If you run a business in Germany but do not speak German, finding the right business credit card is harder than it should be. This guide compares the cards you can actually get here as a freelancer, founder or company director, and explains what you need in order to be approved.
American Express Business Platinum Card
- Promotion: 200.000 welcome bonus points
- 1.440 Euro credit with partners
- Free lounge access with guest
- Extended payment term of 58 days
- Upgrades, status, breakfast, and more at hotels
Miles & More Mastercard Gold Business
- 4.000 Meilen + 40 Points + 100 € Gutschein bei Erstantrag
- 1 Meile je Euro Umsatz sammeln
- Unbegrenzte Meilengültigkeit
- Umfangreiche Versicherungen & Zusatzleistungen
Revolut Business Mastercard
- Promotion: 80 Euro starting bonus
- Free physical and virtual cards
- Easy international transfers
- For startups, freelancers, and businesses
- Up to 3 physical and 200 virtual cards possible
- Various account models to choose from
Wallester Business Visa
- Free for companies of all sizes
- Create up to 300 virtual Visa cards
- Free expense management tools
- Fee-free currency exchange in 10 currencies
- Accounting integrations with Xero and QuickBooks
American Express Business Gold Card
- Promotion: 50.000 points welcome bonus
- SIXT credit: 180 Euro SIXT Plus & 50 Euro Rent
- Credit: 80 Euro Lodenfrey & 50 Euro Freenow
- Collect points with every Euro spent
- Comprehensive travel insurance included
The decisive question is rarely which card has the longest list of perks. It is whether you can get approved at all, whether the application and support are available in English, and whether the card is a real credit card or simply a debit card attached to a business account.
Key facts at a glance
- You can apply for a German business card as a foreigner, but you will normally need a registered address in Germany, a registered business and a German business account.
- Digital providers such as Wallester, Finom and N26 run their platforms in English and issue cards without a long German credit history.
- American Express offers by far the strongest travel package, but its business application process runs in German and includes a credit check.
- Most free options are debit cards, which means no payment term and no credit line, only a different way of paying from your account.
Below you will find every relevant provider with its fees, card type and language support, the requirements you have to meet, and a clear recommendation from our finance experts.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- The best business credit cards in Germany in 2026
- Can you get a business credit card in Germany as a foreigner?
- Credit card, charge card or debit card?
- Who is a business credit card right for?
- What does a business credit card cost in Germany?
- What are the benefits of a business credit card?
- What are the drawbacks?
- How to apply, step by step
- How our finance experts choose
- Our conclusion: the best business credit card in Germany
💳 reisetopia’s financial picks August – find the best credit card for your needs:
The best business credit cards in Germany in 2026
The table below covers the cards our finance experts recommend for companies based in Germany. Alongside the cost, it shows the card type and whether the provider offers an English-language platform, which matters more than any perk if German is not your first language. We last checked all conditions in August 2026:
| Card | Annual fee | Type | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wallester Business | 0 € | Visa debit | Yes |
| Finom | from 0 € | Visa debit | Yes |
| N26 Business | 0 € | Mastercard debit | Yes |
| Amex Business Platinum | 850 € | Charge card | No |
| Amex Business Gold | 175 € | Charge card | No |
| Miles & More Gold Business | 11.50 € / month | Credit card | No |
The Business Gold is free in its first year. On rewards, the two Amex cards earn one Membership Rewards point per euro and the Miles & More card one mile per euro, while Finom pays up to three percent cashback and N26 0.1 percent. Each card is introduced in detail below. The split is hard to miss. The cards with the richest benefits come from providers whose application process is German only, while the providers that are easiest to use in English are the ones issuing debit cards. Which side you should pick depends less on the perks than on your situation, so it is worth starting with the requirements.
Wallester Business – the strongest free option
Wallester runs its entire platform in English and serves companies across the European Economic Area, which makes it one of the most accessible options if you have just set up in Germany. The Free plan costs nothing on an ongoing basis and includes 300 virtual Visa cards plus an unlimited number of physical cards, with only a five euro delivery charge per card.
You also get spending limits per card, real-time notifications and exports into common accounting systems. The catch is the same as with every provider in this category: it is a debit product funded from your balance, so there is no payment term and no credit line.
Wallester Business Visa
- Free for companies of any size
- Up to 300 virtual Visa cards included
- Free expense management tools
- Free currency exchange in 10 currencies
- Accounting integrations with Xero and QuickBooks
For anyone who has just registered a business here, that trade-off is usually worth making: you get cards immediately, without a credit assessment standing in the way.
Finom – cashback and invoicing in one place
Finom is a Visa debit card attached to a business account, and its appeal lies in the bundle rather than the card. Invoicing, bookkeeping and banking sit on one platform, and depending on your plan you earn up to three percent cashback on card spending, capped monthly on the cheaper tiers. Finom also pays up to five percent interest on idle balances and opens accounts with a German IBAN within 24 hours.
Finom Business Credit card
- Up to 3 percent cashback on all card transactions
- Free physical and virtual cards available
- Free digital business account with German IBAN within 24 hours
- All-in-one: banking, invoicing, and accounting
For freelancers and sole traders who need a bookkeeping solution anyway, this is one of the most efficient combinations on the market, and the whole interface is available in English.
N26 Business Standard – free and genuinely simple
N26 is the provider most expats in Germany already know, and its business account is free with no annual card fee. Payments abroad carry no foreign transaction fee, you can withdraw cash three times a month in Germany without charge, and every transaction earns 0.1 percent cashback.
N26 Business Standard
- Permanently free business account
- Only for self-employed and freelancers
- Free Mastercard included
- 0,1% cashback on all business purchases
- Free cash withdrawals in Europe
It is a Mastercard debit card rather than a credit card, so treat it as a clean way to separate business spending rather than a source of liquidity. We would skip the paid N26 tiers, where the added value is limited relative to the monthly fee.
American Express Business Platinum – the travel package
At the other end of the scale sits the Amex Business Platinum Card, the most powerful business card available in Germany. For 850 euros a year it bundles lounge access, a comprehensive insurance package, several annual credits and a payment term of up to 58 days, which is the longest in this comparison. You can issue up to 99 free employee cards, and every euro they spend earns points on the same account.
American Express Business Platinum Card
- 200 euro travel credit per year for flights, hotels, and much more
- 200 euro SIXT Ride credit per year
- 240 euro SIXT Plus credit per year
- 200 euro Dell Technologies credit per year
- 300 euro eBuero credit per year
- 300 euro Office Club credit per year
- Up to 20,000 MR points for the private supplementary card
- Digital invoice management: GetMyInvoices membership
- Collect valuable Membership Rewards points with every euro spent
- Up to 99 free additional business and partner cards
- Additional liquidity thanks to up to 58 days delayed billing
- Full insurance package included
- Up to 200 Euro discount & priority benefits on Condor flight bookings
- Free lounge access for up to 4 people in 1.550 lounges worldwide
- Upgrades, breakfast, and other status benefits in hotels, incl. Hilton, Marriott and ALL Accor
Two caveats matter for this audience. The application runs in German and involves a credit check, so it is realistically a second step rather than your first card after moving to Germany.
American Express Business Gold – the cheaper way into points
If you want the points without the travel package, the Business Gold earns the same one Membership Rewards point per euro for 175 euros a year, and it is free in the first year. It also supports up to 99 employee cards and an extended payment term.
American Express Business Gold Card
- Free credit card in the first year
- 100 euro credit per year for Dell Technologies
- Extra liquidity through an extended payment term
- Earn valuable Membership Rewards points with every euro you spend
- Up to 99 free employee cards included
- Trip cancellation insurance
- International travel medical insurance (worldwide)
- Travel inconvenience insurance
The trade-off is the same as with the Platinum. The application is in German and a credit check applies, so it suits an established company rather than someone who arrived recently.
Miles & More Gold Business – for Lufthansa regulars
If most of your business flying is with the Lufthansa Group, collecting miles directly can be simpler than routing transferable points through a partner programme. The Gold Business card costs 11.50 euros a month and earns one mile per euro, twice the rate of the personal version.
Miles & More Gold Business Credit Card
- Frequent Traveller status can be purchased for 650 euros or 80,000 miles until 30 September 2026
- No expiry on your Miles & More miles
- 1 Miles & More mile for every euro you spend
- Travel and rental car insurance included
- Two free cash withdrawals abroad per year
- Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite Status
- Free Wolt+ including double miles
The limitation is flexibility, because the miles are tied to a single programme. As with American Express, the application process is German-language only.
Can you get a business credit card in Germany as a foreigner?
Yes, and your nationality is not the deciding factor. What providers actually check is whether your business is registered in Germany, whether you are reachable here, and whether they can assess your creditworthiness. That last point is where most applications from newcomers fail.
What you need before you apply
Regardless of the provider, you should have these in place:
- A registered address in Germany, since the Anmeldung confirmation is what most providers use to verify where you live
- A registered business, meaning a Gewerbeanmeldung for a sole trader or an entry in the Handelsregister for a GmbH or UG
- A German tax number, and a VAT number if you are registered for VAT
- A German business account to act as the billing account for the card
- A valid passport or ID for the video or photo identification step
- For companies, details of everyone classed as a beneficial owner
Why SCHUFA is usually the sticking point
German issuers of real credit cards run a check with SCHUFA, the national credit bureau. If you have recently arrived, you have no SCHUFA history at all, and a thin file is treated much like a poor one. This is the single most common reason applications are declined even when the business itself is healthy.
The practical consequence is a sequencing problem rather than a dead end. Providers issuing debit cards from your own balance take on no credit risk, so they can approve you without a meaningful credit history. Charge and credit cards cannot. If you have been in Germany for less than a year or two, the realistic path is to start with a debit-based card, let a payment record build, and apply for a premium card afterwards.
One more practical note: several traditional German banks additionally expect at least two years of trading history with no losses before they will issue a business card. Fintech providers generally do not, which is another reason they tend to be the realistic starting point for anyone who has recently founded a company here.
💡 Note: A German business account is a prerequisite for almost every card in this comparison. If you do not have one yet, our overview of business bank accounts in Germany is the place to start.
Credit card, charge card or debit card?
This distinction decides whether a card gives you any financial breathing room, and it is routinely blurred in marketing. Several products sold as a business credit card in Germany are debit cards.
| Card type | How it is billed | Effect on liquidity | Typical providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charge card | Monthly statement, settled in full | High, up to 58 days of payment term | American Express Business |
| Real credit card | Monthly statement with a credit line | Medium to high | Miles & More Business, Pliant |
| Debit card | Debited from your account immediately | None | Wallester, Finom, N26, Qonto |
| Prepaid card | Only the balance you load in advance | None, but full cost control | Individual fintech plans |
For bookkeeping the difference barely matters. For cash flow it matters a great deal. If you want to pay suppliers before the money leaves your account, or take early-payment discounts, you need a charge card or a real credit card. If you simply want clean separation and per-employee limits, a debit card will do the job at a lower cost.
Who is a business credit card right for?
A business credit card pays off whenever you have recurring business expenses that need to stay separate from your private finances. How much it is worth depends on your legal form and the kind of spending you do. These groups benefit most:
- Freelancers and self-employed professionals who need an audit-proof split between business and private spending
- Sole traders and small businesses with modest but regular card turnover
- Start-ups that need cards for a growing team quickly and digitally
- Small and medium-sized companies with several cost centres
- Companies with travelling employees and ongoing expense claims
- Digital businesses in e-commerce or software with many online subscriptions
- Businesses with regular spending in foreign currencies
If none of these apply, the debit card that comes with your business account is usually enough. That is a perfectly legitimate outcome of this comparison.
Freelancers and sole traders
For freelancers the case is bookkeeping rather than comfort. Running business and private spending through one account means sorting every line by hand at the end of the year. Requirements are modest: proof of self-employment, a workable credit record and, with most providers, a German business account. Fintechs rarely ask how long you have been trading, whereas traditional banks frequently do.
GmbH, UG and other incorporated companies
Here the application is made by the company rather than by you personally, so providers assess both the managing director and the company itself, and ask for a Handelsregister extract along with details of the beneficial owners. The upside is that liability sits with the company. The downside is a slower process, and some providers only accept incorporated entities in the first place.
What does a business credit card cost in Germany?
The range runs from nothing to 850 euros a year. What matters is not the headline fee but what sits against it. These are the cost blocks to expect:
| Cost | Typical level | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee, main card | 0 to 850 euros | Often offset by credits on premium cards |
| Employee cards | 0 to 100 euros per card | American Express includes up to 99 at no charge |
| Foreign transaction fee | Around 2 percent of the amount | Waived by some fintech cards |
| Cash withdrawal | 2 to 4 percent | Rarely relevant for business cards |
| Additional virtual cards | 0 to 0.35 euros per card and month | Only on card platforms such as Wallester |
| Interest on instalments | From around 15 percent p.a. | Not applicable to charge cards |
A worked example makes the trade-off concrete. A consultancy putting 60,000 euros a year through an Amex Business Platinum earns 60,000 Membership Rewards points. Valued conservatively at one cent per point, that is 600 euros against an 850 euro fee, before counting the annual travel and mobility credits. The same 60,000 euros on a free debit card returns nothing but also costs nothing. As a rule of thumb, a premium card rarely pays for itself below roughly 20,000 euros of annual card spending, and almost always does above it, provided you actually use the travel benefits.
What are the benefits of a business credit card?
The clean separation of business and private spending is the obvious one. Beyond that, three benefits do most of the work.
At a glance, the advantages include:
- Extra perks such as insurance and discounts
- Increased liquidity through a longer payment term
- Earning miles or points on spending you have anyway
- Travel benefits including lounge access and elite status
Increased liquidity
For instance, if suppliers allow 30 days to pay after delivery, you’d normally have to settle the invoice within that period. But most business cards offer at least 30 days of delayed billing – effectively doubling your payment window. The Amex Business Platinum Card even extends this up to 58 days.
Since suppliers receive payment right away, you may also benefit from early-payment discounts without having to use your own cash immediately. In this sense, a business credit card acts like a free short-term financing service, often worth the annual fee alone.
Earning miles and points
Many business cards let you collect miles or points with every euro spent, which can then be redeemed for award flights. With American Express you do not earn airline miles directly but Membership Rewards points, which can be transferred to nine airline programmes in Germany. Amex also handles the flat-rate taxation of those points, which is what makes it practical to redeem them privately.
With the Miles & More business cards you earn one mile per euro, double the rate of the personal versions. Because the miles are tied to a single programme they are simpler but less flexible than transferable points.
Travel benefits
If you travel for work, some cards deliver substantially more than their personal equivalents. The Amex Business Platinum includes an extensive insurance package, annual travel credits, Priority Pass lounge access at over 1,500 airports and hotel elite status. You also receive a private Amex Platinum Card alongside the business card, so the perks apply whether the trip is business or personal.
For anyone flying regularly out of Frankfurt, Munich or Berlin, this is usually where the annual fee is recovered.
What are the drawbacks?
The advantages generally outweigh them, but four points are worth knowing before you apply.
The main drawbacks at a glance:
- High annual fees on the cards with the best benefits
- Foreign transaction fees outside the euro area
- Limited American Express acceptance in Germany
- Credit checks, and personal liability depending on your legal form
- Tax due on points redeemed privately
Limited acceptance is a real issue in Germany
This deserves more weight in Germany than almost anywhere else. The strongest business cards come from American Express, and Amex acceptance here is noticeably weaker than Visa or Mastercard. Tradespeople, smaller service providers and public authorities frequently take neither. In practice most people end up carrying a premium card for large, planned expenses and a free Visa or Mastercard for everything else.
Foreign transaction fees
Most classic business cards charge a fee whenever you pay outside the euro area. If you buy regularly in US dollars or pounds, this quietly adds up to a three-figure sum per year and eats into the value of any points you earn. Either choose a card without the fee or route those payments through a second, free card.
Credit checks and liability
Providers assess both the company and the applicant, which is why young companies without a track record are often declined or offered a debit product instead. Sole traders and partnerships should also be aware that they normally remain personally liable.
How to apply, step by step
Every provider handles the application online. How long it takes depends mainly on your legal form: sole traders can be ready within 24 hours with some fintechs, while a GmbH adds the Handelsregister extract and the beneficial owner check.
- Choose your card and start the application on the provider’s site
- Verify your identity by video or photo identification
- Wait for the credit assessment of the company and the applicant
- Activate the card, order employee cards and set spending limits
💡 Tax note on welcome bonuses: Sign-up credits and bonus payments on a business card can count as business income and may need to be recorded accordingly, particularly when the bonus is granted in a business context. The exact treatment varies case by case, so check with your tax adviser if you are unsure.
How our finance experts choose
Two cards with the same annual fee can differ by several hundred euros in real value, depending on whether you can use the benefits at all. Our finance experts assess them against five criteria:
- Real cost – the annual fee minus the credits you can realistically redeem
- Card type and liquidity – whether there is an actual payment term or immediate debiting
- Rewards – points, miles or cashback converted into a euro value
- Team suitability – the number and cost of employee cards and the limits you can set
- Access – which legal forms and which company age a provider accepts, and whether the process works in English
Short-term welcome bonuses deliberately do not feed into the ranking. They change several times a year and say little about whether a card is the right long-term choice.
Our conclusion: the best business credit card in Germany
There is no single answer, but there is a clear one for each situation. If you have recently set up in Germany, or your German is limited, start with a provider whose platform works in English and which does not depend on a German credit history. Wallester offers the most on a free plan, Finom is the better pick if you need invoicing and bookkeeping in the same place, and N26 is the simplest free option of the three.
If you have an established company and travel regularly for work, the American Express Business Platinum is worth the German-language application: no other card in Germany combines lounge access, insurance, credits and a 58 day payment term to the same extent. The Business Gold gives you the same points at a fraction of the fee if you can do without the travel package. Whichever you choose, check the card type first – only charge and real credit cards actually improve your cash flow.
Still not sure? Our free credit card overview and our comparison of virtual credit cards cover the options that work alongside a business card.
American Express Business Platinum Card
- Promotion: 200.000 welcome bonus points
- 1.440 Euro credit with partners
- Free lounge access with guest
- Extended payment term of 58 days
- Upgrades, status, breakfast, and more at hotels
Miles & More Mastercard Gold Business
- 4.000 Meilen + 40 Points + 100 € Gutschein bei Erstantrag
- 1 Meile je Euro Umsatz sammeln
- Unbegrenzte Meilengültigkeit
- Umfangreiche Versicherungen & Zusatzleistungen
Revolut Business Mastercard
- Promotion: 80 Euro starting bonus
- Free physical and virtual cards
- Easy international transfers
- For startups, freelancers, and businesses
- Up to 3 physical and 200 virtual cards possible
- Various account models to choose from
Wallester Business Visa
- Free for companies of all sizes
- Create up to 300 virtual Visa cards
- Free expense management tools
- Fee-free currency exchange in 10 currencies
- Accounting integrations with Xero and QuickBooks
American Express Business Gold Card
- Promotion: 50.000 points welcome bonus
- SIXT credit: 180 Euro SIXT Plus & 50 Euro Rent
- Credit: 80 Euro Lodenfrey & 50 Euro Freenow
- Collect points with every Euro spent
- Comprehensive travel insurance included
