The 9 best credit cards for traveling to Mexico in 2024

Adam Rozsa

21.08.23

8 minute read

Traveling to Mexico soon? Whether you’re vacationing in Cabo, Cancun or the beautiful Puerto Vallarta, you’ll need a convenient way to spend in Mexican pesos.

You could pay for your hotels, flights and meals with plastic. But what is the best credit card to use in Mexico?

Read on to find out, as we’ll run through all the best travel-friendly cards out there.

This includes alternatives which could save you money, such as the Wise international debit card.

Is it better to use cash or credit card in Mexico?

Credit cards are accepted in most of the big cities and tourist hotspots in Mexico. However, it’s definitely a good idea to have some Mexican pesos in cash as well. It all depends where you’re traveling to. If you’re going to a more rural area, cash will be essential.

Wise international debit card

It’s not a credit card, but the Wise international debit card could be the ideal solution for spending in Mexico and worldwide.

It’s tailor-made for both travelers and expats, as it offers the following features:

Spend and withdraw cash in 174 countries, wherever Visa and Mastercard are accepted.
Automatically converts your dollars to Mexican pesos (MXN) at the mid-market exchange rate whenever you spend. There’s just a small conversion fee, or no charge if you already have the currency in your Wise account.
Withdraw €100 a month from overseas ATMs for free, with a tiny fee of just 2% after that.

This means you can dine, shop and travel across Mexico with that great feeling that you’re always getting a great exchange rate. You don’t need to worry about converting currency or carrying cash around, unless of course you need to.

Open a Wise Account online, and you can order a Wise international debit card for a one-time fee of just $9.

Get a Wise Account today

Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing: Only Pay for What You Use for the most up-to-date pricing and fee information.

Wise will not charge you for these withdrawals, but some additional charges may occur from independent ATM networks.

Which is the best credit card to use in Mexico?

Now, let’s find out what credit card is best to use in Mexico. All of the cards on our list are US-issued and designed for travel, with no foreign transaction fees on purchases. You’ll just need to watch out for charges for ATM withdrawals.

They’re ideal for vacations, but also if you’re considering moving to Mexico in the short or medium term. For longer stays, you might want to consider opening a local bank account.

So, here we go:

Card	Fee	APR on purchases	Features
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card¹	$95 annual fee	20.99% - 28.99%	- No foreign transaction fees - Travel miles bonus - Access to Capital One airport lounges
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card²	$395 annual fee	21.99% - 28.99%	- No foreign transaction fees - Travel miles bonuses + extra points for travel purchases - $300 travel credit - Access to Capital One airport lounges - Culture and social club memberships
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card³	None	0% intro APR for 15 months, 19.99% - 29.99% afterwards	- $200 cashback on opening - 1.5% cashback on purchases - Other travel perks
Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card⁴	None	0% intro APR for 18 billing cycles, 17.99% - 27.99% afterwards	- No foreign transaction fees - Initial points bonus worth $250 - Earn points on spending
Citi Premier® Card⁵	$95 annual fee	20.99% - 28.99%	- No foreign transaction fees - Initial points bonus worth $600 - Earn points on travel spending - $0 liability on unauthorized charges
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card⁶	$95 annual fee	21.24% - 28.24%	- No foreign transaction fees - Initial points bonus worth $750 - Extra points on travel spending
Chase United Gateway Credit Card⁷	None	21.49% - 28.49%	- 30,000 bonus miles (conditions apply) - Extra miles and credit on United Airlines purchases - No foreign transaction fees
American Express Gold Card⁸	$250 annual fee	20.99% - 28.99%	- No foreign transaction fees - Earn points on flights - Emergency assistance - Limited travel insurance cover
American Express Platinum Card⁹	$695 annual fee	20.99% to 28.99%	- $200 hotel credit - $155 Walmart credit - $240 digital entertainment credit - $200 uber cash - Airport lounge access - 5x points on flights and hotels - No foreign transaction fees

1: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card¹

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card does have an annual fee of $95, but you’ll get lots of benefits in return. This includes:

Initial bonus of 75,000 miles (worth $750 in travel) when you spend $4,000 within 3 months of opening an account
Unlimited 2 miles per purchase
Earn 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
Up to $100 credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
Two free visits a year to Capital One Lounges or to 100+ Plaza Premium Lounges.
No foreign transaction fees.

Any miles you earn can be used as reimbursement for travel purchases. Or you can redeem them when booking trips through Capital One Travel.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has an APR of 20.99% - 28.99% on purchases.

2: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card²

If you want a card focused on travel rewards and don’t mind paying a higher annual fee, it’s worth checking out the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

It’s similar to the standard Capital One Venture Rewards card, but with souped-up benefits.

The long list of perks includes:

75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months
Free 10,000 miles as an anniversary bonus each year
Up to $300 annual travel credit - get a statement credit for bookings made through Capital One Travel
$100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit
10x miles on hotels and rental cars, and 5x miles on flights (booked through Capital One Travel)
2x miles on all other purchases
Unlimited access to Capital One, Plaza Premium Group and Priority Pass airport lounges
$100 experience credit on hotel stays booked through Capital One Travel
Hertz President’s Circle® status - free upgrades on rental cars
Complimentary subscription to culture and social clubs like PRIOR, The Cultivist and Gravity Haus.
No foreign transaction fees.

The annual fee is pretty high at $395 a year. But if you travel regularly and use all of these benefits and features, then it could be worth it.

3: Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card³

The third Capital One card on our list is the Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card. It’s great for travel and good value too, with no annual fee and a 0% introductory APR for 15 months. After that, there’s a rate of 19.99% - 29.99%.

Key features of the card include:

Initial $200 cash bonus after spending $500 on purchases within 3 months of signing up
Unlimited 1.5% cashback on all purchases
Up to 6 months of free Uber One membership statement credits
Unlimited 5% cashback on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

4: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card⁴

Another card with no annual fee and interest-free period (covering 18 billing cycles) is the Bank of America Travel Rewards card. After this period ends, there’s a variable APR of 17.99% - 27.99%.

Benefits and rewards include:

An initial 25,000 online bonus points worth $250 when you spend $1,000 within the first 90 days of signing up
Unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spending on anything
Preferred Rewards members can earn between 25% and 75% more points on spending.
No foreign transaction charges.

5: Citi Premier® Card⁵

The Premier® Card from Citi has an annual fee of $95, but there are no foreign transaction fees to worry about. The interest rate is 20.99% - 28.99% variable APR.

The card offers the following travel rewards, ideal for adventures in Mexico and beyond:

Initial bonus of 60,000 points worth $600 in gift cards, after you spend $4,000 within the first 3 months
Earn points on spending on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels.
Annual hotel savings benefit.

6: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Credit Card⁶

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is another top pick for travel, as it offers bonus points on hotels, flights and dining if you book through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Here’s what’s on offer:

Initial points bonus of 60,000 (worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards) when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months
5x points on travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards
3x points on dining and 2x points on all other travel purchases
$50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit
No foreign transaction fees.

The card has an interest rate of 21.24% - 28.24% variable APR and an annual fee of $95.

7: Chase United Gateway Credit Card⁷

Chase has partnered with United Airlines to offer the Chase United Gateway Credit Card. You’ll get preferential benefits if you get this card, then choose United Airlines to fly to Mexico.

This includes:

30,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months
2x miles on purchases with United Airlines (e.g. inflight food, Wi-Fi and baggage service charges), as well as on local transit, commuting and gas station spending
25% back in credits on purchases on board United-operated flights
No foreign transaction fees.

Better still, there’s no annual fee and an 0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 months. After this interest-free period, the APR is 21.49% - 28.49%.

8: American Express Gold Card⁸

The American Express Gold Card (also available in rose gold) offers a big list of travel-friendly benefits. But there are a couple of important things to be aware of.

Firstly, remember that Amex isn’t accepted absolutely everywhere, unlike Visa and Mastercard. You might find you can only use it in major cities and tourist areas in Mexico.

The card also has a rather high annual fee of $250 a year.

Moving onto the benefits, the Amex Gold Card offers:

60,000 Membership Rewards Points after spending $4,000 within the first 6 months
4x points at restaurants and groceries, and 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on American Express Travel
$120 dining credit when spending at participating partners
$100 experience credit to use during stays at The Hotel Collection with American Express Travel
$120 Uber cash
American Express Preferred Access - premium seats for select sporting and cultural events
No foreign transaction fees
Baggage insurance plan - up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and $500 for checked baggage
Car rental loss and damage insurance
Global Assist Hotline - available for 24/7 emergency assistance whenever you travel more than 100 miles from home.

The card has a variable APR of 20.99% to 28.99%.

9: American Express Platinum Card⁹

Lastly, we have a luxury travel rewards card - the American Express Platinum Card. The annual fee is an eye-watering $695, but you’ll get over $1,500 in Platinum benefits in return. So if you’ll use them all, it could be good value.

The APR is 20.99% to 28.99% variable.

Rewards and features include:

80,000 bonus points when you spend $6,000 within the first 6 months
$200 hotel credit on bookings made through American Express Travel
$240 digital entertainment credit
$155 Walmart credit
$200 Uber Cash
$200 Airline fee credit
Up to $300 statement credits for Equinox subscriptions and memberships
Access to 1,400+ airport lounges worldwide
$100 credit for Saks purchases
$189 CLEAR Plus airport security membership
Exclusive global dining access
5x points on flights and hotels booked through Amex Travel
1 x points on all other purchases
No foreign transaction fees.

Bottom line

So, which is the best credit card to use to pay for a vacation in Mexico? All of the cards on our list come with no foreign transaction fees, so are ideal for spending overseas.

Ultimately, it comes down to whether or not you want to pay an annual fee, and what rewards you get in return. Some cards offer many more travel benefits than others.

Don’t forget though that a credit card isn’t your only option. You can spend worldwide with the Wise international debit card, for low fees and great exchange rates. It’s convenient, low cost and accepted almost everywhere.

Learn more about Wise

💡 Thinking of moving to Mexico? Read our helpful guides to buying property in Mexico and getting Mexican dual citizenship.

Frequently asked questions

Is it good to use a credit card in Mexico?

As long as you’re in a big city where cards are accepted, you should have no problem using a credit card in Mexico.

Just make sure you have some Mexican pesos in cash as well. Cards aren’t accepted everywhere, and many small businesses (especially in rural areas) will only take cash.

💡 Find out more about money and banks in Mexico here.

Should I use a debit card or credit card in Mexico?

As long as the card has no foreign transaction fees, you can use both credit and debit cards in Mexico.

However, a credit card could offer you more rewards and benefits for spending during your trip. For example, air miles, statement credits and discounts, plus airport lounge access and other travel perks.

Sources used for this article:

Sources checked on 06-Jul-2023.

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.