What Do Credit Cards Cost in Germany? (2026)
Germany's fee-free credit cards genuinely cost EUR 0 a year: the Hanseatic Bank GenialCard, the Advanzia Gebührenfrei Mastercard Gold, the TF Bank Mastercard Gold, the Bank Norwegian Visa, the awa7 Visa and the easybank Visa charge nothing in the first year and nothing on renewal. The cost sits elsewhere. Several of them repay by instalment unless you intervene, and the easybank Visa charges EUR 2 a month if you want the full balance collected by direct debit. Every figure below comes from the issuers' own German price lists.
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What Does a German Credit Card Cost a Year?
Annual fees split cleanly into two groups. The standalone issuers, the ones that sell a card without selling you an account, charge EUR 0: Hanseatic Bank, Advanzia, TF Bank, Bank Norwegian, easybank and awa7 all do. The branch banks and the premium networks charge, from EUR 39 for a Deutsche Bank Mastercard Standard and EUR 39.90 for a Commerzbank ClassicKreditkarte up to EUR 720 for an American Express Platinum Card.
Read the fee alongside the two charges that follow it. A card with no annual fee and 1.85% on every non-euro purchase can cost more over a year than one with a fee and 0% worldwide.
| Card | Annual fee | Non-euro spending | Cash withdrawals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanseatic Bank GenialCard | EUR 0 | 0% worldwide | Free abroad, a fee applies at German ATMs |
| Advanzia Gebührenfrei Mastercard Gold | EUR 0 | 0% worldwide | Free |
| TF Bank Mastercard Gold | EUR 0 | 0% worldwide | Free |
| Bank Norwegian Visa | EUR 0 | 0% worldwide | Free |
| easybank Visa | EUR 0 | 0% worldwide | Free |
| awa7 Visa | EUR 0 | 0% worldwide | Free |
| Deutschland-Kreditkarte Classic | EUR 0 | 0% worldwide | Free |
| PAYBACK American Express | EUR 0 | 2% on non-euro | 4%, minimum EUR 5 |
| Hanseatic Bank GoldCard | EUR 0 first year, then EUR 58.80 | 0% worldwide | Free |
| Targobank Online-Classic-Karte | EUR 0 | 1.85% plus a 2% exchange-rate surcharge | Free at Targobank, otherwise 3.5%, minimum EUR 5.95 |
| Deutsche Bank Mastercard Standard | EUR 39 | 1.75%, minimum EUR 1.50 | 2.5%, minimum EUR 5.75 |
| Commerzbank ClassicKreditkarte | EUR 39.90 | 1.75% plus 0.59% conversion | 1.95%, minimum EUR 5.98 |
| American Express Gold Card | EUR 240 | 2% on non-euro | 4%, minimum EUR 5 |
| American Express Platinum Card | EUR 720 | 2% on non-euro | 4%, minimum EUR 5 |
What Do Cash Withdrawals Cost?
A withdrawal is priced separately from a purchase, and on a bank-issued card it is the most expensive thing the card does. American Express takes 4% with a EUR 5 minimum, Deutsche Bank 2.5% with a EUR 5.75 minimum, Commerzbank 1.95% with a EUR 5.98 minimum, and Targobank 3.5% with a EUR 5.95 minimum once you leave its own machines.
The fee-free issuers are the exception: Advanzia, TF Bank, Bank Norwegian, easybank, awa7 and the Hanseatic Bank GoldCard charge EUR 0 to withdraw. The GenialCard is free abroad but charges at German cash machines, so check its Preisverzeichnis before you use it at home. For everyday cash in Germany the girocard on your Girokonto is the cheaper tool.
What Does Non-Euro Spending Cost?
German price lists call this the Auslandseinsatzentgelt. On the fee-free cards it is simply 0% worldwide, on the GenialCard, the Advanzia Gold, the TF Bank Gold, the Bank Norwegian Visa, the easybank Visa, the awa7 Visa and the Deutschland-Kreditkarte Classic alike.
The banks charge. Deutsche Bank takes 1.75% with a EUR 1.50 minimum, Commerzbank 1.75% plus a 0.59% conversion fee on the ECB reference rate, American Express 2% on non-euro, and Targobank 1.85% plus a 2% exchange-rate surcharge, which its own listing puts at 3.85% in practice. Miles & More cards take 1.95%.
Which Free Cards Are Not Really Free?
Three cards carry a cost that no fee table shows, because it is buried in how the card settles. The easybank Visa is free only if you accept the partial-repayment default: having 100% of the balance collected by direct debit costs EUR 2 a month. The Advanzia Gebührenfrei Mastercard Gold runs no automatic full direct debit at all, so unless you actively transfer the whole amount each month only the minimum is taken and the rest carries interest. The TF Bank Mastercard Gold defaults to partial repayment and offers no direct-debit full settlement either.
Two more work the same way by design. The Miles & More Credit Card Myflex keeps instalment repayment permanently active, and the PAYBACK Visa arrives with 10% partial repayment pre-set. On all of them the fix is the same: set the repayment share to 100% in the app on day one, or diarise a manual transfer for the statement date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there genuinely free credit cards in Germany?
Yes. The Hanseatic Bank GenialCard, the Advanzia Gebührenfrei Mastercard Gold, the TF Bank Mastercard Gold, the Bank Norwegian Visa, the awa7 Visa and the Deutschland-Kreditkarte Classic each charge EUR 0 in the first year and EUR 0 on renewal.
Why do cash withdrawals cost more than card payments?
A withdrawal is priced separately from a purchase, and on the bank-issued cards it is the most expensive thing the card does. American Express charges 4% with a EUR 5 minimum, Deutsche Bank 2.5% with a EUR 5.75 minimum and Commerzbank 1.95% with a EUR 5.98 minimum. Several of the fee-free cards charge nothing.
Can I avoid the fee on non-euro spending?
Yes. Most of Germany's fee-free cards apply 0% worldwide, including non-euro purchases. The branch banks are where the charge sits: 1.75% at Deutsche Bank, 1.75% plus a 0.59% conversion fee at Commerzbank, and 1.85% plus a 2% exchange-rate surcharge at Targobank.
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