The short answer

The Capitec Credit Card is the cheapest to use in Thailand by a distance: no conversion fee on purchases, R50 a month, and up to R5 million of travel medical cover when your return flights are paid on it. If you want travel perks — lounges, flight discounts, broader travel insurance — FNB (through eBucks Travel) and Absa Premium (12 lounge visits a year) give you more, but you pay 2% to 2.5% on every baht you spend.

Whichever you choose, use it for hotels, flights, tours and bigger purchases, pay it off in full each month, and always pay in baht. For cash, use a low-fee debit card: credit card cash withdrawals attract fees and interest from the day you take them out.

South African travel credit cards compared

The main South African credit cards for travel, as published by each bank. Interest rates are personalised; the legal maximum for credit cards is 21.25% a year since the repo rate rose to 7.25% in September 2026. Scroll sideways on a phone.

Checked 22 October 2026 on each bank's fee schedule or product page. *FNB figure from published 2025 comparisons; FNB's 2026/27 pricing took effect on 1 July 2026, so check the current guide. Thai ATMs also charge ฿220 per withdrawal. Credit is subject to an affordability assessment.

What each card costs on a real trip

A typical fortnight: R30,000 spent by card on hotels, restaurants and tours. Conversion and international fees, plus the card's monthly fee for one month. We've left out cash, because you shouldn't draw cash on a credit card — it carries fees and interest from day one on every card.

Discovery: 3% conversion plus a 2% international fee capped at R100 a transaction, assumed below the cap. *FNB about 2% — check its current pricing guide. You pay the monthly fee whether you travel or not; the fees on spending are the part the trip adds.

Each card in brief

The essentials on each card, with our verdict for Thailand.

Which card suits which traveller

• Most holidaymakers: the Capitec Credit Card for every card payment in Thailand, plus a low-fee debit card such as Capitec or GoTyme for cash.
• Frequent flyers who use eBucks: FNB Aspire or Premier for flights and lounges — but consider paying in Thailand with a card that has no conversion fee.
• Lounge lovers on a mid-range income: Absa Premium, with 12 lounge visits a year.
• High earners who want everything in one place: Investec Private Bank, if you'll use the whole package.
• Vitality members: book through Vitality Travel with Discovery, then use a cheaper card for spending in baht.
• Anyone with an older parent travelling: check the age limits on card travel insurance — some basic cover stops at 75 — and buy separate cover if needed.

There's no rule that says you must use one card for everything. Many South Africans buy their return flights on the card that gives the best travel insurance, then spend in Thailand on the card with no conversion fee — just check that the flight purchase alone meets the insurer's conditions.

Don't use a credit card for cash in Thailand

Every card in the table charges for cash withdrawals abroad — a fixed fee, sometimes a percentage — plus the Thai ATM's ฿220, and interest from the day you withdraw, with no interest-free period. A ฿20,000 cash withdrawal on a credit card can easily cost several hundred rand before interest.

Use a low-fee debit card for cash instead: Capitec and GoTyme charge R70 per international withdrawal with no conversion fee, and Bank Zero R10 per R1,000 (minimum R50). Keep the credit card for purchases and deposits.

How we compared the cards

We compared the main South African credit cards marketed to travellers, plus the Capitec Credit Card, on what they cost to use in Thailand: the fee on purchases in baht, the fee for international ATM withdrawals, and the monthly fee. We then looked at the travel insurance that comes free when you buy your flights on the card, and lounge access.

Fees come from each bank's 2026 fee schedule or product page, checked on 22 October 2026. Where a bank's current figure wasn't published in a form we could verify — FNB's conversion fee — we've used the most recent published comparison and marked it. Interest rates are personalised, so we haven't ranked on them; the legal maximum for credit cards is 21.25% a year.