Purchase protection now includes overseas spending.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/f7f642a2-c0a3-11da-941 9-0000779e2340.html
S.75 Consumer Credit Act is the relevant legislation - if you buy goods over �100 and they are not as described, are faulty or fail to arrive.
All credit cards MUST provide this protection.
Anything over and above this is down to the card issuers terms and conditions - which can be amended at any time.
A further point - s.75 does not apply AT ALL if you use PayPal or similar to buy goods. There must be a direct link - the seller must have the money directly from the credit card company and not a third party such as PayPal.
Some cards do give protection in these circumstances, but I fully expect it to be withdrawn in the near future.
The best thing is to apply common sense and only deal with companies you trust.