Best credit cards for business travel FX
When business travel expenses are reimbursed, cards with foreign exchange fees can offer bonus rewards. The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold and HSBC Premier cards provide extra points on overseas spending.
For business travellers whose expenses are reimbursed, the incentive to avoid foreign exchange fees disappears. This opens up the use of reward credit cards that charge around a 3% FX fee but offer enhanced point earnings on overseas transactions. The focus shifts from minimizing costs to maximizing returns on company-funded spending.
Personal travellers are advised to seek separate, fee-free cards for use abroad. The Virgin Atlantic credit cards are reportedly fee-free within the Eurozone. Several hotel-branded debit cards issued by Currensea also offer points alongside lower FX fees. Special increased sign-up bonuses were available on some of these cards until mid-September 2026.
Two new IHG x Revolut debit cards were also noted. Their FX fee depends on the user's underlying Revolut account tier. Even the free Revolut account comes with a £1,000 monthly allowance for 0% FX spending, valid only from Monday to Friday.
Cards with Bonus FX Earnings
When travelling for work, the report highlights two main credit card options that increase earning rates on foreign currency transactions.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card offers double points on spending abroad. This means cardholders earn 2 Membership Rewards points per £1 spent in a foreign currency. These points can be converted into various airline and hotel currencies.
| Conversion | Points per £1 of FX Spend |
|---|---|
| Avios / airline miles | 2 |
| Hilton Honors points | 4 |
| Marriott Bonvoy points | 3 |
| Radisson Rewards points | 6 |
The card is free for the first year. Foreign exchange spending can also help trigger spending milestone bonuses. Cardholders receive 5,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when they hit £10,000 of spending in a card year, and a further 5,000 points at the £20,000 milestone. A £10,000 foreign currency spend would therefore yield 25,000 points: 10,000 base points, 10,000 FX bonus points, and the 5,000 milestone bonus.
HSBC Premier Credit Cards
The HSBC Premier and HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercards also offer bonus points for overseas spending. Applicants must hold an HSBC Premier current account, which has specific eligibility criteria but is free.
The standard HSBC Premier card earns 2 points per £1 on overseas spend, worth 1 Avios or other airline mile. This is an increase from the standard earning rate of 0.75 miles per £1. The World Elite card, which carries a £290 annual fee, earns 4 points per £1 on overseas spend. This translates to 2 Avios or other airline miles, up from a standard rate of 1.5 miles per £1.
Limited Company Option
The report also mentions a specific option for those with a Limited Company. The Capital on Tap Visa credit card reportedly has a 0% FX fee, no annual fee, and earns points worth 0.8 Avios per £1 spent. This could be a relevant option for business expenditure, and more details can be found in our fixtures section on business travel tools.
Using these cards for reimbursed business spending can reportedly yield a return of around 2%, assuming a value of 1p per Avios or airline mile. This return remains below the 3% foreign exchange fee typically charged, making the cards unattractive for personal travel spending unless targeting a specific sign-up bonus. For a deeper analysis of reward card performance and eligibility, readers can check our stats on travel credit card benefits.
