The 5 Best Travel Credit Cards
Unfortunately, there are also advantages and disadvantages with my favorite travel credit cards. Read the article carefully, or check out the credit card comparison chart and then consider which one suits you best. This is where your usage really matters. By the way, I use all these credit cards:
Test winner: 1plus VISA Card from Santander Bank
DKB Visa Card
Barclay Card Platinum Double
comdirect credit card (offers for me but an ingenious service)
Credit card to earn miles: Lufthansa Miles and More Credit Card Gold (Business, also available as private credit card)
Update 2018 : Santander Bank no longer offers 100% direct debit of the invoice amount on the Santander 1plus Card. Either you manually transfer money to this credit card when the amount is due or apply for The Barclaycard New Visa as an alternative for Europe travel. Currently, barclaycard even has a starting credit of 25 euros! But: With the Barclaycard New Visa you can only withdraw cash free of charge within Europe.
Absolutely no longer I can recommend the credit cards of the N26 Bank. At first I was really happy with it, because I could control everything via app. When an unauthorized withdrawal (at least €300) occurred in Colombia, the bank became complicated.
I was supposed to make a theft report to the police, as well as various other little things that ended in an email war. Even my termination I had to confirm several times (???, THAT is probably not customer service).
Last but not least, I only got a normal N26 card (before that I owned the business) – but why? I had quit several times. Therefore, I advise you: fingers away from the N26, as long as the bank does not have an institution behind it, if illegal withdrawals occur.
I can particularly recommend the banks of DKB and comdirect Bank. Both offer a great service here!
What makes a credit card a good travel credit card?
When it came to choosing credit cards for travel, I'm demanding. Those who travel a lot have different requirements for a credit card than someone who only uses them for shopping or refuelling in Germany. Actually, my demands are quite low.
The optimal travel credit card meets the following criteria:
No foreign deployment fees. If you pay something in another currency, you don't have to pay any fees to the bank. Normally, this is 1-2%, which quickly sums up.
No withdrawal fees when withdrawing cash at home and abroad. With good travel credit cards, withdrawal abroad is usually free or very cheap.
Completely free of charge without annual fee, costs for account management or other hidden costs. This means that even if you only use it for your travels and the card is lying around at home, there are no fees.
Good customer service that is available 24 hours a day (e.g. in case of illegal debits)
The credit card has insurance cover such as cancellation insurance and full insurance for rental cars (you have to take note of the fact that the trip was usually also booked with the corresponding credit card).
These additions are not a must but a nice-to-have for travel credit cards
It is a "real credit card" because the normal Giro card is not a credit card, for example. The Giro card is based on a German system, which is often not accepted abroad. The card will not work.
Contactless payment1 (NFC by radio). Credit cards in Germany finally get this function. You simply have to hold your credit cards to the terminal and can pay abroad much faster. In the US, Canada and Australia, people only pay by radio.
