Top 5 German Credit Cards (2024)

FAQs

What is the most popular credit card in Germany? ›

Visa and Mastercard credit cards, which are the most popular credit cards in Germany, with American Express credit cards being the least, are widely accepted and can offer specific benefits that may be of use to you.

The best credit card overall is the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card because it gives 2% cash rewards on all purchases and has a $0 annual fee. For comparison purposes, the average cash rewards card in 2024 gives about 1% back.

What is the most prestigious credit card? One of the world's most prestigious credit cards is the Centurion® Card from American Express*. Though there may be other cards with more elaborate benefits, those cards are kept well under wraps.

Before we get started, it's important to realise that regardless of whether you have a debit card (the most popular debit card in Germany is a girocard) or a credit card, both will allow you to make cashless payments and withdraw money from ATMs while abroad.

American credit cards work throughout Europe (at hotels, larger shops and restaurants, travel agencies, car-rental agencies, and so on); Visa and MasterCard are the most widely accepted. American Express is less common, and the Discover card is unknown in Europe.

German shoppers have a marked preference for paying with debit cards. When it comes to credit card options, charge credit cards are fairly common. These cards can be used throughout the month and only charge the account after 30 days.

First Progress Platinum Elite Secured Mastercard: The First Progress Platinum Elite Secured Mastercard requires no credit history or minimum credit score for approval. Your security deposit is refundable, and the card is accepted nationwide.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

A rating of 5 is the best a card can receive. Why We Like It: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best credit card for people with excellent credit who want a big initial bonus, a high credit limit and solid ongoing rewards.

The American Express Centurion Card, colloquially known as the Black Card, is a charge card issued by American Express. It is reserved for the company's wealthiest clients who meet certain net worth, credit quality, and spending requirements on its gateway card, the Platinum Card.

What is the hardest card to get in the world? ›

Why it's one of the hardest credit cards to get: The hardest credit card to get is the American Express Centurion Card. Known simply as the “Black Card,” you need an invitation to get Amex Centurion.

The World Elite Mastercard is Mastercard's top-tier card program out of the trio it offers (the other two being the World Mastercard and the Mastercard). The program's benefits are generally geared toward improving hotel stays with things like rate guarantees and free upgrades at three-star hotels and up.

The PAYBACK American Express card is probably one of the best credit cards in Germany for reward collection. Only the paid American Express alternatives offer more (see comparison here): PAYBACK points: Customers collect 1 PAYBACK point for every 3 Euros spent with their credit card.

Deutsche Bank: As per the total assets acquired, this tops the list in the ranking. At the same time, this is the leading bank of all private banks in Germany. As per the last report of 2021, Deutsche Bank has acquired total assets of €1.324 trillion.

It replaced the Eurocheque card, but in everyday usage, it is still referred to incorrectly as the "EC card". The girocard is the most widely used cashless payment method in Germany. It is issued by the bank or savings bank when a current account is opened. Cardholders can use it to pay and withdraw money in Germany.

Credit cards are widely-used across Germany and are a popular means of payment in shops, restaurants, and other commercial establishments. Wise is a great alternative to credit cards when travelling to Germany, offering competitive exchange rates, low fees, and real-time spending notifications.

In Germany, the girocard is the most widely used and accepted payment card for cashless payments.

Visa is Europe's biggest payment brand...

For instance, credit cards and prepaid cards issued across the European continent were used for nearly 97 billion transactions in 2019. Nearly 60 percent of all these transactions were done with Visa general purpose cards, while MasterCard made up for 39 percent of the market.

For smooth use of your debit and credit cards, make sure to: Know your cards. For credit cards, Visa and MasterCard are universal, while American Express and Discover are less common. US debit cards with a Visa or MasterCard logo will work in any European ATM.