# What Are the Best Credit Cards for New Arrivals in Germany? (2026) > The credit cards you can apply for in Germany before you have a German IBAN or a German payslip, and what a thin SCHUFA file still does to the answer. Ranked with the weighting published. By Jules de Bruin · URL: https://www.guide-germany.com/finance/credit-cards/best-for-new-arrivals **The verdict for new arrivals** Get the **Hanseatic Bank GenialCard** at **no annual fee**. On day one you have no German **IBAN** and no [**Meldebescheinigung**](/moving/address-registration), so the question is not which card is best but which issuer will take the application. The cards above settle by **direct debit from any SEPA account** and ask for no German payslip. Meanwhile a [**Debitkarte** on a fintech account](/finance/fintech-apps) opens in minutes, and a **girocard** is taken in the Baeckerei and the Arztpraxis that refuse international credit cards. **The two walls in your way** Two walls, and these cards clear only one. A bank credit card is sold with that bank's own **Girokonto**, which wants a **Meldebescheinigung** and a **Steuer-Identifikationsnummer**, both on appointments: Commerzbank, Postbank, HypoVereinsbank, comdirect, 1822direkt and the Sparkassen all sit behind that door. The second wall is [**SCHUFA**](/finance/credit-card-requirements), which none of these cards skip, and on day one you have no SCHUFA history. An empty file is not a good one: there is nothing to score, so starting limits are small. **Five criteria, weighted for this reader and published above, fixed before the fees were collected. Every fee comes from the issuer's own price list, dated in the catalogue. Of the 48 cards, 7 are obtainable by new arrivals.** Sources: the issuers' own German price lists, accessed 18 August 2026. Some links earn a commission at the same rate for every issuer, so no weighting favours a payer. ## Which credit card is the best for new arrivals? Sort byOur rankingEffective APRSorted by **effective apr**, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below. #1 by effective apr16.05%★ Newcomer pick ### Hanseatic Bank GenialCard 1.0Needs German address registration and a SCHUFA check, none of which exists in week one [Get the Hanseatic Bank card](https://www.hanseaticbank.de/genialcard)Cards(4) - ★Our pick here. Hanseatic Bank GenialCardFreeRepayment rate you set in the app | Effective APR | 16.05% | | Cost abroad | No FX fee | | Network | Visa | | German IBAN | Not required | No annual fee - German-only support [Open the Hanseatic Bank GenialCard ↗](https://www.hanseaticbank.de/genialcard)- awa7 VisaFreeThe same card under an eco brand | Effective APR | 21.96% | | Cost abroad | No FX fee | | Network | Visa | | German IBAN | Not required | No annual fee - German-only support [Open the awa7 Visa ↗](https://www.awa7.com)- Show 2 more productsDeutschland-Kreditkarte ClassicFreeA Finanztip-listed GenialCard twin | Effective APR | 21.04% | | Cost abroad | No FX fee | | Network | Visa | | German IBAN | Not required | No annual fee - German-only support [Open the Deutschland-Kreditkarte Classic ↗](https://www.finanztip.de/kreditkarten/)- Hanseatic Bank GoldCardEUR 58.80/yrInsured, free in year one | Effective APR | 16.05% | | Cost abroad | No FX fee | | Network | Visa | | German IBAN | Not required | No fee on non-euro spending - Free in year one, then **EUR 58.80** [Open the Hanseatic Bank GoldCard ↗](https://www.hanseaticbank.de/kreditkarten/goldcard) Fees as of August 2026, verify on the issuer's price list. Annual fee FreeKey information Effective APR16.05%More detailsCost abroadNo FX feeGerman 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 requiredNetwork?Network The card scheme that moves the payment: Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. It decides where the card is accepted, not who issues it. VisaBest for new arrivals who want the safest yes. Hanseatic BankHanseatic Bank GenialCard · Free · 16.05% APRFree#2 by effective apr20.9%Also great ### Advanzia Gebührenfrei Mastercard Gold 1.0Needs German address registration and a SCHUFA check, none of which exists in week one [Get the Advanzia Gebührenfrei Mastercard Gold](https://www.gebuhrenfrei.com)Annual feeBestFreeEffective APR20.9%Cost abroadNo FX feeGerman 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 requiredMore detailsNetwork?Network The card scheme that moves the payment: Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. It decides where the card is accepted, not who issues it. MastercardFees as of August 2026, verify on the issuer's price list. Key information Annual feeNo annual feeAbroadNo fee on non-euro spendingCashFree cash withdrawalsBest for new arrivals who need a different issuer. Advanzia BankAdvanzia Gebührenfrei Mastercard Gold · Free · 20.9% APRFree#3 by effective apr22.9%Best value ### TF Bank Mastercard Gold 1.0Needs German address registration and a SCHUFA check, none of which exists in week one [Get the TF Bank card](https://tfbank.de/kreditkarte)Annual feeBestFreeEffective APR22.9%Cost abroadNo FX feeGerman 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 requiredMore detailsNetwork?Network The card scheme that moves the payment: Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. It decides where the card is accepted, not who issues it. MastercardFees as of August 2026, verify on the issuer's price list. Key information Annual feeNo annual feeAbroadNo fee on non-euro spendingCashFree cash withdrawalsBest for new arrivals who need a different issuer. TF BankTF Bank Mastercard Gold · Free · 22.9% APRFree**This ranking differs from the general one.** The general page picks **Hanseatic Bank GenialCard**. The reason is the weighting, not new information: **Eligibility** moves from **15%** to **50%** and **Annual fee** moves from **30%** to **15%**. ## Compare two providers Already down to two? Each comparison declares a winner on every criterion that decides the purchase. [Revolut vs N26](/finance/revolut-vs-n26)[C24 Bank vs RevolutC24 Bank issues a German DE IBAN and caps out-of-allowance withdrawals at a flat EUR 2, while Revolut issues a Lithuanian LT IBAN but opens in 0 days without a German tax ID and runs fully in English.](/finance/compare/c24-bank-vs-revolut)[N26 vs C24 BankN26 opens in 0 days without a German tax ID and runs the app, contracts and chat in English, where C24 Bank asks for a tax ID and is German-first.](/finance/compare/n26-vs-c24-bank)[DKB vs INGDKB clears its free-account bar at EUR 700 monthly incoming where ING asks for EUR 1,000, and charges EUR 4.50 instead of EUR 4.90 if you miss it.](/finance/compare/dkb-vs-ing)[comdirect vs DKBcomdirect is free for the first 6 months and then waives its fee on any one of four conditions, where DKB waives only on EUR 700 monthly incoming or being under 28.](/finance/compare/comdirect-vs-dkb)[Sparkasse vs N26N26 wins on price, language and speed: EUR 0 a month, English throughout and open in 0 days with no Anmeldung, against a Sparkasse's EUR 2.95 to EUR 12.95, German only and 1 day after registration.](/finance/compare/sparkasse-vs-n26)[Volksbank vs SparkasseThese two branch networks are close.](/finance/compare/volksbank-vs-sparkasse)[Revolut vs WiseRevolut records EUR 100,000 of deposit protection where the Wise account records none, and allows free withdrawals up to EUR 200 or 5 a month against Wise's 2.](/finance/compare/revolut-vs-wise)[GenialCard vs Advanzia Gebührenfrei GoldBoth cards cost EUR 0 a year with 0% foreign transaction fees, so the split is elsewhere.](/finance/compare/genialcard-vs-advanzia-gebuehrenfrei-gold)[TF Bank Mastercard Gold vs GenialCardBoth are EUR 0 a year with 0% foreign transaction fees.](/finance/compare/tf-bank-mastercard-gold-vs-genialcard)How we ranked this for new arrivals5 criteria, weights publishedA reader we describe as new arrivals is not the average reader, so this page does not use the average weights. **Eligibility** carries **50%** here against **15%** on the general ranking, and **Annual fee** carries **15%** here against **30%** on the general ranking. The weights were fixed on **17 August 2026**, before the prices were collected. ### Criteria weighting Fixed 17 August 2026, before pricing was collectedEligibility*IBAN, address and income checks that rule cards out*****15%50%Annual fee*What holding the card costs every year*****30%15%Cost abroad*FX margin and ATM fees outside the euro area*****25%15%English support*App, contract and helpline language*****10%15%Rewards*Cashback or miles, net of their conditions*****20%5%** General ranking** This pageWeights total 100% on both. A blocker caps any score at 1.0. ## What is ruled out, and why A blocker is not a drawback. It is something that makes the card unobtainable for this reader, however good its terms are otherwise. Blocked for this reader easybank Visa (formerly Barclays Visa)Requires proof of German income, which a new arrival has no payslip for yeteasybank Platinum Double (ex-Barclays Platinum Double)Requires proof of German income, which a new arrival has no payslip for yetAmerican Express Platinum CardRequires proof of German income, which a new arrival has no payslip for yetAmerican Express Gold CardRequires proof of German income, which a new arrival has no payslip for yet ## What you actually need to get a card here A German bank credit card is normally sold with that bank's own **Girokonto**, and a Girokonto wants a **Meldebescheinigung** from the Buergeramt and a **Steuer-Identifikationsnummer**. Both run on appointments, which is what makes the first month the hard one. Commerzbank, Postbank, HypoVereinsbank, comdirect, 1822direkt and the Sparkassen all sit behind that door. The cards on this page do not. They collect the monthly bill by direct debit from any SEPA account, so the account it settles from does not have to be German, and their records state no German income requirement. Identity is confirmed by **VideoIdent**, **eID** or **PostIdent** at a Deutsche Post branch, and the card arrives by post. What none of them skip is the credit bureau. Germany's is **SCHUFA**, every credit card on this page is decided on it, and an empty file is not the same as a good one: the issuer has nothing to score. Starting limits on the fee-free cards are correspondingly small and grow with repayment history. ## Every card we compared [View all 48 cardsThe full market overview: every card from every issuer with its annual fee, APR and cost abroad, filterable and re-rankable.→](/finance/credit-cards-price-research) ## How we compared these Five criteria, weighted for this reader and published above, fixed before the fees were collected. Every fee comes from the issuer's own price list, dated in the catalogue. Of the 48 cards, 7 are obtainable by new arrivals. Sources: the issuers' own German price lists, accessed 18 August 2026. Some links earn a commission at the same rate for every issuer, so no weighting favours a payer. --- Source: https://www.guide-germany.com/finance/credit-cards/best-for-new-arrivals Last updated: n/a Format: LLM-readable Markdown twin (.md) of the canonical HTML page.