Among free credit cards, the Bank Norwegian credit card is a popular option for frequent travelers. The card does not charge foreign currency fees, allows free cash withdrawals worldwide and also includes a travel insurance package – features that are particularly relevant when traveling abroad.
Bank Norwegian Visa Credit Card
- Free credit card with no annual fee
- Free cash withdrawals worldwide
- Free worldwide payments with no foreign transaction fees
- Attractive travel insurance included
- Up to 44 days interest-free payment period
But how good is the Bank Norwegian credit card in practice? In this guide, we take a closer look at the free credit card’s conditions, explain what to watch out for when using the installment payment option and show how the Visa Card is linked to the Norwegian Rewards frequent flyer program.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- The Story Behind Bank Norwegian
- What are the advantages of the Bank Norwegian credit card?
- What are the disadvantages of the Bank Norwegian credit card?
- How can I apply for a Bank Norwegian credit card?
- Who can benefit from the Bank Norwegian Visa Card?
- Our experience with the Bank Norwegian credit card
- How did we test the Bank Norwegian credit card?
- Bank Norwegian credit card: Our conclusion
💡Good to know: The Bank Norwegian credit card is one of the few credit cards that was rated as truly free in the latest test by Stiftung Warentest. It is therefore one of the recommendations of the independent consumer organization.
The Story Behind Bank Norwegian
Unlike traditional branch banks, many newer direct banks leave customers wondering who is actually behind them. When it comes to financial products, understanding a bank’s background is essential in order to assess its reliability. This also raises an important question for potential customers: Is Bank Norwegian reliable?
Bank Norwegian was founded in Oslo in 2007 and is based in Fornebu, Norway. The name may sound familiar, as the online bank was originally intended to support the Norwegian Rewards frequent flyer program of the airline Norwegian Air Shuttle.
However, since 2021, Bank Norwegian has been part of the Swedish bank Nordax AB and therefore continues to be subject to the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority.
Bank Norwegian also offers a savings account, personal loans, and a free credit card. We took a closer look at the latter and will tell you whether and for whom the credit card is worthwhile.
What are the advantages of the Bank Norwegian credit card?
At first glance, the Bank Norwegian Visa Card performs well when it comes to fees. It is permanently free of charge, which is uncommon among comparable credit cards in Germany, and can be used without an associated checking account. This means you don’t need to open an additional account or switch banks in order to enjoy the benefits of the Bank Norwegian credit card.
All Bank Norwegian credit card advantages at a glance:
- Free payments worldwide
- Insurance included
- Smart banking
- Financial flexibility
But let’s take a closer look at the benefits of the Bank Norwegian credit card in detail.
Free payments worldwide
The Bank Norwegian credit card does not charge any fees for foreign currency transactions or cash withdrawals worldwide. This makes the card particularly suitable for use abroad, especially as Visa — like Mastercard — is accepted at millions of locations worldwide.
But the credit card is not only attractive abroad; there are also no fees for payments and withdrawals within Germany. This sets it apart from some alternative credit card models, which may waive foreign currency fees but still apply charges for domestic transactions.
Our tip: If you want to travel worry-free, the Bank Norwegian credit card is particularly suitable. You won’t incur any extra costs for cash withdrawals or fees for payments in foreign currencies.
Insurance included
One of the biggest advantages of the Bank Norwegian credit card is its attractive insurance package. Free credit cards rarely include travel insurance, as this benefit is usually reserved for more expensive premium options such as American Express cards. With the Bank Norwegian Visa Card, however, comprehensive travel insurance is already included:
- Trip cancellation due to illness, death in the family, or damage to your home
- Delays in transportation and flights
- Delayed baggage, as well as loss, damage, or theft of baggage
- Medical treatment, repatriation, and trip interruption abroad
- Illness or death of a travel companion, as well as visits to sick persons
- Evacuation in the event of war, natural disasters, epidemics, or terrorism
This means you can travel worldwide with peace of mind, as the coverage applies to trips of up to 60 days.
To activate the insurance, you only need to pay at least 50 percent of your transportation costs with your Bank Norwegian card. In addition to cardholders, family members and up to three fellow travelers are also insured.
So if you don’t want to worry about additional insurance coverage when traveling, the Bank Norwegian credit card is a good choice.
Smart banking
Another advantage of the Bank Norwegian credit card is its simple online management. As a digital payment service provider, Bank Norwegian has made it its mission to provide user-friendly financial management.
This is achieved, among other things, through the smart Bank Norwegian app, which allows you to manage transactions and bills, make transfers, and pay bills.
In addition, the app also provides enhanced security features, allowing you to block your Bank Norwegian Visa Card immediately in case of an emergency. You can also request a replacement card or access your PIN directly within the app.
Mobile payments are equally convenient: besides Apple Pay and Google Pay, the Bank Norwegian Visa Card can also be linked to Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay for even more flexibility on the go.
Financial flexibility
Another advantage of Bank Norwegian is the additional liquidity that can be accessed when needed. This can sometimes be very useful for short-term investments.
With the Bank Norwegian Visa Card, you benefit from up to 44 days of interest-free credit and a credit limit of up to 10,000 euros, depending on your creditworthiness.
If needed, Bank Norwegian also offers personal loans ranging from 500 euros to 50,000 euros. In addition, you can open a savings account with Bank Norwegian and earn interest of 2 percent or more, depending on the account model you choose.
Bank Norwegian Visa Credit Card
- Free credit card with no annual fee
- Free cash withdrawals worldwide
- Free worldwide payments with no foreign transaction fees
- Attractive travel insurance included
- Up to 44 days interest-free payment period
What are the disadvantages of the Bank Norwegian credit card?
Despite no annual fee and free payments, the Bank Norwegian Visa Card unfortunately does not only have advantages. There are a few points you should be aware of.
All Bank Norwegian credit card disadvantages at a glance:
- The interest rate
- Customer credit rating
- Limits for free cash withdrawals
- Limited insurance benefits
The interest rate
Bank Norwegian offers an installment payment option, which gives you financial flexibility, but also incurs high interest rates. The interest rate is a hefty 21.99 percent per year, while the effective annual interest rate is as high as 24.4 percent. If you don’t pay your monthly bill on time, it can quickly become expensive.
This means that the Bank Norwegian credit card has one of the highest interest rates for installment payment options on the German credit card market. If you want to use this feature in the future, we recommend choosing another revolving credit card with lower interest rates.
Our tip: Think carefully beforehand about whether you really want to use the installment payment option, as the interest rate is 21.99 percent.
Customer credit rating
Unfortunately, the Bank Norwegian credit card is not available to everyone, as there are certain requirements that must be met in order to apply for one.
For example, only customers with taxable income are accepted, and a good credit rating is also required. We explain the specific requirements that must be met below.
Limits for free cash withdrawals
When it comes to free cash withdrawals in Germany and abroad, it is important to note that the stated limits are fixed and cannot be adjusted. In addition, cross-border transactions are ultimately not supported. The following overview shows the withdrawal limits:
| Limit | Per Day | Per Week |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 500 euros | 1,500 euros |
| Abroad | 1,000 euros | 3,000 euros |
It should also be kept in mind that high interest charges apply from the first day to any cash withdrawals made at the counter rather than at an ATM.
Limited insurance benefits
There are also a few disadvantages to Bank Norwegian’s insurance policies, as there are a number of things to bear in mind. In particular, you should make sure to take out additional travel insurance if you are unable to pay at least 50 percent of your transport costs with your Bank Norwegian credit card.
Coverage for trip cancellation, illness, travel accidents, and repatriation ends after the age of 75. In addition, the booked trip must begin and end in Germany for the insurance to apply.
Bank Norwegian credit card holders must also have health insurance in Germany and be resident in Germany. If a trip lasts longer than 60 days, the insurance coverage does not apply for the entire duration.
For trips booked without a fixed return date or with an open return date, the insurance cover is limited to the first 35 days only.
However, as long as you pay attention to these and other aspects in the fine print, you can benefit from comprehensive insurance coverage.
With the exception of travel accident, flight, and baggage insurance, all policies come with a deductible of 70 euros, which is still relatively moderate compared to other travel credit cards.
How can I apply for a Bank Norwegian credit card?
If you want to apply for a Bank Norwegian credit card, you must first meet certain requirements, as is usually the case with all banks.
Requirements for applying for a Bank Norwegian credit card:
👤 Minimum age of 20
🏠 German residence
💶 Taxable income
📱 Mobile phone with a German mobile phone number
If all these requirements are met and there are no active debt collection proceedings, you can proceed with your application for a Bank Norwegian credit card. One positive aspect worth mentioning here is that the application process can be completed in just a few minutes.
You can apply for the card in the following steps:
1️⃣ Bank Norwegian app: Download the Bank Norwegian app to your device.
2️⃣ Enter your personal details: Now enter your personal information. This includes your name, date of birth, and address.
3️⃣ Verification: You will then need to verify your identity. With the Bank Norwegian credit card, this is very easy using the e-ident or video-ident procedure. All you usually need is a working device (with a camera and microphone) and a valid ID document that is valid for at least another three months.
4️⃣ Confirmation: To confirm this procedure, you will be sent a TAN via text message or email.
5️⃣ Delivery of the card and PIN: Finally, once your identification has been confirmed, the card will be sent to you by mail. For security reasons, the card’s PIN will be sent to you separately.
6️⃣ Activation: Once you have received all the documents, you can activate your Bank Norwegian Visa Card immediately and start using it right away!
However, it should be noted that in some cases the application may be rejected, for example if the requirements of Bank Norwegian are not met.
Bank Norwegian Visa Credit Card
- Free credit card with no annual fee
- Free cash withdrawals worldwide
- Free worldwide payments with no foreign transaction fees
- Attractive travel insurance included
- Up to 44 days interest-free payment period
Who can benefit from the Bank Norwegian Visa Card?
As this is a credit card that allows you to withdraw cash free of charge, it is certainly attractive to anyone who uses cash a lot in their everyday financial life.
If this aspect is particularly important when traveling abroad, you can also benefit from free withdrawals at Visa ATMs. This makes it an ideal credit card for frequent travelers, as Bank Norwegian does not charge any fees for payments worldwide.
The insurance package also provides comprehensive protection when traveling, so you and your fellow travelers don’t have to worry about this aspect of your trip (provided that your trip does not exceed 60 days and you pay at least 50 percent of the travel costs with the Bank Norwegian Visa Card).
It should be noted, however, that this credit card is often not suitable for younger applicants and may also be difficult to obtain for students, given the minimum age requirement of 20. In addition, a good credit rating is necessary, as this is not a credit card without a SCHUFA check — an option that is typically only available with prepaid cards.
Residence in Germany can also be a limiting factor for some. However, the credit card is generally worthwhile for anyone who wants to enjoy the benefits of a free travel credit card with insurance coverage.
Our experience with the Bank Norwegian credit card
The Bank Norwegian credit card is very popular within the reisetopia team and has become an essential companion for many of our employees. We have gathered and summarized our experiences with the card and can now share our firsthand impressions with you.
Starting with the application process, our employees reported consistently positive experiences. The process went smoothly and took only a few minutes. Incidentally, the e-identification procedure was used for identification purposes, which only required a few photos.
However, far more important than the application process are the card’s features and usability. First and foremost, the Bank Norwegian credit card is permanently free of charge. In addition, cash withdrawals and payments in foreign currencies are also free of charge, which makes the card an attractive product for us, especially when traveling.
Furthermore, the credit card includes access to an online banking app. However, since the same app is used for all of the provider’s products, we found it somewhat confusing at times and heavily focused on promoting other services. That said, essential features such as viewing transactions and statements or making payments work smoothly and without any issues.
Finally, our employees noticed a few other aspects of the card. In addition to being easy to open, Apple Pay and Google Pay can also be set up in just a few steps. The only negative aspect we noticed was the high interest rates on installment payments.
However, these can be easily avoided by always paying the outstanding balance on time on the first day of the month. Manual transfers are also not necessary, as a direct debit order can be easily set up in the app.
It is also interesting to note that the card has a Norwegian IBAN, but in our experience this has never caused any problems. Based on our experience with the Bank Norwegian credit card, we can recommend the card if you are familiar with credit cards and know how to avoid the fees.
How did we test the Bank Norwegian credit card?
At reisetopia, we use the Bank Norwegian credit card for our daily personal expenses and can therefore report on our experiences firsthand. Our recommendations are always based on predefined criteria that we use to test the credit card. Based on these tests, we then make recommendations or raise objections and, if necessary, refer to alternatives.
The most important criteria for our tests include the fee structure, the application process, everyday use, the type of billing, and the additional services promised by the credit card provider.
Bank Norwegian credit card: Our conclusion
If you are looking for an attractive travel credit card with comprehensive insurance coverage, you can’t go wrong with the Bank Norwegian credit card. Free payments and cash withdrawals abroad, combined with insurance coverage, allow you to travel worry-free. Another plus point is the smart online banking!
Nevertheless, we recommend comparing the Bank Norwegian credit card with other free credit cards to make sure you find the one that’s right for you. Our top free credit cards currently include the following models:
Hanseatic Bank GenialCard
- 0 Euro annual fee
- Free withdrawals abroad*
- Free payments worldwide**
- Repayment in small, flexible installments
easybank Visa
- Promotion: 50 Euro bonus
- Free credit card
- Free cash withdrawals worldwide
- Free payments worldwide
- Free loan up to 2 months
TF Bank Mastercard Gold
- 0 Euro annual fee
- Payments worldwide without any fees
- Travel cancellation insurance included
- Foreign health insurance included
Bank Norwegian Visa
- Promotion: 15 Euro welcome bonus
- Free credit card – permanently without annual fee
- Free cash withdrawals worldwide
- Worldwide free payments – no foreign transaction fee
- Attractive travel insurance included
awa7 Credit Card
- 0 Euro annual fee
- Pay worldwide free of charge*
- Withdraw cash abroad free of charge**
- Repayment in small and flexible rates
