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My first German bank account was with Sparkasse, and I had to request a MasterCard separately (the main card was Maestro I think? useless for online payments).
by jotm 7y ago
My first German bank account was with Sparkasse, and I had to request a MasterCard separately (the main card was Maestro I think? useless for online payments).
It wasn't even attached to the account, I had to transfer money to it (so, a prepaid card) and couldn't even see the remaining balance (I really tried).
Terrible experience, but they were the only option for me at the time.
- hef19898 7y agoThen you choose the wrong account type. EC cards are standard and attached to the account. Obviously, credit cards are separate because you have to pass through Visa, Master Cards or whom ever. Not picking a prepaid credit card is one additional document to fill out. Having a regular income would result in, at least, a credit limit of 2.5k €. Had that very same experience with Sparkasse, Postbank and my Amazon credit card.
- mpweiher 7y agoYes, Germany uses the Maestro cards, not Credit Cards like MasterCard or Visa. Since that's what all the shops + ATMs take, that's the card you want.
- skrause 7y agoNo, Germany doesn't use Maestro, it uses Girocard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girocard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girocard