Best Credit Cards for Americans to Use When Visiting the UK

Living in the US, but heading to the UK soon? If you’re still paying for things with a debit card or a credit card that charges you currency conversion fees, it’s time to sort that out so you don’t end up with headaches and an insane amount of extra charges at the end of your trip. I’ve been researching and using travel credit cards for almost a decade now so I’m going to let you know which are the best credit cards for Americans to use when visiting the UK (and the rest of Europe).

This is an image of someone typing their credit card details on to their computer.

What makes it a good credit card for Americans to use when visiting the UK?

No foreign transaction fees

If you’re travelling abroad with a card that charges you EVERY TIME you pay for something in a non-USD currency, you’re being RIPPED OFF. There’s absolutely no reason to put up with that since there are so many alternative options at your disposal. Save yourself the money!

Travel protections included

A major benefit of using a credit card over a debit card when you travel is that many cards include great travel protections like car insurance, baggage insurance, and more, meaning you’ll get refunded pretty easily if you get ripped off when travelling and you will NOT get that with your bank’s debit card.

All cards offer different protections so be sure to read up on what you get and don’t get.

Earning miles or points when spending

If you’ve always been responsible with your credit card debt (which means, you pay your card in FULL each and every month) then you might as well start using a credit card that will earn you points or miles every time you use it. If you’re already going to be buying certain things or booking certain trips, why not make your money work a bit for you?

Generally, earning points with credit cards means you can redeem them on many different things, but since you’re a traveller, the travel redemptions will be the most appealing to you. Use points to get free or cheap flights, discounted or free hotels, and much more.

I’ve built up my credit card points for years and have used them to fly business class to many places around the world for a fraction of what it would cost to pay for that seat in cash. All from purchases I was already making.

Good customer service

Credit card companies tend to have much better customer service when things go wrong. This is especially important when travelling abroad, in case your card is stolen or lost or you just had some problems you didn’t anticipate. You won’t get that from using a debit card.

The best credit cards for Americans to use when visiting the UK

These are the cards I think are the best for Americans who are coming to the UK to visit (and these work around the world as well!)

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred

Card is a fantastic credit card option for Americans traveling to the UK, because first off, it has no foreign transaction fees. It also comes with valuable travel perks like trip cancellation insurance, primary car rental insurance, and lost luggage insurance, potentially saving you money on separate travel insurance. You earn points with every purchase, especially when dining out or traveling, which can be redeemed for flights, hotels, and more.

Your purchases can get you:

5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠ platform (so if you spend $100, you get 500 points)
3x points when you spend on dining, online groceries, and select streaming services
2x points on all other travel purchases made on the card
1x points on anything else you buy

The Chase Sapphire Preferred also has a welcome bonus of 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. You could easily spend this if you’re booking hotels or flights for upcoming travel, or maybe have a big purchase to make like some furniture.

With a $95 annual fee, you also get a $50 annual credit for hotel bookings through Chase, which you could use when planning your UK trip. This is pretty modest annual fee, so this card has a good balance of perks, earning potential, and a lower fee.

Because the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a visa, it’s widely accepted across Europe, so you won’t have any issues using it while travelling. I personally use the advanced version, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which has even better spending rewards and perks, and I talk about it in a bit.

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred®

Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card

This is the bigger sister to the Chase Sapphire Preferred mentioned just before. This is indeed the card I use whenever I travel in the US or abroad for quite a few reasons. Importantly there’s no foreign transaction fees which I can’t say for any of my UK-based rewards-earning cards, so I earn points on my spending abroad without additional fees that will basically negative the earnings.

I also love the earnings potential on this card, which makes the annual fee more than worth paying. When you spend on this card, no matter where in the world you are, you’ll get:

10x total points on hotels and car rentals when purchased through Chase Travel℠, their own travel platform
5x total points on flights booked through Chase Travel℠
3x points on other travel and dining spending
1 point per $1 spent on all of your other purchases

If you apply for this card (or one of the other points-earning cards mentioned it this article) way ahead of any of your future travels, you could bank up some points to use on discounted or free flights and hotels, which, as someone who has benefitted from this massively, I can say is WORTH IT. I talk more about the best cards for free travel and perks in this article.

There are some other great perks that you get with the Chase Sapphire Reserve that are helpful when you travel, like:

$300 annual travel credit, which is automatically credited your account when you use it to make eligible “travel” purchases, which even includes transport companies like Uber and the MTA in NYC
Unlimited access to thousands of airport lounges around the world with your included Priority Pass
Application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck (but you should definitely do Global Entry since it includes TSA PreCheck)

*Take note: points are not earned until after the first $300 is spent annually on purchases in the travel category with your Chase Sapphire Reserve

. The first $300 spent goes towards the $300 Annual Travel Credit.

There are a lot of pros to this card, but the downside is the annual fee, which is currently $550. Factor in the travel credit and everything you get, though, and it could be worth it… or opt for the more affordable Chase Sapphire Preferred, an excellent starter credit card for Americans travelling to the UK.

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is definitely one of the best credit cards for Americans to use when visiting the UK and the rest of Europe. I actually used it while studying abroad and backpacking in Europe, so it’s been around a long time and is tried and tested. I originally got it because I was like… why am I spending money on foreign transaction fees? There’s just no need. (Well done, savvy 21-year-old Jess.)

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card provides travel perks like a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees (up to $120) and includes travel insurance, so you’re getting a lot of cost savings with this card on what you’d normally buy for a trip to the UK from the US.

You’ll also earn miles on your spending, which can be redeemed for flights, hotels, or gift cards. The earning rate is pretty simple, you’ll get 2 miles for every $1 you spend on absolutely anything, as well as 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels, vacation rentals and car rentals bought through Capital One Travel, their own travel booking and redemptions portal.

Another perk of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is that it has a low annual fee of $95, so along with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, it’s a good starter card that helps you earn on things you’d already be buying. Get this card early enough and maybe you can use your points to book an incredible London hotel that you wouldn’t normally be able to afford when paying with cash.

Learn more about the Capital One Venture Rewards card

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

If the three previous cards are feeling a little too advanced for you, or you don’t want to pay an annual fee, then this beginner card will be the one to go for. While you won’t earn any points for future travel freebies, you’ll earn cash back on your purchases, earning more in certain categories, like 5% back on any travel you book through Chase Travel℠ and 3% back on eating out (but even includes takeout and some delivery services). This means all of your spending at home can bring you some decent returns, as can your UK hotel stay if you book it through Chase Travel℠. With the Chase Freedom Unlimited you also get some basic travel perks like rental car protection and trip cancellation and interruption insurance. The downside is, because this is a no-fee card though, foreign spending will have a 3% foreign transaction fee for each purchase. To avoid that, choose one of the cards listed above instead.

Learn more about the Chase Freedom Unlimited card

Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities within the post.

Read next: