Skip These Fees When You Head Overseas

Foreign-transaction fees can add up when you make purchases abroad, but there are ways to bypass them.

- EMMA PATCH

WHETHER YOU'RE TRAVELING abroad or shopping online, foreign-transaction fees can take a toll when you use a credit card or debit card to make purchases with merchants outside the U.S. The fees, which many cards charge to process transactions made in a foreign currency, typically tack on an extra 3% of the purchase amount to your bill. Check your card's transaction history to review the fees, which are typically listed separately from the charges that triggered them.

Dodge fees at the register. Fortunately, you can avoid foreign-transaction fees by carrying the right cards in your wallet. A few credit card issuers, including CAPITAL ONE and DISCOVER, don't charge the fees with any of the cards they offer.

Most other credit card issuers waive the fees with certain travel-focused cards. The BANK OF AMERICA TRAVEL REWARDS and WELLS FARGO AUTOGRAPH cards are free of both foreign-transaction fees and annual fees. Other cards that charge no foreign-transaction fee include