What does revolving mean on a credit card?

Revolving (instalment payment) means you repay the outstanding balance not in full but in monthly instalments. Interest accrues on the amount not settled.

How do I avoid interest with instalment payments?

By settling the full amount on time. Use instalments only deliberately and keep an eye on the effective annual interest rate.

Credit Cards With Instalments 2026

True credit cards with an instalment feature (revolving) let you settle the outstanding amount in instalments rather than all at once. That creates flexibility but comes with interest. The effective annual interest rate is decisive – paying in full and on time avoids interest costs.

Who is it for?

For users who occasionally value repayment flexibility – with awareness of the instalment interest involved.

What to look out for

Compare the effective annual interest rate (instalment) closely
Flexibility on instalments and early repayment
Avoid interest costs by paying in full where possible
Note the credit line and credit requirements

At a glance

Cards compared: 21
Issuers: 13
Card types: 21 credit cards with revolving option
Networks: Visa (13), Mastercard (8)
No annual fee: 13 of 21; otherwise €24 to €138 per year
No foreign transaction fee: 15 of 21; otherwise 1.5% to 2.99%
With revolving credit option: 21 of 21; APR 10.05% to 25.79%
With travel insurance: 11 of 21
No SCHUFA check: 1 of 21

Calculated automatically from the current card data in this comparison.

Recommendations compared

Hanseatic Bank GenialCard – Popular fee-free credit card with free cash withdrawals abroad. Score: 8.9/10 (Very good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.2/10
Easybank Credit Card – Flexible credit card with no account requirement — successor to the Barclays Visa. Score: 8.7/10 (Very good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.8/10
Deutschland-Kreditkarte Classic – Well-known free Visa credit card with no account requirement, recommended by Stiftung Warentest. Score: 8.7/10 (Very good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.7/10
Bank Norwegian Visa – The all-round fee-free travel credit card with no extra checking account. Score: 8.6/10 (Very good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: +€15 · Rating: 9.4/10
awa7 Visa – Sustainable free credit card — a tree is planted for every payment. Score: 8.6/10 (Very good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.4/10
GMX WEB.Cent Credit Card (Mastercard Gold) – Free gold credit card with travel insurance and free worldwide withdrawals. Score: 8.6/10 (Very good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: +€20 · Rating: 8.2/10
TF Bank Mastercard Gold – Free travel credit card with included travel insurance and a long payment period. Score: 8.5/10 (Very good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 9.2/10
Advanzia Gebührenfrei Mastercard Gold – Permanently free genuine credit card with travel insurance — ideal when repaid in full each month. Score: 8.4/10 (Very good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.3/10
Openbank BestCard Smart – Shopping credit card from Openbank (formerly Santander) – no foreign currency fee, with purchase protection and 4 free withdrawals per month. Score: 8.1/10 (Very good) · Annual fee: €24 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.2/10
Consors Finanz Mastercard – Free Mastercard with no foreign currency fee and flexible repayment: now, later or in instalments. Score: 8.0/10 (Good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.0/10
Openbank BestCard Extra – Credit card with insurance package and 6 free withdrawals abroad per month. Score: 7.6/10 (Good) · Annual fee: €58.80 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.2/10
Openbank BestCard Premium – Premium card with extensive insurance and 8 free withdrawals worldwide per month. Score: 7.2/10 (Good) · Annual fee: €118.80 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.0/10
Amazon Visa – Credit card for Amazon fans – 1 point per euro at Amazon, instalments available. Score: 7.1/10 (Good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 6.6/10
Openbank BestCard Basic – Free credit card from Openbank (formerly Santander) – instalments preset, full payment selectable. Score: 7.0/10 (Fair) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.2/10
easybank Credit Card Platinum – Premium travel credit card with a full insurance package and 0% foreign currency fee worldwide. Score: 7.0/10 (Fair) · Annual fee: €99 · Bonus: — · Rating: 7.9/10
Hilton Honors Credit Card – Hotel credit card with Gold status, Hilton Honors points and no foreign currency fee for €6 a month. Score: 6.9/10 (Fair) · Annual fee: €72 · Bonus: 50,000 points · Rating: 7.0/10
Hanseatic Bank Goldcard – Gold credit card with travel insurance and fee-free withdrawals worldwide for €4.90 a month. Score: 6.9/10 (Fair) · Annual fee: €58.80 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.0/10
Instabank Credit Card – Visa credit card without a SCHUFA check, with a high credit limit and a comparatively low rate, from age 23. Score: 6.6/10 (Fair) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 6.8/10
Extra Karte Mastercard – Free Mastercard with an instalment option and up to 8 weeks interest-free. Score: 6.0/10 (Fair) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 6.2/10
Miles & More Gold Credit Card – Collect miles for flights with comprehensive travel cover. Score: 5.3/10 (Adequate) · Annual fee: €138 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.5/10
Miles & More Gold Credit Card Business – The miles card for business spending and travel. Score: 7.3/10 (Good) · Annual fee: €138 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.4/10

All information without guarantee (continuously updated). Conditions may change – the provider's details are always decisive.

Frequently asked questions

What does revolving mean on a credit card?: Revolving (instalment payment) means you repay the outstanding balance not in full but in monthly instalments. Interest accrues on the amount not settled.
How do I avoid interest with instalment payments?: By settling the full amount on time. Use instalments only deliberately and keep an eye on the effective annual interest rate.

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