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Credit Cards that Waive Foreign Fees (updated September 27, 2019)

It has been over a year and a half since I last updated this post, I thought it was due for an update, as there were several changes in the industry. I am going to change this post a little from last time. In the post, I wrote about the Rogers Bank cards that gave a higher multiplier bonus for foreign purchases. But going forward, my post will focus only on cards who waive foreign transaction fees.

The reason is because the competition started heating up, so these are the cards worth highlighting the most. I have ranked the cards based on their annual fees.

Home Trust Preferred Visa

  • No annual fee
  • Earn 1% cash back on all purchases
  • Receive a Roadside Assistance membership
  • No foreign transaction fees

*Unfortunately, this is still not available to Quebec residents.

Brim MasterCard

  • No annual fee
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 spent
  • No foreign transaction fees

Brim World MasterCard 

  • $99 annual fee
  • $20 annual fee for a supplementary cardholder
  • Earn 1.5 point for every $1 on all purchases (up to $25,000 in spending)
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 on all purchases (made above $25,000 in spending)
  • No foreign transaction fees

Scotiabank Gold American Express Card

  • $120 annual fee
  • $29 annual fee for a supplementary cardholder
  • Earn 30,000 sign up bonus (earn 25,000 after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months and another 5,000 after spending $10,000 in an anniversary year) (if you apply before October 31, 2019)
  • Earn 5 points for every $1 spent on grocery, dining and entertainment purchases (on the first $50,000 in purchases)
  • Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on gas, transit, and select streaming services (on the first $50,000 in purchases)
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Have at least $12,000 in personal annual income

Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card

  • $139 annual fee
  • $50 annual fee for each supplementary card (first supplementary card free)
  • Earn 25,000 Scotia Rewards sign up bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months (if you apply before October 31, 2019)
  • Earn 10,000 Scotia Rewards bonus points after spending $40,000 in a calendar year
  • Earn 2,000 Scotia Rewards bonus points after every $10,000 in addition to the first $40,000 in a calendar year
  • Earn 2 points for every $1 spent on grocery, dining, entertainment and daily transit
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases
  • Receive 6 Priority Pass lounge passes
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Have at least $60,000 in personal annual income, $100,000 in annual household income or $250,000 in assets under management

HSBC World Elite MasterCard

  • $149 annual fee (first year fee waived if you apply before December 16, 2019; except Quebec)
  • Earn 90,000 sign up bonus points (Quebec only), (if you apply before December 16, 2019); earn 20,000 after the first purchase and earn 3x the points up to 70,000 bonus points on all purchases within the first 90 days
  • Earn 60,000 sign up bonus points (rest of Canada), (if you apply before December 16, 2019); earn 20,000 after the first purchase and earn 3x the points up to 40,000 bonus points on all purchases within the first 90 days
  • Receive $100 annual travel credit
  • Earn 6 HSBC points for every $1 spent on travel purchases
  • Earn 3 HSBC points for every $1 spent on all other purchases
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Have at least $80,000 in personal annual income, $150,000 household income or have $400,000 asset under management

HSBC Premier World Elite MasterCard

  • $149 annual fee (first year fee waived if you apply before December 16, 2019; except Quebec)
  • Earn 90,000 sign up bonus points (Quebec only), (if you apply before December 16, 2019); earn 20,000 after the first purchase and earn 3x the points up to 70,000 bonus points on all purchases within the first 90 days
  • Earn 60,000 sign up bonus points (rest of Canada), (if you apply before December 16, 2019); earn 20,000 after the first purchase and earn 3x the points up to 40,000 bonus points on all purchases within the first 90 days
  • Receive $100 annual travel credit
  • Earn 6 HSBC points for every $1 spent on travel purchases
  • Earn 3 HSBC points for every $1 spent on all other purchases
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Have at least $80,000 in personal annual income, $150,000 household income or have $400,000 asset under management

Brim World Elite MasterCard

  • $199 annual fee
  • $50 annual fee for a supplementary cardholder
  • Earn 2 points for every $1 on all purchases (up to $25,000 in spending)
  • Earn 1 point for every $1 on all purchases (made above $25,000 in spending)
  • No foreign transaction fees

Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Business Card

  • $199 annual fee
  • $50 annual fee for a supplementary card (first card fee waived)
  • Earn 35,000 Scotia Reward points for spending $5,000 (within the first 3 months) (if you apply before October 31, 2019)
  • Earn 15,000 Scotia Reward bonus points for spending $60,000 over 12 months (one time bonus only)
  • Earn 1.5 Scotia Reward points for every $1 spent on all purchases
  • Receive 6 complimentary Priority Pass lounge passes
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Have at least $60,000 personal annual income, $100,000 annual household income or $250,000 assets under management, as well as a minimum business annual sales revenue of $500,000

HSBC Jade World Elite MasterCard

  • $299 annual fee (fee waived for Jade HSBC Premier members)
  • No annual fee for supplementary cardholders
  • Receive $200 annual travel credit
  • Earn 6 HSBC points for every $1 spent on travel purchases
  • Earn 3 HSBC points for every $1 spent on all other purchases
  • Receive a LoungeKey MasterCard Airport Experiences for unlimited lounge access
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Have at least $80,000 in personal annual income or $150,000 household income

So there you have it, all the current credit cards in Canada that offer waived foreign transaction fees. We have come a long way from the days when only Chase Canada and Rogers Bank were offering features. Now, neither of those two companies are on this list, but there are 4 different companies competing.

Please let us know if we missed any credit cards in the comment section below!

6 Comments

  1. I’m happy to see that it isn’t only a minimum income requirement but includes “assets under management”. I haven’t applied for many cards because I no longer have the income in retirement but do have assets. Is this something that you think will be an alternative to income in the requirements on more cards in future? Thanks!

    1. Rogers Card gives 4% cash back on foreign transaction fees. It doesn’t waive the fees as I mentioned in the first paragraph.

      May look into a post on pre-paid cards one day. That’s a whole different topic. Thanks for the suggestion!

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