How to choose a travel credit card in Germany

If you want one easy answer, start with the TF Bank Mastercard Gold. Among travel credit cards in Germany, it leads our list for a simple reason: no annual fee, a 0% foreign transaction fee, and travel insurance included when you pay at least half your trip with the card. That combination keeps costs near zero whether you book flights at home or tap your card abroad. Below you'll find a comparison table of six cards, a closer look at the top four, and plain guidance on how to match a card to the way you actually travel.

The best travel credit cards in Germany, card by card

TF Bank Mastercard Gold

The TF Bank Mastercard Gold suits anyone who wants a travel card without paying for the privilege. There's no annual fee and a 0% foreign transaction fee, so card payments abroad cost you nothing extra on the exchange. You also get travel insurance and travel cancellation insurance, as long as you pay at least 50% of the travel costs with the card. The purchase rate is 22.6% p.a. (effective 25.09% on €1,000 over 12 months), and you get up to 51 days interest-free when you pay the bill in full. The catch: carrying a balance is expensive, so treat it as a pay-in-full card and let the insurance do the heavy lifting.

Bank Norwegian Visa

The Bank Norwegian Visa covers the same low-cost ground with a small sweetener. No annual fee, a 0% foreign transaction fee, and both travel insurance and trip cancellation insurance are included. New customers get a €15 welcome bonus after the first purchase within 45 days of opening the account, and the credit limit can reach €10,000. You get up to 44 days interest-free, slightly fewer than the TF Bank card. The purchase rate is 21.99% p.a. (effective 24.4% on €1,500 over 12 months). Confirm the welcome offer is still live on the card's page before you apply, since these change.

Miles & More MyFlex Credit Card

If you fly Lufthansa group airlines and want to pool miles, the Miles & More MyFlex Credit Card earns 1 Miles & More mile for every €2 spent, with no annual fee. You can spend miles directly through MilesPay, and repay in instalments of at least 10% or €50 of your spending. The purchase rate is 15.9% p.a., the lowest in this group. One thing to weigh: the foreign transaction fee is 1.95%, so this card earns miles well at home but costs more than the fee-free cards when you pay in another currency. Best kept for domestic and euro spending if you want to collect miles cheaply.

Eurowings Kreditkarte Classic

The Eurowings Kreditkarte Classic from easybank is built for regular Eurowings passengers. It earns 1 Miles & More mile for every €2 spent, and miles stay valid for 36 months. Perks include fastlane security access at five large German airports and free sports equipment on Eurowings flights, plus travel cancellation and interruption insurance. The sign-up offer gives new customers 1,500 Miles & More welcome miles, up to 15% off SIXT car hire and 10% off Eurowings Holidays when the card is used within six weeks, running until 30 November 2026. It costs €29 a year, cut to €14.50 in the first year, and the foreign transaction fee is 1.99%. Worth it if the Eurowings perks match your trips, less so if they don't.

How to choose a travel card in Germany for the way you travel

Read the table from two columns first: annual fee and foreign transaction fee. For most travellers in Germany, those two numbers decide more than any perk. Three of these cards charge no annual fee at all, and four charge 0% on foreign transactions. If you spend abroad often, a 1.95% or 1.99% fee quietly adds up on every purchase, so a fee-free card like the TF Bank Mastercard Gold or the Bank Norwegian Visa usually wins on cost.

The trade-off is rewards. The miles and points cards (Miles & More MyFlex, Eurowings Classic and the PAYBACK Visa) give you something back on spending, but two of them carry a foreign transaction fee and two carry an annual fee. That only pays off if you actually redeem the miles or points, and if your spending leans toward the airline or programme behind the card. Match the card to the brand you already use. If you book Eurowings and want fastlane access, the Eurowings card earns its fee. If you fly nobody in particular, a free card with travel insurance is the cleaner choice.

One more practical point: several of these are charge cards. The DKB Visa Kreditkarte and the BW-Bank PAYBACK Visa Kreditkarte collect the full bill each month, and the DKB card needs a DKB current account. Check that requirement before you apply.

How we picked these cards

This shortlist comes from the 28 travel cards Woodo lists for Germany, narrowed to six and shown in Woodo's ranked order. The ranking basis is estimated yearly rewards on a typical spending mix, minus the annual fee; cards that publish no reward rates follow, cheapest annual fee first. All figures were recorded on 18 October 2026, and terms change, so always confirm the current details on each card's page before applying. No issuer pays Woodo for placement, and no issuer can move a card up the list. You can see the full set, filter and sort them, on the travel card comparison for Germany.

Your next step

Pick the two cards that best fit how you travel, then compare them side by side on the full card comparison for Germany and confirm the current fees and offers before you apply. If you're not sure which spending category dominates your month, uploading a few recent statements to Woodo shows where your money actually goes, and that's usually what decides whether a miles card or a fee-free card is right for you.

FAQ

Which travel credit card in Germany has no annual fee?

Three cards on this list charge no annual fee: the TF Bank Mastercard Gold, the Bank Norwegian Visa and the Miles & More MyFlex Credit Card. All three are free to hold year after year. The TF Bank and Bank Norwegian cards also charge a 0% foreign transaction fee and include travel insurance, which makes them strong low-cost all-rounders. The Miles & More card earns 1 mile per €2 spent but carries a 1.95% foreign transaction fee, so it suits domestic and euro spending better than travel abroad. Always check the card's page, since fees can change after the recorded date.

Do these cards charge a fee when I spend abroad?

It depends on the card. The TF Bank Mastercard Gold, Bank Norwegian Visa, BW-Bank PAYBACK Visa Kreditkarte and DKB Visa Kreditkarte all charge a 0% foreign transaction fee, so card payments abroad cost nothing extra. The Miles & More MyFlex Credit Card charges 1.95%, and the Eurowings Kreditkarte Classic charges 1.99%. If you pay in other currencies often, those percentages add up on every purchase, so a fee-free card usually saves more than a miles card earns. For frequent travellers, the foreign transaction fee is the first number to check.

How do I earn and use miles with these cards?

Two cards earn Miles & More miles: the Miles & More MyFlex Credit Card and the Eurowings Kreditkarte Classic both give 1 mile for every €2 spent. The MyFlex card lets you spend miles directly through MilesPay, and on the Eurowings card miles stay valid for 36 months. The BW-Bank PAYBACK Visa Kreditkarte earns PAYBACK points instead, 1 point per €5 spent, and those points do not expire. Miles and points only pay off when you actually redeem them, so choose the programme you already use for flights or shopping.

Is there an income requirement to get a travel card in Germany?

The card data here doesn't list a specific income figure for these cards. What it does show is eligibility conditions worth noting. The DKB Visa Kreditkarte requires a DKB current account, and both it and the BW-Bank PAYBACK Visa Kreditkarte are charge cards, meaning the full bill is collected monthly from your account. Issuers run their own credit checks and no card guarantees approval. Before applying, read the card's page for the current requirements and make sure you can meet any account condition, like holding a current account with the same bank.

How long do the sign-up offers last?

Several offers have deadlines. The Eurowings Kreditkarte Classic gives 1,500 welcome miles plus SIXT and Eurowings Holidays discounts when used within six weeks, running until 30 November 2026. The DKB Visa Kreditkarte pays a €30 bonus after three payments of €5 or more within six weeks, until 31 December 2026. The Bank Norwegian Visa pays a €15 bonus after your first purchase within 45 days of opening the account. Offers change often and can end early, so confirm the current deal on the card's own page before you apply.

Which travel card is best if I mostly spend abroad?

For spending abroad, prioritise a 0% foreign transaction fee, which points you to the TF Bank Mastercard Gold or the Bank Norwegian Visa. Both are free to hold and both include travel insurance, so your costs stay close to zero on overseas purchases. The TF Bank card gives up to 51 days interest-free when paid in full and covers travel insurance once you pay at least 50% of a trip with the card. The Bank Norwegian Visa adds a €15 welcome bonus. Avoid the miles cards for heavy foreign spending, since their 1.95% and 1.99% fees erode the rewards.

What's the difference between a charge card and a credit card here?

A charge card collects the full balance from your account each month, so you can't carry a balance or pay interest on purchases. The DKB Visa Kreditkarte and BW-Bank PAYBACK Visa Kreditkarte work this way. The other cards let you repay in instalments: the TF Bank Mastercard Gold allows instalments of at least 3% of the balance (minimum €30), and the Miles & More MyFlex card allows at least 10% or €50. Carrying a balance means interest, with purchase rates from 15.9% p.a. upward, so pay in full whenever you can.

What should I check before applying for a travel card in Germany?

Check four things: the annual fee, the foreign transaction fee, any account requirement, and the current sign-up offer. For example, the DKB Visa Kreditkarte needs a DKB current account, and some offers expire at the end of 2026. Then match the card to your habits. If you fly Eurowings, the Eurowings Kreditkarte Classic perks are relevant; if you don't, a fee-free card with travel insurance like the TF Bank Mastercard Gold is simpler. Confirm every figure on the card's page before applying, because terms recorded on 18 October 2026 may have shifted.