Bank Account
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For your new life in Germany, you need a German bank account. This is for different reasons. Please find a few outlined below:
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Receiving your monthly salary payment from Eurowings Digital
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Paying your monthly rent to your landlord
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Paying for your grocery shopping in supermarkets
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Taking care of money transfers (e.g. to German authorities, child care, private insurances, etc.)
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Etc. ​
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To open a German bank account, an appointment (e.g. online, via email, or phone) might be needed. Please check the individual situation with your desired bank before you visit them in person!
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Setting up a German bank account is, usually, a straightforward process. Choose whatever bank you’d like, but make sure to have your passport (with a valid visa) and money for the initial deposit (if applicable) at hand. You may also have to show your “Meldebescheinigung" (registration confirmation) to prove your city registration in Germany. Some banks also require your employment contract as proof of income. The most common account in Germany is called "Girokonto" which is basically a checking or debit account. Non-EU nationals might also need to hand in a copy of their long-term visa/work & residence permit for opening a bank account in Germany. ​In case you do not have it at hand yet, you can sumbit it to the bank later on as well!
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We highly recommend opening a German bank account as early as possible. Especially, when you join Eurowings Digital in the middle of the month, there are not so many days left until our payroll accounting team needs your German bank details for the salary payment. Therefore, you should consider arriving in Germany a few days before your first working day. This makes things much more manageable and will also give you the opportunity to sort out all bureaucratic things before you join your new job ;) Payroll accounting needs your bank accounts by 15th of the month at the latest.
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Reminder:
Please note that city registration usually needs to be done before you can open a German bank account. All other information that might be necessary for the bank account opening (e.g. Tax ID) can be (usually) handed in at a later stage.
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Further below, you can find additional information on the bank account opening process.
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The Girokonto and German Debit Card (EC-Card)
After opening a German bank account, you will receive an EC (EuroCheque) card with a corresponding PIN number (a secret 4-digit number). This card allows you to withdraw cash from the majority of cash machines in Germany and Europe and it is commonly accepted at various shops, restaurants, and outlets. Withdrawals from ATMs from your own bank or associated institutions are free, while cash machines from other institutions may charge you a fee. Thus, make sure you find out from your bank how much this will cost.
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The largest banks in Germany are
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N26 (they might open the bank account without city registration in Germany)
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DKB (they might open the bank account without city registration in Germany)
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Volksbank
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Sparkasse
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With the Lufthansa Corporate Benefits (you can sign up for them once you started at Eurpowings Digital), you can also make use of some special deals with German banks (e.g. saving the registration fee).
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A basic checking account should be enough for most of your everyday banking needs. Another easy way to open a German bank account is probably signing up with an online bank such as
N26 offers several features (e.g. request/send money, mobile Payment, secure login, statistics, etc.) and is also free of charge.
Credit Card
Germany has a relatively low level of credit card usage compared to other European countries because many people prefer to pay in cash. As elsewhere, the most common cards in Germany are Mastercard and Visa, but credit cards are not accepted everywhere.
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A Credit Card has some advantages compared to the EC-Card e.g.:
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Paying on the internet: Shopping without a credit card is often not possible on many sites on the internet. Even those who want to book a trip, a rental car, or a hotel via the internet can usually only pay by credit card.
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Credit cards offer many extras in addition to the payment service, such as free insurance or discounts
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Credit cards are accepted practically all over the world as a means of payment.
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Most credit card companies charge a yearly fee. When choosing, look at several banks to find out which credit card is best suited to you. You can also use the Eurowings Premium Credit Card which is free of charge for Eurowings employees. More information can be found on the Eurowings Intranet (SharePoint) as soon as you have started at Eurowings Digital.
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