Credit cards in Germany: types and how to compare offers

In brief

Not every credit card is a loan. With a charge card, a month’s spending is debited from your current account in one go; no interest is charged before that. With a revolving card you pay in instalments, and that can become very expensive (1)(2).

Warning! Borrowing money costs money. Use instalment payments only if you can pay them even in a bad month.

This page explains terms and steps. We do not advise whether to get a credit card or which one; the decision is yours.

Compare credit cards

We do not broker credit cards. The intermediary is the provider named in the calculator. The calculator is in German; the terms in the tables will help you fill it in.

Types of cards

What to prepare

What to look at

• Annual fee (Jahresgebühr). Credit cards usually cost a monthly or annual fee, “gold” cards more (1).
• Cash. Withdrawing cash in Germany with a credit card can cost considerable fees. Abroad, paying and withdrawing is often cheaper than with a Girocard, sometimes free (1).
• Instalments (Teilzahlung). Check whether only part of the balance is debited. Advertising such as “fee-free” (gebührenfrei) can hide the interest costs (2).
• Overview. With revolving cards it is easy to lose track of how much you actually owe (2).

Steps

1. Think about what you need the card for and whether a debit card with your current account is enough (1).
2. Have the details from the table ready.
3. In the calculator above, compare the annual fee and the fees for cash and use abroad. You enter the details yourself.
4. Check whether it is a charge or a revolving card and whether you can pay the full amount every month (1)(2).
5. Save the blocking hotline 116 116, from abroad +49 116 116 (3).
6. Check every statement and report unknown transactions to your bank immediately (1)(3).

Your rights in brief

• If you took due care, the bank usually reimburses losses from misuse, minus a deductible of at most 50 euros. In case of gross negligence or intent it is not liable (1).
• The bank must in principle refund unauthorised payments promptly. If it disputes this, it must prove that you authorised the payment or acted with gross negligence (3).
• After three wrong PIN entries the card is usually blocked (1).
• From 20 November 2026 new rules apply to consumer credit, including a warning in advertising (4).

Please note

This page provides general information and points to a comparison. We do not advise, do not broker credit cards and do not recommend any specific bank. You fill in the comparison yourself and conclude the contract directly with the bank. If you sign a contract through the comparison, we may receive a commission. If you have debt problems, a local debt advice service (Schuldnerberatung) can help.

Sources (checked 11 October 2026, in German)

1. BaFin – Zahlungskarten
2. Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg – Schuldenfalle Revolving-Kreditkarten (as of 12 Apr 2023)
3. Verbraucherzentrale – Kreditkartenbetrug und Kontobetrug: Das können Sie jetzt tun (as of 21 Apr 2026)
4. LTO – Bundestag beschließt Gesetz zu Verbraucherkrediten (17 Apr 2026)