Last updated: September 30, 2026. Prices and conditions are current as of this date and can change. Confirm them with the provider before you apply.
- 💳 Real credit cards (Miles & More, American Express, Commerzbank) need a German address, a German bank account and a SCHUFA check. SCHUFA is Germany's credit bureau.
- 📱 Revolut, N26 and bunq issue debit cards with no SCHUFA check. Travel insurance comes only with their paid plans.
- ✈️ Miles & More Gold: €138 per year. The private card earns 1 mile per €2 spent, not per €1. Miles do not expire while the card is active and work across Star Alliance airlines, including LOT Polish Airlines.
- 🛡️ Most card insurance only applies if you pay the trip with the card. Check trip length, excess and sum insured.
- 🏥 Card travel insurance is not German health insurance. It covers trips only.
Most people in Germany pay with a debit card. A credit card with real perks is a product you choose on purpose, and it usually comes with a credit check. Expats usually want three perks: miles that do not expire, travel insurance built into the card and low foreign currency fees.
This guide compares six options: Miles & More Gold, American Express, Commerzbank, Revolut, N26 and bunq. For each you get the cost, the perks and what you need to qualify. Not registered yet? Start with the Anmeldung guide. Choosing an everyday account first? Compare N26 vs Wise vs Revolut or read the guide to English-speaking banks.
- Can Expats Get a Credit Card in Germany?
- Credit Card vs Debit Card in Germany: What Is the Difference?
- Credit Cards With Travel Insurance in Germany: What Is Covered?
- Miles & More Credit Card for Expats: Gold vs Blue
- American Express in Germany: Gold vs Platinum
- Commerzbank Credit Cards: Classic, Gold or Premium?
- Revolut Travel Insurance in Germany: Which Plan Includes It?
- N26 Travel Insurance: Is Go or Metal Worth It?
- bunq Elite in Germany: Travel Insurance and Fees
- Credit Card Comparison Germany: Fees, Perks and Eligibility
- Which Credit Card Should You Choose as an Expat in Germany?
- How to Apply for a Credit Card in Germany Step by Step
- FAQ: Credit Cards for Expats in Germany
- Sources
Can Expats Get a Credit Card in Germany?
Yes, but it depends on the card type. Cards with a credit line need a credit check, and a new arrival has an empty SCHUFA record. Cards without a credit line skip that check. Applications for a card with a credit line usually ask for:
- Age 18 or older and a fixed address in Germany, the one from your Anmeldung.
- A German bank account for the monthly card bill. Commerzbank cards require a Commerzbank account.
- Identity verification online. Miles & More uses a video call with the provider WebID.
- A SCHUFA check. This is the main hurdle for new arrivals.
- Regular income. American Express publishes no fixed minimum income for the Gold Card and reviews each application individually.
- A residence permit for non-EU citizens. Rules differ by provider, so check the application form.
An empty record is not a bad score, but it limits your choice. Revolut, N26 and bunq work without a SCHUFA check.
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Credit Card vs Debit Card in Germany: What Is the Difference?
Four card types exist in Germany. The logo on the card does not tell you which one you have.
You have a credit limit. The full balance is debited once a month. No interest if you pay on time. Examples: American Express, Commerzbank.
You have a credit limit and can repay in installments, with interest. Miles & More offers this option on private cards.
Payments come from your balance immediately. No credit line. Revolut, N26 and bunq belong here.
You load money first. No credit line and usually no credit check.
This matters because many car rental companies and some hotels want a real credit card as a deposit, and debit cards are often refused.
Credit Cards With Travel Insurance in Germany: What Is Covered?
Card insurance is a benefit of the card, not a stand-alone policy. Six points decide whether it helps you:
- Payment condition. Most cards cover only trips paid with the card. Commerzbank Gold is reported to cover you even when you pay another way.
- Trip length. American Express Gold and Commerzbank Gold: 62 days. Revolut Premium and Metal: 30 days. Revolut Ultra: 90 days.
- Excess (the part you pay). Miles & More Gold and American Express Gold: 10 percent, at least €100. Commerzbank Gold: 20 percent, as reported.
- Sum insured. Miles & More Gold: up to €5,000 per trip for cancellation and interruption. Commerzbank Gold: €5,000. N26: up to €10,000.
- Who is covered. On the Miles & More Gold private card, family and up to four companions are covered for cancellation. Travel health covers direct relatives only.
- Exclusions. Cancellation cover generally does not pay for war or an official travel warning. Revolut excludes illnesses that existed at booking.
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Miles & More Credit Card for Expats: Gold vs Blue
This is the Lufthansa card. Its clearest benefit for frequent flyers is that your miles are protected from expiry while you hold it.
- Earn rate. The Business card earns 1 mile per €1, but only on business spending. The card fee earns no miles.
- Miles do not expire while you hold a Gold or Blue card. Normally they expire after 36 months. After cancellation the normal rules return, with a grace period of at least three months after the quarter ends.
- Insurance (Gold only): travel health, cancellation and interruption up to €5,000 per trip (10 percent excess, minimum €100) and supplementary rental car cover. Pay the full trip with the card.
- Extras: Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status, free Wolt+, an Avis discount and two cash withdrawals a year abroad without the 2 percent fee.
- Welcome offer: 4,000 miles and 40 status points until December 31, 2026, if you held no Miles & More card in the last 12 months and have no flyer status. Keep the card 12 months.
- Blue card: €5.50 per month, same earn rate and miles protection, no insurance.
- Issuer: Deutsche Bank since October 1, 2025. Older DKB-era reviews are outdated (Deutsche Bank).
- Eligibility: age 18, sufficient creditworthiness, a free Miles & More account and video identification.
Where the miles work. Miles are not limited to Lufthansa flights:
- Card miles come from your everyday spending and go into the same Miles & More account as your flight miles.
- Flight miles: you earn miles for flights with Lufthansa Group airlines, with the integrated Miles & More partners LOT Polish Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Luxair and ITA Airways, and with other Star Alliance airlines. Add your Miles & More number when you book, and note that not every booking class earns miles.
- Status points: regular points count on all Star Alliance airlines. Qualifying points, which count toward flyer status, come only from Lufthansa Group airlines and the integrated partners, not from other Star Alliance airlines.
- Spending miles: use them for award flights and upgrades. Availability and prices vary by airline and route.
Sources: Miles & More miles and points overview and LOT Polish Airlines on Miles & More.
I use the Lufthansa Miles & More Gold credit card, and the main reason is the travel insurance. It covers me and my family wherever we travel in the world.
The car rental cover paid for the card in a single trip. On a two-week rental in Spain, the rental company offered extended insurance for €10 per day. That would have cost €140 for the rental. The annual fee for the Gold card is €138, so that one holiday already covered the year.
This is one example, not a promise. The rental cover only applies if you pay the full rental with the card, and it is supplementary insurance with its own terms. Read the conditions and check what your rental company offers before you decide.
American Express in Germany: Gold vs Platinum
American Express runs its own points program, Membership Rewards. Both cards are charge cards. Acceptance is lower than for Visa or Mastercard, so many holders carry a second card.
- Insurance: travel health, cancellation and other cover through AXA Partners, mostly only if you paid with the card. Excess up to 10 percent, minimum €100. Travel health covers trips of up to 62 days, or 120 days in total within 12 months.
- Credits: Reviews list partner credits (Sixt, Lodenfrey, Freenow) and a welcome bonus of up to 50,000 points. Promotions change.
- Eligibility: age 18, German address and bank account, regular income, positive SCHUFA check. No published minimum income.
- Insurance: the widest package in Germany, including rental car collision cover, extended luggage cover and private liability abroad.
- Credits: Review sites total them at about €650. After the fee, the net cost is €70 if you use every credit.
- Eligibility: same basics as the Gold Card.
Commerzbank Credit Cards: Classic, Gold or Premium?
Commerzbank sells its cards with a current account. You need the account and online banking to apply, so the cards suit people who already bank there.
- Insurance: travel health, accident, cancellation, interruption and emergency assistance, for trips up to 62 days. Limit €5,000 for cancellation and interruption, with a 20 percent excess, according to reviews.
- Other cards: Classic costs €39.90 per year with no insurance. Premium comes with the PremiumKonto (€12.90 per month, €154.80 per year) as a Mastercard and Visa pair.
- Network: Commerzbank is moving new cards from Mastercard to Visa.
- Account offer: the current account page advertises a €4.90 account management fee, a €100 starting balance and three months without account fees. Conditions apply and the offer can change.
- Eligibility: a Commerzbank current account with online banking, plus a SCHUFA check.
Revolut Travel Insurance in Germany: Which Plan Includes It?
Revolut issues no credit card in Germany. Every card is a debit card, and German IBANs (International Bank Account Numbers) are available since May 2024. Insurance starts with Premium. See also N26 vs Wise vs Revolut.
- Prices: Premium, Metal and Ultra rose on July 9, 2026. Standard is free and Plus costs €2.99. Neither has travel insurance.
- Insurance: medical and dental emergencies, flight delays, lost luggage and, on Premium and Metal, trip interruption. It applies to trips paid with your Revolut account.
- Premium and Metal: personal trips up to 30 days, delays over 8 hours.
- Ultra: trips up to 90 days, delays from 4 hours, business trips and cancellation for any reason (70 percent of costs, up to €5,000 per year).
- Currency: Premium and above include fee-free exchange. Metal adds 1 percent cashback outside Europe.
N26 Travel Insurance: Is Go or Metal Worth It?
N26 issues Mastercard debit cards only. Plans in Germany: Standard (free), Smart (€4.90), Go (€9.90) and Metal (€16.90) per month. Insurance starts with Go.
- Insurance (Allianz Assistance): medical emergencies up to €1 million plus €250 dental, cancellation and interruption up to €10,000 each, luggage €2,000, delays €500, emergency transport €2,300 and personal liability €500,000. Limits and exclusions apply.
- Metal extras: phone insurance up to €2,000, purchase insurance up to €2,500 per claim and one free lounge visit a year (€30 afterwards).
- Fees: foreign currency card payments are free on every plan. Cash outside the euro area costs 1.7 percent on Standard and Smart.
- Eligibility: age 18, residence in a supported country, a compatible smartphone and app identity check.
bunq Elite in Germany: Travel Insurance and Fees
bunq is a Dutch app bank with four private plans: Free (€0), Core (€3.99), Pro (€9.99) and Elite (€18.99) per month. Only Elite includes travel insurance.
- Insurance: a package from Qover on eligible trips. Reviews list up to €2.5 million for travel health.
- Card choice: Mastercard Debit or Mastercard Credit. The Credit version has no credit line, and reports differ on whether rental companies accept it. Ask before you travel.
- Eligibility: app sign-up with identity verification and no SCHUFA check.
Credit Card Comparison Germany: Fees, Perks and Eligibility
Scroll sideways on a small screen. Prices as of September 30, 2026.
Yearly cost for Revolut, N26 and bunq is the monthly price times 12. It covers the whole plan, not only the card.
Which Credit Card Should You Choose as an Expat in Germany?
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How to Apply for a Credit Card in Germany Step by Step
- Register your address. Complete the Anmeldung.
- Open a German bank account. See the banking guide.
- Pick one card that matches your main goal: miles, points, insurance or low fees abroad.
- Apply online. Miles & More uses video identification and shows a virtual card in the app before the physical card arrives. Revolut, N26 and bunq open in the app after an identity check.
- Wait for the credit decision. Avoid parallel applications.
- Read the insurance terms before your first trip.
FAQ: Credit Cards for Expats in Germany
What is the best credit card for expats in Germany?
It depends on your goal. Miles & More Gold suits Lufthansa flyers, American Express suits points collectors, and Revolut, N26 and bunq suit newcomers without a SCHUFA record.
Can I get a credit card in Germany without SCHUFA?
Cards with a credit line need a credit check. Revolut, N26 and bunq work without one, but they are debit cards.
Do Miles & More miles expire?
Normally after 36 months. While you hold an active Gold or Blue card they do not expire. After you cancel, normal expiry returns after a grace period.
Does card insurance replace German health insurance?
No. It covers trips only. Health insurance is mandatory in Germany. See our health insurance guide.
Do I have to pay the trip with the card for the insurance to apply?
For most cards, yes. Commerzbank Gold is reported as an exception. Check your card's terms.
Can I rent a car with a debit card?
Sometimes, but many rental companies require a real credit card for the deposit. Ask before you book.
Does a credit card help me build a SCHUFA record?
Regular spending does not improve it automatically. A German bank account, on-time payments and stable contracts matter. See our SCHUFA guide.
Sources
Prices, plans and insurance terms come from the providers' own pages. Details the providers do not publish in one place, such as some fees and excesses, are marked as reported. Confirm those with the issuer.
- Miles & More Gold Credit Card and Miles & More insurance FAQ
- Deutsche Bank: Miles & More card issuer change
- Miles & More miles and points overview and LOT Polish Airlines on Miles & More
- American Express insurance page
- Commerzbank Gold Credit Card
- Revolut plans and Revolut insurance overview
- N26 plan comparison
- bunq travel insurance and perks
What is your next step? Choose the benefit you care most about, then check that card's eligibility. New to Germany? Register your address and open a bank account first. Feeling overwhelmed? Browse the banking and money directory on FindEnglish.de for English-speaking services.
