Free Credit Cards 2026

A free credit card has no annual base fee. That saves real money without giving up the benefits of a full credit card. Watch the extra costs, though: foreign currency and ATM fees can make a supposedly free card expensive in everyday use.

Who is it for?

For anyone who wants a credit card without ongoing fixed costs – ideal as a second card, for online shopping or occasional use.

What to look out for

  • No annual fee (permanently, not just the first year)
  • Low or no foreign currency fee for use abroad
  • Check for free cash withdrawals
  • Acceptance: Visa and Mastercard are most widely accepted

At a glance

  • Cards compared: 31
  • Issuers: 28
  • Card types: 13 credit cards with revolving option, 5 charge cards (pay in full), 12 debit cards, 1 prepaid card
  • Networks: Visa (17), Mastercard (11), Visa or Mastercard (1), American Express (2)
  • No annual fee: 31 of 31
  • No foreign transaction fee: 16 of 31; otherwise 0.35% to 2.99%
  • With revolving credit option: 13 of 31; APR 16.72% to 25.09%
  • With travel insurance: 4 of 31
  • No SCHUFA check: 7 of 31

Calculated automatically from the current card data in this comparison.

Recommendations compared

  1. Trade Republic Card – Debit card for the Trade Republic account with 1% Saveback into your savings plan. Score: 9.5/10 (Excellent) · Top rated · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.6/10
  2. Consors Credit Card Gold Light – Free credit card with the Consorsbank account and fee-free withdrawals worldwide. Score: 9.2/10 (Excellent) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 9.4/10
  3. C24 Smart Debit Card – Free debit card with the C24 Smart account and fee-free payments worldwide. Score: 9.2/10 (Excellent) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.4/10
  4. DKB Visa Debit Card – Popular debit card with the DKB account — free for active customers. Score: 9.1/10 (Excellent) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.2/10
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. Klarna Card – Free Visa debit card with no foreign currency fee, ideal for online shopping. Score: 8.6/10 (Very good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.0/10
  11. 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
  12. Revolut Standard – Digital debit card with real-time exchange rates for travel and online payments. Score: 8.5/10 (Very good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.0/10
  13. N26 Standard – Free mobile account with debit card and a German IBAN. Score: 8.5/10 (Very good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 7.4/10
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. Wise Debit Card – Multi-currency debit card with a fair exchange rate — ideal for travel and foreign payments. Score: 8.0/10 (Good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 9.0/10
  17. 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
  18. bunq Free Prepaid Mastercard – Virtual prepaid Mastercard on a balance basis – without Schufa. Score: 7.8/10 (Good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.0/10
  19. Norisbank Credit Card Standard – Credit card with the Norisbank account — free for active customers, fee-free in euros. Score: 7.7/10 (Good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.0/10
  20. ING Visa Card – Solid Visa debit card with the ING checking account and a German IBAN. Score: 7.4/10 (Good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.5/10
  21. Consors Visa Debit – Free debit card with the Consorsbank account and a German IBAN. Score: 7.4/10 (Good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.2/10
  22. Tomorrow Visa Debit Card – Sustainable Now account with Visa debit - EUR 0 with EUR 500+ monthly deposit, otherwise up to EUR 4.90. Score: 7.3/10 (Good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.2/10
  23. Comdirect Visa Debit Card – Debit card with the Comdirect account, German IBAN and a free checking account. Score: 7.2/10 (Good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 6.8/10
  24. Curve Pay – Proxy card: all your cards in one — with a Go Back in Time feature and Apple/Google Pay integration. Score: 7.2/10 (Good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 7.4/10
  25. 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
  26. PAYBACK American Express Card – Collect points with no annual fee – ideal for PAYBACK fans. Score: 7.1/10 (Good) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: 4,000 points · Rating: 8.3/10
  27. American Express Blue Card – Free Amex with Amex Offers and optional Membership Rewards — note the limited acceptance. Score: 7.0/10 (Fair) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: +€25 · Rating: 6.8/10
  28. 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
  29. 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
  30. 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
  31. Moss Credit Mastercard – Business credit card with spend control – Starter with no base fee. Score: 9.4/10 (Excellent) · Annual fee: €0 · Bonus: — · Rating: 8.3/10

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

Related guides: Credit card fees and how to avoid them · How to apply for a credit card in Germany · Types of credit cards in Germany explained

Frequently asked questions

Are free credit cards really free?
The annual fee is waived, but there can be extra costs – such as foreign currency fees or cash withdrawal charges. It's always worth checking the provider's price list.
What should I look out for with a free card?
A permanent €0 annual fee (not just the first year), low foreign transaction fees and fair instalment terms. The provider's conditions are always decisive.

Which card suits you best?

Use your personal usage profile to calculate the real annual cost of every card.

Go to the calculator