Study Abroad Credit Card

[Anonymous]

Hey Everyone!

Just some background info: I am an 18 year old college student, I have had a Discover It Chrome student card for almost a year now. I only have that one inqury on my file (Discover Approved), with a TU Fico score of 750 no baddies, no late payments or anything of that sort. I would be reporting probably around $16,000 or so for income because I have a part time job. I got the Discover reporting $8k, I also have a lot saved up in a few savings account and I do get a hefty scholarship, and a stipend from my parents for expenses but I'm guessing those can't count as income, if I report those it would be around $38,000. I have been gardening with responsible usage, my last utilization that reported was 5% and I always pay on time.

Before studying abroad crossed my mind I was going to app for BCE and Chase Freedom at the one year mark and then Citi DC the following year. Now I need a card that I will be able to get a larger limit than my current one ($750).

Preferably a mastercard or visa, they are mostly accepted everywhere and I don't want to take the chance with my Discover card or AMEX, although I am not against getting an AMEX along with a visa or master card, but I digress.

A card with no foreign transaction fee because 3% will start to add up if I start charging all of my expenses for approximatley 6 months. 

I was thinking about the Captial One Quicksilver and/or Venture One, however I don't know if I would be approved. Any advice on choosing the right card would be a great help. Additional info: I would be going to France, and travelling throughout Europe if the location matters, and I won't be shipping out until January/February. I also bank with Capital One and have done so for a few years now.

Thanks in advance! Sorry for the long blurb!

[Anonymous]

Good luck to you abroad! Have you tried the prequalification page yet for the Capital One cards? Check that out first. If your prequalified, it doesn't hurt to app for both.

[Jarrodpd]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hey Everyone!

Just some background info: I am an 18 year old college student, I have had a Discover It Chrome student card for almost a year now. I only have that one inqury on my file (Discover Approved), with a TU Fico score of 750 no baddies, no late payments or anything of that sort. I would be reporting probably around $16,000 or so for income because I have a part time job. I got the Discover reporting $8k, I also have a lot saved up in a few savings account and I do get a hefty scholarship, and a stipend from my parents for expenses but I'm guessing those can't count as income, if I report those it would be around $38,000. I have been gardening with responsible usage, my last utilization that reported was 5% and I always pay on time.

Before studying abroad crossed my mind I was going to app for BCE and Chase Freedom at the one year mark and then Citi DC the following year. Now I need a card that I will be able to get a larger limit than my current one ($750).

Preferably a mastercard or visa, they are mostly accepted everywhere and I don't want to take the chance with my Discover card or AMEX, although I am not against getting an AMEX along with a visa or master card, but I digress.

A card with no foreign transaction fee because 3% will start to add up if I start charging all of my expenses for approximatley 6 months. 

I was thinking about the Captial One Quicksilver and/or Venture One, however I don't know if I would be approved. Any advice on choosing the right card would be a great help. Additional info: I would be going to France, and travelling throughout Europe if the location matters, and I won't be shipping out until January/February. I also bank with Capital One and have done so for a few years now.

Thanks in advance! Sorry for the long blurb!

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Were either of your parents in the military? If so I would recomend them as their cards will use a pin code on some chip transactions which can be usefull when buying a train ticket at an un manned kiosk or getting petrol. If not maybe look at barclays as their chip cards also have pin code.

[Anonymous]

The QS is chip and signature. If you want one to use at kiosks and such look at PenFed they have chip/pin cards. The Promise card would be great for your purposes, in a pinch you can get a cash advance with no fees at an ATM shoul you need to. 

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

The QS is chip and signature. If you want one to use at kiosks and such look at PenFed they have chip/pin cards. The Promise card would be great for your purposes, in a pinch you can get a cash advance with no fees at an ATM shoul you need to. 

Good luck!

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The PenFed cards are chip and signature as well.  There is a lot of confusion on this board and elsewhere but there are relatively few true (with pin priority) credit cards out there.  The two most known are the Diner's Club cards which you can no longer apply for and the United Nations Fedral Credit Union and some new card that I can't recall.  Every other card that says they are Chip and Pin because they provide a PIN are still Chip and Signature because Signature is the prioritized method of verification.  That doesn't mean they won't work in European kiosks but they aren't true Chip and Pin priority cards.

[Anonymous]

Re: PenFed: they are chip and sig in the states, but at kiosks in EU they are chip/pin. No card can be only chip/pin in the states, we are not set up for it... imagine the checkout line..... When you apply for your PenFed you set up your PIN during the app process.

https://www.penfed.org/emv-chip-technology/

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Re: PenFed: they are chip and sig in the states, but at kiosks in EU they are chip/pin. No card can be only chip/pin in the states, we are not set up for it... imagine the checkout line..... When you apply for your PenFed you set up your PIN during the app process.

https://www.penfed.org/emv-chip-technology/

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Ok but what PenFed has is no different than all of the other credit cards that issue PINs when they're given out and call themselves Chip and Pin cards.  

[Anonymous]

I will add that the PenFed card(s) are one of the ones that has has secondary PIN capabilities and has 0 FTF 

[Anonymous]

There are only a handfull of chip and pin CAPABLE (is that better?) cards. I know because i go abroad. I have two, the Arrival+ and my Penfed card. My QS will not work at unmanned stations or kiosks even though it has a 0 FTF I do not use it in EU. There maybe a few other banks that issue a chip/pin in the USA

I recommend the Penfed for the OP because if he gets the Promise card he will enjoy many good things such as 0 FTF, 0 Balance Transfer Fee, 0 Cash Advance fee. The Cash Advance is particularly useful if you need cash. Most Debit Cards will charge you extra fees abroad, the PenFed card will not. I use my PenFed card at ATMs instead of my debit card while overseas, because there are less fees.

Have a great day!

[Anonymous]

I think barclay's arrival plus card is chip & sig and secondary chip & pin, and no FTF, if you don't mind paying annual fee.