Will you pay foreign transaction fees in U.S. territories like Puerto Rico?
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Digging into the rules surrounding rewards credit cards is what we do. We do the work so you don’t have to.
We get lots of questions regarding which card to use for particular situations — one of the most common being about the best cards to use abroad to avoid transaction fees. So you might be wondering: “Will using a credit card that charges foreign transaction fees in U.S. territories like Puerto Rico incur fees?”
In short, purchases made in Puerto Rico (and other U.S. territories like American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands) are not considered foreign transactions.
Banks won’t charge foreign transaction fees for purchases made in these locations. And in fact, the official currency of all U.S. territories is the U.S. dollar. So again, charges made in U.S. dollars in any U.S. territory will not incur foreign transaction fees.
If you have credit cards issued by smaller banks or a credit union, it could be worth calling the number on the back of your card to confirm their policies before you travel. But when it comes to the best credit cards for travel, you won’t have to worry about incurring any extra fees.
And remember, to avoid being charged extra when you travel outside of the U.S. and its territories, use a card that does not charge foreign transaction fees. And preferably one that earns bonus miles and points for travel, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
Featured image by Songquan Deng/Shutterstock.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Enjoy benefits such as a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases, plus more.
Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,000 toward travel.
With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories
Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
Intro APR on purchases
N/A
Regular APR
16.24% – 23.24% Variable
Annual Fee
$95
Balance Transfer Fee
Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Rates & Fees
Other
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