Free credit cards are the trend in times of rising fees. FOCUS Online presents two payment cards that lure with premiums of up to 45 euros.
As a convenient means of payment, the credit card has become an indispensable part of everyday life. Pay for weekend shopping with the debit card, which is debited immediately, or conveniently book a hotel room by credit card and only pay at the end of the month – that’s no problem with a Visa card or Mastercard. Banks lure, often in combination with current accounts, with free credit cards, attractive added value and lucrative partner programs. FOCUS Online presents two free credit cards, with which new customers even receive bonuses of up to 45 euros, and says what you should look out for as a customer with a credit card.
With Bank Norwegian’s free Visa card, customers can withdraw cash domestically or internationally with no fee, no foreign currency fee and users get comprehensive travel insurance. The insurance cover applies as soon as at least half of the cost of the trip has been paid with the Bank Norwegian card. The bank’s billing method gives customers up to 45 days of interest-free credit to pay for services and goods. The important thing is to settle the credit card bill on time. Furthermore, flexible repayment options can be granted, but at least the debt settlement is 3.5 percent of the credit line used and at least 30 euros.
With the Bank Norwegian Visa card, it is important to keep an eye on the financial framework, because you will receive your credit card statement on the 15th of each month. This should be transferred punctually on the 1st of the month, otherwise high fees will be incurred (the effective annual interest rate is 19.55 percent). Since the amounts are not automatically debited, customers have to pay the bill themselves by bank transfer.
The Blue Card is the entry-level model from American Express, it does not require a basic fee in the long term. Whether the fee-based bonus program Membership Rewards (30 euros per year) is really worth it depends on your annual card turnover. You should only consider taking part if you already spend a lot (at least 5,000 euros a year) with the card. But even independently of the bonus points system, cardholders are given various offers from different areas of the Amex cosmos, be it special preferential offers, discounts on hotel bookings, special events or savings opportunities, which are displayed to you via the app. Transport accident insurance is also included. Please note: Using the card at ATMs or outside the euro zone is relatively expensive.
The American Express Blue Card is particularly suitable for shopping in the euro zone. Expensive fees are charged for withdrawing from ATMs (at least 5 euros, 4 percent fee on the sum) and paying in foreign currency 2 percent fee. Whether it’s worth paying the Amex points program fee depends on your annual sales. The accident insurance takes effect if you have paid for the trip or means of transport with the Amex card.
Debit card: It combines the advantages of an EC card and a credit card – just without the credit limit of the latter. After each payment with the debit card, the amount is debited directly from the associated current account. The payment cards are suitable for paying in local shops as well as for shopping on the Internet, as they also have a credit card number. Outside of Europe you have to be careful, as you often cannot use the debit card to pay for the hotel or rental car because the card does not have the credit limit. It is not possible to reserve a specific amount on the card, for example as a deposit. You can avoid this by transferring money to your debit card before you go on vacation, thereby increasing the credit limit.
Credit card: Not everyone receives a classic credit card, because receipt depends on the creditworthiness of the applicant. For this purpose, the Schufa data is queried. How to get a line of credit. As long as the credit limit is sufficient, you can charge your card. You will then receive bills at regular intervals that you must pay. If you settle the bill within the specified period, there are usually no fees. If you don’t do this, interest will be charged. Interest rates are relatively high on most credit cards.
Credit card as a charge card: Here you do not get a credit line, but a monthly bill is due. The amount is usually automatically deducted from your account at the end of the month. This is basically how you get an interest-free loan. However, this only has a short term, as the bill has to be paid every 30 days, as mentioned.
Surf tip: You can find more credit card deals and campaigns in the credit card comparison of the FOCUS subsidiary cardscout
If you can’t wait and want to get your finances in shape today, you can read all the tips in our eight-part series right here.
