Which German Card Should You Use Abroad? (2026)
Start with what does not travel: the girocard your German account hands you is a domestic scheme and stops at the border, so what you take abroad is a Visa or a Mastercard. Germany is unusually well served here. The Hanseatic Bank GenialCard, the Advanzia Gebührenfrei Mastercard Gold, the TF Bank Mastercard Gold, the Bank Norwegian Visa and the awa7 Visa all charge 0% worldwide on non-euro spending and nothing to withdraw cash, on a card with no annual fee. The charge sits on the bank cards, where the Auslandseinsatzentgelt starts at 1.75% and runs to 3.85%.
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What Do German Banks Charge Abroad?
Two separate charges apply once you leave the euro. The Auslandseinsatzentgelt is a percentage of every non-euro purchase, and the cash fee is charged on every withdrawal, usually as a percentage with a minimum that makes small withdrawals expensive.
Deutsche Bank takes 1.75% with a EUR 1.50 minimum on spending and 2.5% with a EUR 5.75 minimum on cash. Commerzbank takes 1.75% plus a 0.59% conversion fee, and 1.95% with a EUR 5.98 minimum on cash. Targobank stacks a 1.85% fee on a 2% exchange-rate surcharge, which its own listing puts at 3.85% in practice. DKB is a conditional case worth reading twice: 0% and free worldwide cash for an Aktivkunde, meaning EUR 700 paid in each month, and 2.2% for everyone else.
| Card | Non-euro spending | Cash abroad |
|---|---|---|
| Hanseatic Bank GenialCard | 0% worldwide, including non-euro | Free abroad |
| Advanzia Gebührenfrei Mastercard Gold | 0% worldwide | Free |
| TF Bank Mastercard Gold | 0% worldwide | Free |
| Bank Norwegian Visa | 0% worldwide | Free |
| awa7 Visa | 0% worldwide | Free |
| Santander BestCard Premium | 0% worldwide | Free |
| DKB Visa Debit | 0% as an Aktivkunde with EUR 700 paid in monthly, 2.2% otherwise | Free worldwide as an Aktivkunde |
| Deutsche Bank Mastercard Standard | 1.75%, minimum EUR 1.50 | 2.5%, minimum EUR 5.75 |
| Commerzbank ClassicKreditkarte | 1.75% plus 0.59% conversion | 1.95%, minimum EUR 5.98 |
| Consorsbank Visa Card (Debit) | 2.1% on non-euro | Free in the EEA, EUR 1.95 below EUR 50 |
| Targobank Online-Classic-Karte | 1.85% plus a 2% surcharge, 3.85% in practice | 3.5%, minimum EUR 5.95, away from Targobank |
| American Express Gold Card | 2% on non-euro | 4%, minimum EUR 5 |
| N26 Standard | 0% on card payments in all plans | EUR 2 beyond the free monthly allowance, 1.7% at non-euro ATMs |
| Revolut Standard | 0% at the interbank rate within EUR 1,000 a month, around 1% at weekends | 2% beyond EUR 200 or five withdrawals a month |
| Wise Card | Mid-market rate with a conversion fee that varies by currency | Two withdrawals or EUR 200 a month free, then EUR 0.50 plus 1.75% |
Are Fintech Cards Better for Travel?
They are good, but on this measure they are no longer ahead of Germany's fee-free credit cards. N26 applies 0% on card payments in every plan, with no allowance to track, and charges 1.7% at non-euro cash machines. Revolut gives the interbank rate only inside its plan allowance, EUR 1,000 a month on Standard, and adds roughly 1% outside market hours and at weekends. bunq's ZeroFX is unlimited on the paid plans but capped at EUR 1,000 a year on the free one, after which a 3% surcharge applies. Wise converts at the mid-market rate with a per-currency conversion fee rather than a flat percentage.
Two caveats matter more than the rates. Every one of those cards is a Debitkarte, so it spends the balance in the account and grants no credit line. And Wise is a Belgian payment institution rather than a bank: the money is safeguarded client money, not a protected deposit, which is a different thing from the EUR 100,000 protection N26 and Revolut carry.
Tips for Using a German Card Abroad
Always pay in the local currency. When a terminal or a cash machine offers to bill you in euros it is doing the conversion itself, at its own rate, on top of whatever your card charges. Leave the girocard at home and carry a Visa or a Mastercard, and if your card is a DKB Visa Debit, check first whether you count as an Aktivkunde this month, because the difference is 0% against 2.2%.
Withdraw larger amounts less often wherever a percentage carries a minimum charge: at Commerzbank's 1.95% with a EUR 5.98 minimum, a small withdrawal is priced like a large one. And check the cash rule on your own card rather than assuming: the Hanseatic Bank GenialCard is free abroad but charges at German machines, and the Trade Republic Visa is free from EUR 100 upward and EUR 1 below it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my girocard work abroad?
No. The girocard is Germany's domestic debit scheme, and it is the card most German accounts hand you first. It is accepted in places that refuse international cards, at the Bäckerei, the Arztpraxis and plenty of restaurants, but it does not travel. What travels is a Visa or a Mastercard.
Which German cards charge nothing on non-euro spending?
The Hanseatic Bank GenialCard, the Hanseatic Bank GoldCard, the Advanzia Gebührenfrei Mastercard Gold, the TF Bank Mastercard Gold, the Bank Norwegian Visa, the easybank Visa, the awa7 Visa, the Deutschland-Kreditkarte Classic and both Santander BestCards all apply 0% worldwide.
Is Revolut or N26 cheaper abroad?
N26 applies 0% on card payments in every plan, with no monthly allowance to watch. Revolut gives the interbank rate only within its plan allowance, EUR 1,000 a month on Standard, and adds around 1% outside market hours and at weekends. For everyday non-euro spending N26 is the simpler of the two.
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