@Barris wrote:
Depends on the card and the issuer entirely. It should be printed on the card itself if it is valid internationally or just within the continental US.
Is this true? AFAIK, Visa/MC/Amex are always valid internationally.
As others have said, the main thing to look out for are foreign transaction fees, charged when the card is processed through a foreign bank (this sometimes applies when buying e.g. tickets on a foreign airline on a website even if you are in the US!). If you are abroad, a merchant may offer to "helpfully" charge you in dollars instead, DON'T DO THIS, much more expensive as they set their own rates.
As above: all Cap One cards have no such fee, most issuers now have one or more of their higher-end cards without the FTF.
The other thing slightly hindering use abroad is the need for EMV cards. In many countries, cards are no longer swiped, you put them into a reader and enter a PIN, much like using an ATM. Most US cards do not support this technology (although more and more do). In many places, they will still swipe your card (you may have to remind them how!) but a few things, like unattended ticket machines and toll-booths, your card simply won't work. But in the majority of places, your card will be OK.
