Banks Germany

English Information about Banking in Germany

 
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      • Open a ComDirect Account Online – Detailed Instructions
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Free Credit Cards in Germany

Looking for Free Credit cards in Germany? Online shopping or for airline tickets, free credit cards offer freedom, flexibility and independence. You can save yourself annual fees and still get a good credit card which fulfils all your needs. There are different types of credit cards in Germany. See here for more details on the types of Credit cards in Germany and other recommendations.

There are two types of free credit cards:

  1. Free Credit cards from Credit Card Providers
  2. Free Card Card with the Bank Account (e.g., N26, DKB, ComDirect)

Some banks such as N26, DKB, and ComDirect also provide free credit cards along with their checking accounts. We give details of these bank accounts on best bank accounts in Germany. However, this article focuses on the free credit card from independent credit card providers in Germany. Note that free refers to credit cards with zero annual maintenance fees.

Important: Do not apply for a lot of credit cards at the same time. This will affect your credit score and reduce your chances of getting a credit card.

List of best Free Credit Cards in Germany:

The following free credit cards are recommended in Germany (in the order of recommendation):

1. Gebuhrenfrei Mastercard Gold

In our opinion, this is the best-recommended card as it provides very good features, as well as easy to get approved if you are new in Germany and do not have a long credit history. Therefore, it is easy for expats and also students, or unemployed people to get a free credit card in Germany. Although the initial credit limit might start low, you can then increase your credit limit once you build your credit history.

  • Provided by Advanzia bank
  • Always free
  • Zero foreign transaction charges
  • Up to 7 Weeks Interest-free period
  • Free Travel Insurance and other benefits of Mastercard Gold
  • Read detailed review on the features of the card and why this card is highly recommended

Apply for Advanzia Mastercard Gold


2. Genialcard

  • Provided by Hanseatic Bank
  • 15% cashback on online shopping (select stores) and discount coupons
  • Instant Online Approval – No waiting for the result
  • Transfer money to Checking Account
  • Up to 6 Weeks Interest-free period
  • Read More

Apply for Genialcard


3. Consorsbank Mastercard

This has good offers and usually provide joining bonus up to €50. However, it has a higher refusal rate. Therefore, if you are new in Germany, or a student who does not have a good credit history, it is recommended not to apply for this card as your first card. But if you are an employee with a stable income, living in Germany for a few years and have built a good credit history, then you can apply for this credit card.

  • Provided by Consorsbank
  • High credit limit
  • Free cash withdrawal from 300 Euro withdrawal fee
  • Up to 90 days payment term
  • App with push notifications included
  • Apple Pay Integration + NFC

Apply for Consors Mastercard


4. Barclay New Visa Card

This has good offers and usually provide joining bonus up to €50. However, it has a higher refusal rate. Therefore, if you are new in Germany, or a student who does not have a good credit history, it is recommended not to apply for this card as your first card. But if you are an employee with a stable income, living in Germany for a few years and have built a good credit history, then you can apply for this credit card.

  • Provided by Barclays
  • Free foreign usage without any transaction charges
  • Joining bonus – up to €50 (offer changes)
  • Up to 2 months Interest-free period
  • Read More about New Visa Card

Apply for Barclay New Visa Card


5. PayVIP Mastercard Gold

  • Provided by Advanzia Bank390d1326125050t-payvip-mastercard-gold-payvip-mastercard-gold.jpg
  • Free foreign usage without any transaction charges
  • Upto 7 Weeks Interest-free period
  • Free Travel Insurance
  • Read More

Apply for PayVIP Mastercard Gold


18 thoughts on “Free Credit Cards in Germany”

  • Ms. Canadian Expat says:
    June 11, 2015 at 9:19 pm

    Cool!! I’ve been meaning to sign up for a MasterCard, and this has all the info I need. Do you know if it affects negatively on my SHUFA if I sign up for the MC while already having 2 Visas?

    Reply
    • Admin says:
      June 11, 2015 at 11:00 pm

      SCHUFA records all the financial information and the number of cards along with the credit limits. So applying for a credit card will reflect on the record and to some extend affect your score. This is irrespective of VISA or MC. The more important thing however is the credit limit on those earlier cards. If those VISA cards were issued along with a checking account with a nominal €100, being primarily used as a prepaid card, then applying for a new credit card with a higher limit will not affect so much. On the other hand, if you had applied for those VISA cards recently, then do not apply for another card immediately, it may be refused and also may affect your score.

      Reply
      • Ms. Canadian Expat says:
        June 13, 2015 at 10:02 am

        Thanks again for all the info!! I have recently applied for 2 new VISA cards (and closed my DB MC). So I’m going to take your advice and wait before I apply for the Advanzia MC. It’s too bad I visited your site *after* I booked my travel.

        Reply
  • Geo says:
    February 20, 2016 at 12:25 pm

    What an amazing website for people who are just settling in Germany, are not fluent in German, and are used to fee-free credit cards in the US.

    Reply
    • Admin says:
      March 10, 2016 at 11:51 pm

      Thanks, it was the exact reason I started this website since I could not get the information I wanted when I first came here.

      Reply
      • Geo says:
        March 14, 2016 at 12:16 am

        I just got my Master Card Gold from Advanzia Bank as is reported on your website. It took about a week for them to send me the card, and another week to get it activated and get my pin. This is an annual fee free card. If you have a permanent address in Germany, it looks like they will approve a credit card even if you don’t have a credit history though, with a lower credit limit. When I checked, they mentioned that credit limit will be increased in a few months depending on the payment history. I will report the progress later.

        Reply
        • Geo says:
          September 3, 2016 at 12:59 pm

          Update: This card has been very useful so far. I have been consistently settling bills in full. As a result, they have increased my credit limit significantly from an initial EUR 600/-. No complains up to now.

          Reply
  • bharat walia says:
    April 4, 2016 at 1:18 am

    if anybody get schufa how can get credit card

    Reply
  • Babatunde says:
    March 16, 2017 at 2:13 pm

    Dear Admin,

    Based on these expose, which of the cards do you think is the best´?

    Reply
  • dara talat rashid says:
    March 31, 2017 at 6:04 pm

    darajaf42 @gmail.com

    Reply
    • Dominik says:
      January 9, 2018 at 12:44 pm

      I have recently found out that there is another credit card issued by the same bank (Advanzia Bank) that issues the Gebührenfrei Mastercard
      It’s called Drivango and comes with exactly the same features as the Gebührenfrei card. The only difference is, that your monthly credit card bill is deducted automatically from your bank account which is a great advantage in my eyes, because you won’t forget to pay.

      Reply
  • Dominik says:
    October 8, 2017 at 6:28 pm

    Thanks for the nice overview!
    I can definitely recommend the Mastercard Gold from Advanzia. Have been using it for nearly eight years now and it has saved me a lot of money during travels.

    Reply
  • Marina says:
    November 15, 2017 at 12:46 pm

    Bună ziua! Am nevoie de un credit de 1500 euro. Cum as putea să-l obțin? Va rog sa ma ajutati cu un sfat!

    Reply
  • Dominik says:
    December 30, 2017 at 9:26 pm

    In addition to the above mentioned credit cards I can also recommend the Santander 1plus VISA card. No foreign exchange fees, free of charge cash withdrawal und 1% discount on fuel.

    Reply
  • Omed says:
    October 22, 2018 at 5:21 am

    Help

    Reply
  • Cassandra says:
    March 26, 2019 at 6:09 pm

    I would very much like to know what the initial credit amount is for each of these cards. Do you know the answer to this?? I am looking for at least 2500 right away – have been a temporary resident in Germany for 1.5 years. Can anybody tell me?? Much appreciated 🙂

    Reply
    • Admin says:
      April 25, 2019 at 1:02 pm

      It is not normal to have a high credit condition immediately. But, I can understand the need for a higher amount especially for booking airline tickets and hotels.

      One way to get around low credit limit is by depositing funds into your credit card account and using is like a debit card. For example, banks (e.g., DKB, ComDirect, N26) provide cards which have VISA/Mastercard function and allow you to deposit money in your credit card account to have a higher limit and use it just like a debit card, but with the VISA/Mastercard function of credit cards.

      Reply
  • markgalileo says:
    June 7, 2019 at 3:48 pm

    best

    Reply

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  • Home
  • Bank Account
    • 1822direkt
    • Comdirect
      • Open a ComDirect Account Online – Detailed Instructions
    • Commerzbank
      • Open a Commerzbank Account – Instuction with Screenshots
    • Consorsbank
    • DAB-Bank
    • DKB Bank
    • HypoVereinsbank
    • ING DiBa
    • Netbank
    • Noris Bank
    • N26
      • N26 Account Opening – Detailed Instuctions
    • Postbank
      • Open a Postbank Giro Plus – Instuction with Screenshots
    • Targobank
    • Volkswagen Bank
    • Wüstenrot Bank
  • Credit Cards
    • Free Credit Cards
      • Advanzia MasterCard Gold
      • GenialCard – Instant Online approval
      • Barclaycard New Visa
      • PayVIP MasterCard Gold
    • Co-Branded Credit Cards
    • Airline Credit Cards
      • Miles & More Blue
      • Miles & More Gold
      • Barclays Germanwings Gold
    • Prepaid Credit Cards
      • Kalixa Prepaid MasterCard
      • LBB Prepaid VISA credit card
    • Credit Card with easy Loan – easyCredit
  • Loans
    • Car Loan in Germany
  • Invest
  • Guide
    • Select a Bank Account in Germany
      • Banks with English Service
    • Open a German bank account
      • Open a DKB bank account
        • DKB Euro bank account for non-residents
        • English DKB bank account opening form
      • Open a Postbank Account Online – Screenshots
      • Open a Commerzbank Account online – Screenshots
      • Open a ComDirect Account online – Screenshots
    • Freelancers and Self-employed
    • Open a Student Blocked Account
      • Best Bank account for students
      • DKB Bank Account for Students
    • German bank accounts for non-residents
      • Open Comdirect bank account for non-residents
    • Information
      • Schufa Credit Score
      • Bank Cards
        • What is a Girocard?
        • V Pay – pay cash in Europe
        • What is a Maestro card?
        • What is Cash Group?
        • What is cash pool?
        • What should you do in case of loss of card?
      • Money Transfer
        • Local Money Transfer in Germany
          • What is a SEPA money Transfer?
          • Direct Debit Mandate
          • Wrong Transfer
        • International money transfer
          • Cheap money transfer options
      • Internet Banking
  • Deals
 

Best Bank account Deals

  • Commerzbank bonus - upto €175 + 11k miles joining bonus

    Valid till March 31, 2016- open a free Commerzbank account and get upto €175 euro as cash bonus and 11,000 award miles from Miles and More till March 31, 2016

  • Number26 bank now open to other countries!

    Now open to residents of Greece, Spain, Slovakia, France and Ireland. Open a free German bank account with free MasterCard.

  • Commerzbank Weekendbonus - €100 + 8k miles joining bonus

    Valid on weekends till further notice- open a free Commerzbank account and get €100 euro as cash bonus and 7,000 award miles from Miles and More till December 31, 2015

See the list of the best bank account promotional offers and deals in Germany

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Free Credit Cards in Germany

List of credit card providers with free credit cards in Germany. Advantages of each free credit cards and compare the charges and information about the free credit card in Germany.

Free Credit Cards

Free Advanzia Mastercard Gold Credit Card

The Advanzia bank Free Mastercard Gold credit card offers a lifetime free Credit card with free foreign usage without any transaction charges, Mastercard Gold benefits including free travel insurance, and best option for students and expat new in Germany.

Read more!

Best Credit Card Deals

  • Hanseatic Bank - €30 Joining bonus free Credit card

    Apply for Free credit card before 19 April 2015 and get joining bonus of €30. Free Credit Card with Instant online approval, transfer to bank account from credit card and cash back offers.

  • Barclaycard New Visa Offer : €25 joining bonus for free Credit card till Aug 2014

    Apply by Sept 30, 2014 and get €25 joining bonus. Lifetime Free Credit Card with joining bonus.

  • GenialCard Offer - €10 cashback for free Credit card

    Apply by 31 May 2014 and get cashback of €10. Free Credit Card with Instant online approval, transfer to bank account from credit card and cashback offers.

See other best Credit Card promotional offers and Deals in Germany

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