When you use a credit card that has foreign transaction fees while you're abroad, you may come home to find fees of up to 3% on every single transaction you made. Fortunately, plenty of rewards and travel credit cards waive all of those foreign transaction fees, so you can have peace of mind while you travel. Insider Picks' favorite is the Chase Sapphire Preferred card — however, there are plenty of other good options, too. During college, I went on my first trip abroad without my parents.

A friend and I spent 10 days visiting four different countries in Europe — and since some of them were outside of the Euro zone, that meant that we'd be using three different currencies. Because I didn't want to get stuck with too much of a particular currency, I decided to use my credit card whenever possible, and only use cash when I didn't have a choice.

As I learned when I got back, not quite. I didn't realize that my basic student credit card, and, in fact, many popular mainstream credit cards, charged foreign transaction fees. I was hit with a 3% fee on every single transaction I made. Since then, I've learned that while many consumer credit cards have foreign transaction fees, many other popular cards don't. Here are some of the best consumer credit cards that don't have foreign transaction fees.

While there are other cards, too, that waive foreign transaction fees, these are some of Insider Picks' favorites based on the rewards and other benefits they offer, as well as the value they provide compared to their annual fees. Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these two cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which can far outweigh the value of any rewards.

When you're working to earn credit-card rewards, it's important to practice financial discipline, like paying your balances off in full each month, making payments on time, and not spending more than you can afford to pay back. Basically, treat your credit card like a debit card. One of the most popular and recommended travel rewards credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers 2x points per dollar spent on dining and travel, including internationally. Dining includes things like restaurants, bars, pubs, coffee shops, and more, while travel includes airfare, hotels, Airbnb, taxis, ride-share services like Uber and Lyft, subways, and more.

4,000 in the first three months. 95 annual fee for the first year. To learn more, take a look at this dedicated review of the Sapphire Preferred card. Click here to learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy. The Sapphire Reserve is essentially a beefed-up version of the Preferred, with a few key differences. 300 of travel charges, and a higher earning rate of 3x points on travel and dining purchases. 4,000 in the first three months.

You can read our full review of the Sapphire Reserve here — including why the card is easily worth its high annual fee. Click here to learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy. 2,000 from the card my first year with it. 5,000 in the first three months. 200 of credits for Uber each cardmember year, access to more than 1,000 airport lounges around the world, complimentary elite status at major hotel chains, and more.

Click here to learn more about the Platinum Card from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy. The mainstream credit cards from the three major US airlines — Delta, United, and American — all come with similar perks, including variations of priority boarding, free checked bags, the opportunity to earn miles on everyday purchases, and more.

Plus, the cards have no foreign transaction fees. Which card is best for you depends on where you live and which airlines you have access to. 95, which is waived the first year. Click here to learn more about the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy. Click here to learn more about the United MileagePlus Explorer Card from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy. Click here to learn more about the Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard from American Airlines.

This newcomer to the points-and-miles world offers double miles on all purchases, and offers a few different ways to redeem those miles, including — like Chase and Amex — transferring them to a few airline frequent flyer programs. 25,000 in a year, you'll effectively earn 3x miles on every purchase for a total of 75,000 miles. The downside is that even though you can transfer miles to airlines, it's not at a 1:1 ratio like with other issuers' cards.