Is Visa or Mastercard Better for International Travel? (2024)

Mastercard is better for international travel than Visa because Mastercard is accepted in more countries and territories (over 210) than Visa (200). Both are widely accepted nearly everywhere you’re likely to travel, though, and each network supports credit cards that are excellent for traveling abroad.

Best Visa and Mastercard Credit Cards for International Travel

Consider Network Benefits

When deciding between Visa and Mastercard for travel, applicants might want to look at each network’s secondary card benefits. There are very few differences between traditional Visa and standard Mastercard benefits. But some travelers might get more use out of a Visa Infinite credit card if it has travel insurance and a $120 Global Entry application fee credit, for example, versus a World or World Elite Mastercard that offers travel insurance and no Global Entry fee credit.

Keep in mind, however, that each card’s benefits are decided by its issuer, even though the benefits are offered by the card network. So, you should double-check each individual card’s list of perks.

Overall, it is better to choose a credit card by focusing on foreign transaction fees and travel rewards rather than which network the card is on. For more options, check out the rest of the best travel credit cards of 2024.