Ever since my Chase card removed foreign transaction fees, the cynic in me has wondered whether it didn't just adjust the currency conversion rate to cover at least part of the lost fees.

Should I be concerned about that?

You could be, but as your later calculations show, and experts agree, this issue shouldn't keep you up at night. Other issues should, and we'll get to those in a minute.

First, though, let's see how your card sets its currency exchange rate. A Chase representative referred me to its terms and conditions:.

Credit Cards - Compare Best Card Offers & Apply Online | Bankrate

The exchange rate used by Visa or MasterCard may differ from the rate on the date of your transaction. Kevin Yuann, director of credit cards for NerdWallet, a personal finance website, said the credit card network Visa or MasterCard "may be making some money but not an enormous amount of profit. Jackson's math seems to bear this out.

Getting the best exchange rate abroad

In July he charged a euro purchase to his Chase card. The Chase exchange rate was 1. Using the website Oanda. In other words, the difference in his charge, had the Oanda rate been used, would have been 3 cents.

In the world of high finance, that may add up, but for most travelers, it's not enough to derail a vacation abroad. If you still have concerns, read your credit card's terms and conditions.

I just did, and I'll sleep just fine. What will keep me awake are foreign transaction fees, which we've talked about, but I want to continue to emphasize because they can take a bite out of your vacation dollars. Cards that don't charge them are basically subsidizing the fees that they pay for cross-border transactions, Yuann said.

They're banking on the notion that your business will make their subsidy a wash. You can find information on no-fee cards on the NerdWallet website at bit.

You can filter cards to find a no transaction fee card through CardHub at lat.

Scotiabank Jamaica Foreign Exchange Rates

For a little light bedtime reading that may cause bad dreams, see CardHub's May study of foreign transaction fees at lat. One of its major findings? Under the "Tips for International Travelers" section, it noted: It's just one of those things that's traditionally been recommended. Next week we'll tell the tale of a traveler whose plastic failed her — and talk about options travelers have to deal with that nightmare. Have a travel dilemma? Write to travel latimes.

We regret we cannot answer every inquiry. TRAVEL Your California Bucket List: San Francisco's painted ladies, San Diego's green flashes, Convict Lake's rainbows and more. Credit card exchange rate? Credit card currency conversion rates aren't as likely to dent your budget as foreign transaction fees are.

Catharine Hamm Contact Reporter On the Spot Via latimestravel: Using credit cards abroad? Transaction fees are more a concern than exchange rates. Jack Jackson Los Angeles Answer: Trade lets Lakers dream about a LeBron James-led superteam Lakers trade D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov, and they might not be done making moves Skiers hit the slopes in bikini tops as California's endless winter endures a heat wave Breakfast is canceled at a Death Valley restaurant — and other tales from the blazing desert After four special-election losses, Democrats need more than moral victories Fears mount that Obamacare repeal will put life-saving treatments for opioid epidemic out of reach The case of the leaning pine tree: