The 7 best free credit cards from Visa, Mastercard & American Express

Credit cards are now available from just about every bank, but the fine print can be intimidating and confusing. That’s why we looked at 7 of the most popular free credit cards, compared them with each other and summarized the most important information for you at a glance.

Free credit card: 7 popular cards compared

The biggest advantage of a credit card is that – in contrast to a normal EC card – your account is not charged immediately. The sales are collected and usually debited from the account on a predefined date, the payment term. Installment payments are also possible by gradually balancing the credit card, which can usually be requested and / or set via the app or online banking. It should be noted, however, that interest is due on the amount that has not been settled. Some credit cards also offer bonus benefits, such as free travel insurance or cashback promotions.

Many checking accounts already include credit cards or offer them as an additional option. There are also external banks that also offer credit cards. A monthly or annual basic fee is often due for the use of a credit card, but sometimes they are for free – In our overview we limit ourselves to offers without basic fees. Interest is of course still due here, our term “free of charge” refers to the fact that this does not include any basic fees.

Free credit cards at a glance

Barclays Visa credit card

The Visa card from Barclays, formerly Barclaycard, is an all-rounder among the free credit cards. You do not pay a basic fee here permanently. Billing takes place via your existing current account, which you can easily link to the card. You can also use the Barclays Visa to pay and withdraw cash free of charge anywhere in the world. The only catch is that you have to withdraw at least 50 euros, since no fees are charged for this, this is negligible in our eyes. Contactless payment via Apple Pay and Google Pay works fine.

Conclusion: The Barclays Visa is particularly worthwhile if you travel a lot, as you can withdraw money worldwide and pay with your card free of charge. Since there are otherwise no additional fees, we can unreservedly recommend the Barclaycard.

How to add your Barclays Visa to Apple Pay can be seen in the following video:

Hanseatic Genial Card

Also the Visa credit card from Hanseatic Bank is permanently free. With the Genial Card from Hanseatic it is possible to withdraw money free of charge worldwide. Your existing checking account can be easily linked to your credit card, Google Pay and Apple Pay are also compatible. There is also a cashback program so you can secure up to 5 percent cashback with travel partners.

Conclusion: We can unreservedly recommend the Hanseatic credit card. Especially since this card does not incur any fees for withdrawing cash or paying in a foreign currency and it is permanently free.

Germany credit card

the Visa credit card “Germany credit card” is also issued by the Hanseatic Bank and is also permanently free. With this credit card it is also possible to withdraw money free of charge worldwide. A new checking account is not necessary, the credit card can be linked to an existing checking account. Google Pay and Apple Pay are also compatible. There is also a cashback program, which is similar to that of the Genial Card.

Conclusion: We can also unreservedly recommend the Germany credit card from Hanseatic Bank. Since this card does not incur any fees for withdrawing cash or paying in foreign currency and it is permanently free.

In the following video we show you how to add a credit card to Google Pay:

Amex Blue American Express credit card

For the Amex Blue Credit card does not pay you an annual fee permanently. In addition, you do not need to open an extra account and simply connect the credit card account to your existing checking account. The credit card is closed Apple Pay compatible. American Express also promises access to special deals, exclusive events and tickets. However, the disadvantages should not be neglected. You pay very high fees when you want to withdraw cash. Both at home and abroad you have to pay 4 percent or at least 5 euros. The foreign currency fee also adds up to 2 percent and if you want to participate in the Membership Rewards program, it costs an additional 30 euros per year. Another disadvantage: Amex credit cards are not as widely accepted in Germany as Visa and Mastercard.

Conclusion: If you are only looking for a credit card that you can use for contactless payments within the EU, it is worthwhile Amex Blue, because you through the 35 euros starting credit makes a small profit. The bottom line is that other credit cards are more recommendable because of the low acceptance of American Express.

DKB Visa credit card

Also with the Visa credit card from DKB the basic fee is permanently omitted. Withdrawing money worldwide free of charge and paying in foreign currencies without additional costs is also possible here. Apple Pay and Google Pay are supported as well as convenient online banking and a cashback program with attractive partners such as Lufthansa and Booking.com is included. The biggest disadvantage in our eyes, however, is that you can only apply for the DKB credit card in combination with a DKB current account and certain conditions, such as the elimination of fees for payments in foreign currency, only apply if a monthly salary is received.

Conclusion: Anyone looking for a new bank anyway and would like to open a new current account is in good hands with the DKB. The credit card itself is completely free.

Klarna

In the Klarna Visa credit card There are also no annual or foreign currency fees. You can link your own current account with the card, you have the possibility Apple Pay and Google Pay to use. The free Klarna app is also very clear. One negative point is that cash withdrawals are not possible, the Klarna credit card is one pure payment card.

Conclusion: If you don’t have to withdraw cash with her and only use your credit card for cashless payments anyway, the Klarna credit card is a good option.

Consors Finanz Mastercard credit card

the Mastercard from Consors Finanz is also totally free of charge and there are no annual or foreign currency fees. Apple Pay and Google Pay are supported. If you choose to pay in installments with partners like notebooksbilliger.de, you will conclude a contract with Consors Bank and receive the Mastercard. Negative point: Free cash withdrawals are only possible from 300 euros, including a fee of 3.95 euros at.

Conclusion: The credit card itself can easily be accepted with a planned installment payment, as is usual with NBB. Ideally, if zero percent financing is offered, because the card itself is completely free. However, we would advise against using it for any other purpose due to the immediately accruing borrowing interest. After paying off the installments, the card can easily be canceled.

The best free credit cards are from Visa

Especially the three credit cards Barclays Visa, Awesome card and the Germany credit card of the Hanseatic Bank we can recommend without reservation. These are particularly suitable for people who travel frequently in other EU countries and have to pay in a foreign currency and withdraw money, as there are no costs for any of the services.

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