What Are the Best Credit Card Issuers in Germany? (2026)
The free German credit cards almost all come from five standalone issuers: Hanseatic Bank, Advanzia, TF Bank, Bank Norwegian and easybank, the former Barclays Germany. They sell direct, require no account with them, and settle from any SEPA account. The branch banks, meaning Commerzbank, HypoVereinsbank, Postbank, Deutsche Bank and the Sparkassen, sell cards only alongside their own current account and charge roughly EUR 30 to EUR 155 a year. American Express is the one large issuer that sells directly on charge terms. The fintechs, N26, Revolut, Wise, bunq, C24 and Trade Republic, issue Debitkarten and no credit cards at all.
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Who Are the Main Credit Card Issuers?
German card issuers fall into four groups. Standalone issuers sell a card and nothing else: Hanseatic Bank, Advanzia, TF Bank, Bank Norwegian and easybank, joined by Consors Finanz, Targobank on its Online-Classic-Karte and Santander Consumer Bank, all of which settle from any SEPA account. Branch and direct banks sell a card as an add-on to their own current account, which is why a Commerzbank, HypoVereinsbank, Postbank, 1822direkt or Sparkassen card cannot be opened on its own. American Express issues directly in Germany, always on charge terms, so the balance is settled in full each month and there is no revolving rate. The fintechs issue debit only.
The brand on a German card is very often not the issuer. Hanseatic Bank is behind the awa7 Visa and the Deutschland-Kreditkarte, easybank issues the Eurowings cards, Commerzbank issues the ADAC card, Deutsche Bank issues the Miles & More cards, BW-Bank issues the PAYBACK Visa, Open Bank (Santander) issues the Amazon Visa, and DKB issues the Hilton Honors Kreditkarte. This matters because the rate, the credit limit, the repayment default and the SCHUFA relationship all belong to the issuer, not to the airline or the retailer whose logo is on the front.
Top Credit Card Issuers
The standalone issuers from the August 2026 catalogue, the ones that will sell you a card without selling you an account. The 7 products below come from five issuers, ranked on the fee in year one and after, the effective annual rate, the cost of spending outside the euro, and whether the issuer answers in English.
- Annual fee
- Free
- Card type
Card type
Credit cards borrow and repay monthly, charge cards clear in full every month, debit cards take the money instantly, prepaid cards spend only what you load.
- Revolving credit
- Effective APR
- 16,05% APR
- Network
Network
The card scheme that moves the payment: Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. It decides where the card is accepted, not who issues it.
- Visa
- German IBAN
German IBAN
Whether the product needs a bank account with a German (DE) IBAN. Foreign-IBAN accounts are legal to use, but some German employers and billers still refuse them.
- Not required
More details
- Non-euro spending
- 0% worldwide incl. non-EUR
- Cash withdrawals
- 0 abroad; domestic (Germany) ATM withdrawals carry a fee (~3.95 EUR per Trustpilot complaint Jan-2026; confirm in Preisverzeichnis)
- Credit check
Credit check
Whether the issuer queries SCHUFA, the German private credit bureau, before approving you. A check can fail on a thin SCHUFA file, however solid your finances are, which is the usual reason a new arrival is refused.
- SCHUFA
- Credit limit
- start typically 1,000-2,000 (Trustpilot users report 2,000-3,000 start limits, increases possible after ~90 days)
- Rewards
- up to 7% cashback on travel booked via Hanseatic travel portal (Urlaubsplus), 5% Booking.com (capitalo 07/2026)
- Billing
- monthly statement; flexible part-payment (Ratenhöhe self-set in app); interest only on carried balance; pay in full by due date to pay 0 interest
- How to apply
- online + VideoIdent/eID (PostIdent discouraged by reviewers)
- Card in
- ~5-10 (card by post after approval; Trustpilot Jan-2026 case: approval 29-Nov, card ~5 days after 01-Dec opening)
Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.
Pros
- 0% FX worldwide
- free ATM withdrawals abroad
Cons
- high APR 16.05% if you revolve
- Annual fee
- EUR 0 first year, then EUR 58.80
- Card type
Card type
Credit cards borrow and repay monthly, charge cards clear in full every month, debit cards take the money instantly, prepaid cards spend only what you load.
- Revolving credit
- Effective APR
- 16,05% APR
- Network
Network
The card scheme that moves the payment: Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. It decides where the card is accepted, not who issues it.
- Visa
- German IBAN
German IBAN
Whether the product needs a bank account with a German (DE) IBAN. Foreign-IBAN accounts are legal to use, but some German employers and billers still refuse them.
- Not required
More details
- Non-euro spending
- 0% worldwide
- Credit check
Credit check
Whether the issuer queries SCHUFA, the German private credit bureau, before approving you. A check can fail on a thin SCHUFA file, however solid your finances are, which is the usual reason a new arrival is refused.
- SCHUFA
- Credit limit
- individual
- Rewards
- 5% travel bonus at Urlaubsplus
- Billing
- monthly statement; optional Teilzahlung
- How to apply
- online + VideoIdent
- Card in
- ~7-14
Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.
Pros
- 0% FX
- insurance package
Cons
- 58.80 EUR/yr from year 2
- Annual fee
- Free
- Card type
Card type
Credit cards borrow and repay monthly, charge cards clear in full every month, debit cards take the money instantly, prepaid cards spend only what you load.
- Revolving credit
- Effective APR
- 20,9% APR
- Network
Network
The card scheme that moves the payment: Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. It decides where the card is accepted, not who issues it.
- Mastercard
- German IBAN
German IBAN
Whether the product needs a bank account with a German (DE) IBAN. Foreign-IBAN accounts are legal to use, but some German employers and billers still refuse them.
- Not required
More details
- Non-euro spending
- 0% worldwide
- Credit check
Credit check
Whether the issuer queries SCHUFA, the German private credit bureau, before approving you. A check can fail on a thin SCHUFA file, however solid your finances are, which is the usual reason a new arrival is refused.
- SCHUFA (via German application)
- Credit limit
- notoriously low at start (often 200-500 EUR), grows with repayment history
- Rewards
- none (occasional referral/welcome credits)
- Billing
- monthly statement; NO automatic full direct debit by default - you must actively transfer the full amount each month; only minimum payment is debited if you set up Lastschrift (revolving trap)
- How to apply
- online (gebuhrenfrei.com) + video/post ident
- Card in
- ~7-14
Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.
Pros
- 0% FX worldwide
- free ATM worldwide
Cons
- default is partial repayment - set manual full transfer or pay ~20.9% APR
- Annual fee
- Free
- Card type
Card type
Credit cards borrow and repay monthly, charge cards clear in full every month, debit cards take the money instantly, prepaid cards spend only what you load.
- Revolving credit
- Effective APR
- 22,9% APR
- Network
Network
The card scheme that moves the payment: Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. It decides where the card is accepted, not who issues it.
- Mastercard
- German IBAN
German IBAN
Whether the product needs a bank account with a German (DE) IBAN. Foreign-IBAN accounts are legal to use, but some German employers and billers still refuse them.
- Not required
More details
- Non-euro spending
- 0% worldwide
- Credit check
Credit check
Whether the issuer queries SCHUFA, the German private credit bureau, before approving you. A check can fail on a thin SCHUFA file, however solid your finances are, which is the usual reason a new arrival is refused.
- SCHUFA
- Credit limit
- individual; Trustpilot complaints about limits too low for rental-car deposits
- Rewards
- up to 5% travel cashback via portal (capitalo 04/2026)
- Billing
- monthly statement; partial repayment default; no Lastschrift full-settlement automation (Trustpilot criticism: no direct-debit collection)
- How to apply
- online + VideoIdent
- Card in
- ~7-14
Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.
Pros
- 0% FX worldwide
- Trustpilot 4.2/5 - best-rated of the free standalone issuers
Cons
- 22.9% APR - highest of the free trio (Advanzia 20.9, Hanseatic 16.05)
- Annual fee
- Free
- Card type
Card type
Credit cards borrow and repay monthly, charge cards clear in full every month, debit cards take the money instantly, prepaid cards spend only what you load.
- Revolving credit
- Effective APR
- 21,21% APR
- Network
Network
The card scheme that moves the payment: Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. It decides where the card is accepted, not who issues it.
- Visa
- German IBAN
German IBAN
Whether the product needs a bank account with a German (DE) IBAN. Foreign-IBAN accounts are legal to use, but some German employers and billers still refuse them.
- Not required
More details
- Non-euro spending
- 0% worldwide
- Credit check
Credit check
Whether the issuer queries SCHUFA, the German private credit bureau, before approving you. A check can fail on a thin SCHUFA file, however solid your finances are, which is the usual reason a new arrival is refused.
- SCHUFA
- Credit limit
- individual (typically starts 1,000-3,500)
- Rewards
- none
- Billing
- monthly statement; 100% direct-debit settlement costs 2 EUR/month - i.e. the card is only truly free if you accept minimum-payment default (partial repayment)
- How to apply
- online + VideoIdent
- Card in
- ~7-14
Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.
Pros
- 0% FX worldwide
- generous starting limits historically (Barclays era)
Cons
- 2 EUR/month fee for 100% direct debit - otherwise 21.21% APR partial repayment
easybank
easybank Platinum Double (ex-Barclays Platinum Double)
two networks in one package
View card- Annual fee
- EUR 99
- Card type
Card type
Credit cards borrow and repay monthly, charge cards clear in full every month, debit cards take the money instantly, prepaid cards spend only what you load.
- Revolving credit
- Effective APR
- n/a
- Network
Network
The card scheme that moves the payment: Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. It decides where the card is accepted, not who issues it.
- Visa + Mastercard (double pack)
- German IBAN
German IBAN
Whether the product needs a bank account with a German (DE) IBAN. Foreign-IBAN accounts are legal to use, but some German employers and billers still refuse them.
- Not required
More details
- Non-euro spending
- 0% worldwide
- Credit check
Credit check
Whether the issuer queries SCHUFA, the German private credit bureau, before approving you. A check can fail on a thin SCHUFA file, however solid your finances are, which is the usual reason a new arrival is refused.
- SCHUFA
- Credit limit
- individual
- Rewards
- 50 EUR start credit promo (07/2026)
- Billing
- monthly statement; Teilzahlung available
- How to apply
- online
- Card in
- ~7-14
Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.
Pros
- strong insurance bundle incl. rental car
- 0% FX + free ATM worldwide
Cons
- post-migration service quality (see easybank Visa)
- Annual fee
- Free
- Card type
Card type
Credit cards borrow and repay monthly, charge cards clear in full every month, debit cards take the money instantly, prepaid cards spend only what you load.
- Revolving credit
- Effective APR
- 24,4% APR
- Network
Network
The card scheme that moves the payment: Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. It decides where the card is accepted, not who issues it.
- Visa
- German IBAN
German IBAN
Whether the product needs a bank account with a German (DE) IBAN. Foreign-IBAN accounts are legal to use, but some German employers and billers still refuse them.
- Not required
More details
- Non-euro spending
- 0% worldwide
- Credit check
Credit check
Whether the issuer queries SCHUFA, the German private credit bureau, before approving you. A check can fail on a thin SCHUFA file, however solid your finances are, which is the usual reason a new arrival is refused.
- SCHUFA
- Credit limit
- up to 10,000 (issuer marketing); start individual
- Rewards
- none in Germany (CashPoints programme not offered on the German card)
- Billing
- monthly statement; partial repayment pre-set (24.4% eff. APR criticised as cost trap in capitalo review); up to 45 interest-free days if paid in full
- How to apply
- online + app-based VideoIdent; German mobile number required
- Card in
- digital card usable in Apple Pay within days; plastic ~1-2 weeks
Prices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site.
Pros
- 0% FX
- travel insurance included
Cons
- 24.4% APR; partial repayment preselected - switch to full payment
How to Choose an Issuer
If you have no German account yet, a standalone issuer is the only realistic route: Hanseatic Bank, Advanzia, TF Bank, Bank Norwegian and easybank all take a direct debit from any SEPA account, and their entry cards cost EUR 0 in year one and after. If you already bank at a branch bank, its card is convenient but priced as an add-on and cannot be had alone: a Commerzbank ClassicKreditkarte is EUR 39.90 a year on top of a GiroKonto at EUR 4.90 a month. If you fly or shop with one brand, look up whose name is in the small print, because the co-brand issuer sets the terms. And if you want the statement settled in full every month with no revolving rate to worry about, American Express is the charge-card issuer in this market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which German issuers give you a card without a German bank account?
The standalone issuers. Hanseatic Bank, Advanzia, TF Bank, Bank Norwegian and easybank all settle the card by direct debit from any SEPA account rather than a German one. Targobank's Online-Classic-Karte and Santander's BestCard Smart do the same and require no account at those banks either.
Do the fintechs issue credit cards in Germany?
No. N26, Revolut, Wise, bunq, C24 and Trade Republic all issue Debitkarten. The money leaves the account the same day, no credit line is granted, and the catalogue records no credit check at all on bunq and Wise.
Can I hold cards from more than one issuer?
Yes, and it is the normal German setup: a free standalone credit card for deposits and bookings, plus the Debitkarte and girocard that come with your Girokonto for everyday spending. Each credit application runs its own SCHUFA query.
Who actually issues my co-brand card?
Usually a bank you did not choose. Hanseatic Bank issues the awa7 Visa and the Deutschland-Kreditkarte, easybank issues the Eurowings cards, Commerzbank issues the ADAC card, Deutsche Bank issues the Miles & More cards, BW-Bank issues the PAYBACK Visa, Open Bank (Santander) issues the Amazon Visa, and DKB issues the Hilton Honors Kreditkarte. The issuer sets the rate, the limit and the repayment default, not the brand on the front.
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