Can i use my discover credit card internationally

Can I Use my Discover Credit Card Internationally?

Travel the world, take your Discover card with you. 

See how you can use your US Discover card internationally and what you need to know to use it in a way that you stay safe and save on Discover card fees and currency conversion losses.

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Start with Travel Planning 

When you plan your next trip abroad or vacations, list the places where you will be making payments. 

Though you might know the places where you will be making payments, writing them down as a list will help you see how you should plan about it. 

Discover cards are not as popular as Visa or MasterCard. There will be many places abroad where your US Discover credit card will not be accepted. Plan ahead to avoid trouble during your trip. 

Why is Discover not accepted? 

Retailers and merchants pay a fee every time they take payment from your credit card. Discover has comparatively higher fees than MasterCard and Visa. Retailers are neither compelled by law to offer Discover nor they need it to as other payment networks do the job. 

Example of Places where You will be Making Payments 

  • Airports 
  • Govt services, duties, or government fees 
  • Taxi or ride service 
  • Hotel or accommodation 
  • Food 
  • Buy gifts or local speciality items 
  • Mobile Topup or internet 
  • Miscellaneous expenses 

You might have booked a hotel or paid for services already. Most of the reputable hotels around the world accept Discover. Many government offices may charge in US dollars or in the local currency but you can handle that when you get there. 

Where is US Discover Card Internationally Accepted?

Discover has a presence in 200 countries around the world. However, the level of acceptance may change for each country. 

This tool from Discover website will help you quickly see the international availability of US Discover credit cards. 

You can also see the list of countries where Discover has a good presence. 

Some countries have good acceptance but no ATM access. You will be able to make payments in USD there but you will need to use another card for getting local currency

Country Acceptance rate Accepted where you See these Logos ATMs
Belize
High
Discover, Diners Club
No ATM location
Argentina
High
Discover, Diners Club
No ATM location
Brazil
High
Discover, Diners Club
CitiBank Tecban
Chile
High
Discover, Diners Club
No ATM location
Ecuador
High
Discover, Diners Club
Banco de Guayaquil Banco de Pichincha
Paraguay
High
Discover, Diners Club
Bancard
Peru
High
Discover, Diners Club
Interbank / Globalnet
Austria
High
Discover, Diners Club
Bank Austria Six Raiffeisen Bankengruppe ERSTE Bank/Sparkassen (SPARDAT) 3Banken Gruppe (BKS BTV Oberbank)
Croatia
High
Discover, Diners Club
Erste Bank / MBNET ZABA OTP Raiffeisen Bank
Czech Republic
High
Discover, Diners Club
Citibank GE Money Bank Raiffeisen Bank CSOB Euronet Ceska Sporitelna Volksbanka
Poland
High
Discover, Diners Club
Citibank PKO BP Euronet Bank Pekao
Slovakia
High
Discover, Diners Club
Slovenska Sporitelna Dexia ISB Bawag OTP Postova Banka UniCredit Volksbank CSOB
Switzerland
High
Discover, Diners Club
Six Multipay Post Finance
India
High
Discover, Diners Club
RuPay (NPCI) HDFC Bank
Israel
High
Discover, Diners Club
Bank Leumi Israel Discount Bank
Japan
High
JCB, Diners Club
MUFG Bank Japan Post Bank Seven Bank Mizuho Bank Bank Time AEON Bank
Kazakhstan
High
Discover, Diners Club
Qazkom
South Korea
High
Discover, Diners Club
Hannet Standard Chartered Industrial Bank of Korea Busan Bank Daegu Bank Kwangju Kyongnam Bank Woori Card co., ltd
Kenya
High
Discover, Diners Club
CSC
Morocco
High
Discover, Diners Club
BMCE
Bahamas
High
Discover, Diners Club
Fidelity Bank
Dominican Republic
High
Discover, Diners Club
No ATMs
Jamaica
High
Discover, Diners Club
No ATMs
Puerto Rico
High
Discover, Diners Club
Scotia Bank
Saint Kitts and Nevis
High
Discover, Diners Club
No ATM Location
United States Virgin Islands
High
Discover, Diners Club
Banco Popular Scotia Bank
Canada
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Bank of Montreal (BMO) Cardtronics CIBC Manulife Bank of Canada ScotiaBank TNS Smart Network Direct Cash ICICI Bank TD Bank ICBC Canada
Mexico
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Citibank - Banamex HSBC Afirme Intercam Banco
Costa Rica
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Credomatic
El Salvador
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Credomatic
Guatemala
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Credomatic G&T Continental
Honduras
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Credomatic
Nicaragua
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Credomatic
Colombia
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Citibank Banco Davivienda ATH Bancolombia BBVA Caja Social Colpatria Santander Helm Bank Financiera Juriscoop Macrofinanciera
Uruguay
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
BROU
Belgium
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Citibank Fortis
Bulgaria
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
FIB Euronet BORICA
Cyprus
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
JCC
Denmark
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Danske Bank
Finland
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Otto
Germany
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
German Savings Banks Association (Sparkasse) Reisebank Commerzbank
Iceland
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Borgun
Ireland
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
AIB
Italy
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Unicredit Intesa Sanpaolo Monte Paschi Banco BPM Banca Popolare di Sondrio BCC di Roma Carige Credem Banca Popolare Emilia Romagna Carifermo Cassa di Risparmio di Ravenna BCC Credito Cooperativo
Netherlands
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
No ATMs
Norway
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
DNB Norway Eika
Portugal
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
CGD/SIBS
Slovenia
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Banka Koper
Spain
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
4B ServiRed EURO 6000
Sweden
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Bankomat AB
United Kingdom
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Cardtronics DC Payments Moneycorp Travelex Yourcash
Armenia
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Araratbank
China
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
ICBC
Georgia
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Bank of Georgia
Qatar
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Commercial Bank of Qatar
Thailand
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Bangkok Bank
Turkey
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Garanti BBVA İşbank Yapı Kredi Bank Şekerbank AlternatifBank
United Arab Emirates
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Citibank Emirates NBD
Vietnam
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Vietinbank BIDV Vietcombank
South Africa
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Standard Bank
Australia
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Travelex
Barbados
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
No ATMs
New Zealand
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
Banzpay Heritage NEXT DC Payments
Saint Lucia
Moderate
Discover, Diners Club
No ATMs
Sri Lanka
Low
Discover, Diners Club
No ATMs
Kuwait
Low
Discover, Diners Club
No ATMs
Greenland
Low
Discover, Diners Club
No ATM Location
Panama
Low
Discover, Diners Club
Credomatic
Trinidad and Tobago
Low
Discover, Diners Club
No ATM location
Venezuela
Low
Discover, Diners Club
Citibank Banco Mercantil
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Low
Discover, Diners Club
UniCredit Bank
France
Low
Discover, Diners Club
Société Générale Caisse d’Epargne Crédit Mutuel CIC La Banque Postale
Hungary
Low
Discover, Diners Club
Citibank Bank of Budapest
Macedonia
Low
Discover, Diners Club
NLB Tutunska Banka
Romania
Low
Discover, Diners Club
BCR
Russia
Low
No Acceptance
No Acceptance
Azerbaijan
Low
Discover, Diners Club
No ATM Location
Bangladesh
Low
Discover, Diners Club
DBBL - Dutch Bangla Bank Ltd
Cambodia
Low
Discover, Diners Club
Acleda
Indonesia
Low
Discover, Diners Club
Citibank
Laos
Low
Discover, Diners Club
Vietinbank
Malaysia
Low
Discover, Diners Club
MEPS
Mongolia
Low
Discover, Diners Club
Trade and Development Bank of Mongolia
Oman
Low
Discover, Diners Club
No ATM Location
Low
Discover, Diners Club
Philippines
Low
Discover, Diners Club
BDO Unibank
Taiwan
Low
Discover, Diners Club
Taishin
Botswana
Low
Discover, Diners Club
No ATM Location
Egypt
Low
Discover, Diners Club
Citibank 123 Network
Rwanda
Low
Discover, Diners Club
Banque de Kigali (SIMTEL)
Swaziland
Low
Discover, Diners Club
No ATM
Fiji
Low
Discover, Diners Club
Bank of South Pacific Westpac
Guadeloupe
Low
Discover, Diners Club
No ATM
Papua New Guinea
Low
Discover, Diners Club
Bank of South Pacific Westpac

US Discover Chip Card vs Magnetic Stripe Card

Discover has replaced its magnetic strip cards with chip cards but if you still have the old-fashioned magnetic strip card, ask the retailer if they can process the magnetic stripe card. 

You will need to keep your US Discover credit card PIN before you travel abroad. You’ll need the PIN to make payments with your magnetic stripe credit card. 

If the retailer processes Discover cards but does not process magnetic stripe cards, you can ask them to process your payment from the old, magnetic stripe card. They can help you. 

Discover Foreign Transaction Fee

You might be thinking “does Discover have foreign transaction fees”? The answer is yes. Let’s see.

Exchange Rates 

Whichever card you use, you will pay for the exchange rate markups. When you buy something in the local currency, always get the local currency before you pay. If they offer to make a deduction in USD from your card directly, also known as Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), decline their offer. 

ATM Fees 

Include the ATM fees for every time you use an international ATM. You can take cash in your destination country using the linked ATM. Check the table above to see if you can use your US Discover Credit Card in your destination country. However, the international ATM fees are higher. 

For using Discover Credit Cards on international ATMs, Discover charges either $10 or 5% of the transaction (whichever is higher). Plus, you will pay the ATM provier’s fee. 

For using Discover Debit Cards internationally, the ATM usage on Discover ATM is free. However, the ATM networks other than Discover network will charge a fee. 

Credit Card Interest Rates 

If you fail to make a monthly payment for your credit card, you will have to pay interest charges on your credit card payment. 

If you are in doubt about fees and other charges, check the back of your credit card statement to see the details. 

Prefer Make Payments in the Local Currency 

Whenever possible, use the local currency. Most of the countries charge a small markup when you take payment in USD. You can avoid that if you make payment in the local currency. 

Use the local money exchange or an ATM if it is available in that country to get the local currency and use it whenever you can. 

FAQs:

Yes, Discover credit cards are generally accepted internationally, but it’s important to note that acceptance may vary depending on the country and merchant. It’s recommended to inform Discover about your travel plans to ensure uninterrupted card usage and to check for any foreign transaction fees.

 Discover credit cards are accepted in many countries around the world, including popular destinations like Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Australia. However, it’s always a good idea to check with Discover or the merchant beforehand to confirm acceptance.

Discover does not charge foreign transaction fees on their credit cards, making them a cost-effective option for international purchases. However, it’s important to note that some merchants or banks abroad may impose their own fees or currency conversion charges.

To avoid any potential disruptions, it’s advisable to notify Discover about your travel plans before using your credit card internationally. You can do this by logging into your online account, using the Discover mobile app, or contacting Discover’s customer service via phone.

While Discover credit cards can be used for cash advances, it’s important to note that cash advance availability and fees may vary internationally. It’s recommended to check with Discover or the local ATM network for details on cash advance options and any associated fees.

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