains the values and benefits of different financial products. As one of Canstar’s company spokespeople, Joshua is confident participating in print, radio and broadcast journalism interviews. He has participated in interviews with the Australian Financial Review, news.com.au and Money Magazine, along with other leading media outlets, discussing topics such as home loan equity, banking incentive schemes, digital wallets and wider finance trends. You can follow Joshua on LinkedIn. Have a media enquiry, and interested in featuring Joshua as a financial expert and commentator? Contact Canstar’s Media Team today.

Important information

For those that love the detail

This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.

Canstar may earn a fee from its Online Partners for referrals from its website tables, and from sponsorship or promotion of certain products. Fees payable by product providers for referrals and sponsorship or promotion may vary between providers, website position, and revenue model. Sponsorship/promotion fees may be higher than referral fees. If a product is sponsored or promoted, it’s an ad and it is clearly marked as such. An ad might appear in different places on our website, such as in comparison tables and articles. Ads may be displayed in a fixed position in a table, regardless of the product's rating, price or other attributes. The location of an ad doesn’t indicate any ranking or rating by Canstar. Payment of fees for ads does not influence our Star Ratings. See How We Get Paid to find out more. Payment of fees for ads does not influence our Star Ratings or Awards.

The Credit Cards Star Ratings are updated daily based on product features at that date, except for the Overseas Travel profile which is updated annually. Current rates, product features and fees are displayed and may be different to what was rated. The results don’t include every provider in the market and we may not compare all features relevant to you. You can find a description of the initial sort order below the table. Depending on which card feature/use you are looking at, the results will be sorted as follows:

  • Low fee is sorted by Star Ratings, then lowest Annual Fee, then alphabetically by brand.
  • Rewards is sorted by Star Ratings, then lowest Annual Fee, then alphabetically by brand.
  • Frequent Flyer is sorted by Star Ratings, then highest airline points per dollar, then alphabetically by brand.
  • Balance Transfer is sorted by Star Ratings, then lowest balance transfer rate, then lowest rate for the longest period, then lowest revert rate, then lowest upfront fee, and then alphabetically by brand. Please note that Balance Transfer Star Ratings are not for balance transfer suitability but are instead based on the Low Rate profile. 
  • All card types is sorted by highest Points per dollar spent, then lowest Annual fee, then alphabetically by brand.
  • Overseas Travel is sorted by Star Ratings, then lowest currency conversion on purchases, then lowest annual fee.

 

You can use the sort buttons at the top of each column to re-order the display. Learn more about our Credit Cards Star Rating Methodology and our Travel Credit Card and Travel Debit Card Star Ratings Methodology. The Occasional Overseas Traveller rating is shown in the table. The rating shown is only one factor to take into account when considering products. 

The products and Star Ratings in the table might not match your exact inputs in the selector. Sometimes the methodology uses profiles with categories or bands (e.g. income, loan amount or monthly spend), but sometimes a single methodology, without any categories or bands, is applied. The results will show the products that most closely match your selection, based on our profiles. If you are unsure about any terms used in the comparison table please refer to the glossary.

What is a Target Market Determination?

A Target Market Determination (‘TMD’) is a document that explains which people particular financial products may be suitable for (the target market) and sets out any conditions around how financial products can be distributed to consumers.

Why do product issuers provide Target Market Determinations?

From 5 October 2021, TMDs are compulsory for most financial products.

Issuers and distributors of financial products must take reasonable steps that are likely to result in financial products reaching consumers in the target market defined by the product issuer.

We recommend that you consider the TMD before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the TMD.

Any advice on this page is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this general financial advice is right for your personal circumstances. Canstar provides information about credit products. We’re not suggesting or recommending a particular credit product for you. If you decide to apply for a Credit Card, you will deal directly with the provider, not with Canstar. It’s important you check rates and product information directly with the provider. Consider the Target Market Determination (TMD) before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the TMD. For more information, read our Detailed Disclosure.

Canstar is not providing a recommendation for your individual circumstances. We cannot and do not recommend that any particular product is suitable for you. 

We provide links to our Online Partners. These are brands that may pay Canstar a fee for referring you. Our tables default to display only our Online Partners’ products initially, you can adjust the Online Partner Filter to see all of the products available for comparison on Canstar’s website. We provide these links so that you can click through to the product provider’s website to get more information. The provision of these links does not constitute a recommendation by Canstar.

Before you elect to terminate or modify existing lending arrangements, it is recommended that you consider all associated fees and application costs, as well as the timing and impact these changes could have on your wider financial arrangements and personal circumstances.