• Hey there! Welcome to TFC! View fewer ads on the website just by signing up on TF Community.

Best Card for Foreign spending?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Naman Jain

TF Buzz
Want to know which is the best and the least fee way to spend in foreign countries as when we travel to different countries we can directly spend money there with our credit card and in a cheap and effective manner
 

Subhankar

TF Ace
TF Family
Chief Mod
Want to know which is the best and the least fee way to spend in foreign countries as when we travel to different countries we can directly spend money there with our credit card and in a cheap and effective manner
You can see it in two ways, hard discount (lower forex markup) or soft discount (with RPs). For hard discount you can go with Axis One aka Axis Burgundy Private cc, which has 0% markup, 1.5% reward rate, no cash withdrawal charge, so basically it's a cc + dc. Or else go for the cards which are having lower forex markup (sometimes the RP, doesn't compensate) such as Axis Reserve, IDFC Wealth, ICICI Emeralde, all of these cards are having 1.5% forex markup. You can go with HDFC Infinia or HDFC DCB, both do have 2% markup, but if you activate global value program it'd be beneficial with the 3.33% value back.
Then again there are cards like CITI Prestige, which is having 3.5% markup, but way too much value back through its points, if you can use the points for airmiles, you can gain 7-8% value back (not even counting CITI Gold acc holder). AMEX Plat Charge is there as well but won't recommend due to current devaluation in Marriott Bonvoy.
Now there are cards like IndusInd Explorer (very poor reward rate), RBL World Safari (no RP on international transactions) with 0% markups. OneCard with 1% markup fee and 1% reward rate.
You can also go for IndusInd Pioneer Debit card or NIYO Global Debit card but you will miss out the extra layer of security of credit card.

So at the end of the day, it only does matter how you're going to take the advantages in your transactions.
Hope it helps!
 

Naman Jain

TF Buzz
You can see it in two ways, hard discount (lower forex markup) or soft discount (with RPs). For hard discount you can go with Axis One aka Axis Burgundy Private cc, which has 0% markup, 1.5% reward rate, no cash withdrawal charge, so basically it's a cc + dc. Or else go for the cards which are having lower forex markup (sometimes the RP, doesn't compensate) such as Axis Reserve, IDFC Wealth, ICICI Emeralde, all of these cards are having 1.5% forex markup. You can go with HDFC Infinia or HDFC DCB, both do have 2% markup, but if you activate global value program it'd be beneficial with the 3.33% value back.
Then again there are cards like CITI Prestige, which is having 3.5% markup, but way too much value back through its points, if you can use the points for airmiles, you can gain 7-8% value back (not even counting CITI Gold acc holder). AMEX Plat Charge is there as well but won't recommend due to current devaluation in Marriott Bonvoy.
Now there are cards like IndusInd Explorer (very poor reward rate), RBL World Safari (no RP on international transactions) with 0% markups. OneCard with 1% markup fee and 1% reward rate.
You can also go for IndusInd Pioneer Debit card or NIYO Global Debit card but you will miss out the extra layer of security of credit card.

So at the end of the day, it only does matter how you're going to take the advantages in your transactions.
Hope it helps!
Firstly thanks for your valuable feedback.
I am planning for few foreign trips and what to buy things locally like in normal travel and so I am now looking that does every card will work just like here or there would be only foreign bank cards that will work.
I am also seeing that markup is good to pay if reward make more value in the end and may go that route.
If possible I want to know can I easily use indian cards in other countries sepcially offline
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top