Best Credit Cards in Austria
Are you living in Austria and considering getting a credit card? Firstly you need to know that there isn’t a wide range of credit cards to choose from. It’s not very common for Austrian folk to use credit cards. People tend to take loans instead if they really need money.
Best credit cards in Austria are:
- DKB Visa Card
- Advanzia Mastercard Gold
- Erste Bank (Sparkasse) Credit Card
Did you find yourself in need of a credit card in Austria? It can be a convenient addition to your wallet since credit cards are handy for online shopping, traveling, and spontaneous purchases. In this article, you will learn which credit cards are offering the most benefits, which fees you can expect and how to apply for one.
Credit Cards in Austria
To get a credit card in the Austrian bank, you usually will need to open a current account first. Most of the banks in Austria offer Mastercard cards and some Visa, and you can also find providers of American Express.
While comparing credit card options, the DKB Visa card definitely wins with its price-performance ratio and transparent conditions.
Free credit cards in Austria
In Austria, there aren’t many free credit cards on the market; currently, we can only recommend 4 providers. These cards can be used without annual fees.
Nonetheless, some cards may include fees when used, especially when withdrawing cash abroad or paying in non-EURO currency.
Only the following credit cards offer free cash withdrawal:
- DKB
- Free Mastercard Gold
Banks like DKB require you to open a free bank account first, and based on that, you can receive a credit card.
1. DKB – Cash Visa Card
A credit card from DKB is one of the best free credit cards in Austria and Germany, as well as their free bank account for students. This card will be especially handy when you are traveling and withdrawing cash abroad.
With the DKB credit card, you can enjoy all the benefits of a credit card for free. To get a credit card, you will need to open the DKB Cash current account, which is also free.
Highlights of DKB – Cash Visa Card:
- Free Austrian bank account and debit card
- Free Visa credit card
- Worldwide free cash withdrawal with Visa card at ATMs
- Enjoy maximal credit limit is 15,000 EUR
- Cash limit is 1,000 EUR
- Interest rate is 6,90%
- Online banking
- Open account online
- Free emergency card and emergency cash
- Up to 20% online cash-back
- International student card (ISIC) for worldwide discounts
With the DKB Visa credit card, students can benefit from both free withdrawals and fee-free payments in Austria and abroad.
To get a DKB credit card, you need to sign for their free bank account first. Hence a visa credit card will accompany a normal debit card. Both of them are free.
Things to know:
- The minimum amount for free cash withdrawal at ATMs is 50 EUR.
- Monthly deposit of 700 EUR improves the conditions of the card.
- When going into overdraft with the credit card, you will pay 6,90% in interest rate.
As a new DKB customer, you will enjoy all its benefits as a customer for 6 months. After that period, you will need to maintain a monthly turnover of 700 EUR to keep the perks. If you use a DKB bank account as your main, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Apply for the DKB-Cash VISA card:
- Fill out the online application
- Online instant decision
- Identity check
- Receive documents online banking
- Visa card by mail
- Letter with PIN
2. Advanzia Mastercard Gold
Advanzia Bank S.A. is a classic direct bank, which is headquartered in Luxembourg but operates primarily in German-speaking countries, including Austria.
As the name of the card says for itself – this credit card is free! The Free Mastercard Gold is the perfect credit card for Austria. While it doesn’t cost you anything, it comes with very useful features.
Highlights of Free Advanzia Mastercard Gold Card:
- Mastercard credit card
- 25 EUR as starting credit
- No monthly or annual fees
- No fees for payments in foreign currency – worldwide free payments
- Free cash withdrawals worldwide
- Easy application process (no PostIdent required)
- Apple Pay & Google Pay
- Travel insurances included
- Free credit for up to 7 weeks (no interest rate applies)
- Flexible repayment possible
- 24/7 customer service
- Contactless payments
Things to know:
- Application is also possible with low credit scores, for example, as an unemployed or student.
- When withdrawing, the cash interest rate of 1,49% per month will apply.
- The limit of the card is always based on personal income.
- Interest rate for overdraft is 19,94%.
Read our full review of Advanzia Mastercard Gold credit card.
Apply for Advanzia Mastercard Gold
In principle, any person of legal age residing in Austria is eligible to apply for this free MasterCard Gold card. Opening a current account with the bank, it’s not necessary.
- Fill out the credit card application online.
- Bank will check the request and send you the contract.
- Then send all necessary documents to the bank at the click of a mouse.
- You will receive confirmation.
- After that, you will need to take a photo of the contract and send it to the bank via email or upload via using the link.
- Bank will send you a credit card by mail within two to three weeks.
Also read: Best Bank Account for students in Austria.
3. Erste Bank (Sparkasse) Credit Card
Erste Bank Austria from Vienna was founded in 1819, and this is the oldest credit institution in Austria. They offer a wide range of financial products, but their bank accounts and credit cards are among the most popular ones.
You can choose between various credit cards in addition to the normal bank account with Erste Bank:
- Mastercard First
- Mastercard Gold
- Mastercard Platinum
- Visa Card First
- Visa Card Gold
- Visa Card Premium
All of them are available to you at no charge in the first year.
Because you can choose between so many credit cards with a bank account at Erste Bank, we can’t list all benefits of all cards but the most basic one, Mastercard First:
Highlights of Erste Bank Credit Cards:
- Wide range of Visa or Mastercard cards
- Debit plus credit card
- Free credit card in the first year
- Monthly fee for a bank account is just 2 EUR
- Free cash withdraws with a debit card
- Open a checking account online in 10 min
- Modern online banking
- Choose between Mastercard or Visa
Highlights of Mastercard First Credit Card:
- 30 EUR bonus when opening a new account
- Free in the first year after FREE for students otherweise only 1,82 EUR
- No fee on payments in EURO
- Contactless payments
- Cash withdrawal fee is 3%
- Modern online banking
Things to know:
- In order to get a credit card with Erste Bank, you will need to open a bank account first. It can be used for receiving a salary or pension, for example.
- Payments abroad in foreign currency are subject to the fee of 1,5%
Apply for the Erste Bank Credit Card:
You can easily open an account online. Simply fill out and submit the form on a site. After that, you will need to go through the verification process. In the end, the card will send to you via mail.
You can also open a bank account for your salary in Austria.
Credit card alternative in Austria
Taking a personal loan is a good alternative to a credit card in Austria. Bank Raiffeisenbank offers loans in Austria with great conditions. The Bonus credit with Raiffeisenbank will be helpful in many phases of your life, but particularly when you will need some additional funds in the short term.
Need more information about loans? Check out a dedicated article about loans in Austria.
Raiffeisenbank Austria was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Vienna. However, the bank itself was founded back in the year 1886. With 24,700 employees and 1,979 branches, Raiffeisenbank is a trustworthy bank to take a loan and, by far, the largest banking group in the country.
Personal loan with Raiffeisenbank:
- Loan amounts from 4,000 EUR to 30,000 EUR
- Duration from 1 year to 10 years
- Effective annual interest rate from 2.9 % p.a. to 9.4 % p.a.
- Debit interest rate 2.875 % p.a.
- Payout within 48 hours
Also read: Best Bank Account for students in Austria.
