A credit card that isn't evil
April 17, 2017 7:47 PM   Subscribe

I am traveling to Iceland this summer, and I need a reliable credit card that is compatible with my beliefs.

I need a reliable credit card for my trip to Iceland. My debit card doesn't have a chip, and my only credit card is a Discover card, which doesn't seem to be common in Europe.

I have always banked with small banks, and the banks that issue credit cards are institutions that I prefer not to patronize. My Discover card is handy for building credit and emergencies, but I almost never use it.

I could get a credit card from a community bank or credit union uses chip technology, but I'm not sure if they would allow me to apply without opening a deposit account (which I prefer not to do). And for my trip, I strongly prefer a card with low or no foreign transaction fees.

Any suggestions of credit cards from smaller institutions that are still decent for international travel?

I have good credit and live in North Carolina, USA.
posted by toastedcheese to Work & Money (16 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
It's not small, but he Costco Citibank Visa is widely accepted, and they treat their employees and customers fairly.
posted by nickggully at 8:01 PM on April 17, 2017 [4 favorites]


If you want a chip card for security reasons, I totally understand, but Iceland gets enough North American tourists that they also take "swipe only" cards for payment.
posted by mollymillions at 8:21 PM on April 17, 2017 [2 favorites]


MidFirst Bank is awesome. No fees in the US, I'm not sure about overseas.
posted by jennstra at 8:27 PM on April 17, 2017


As Molly says, and especially so in the case of hotels and restaurants.

(Also, Iceland is a very very safe nation, by US standards, so I wouldn't be averse to carrying around a lot more cash than you would at home.)
posted by rokusan at 8:55 PM on April 17, 2017 [1 favorite]


I don't understand two things:

1. What defines evil?
- Big bank?
- Hidden fees?

2. Why do you need a CC?
- You can easily pay with a debit card. It is also better to take cash with a ATM/Debit card.
- What do you need it for? Fraud protection?

Also, while I don't know about Iceland, CC are used much less in Europe that in the States. Don't be surprised if a supermarket, drug store or anything else that targets citizens more than tourists, declines your CC.
posted by yoyo_nyc at 12:51 AM on April 18, 2017


Revolut

It's a prepaid debit card that acts like a local credit card, so no overseas or conversion charges, and no credit checks to set it up.

All my friends who live abroad and travel a lot for work have a Revolut card, and they rave about it.

Not sure about ideology but they charge the merchants' banks rather than the customer, which seems pretty non-evil to me :)
posted by Dwardles at 1:05 AM on April 18, 2017 [4 favorites]


We encountered several times that they couldn't take our card. We literally ran out of gas because of it and had to get a nice farmer to help us. (The only non English speaker we met)
You are probably fine near the Capital but in more remote areas it's probably smart to have a chip card,
(The map showed 2 gas stations that had closed and we were pretty far out there.. the only gas station did not know what to do with our card).
posted by beccaj at 5:42 AM on April 18, 2017


I think you have to have an European bank account to use Revoult. It doesn't work with US banks, or at least didn't a few months ago when my daughter looked into getting one for her study abroad semester.
posted by COD at 5:49 AM on April 18, 2017


I think Revolut works with US banks but it charges you 3% to top up in USD. You can bank transfer dollars into it for free, though, so that might work. I use a Revolut card and it's great.
posted by katrielalex at 6:17 AM on April 18, 2017


Lake Michigan Credit Union has a few different card options and anyone can join the credit union in exchange for a $5 donation to the ALS foundation. I've had good experienced with them and I'm not aware of any evil practices.

Another thing you might like to consider is which credit cards have foreign transaction fees (most of them). Capital One is typically best in this respect, but it's definitely a big bank. You might look at any local credit unions you're eligible for and see if they have nice credit card perks, though.
posted by R a c h e l at 6:41 AM on April 18, 2017


I apologize, I just saw your note on foreign transaction fees. I think your only options for non-big-bank + no-FTFs are going to be local or industry credit unions that you need to add more personal information for us to recommend.
posted by R a c h e l at 6:43 AM on April 18, 2017


If you are affiliated with the US military in some way, USAA and PenFed are credit unions that offer no-foreign-transaction-fee cards.

Here's a list of the largest credit unions in the US - you may be able to get membership in one of them: https://www.supermoney.com/2015/08/top-50-credit-unions-us/

Another option might be to offset your reluctance to do business with a big bank by signing up for a charitable affiliate credit card - most of which are simply branded cards run by the big banks. It would take some research to find ones with no FTF.
posted by scolbath at 6:58 AM on April 18, 2017


Not a credit card (it's debit), but I'm a fan of Simple. It has amazing customer service, no fees, the card is a Visa and has a chip. I've used it without issue internationally, and the mobile banking app is also very convenient and well-designed.
posted by gemutlichkeit at 7:32 AM on April 18, 2017


Also, while I don't know about Iceland, CC are used much less in Europe that in the States. Don't be surprised if a supermarket, drug store or anything else that targets citizens more than tourists, declines your CC.

This is very much not the case in Iceland. Even the smallest store will take (and prefer) cards. Further from the capital, we ran into a few different bathrooms where you could only pay with a credit card; the machine printed a price of paper with a barcode that you had to scan to get through the turnstile. I wouldn't count on being able to pay cash everywhere.
posted by matildatakesovertheworld at 11:15 PM on April 18, 2017


Best answer: Seconding what a few others have said - if you are going to be traveling in remote areas, you'll need not only a chip card but one that uses "chip and PIN" technology in order to get gas (and maybe other stuff as well). All of our credit cards have chips now, but the only credit card we have that uses a PIN is the Barclay Card, so that's what we used in Iceland. Not sure how evil they are!
posted by GoldenEel at 8:29 AM on April 19, 2017


Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions.

I was vaguely aware of the "chip and PIN" v. "chip" issue. I will narrow down my search for chip and PIN cards, since this sounds handy for future international travel. I may not be happy with the resulting choices, but it seems wisest to get a reliable card, since I will be traveling in remote areas.
posted by toastedcheese at 3:41 AM on April 20, 2017


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