# German bank suggestions please



## Donford (Mar 22, 2016)

Hi, I need to make a shortlist of banks that I can go see to open an account asap, I start working in Germany next week. Important for me:
- must supply me with a free "EC-Karte"
- no account fees
- no ATM or funds transfer fees
- must be able to also supply me with a credit card if I apply
- must support internet banking
- must support "Auslandsuberweisung" with low costs
- ATMs must be reasonably abundant but not that important

Thanks in advance!!


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I suspect the "no account fees" may be the stumbling block here. Most banks in Germany have some system of fees - either by transaction or some sort of monthly "subscription" type fee.
Cheers,
Bev


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## XyphDryne (Nov 15, 2016)

Hi Donford,

maybe check out comdirect
It is completely free of charge. It is an online only bank, but you can get money from several ATMs of other banks like Deutsche Band and Commerzbank without costs. You also get a visa debit card. Don´t know if this is okay for you. You can get money when you´re in foreign countires for free.

"Auslandsüberweisung": Seems to be 0,15%, but at least 1,50€ but not more than 10€.

Until now I hadn´t any problems with them. Though to be fair...when transfering money into a foreign country, I always used paypal. So cannot comment on that really.


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

If you're determined to go with a free account, you probably need to use an online bank. I'm happy with ING, and I think DKB is good as well (I'm obliged to say that, a friend of mine works for them). The only limitation with online is that it's difficult/expensive to make cash deposits, as you need to use another bank. ING offers free ATM withdrawals nearly everywhere if you use the Visa card that isn't really a credit card. 

Otherwise it's not rocket science, go online and do some comparisons, or just open an account at the most convenient branch and change it later if you're not happy. 

I do have negative recommendations, though: Commerzbank was a nightmare to deal with, though possibly due to a strange situation where they bought a smaller bank (Dresdner) and had horrendous IT problems moving account data. I literally could not get them to successfully mail me a PIN for my bank card. It's probably fine opening a new account, but if you want a brick-and-mortar bank you might be happier with a Sparkasse.


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