Both TF Bank and Advanzia Bank offer a Free Mastercard Gold Credit Card in Germany with no annual fee. In this guide, I compare Advanzia Gebührenfrei vs TF Bank Mastercard Gold credit cards. I will provide information about their important conditions, advantages, and disadvantages.
Is the Advanzia Bank Gebührenfrei the easy pick or does the TF Bank offer a Better Mastercard Gold? By the end of the guide, I will tell you which of the two cards is better suited for you.
Advanzia Gebührenfrei vs TF Bank Comparison
Before I share the details, here is a quick Comparison of Advanzia Gebührenfrei vs TF Bank
| Advanzia Bank Gebührenfrei | TF Bank Master Card Gold | |
| No Annual Fee | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cash Withdrawal Fee | No fee (but 23.89 % interest fee after cash withdrawal) | No fee (but 22.96% interest fee after cash withdrawal) |
| Annual Interest Rate | 23.89 % | 22.96% |
| No Foreign Currency Fee | ✅ | ✅ |
| Travel Insurance | ✅ | ✅ |
| Auto-repay | ⛔ | ⛔ |
| English Support? | ⛔ | ⛔ |
| Apple & Google Pay | ✅ | ✅ |
| Banking app in English | ✅ | ✅ |
Is TF Bank a German Bank?
TF Bank is Swedish internet-based bank offering consumer banking services and e-commerce solutions. The TF bank was established in 1987 and has been listed on the Stockholm stock exchange since 2016.
TF Bank conducts banking operations in Germany, Finland, Estonia, Norway, Poland, Austria, Denmark, Lithuania and Latvia in addition to its headquarters in Sweden.
Is Advanzia Bank Trustworthy?
Advanzia Bank, located in Munsbach, Luxembourg, is a digital bank operating in Europe. It provides deposit accounts and credit cards with no fees to individual customers, as well as co-branded credit cards and credit card solutions for business partners and other financial institutions. In the business partner sector, it is one of the largest players in the market. The bank is supervised by Luxembourg’s national financial supervisory authority.
Which Credit Cards do TF Bank and Advanzia Bank offer
Both the TF Bank Mastercard Gold and the Advanzia Bank Gold Card are Free Credit Cards in Germany and fall under revolving cards. This means that they are actual credit cards with a credit limit, and you have the option of choosing between two repayment plans.
You can either pay off the monthly statement in full, which will remain interest-free, or you can pay it in installments with gradually decreasing interest rates.
TF Bank Mastercard Gold does not require any annual fees and there is no minimum turnover required for this. Similarly, Advanzia Bank’s Gebührenfrei credit card also does not charge any annual fees and no minimum turnover is required.
Are TF Bank and Advanzia Bank Credit Cards Accepted easily?
Mastercard offers a high level of acceptance worldwide in various stores, service providers, and ATMs. As mentioned earlier, Mastercards are real credit cards and are widely accepted at car rental companies both domestically and internationally.
In contrast, debit cards may not be accepted at all car rental companies, causing potential issues even if they are having a Mastercard logo.
Advanzia Gebührenfrei vs TF Bank: Cash Withdrawals
With the Mastercard Gold, cash withdrawals are free of charge worldwide. However, with the TF Bank credit card, while there are no foreign transaction or foreign currency fees, the card is not suitable for cash withdrawals as interest is charged from the day of withdrawal until the credit card is settled.
Similarly, withdrawals are initially free of charge with Advanzia Bank, and there are no withdrawal foreign use or foreign currency fees worldwide. However, interest is charged from the day of withdrawal until settlement, and we will let you know the amount of interest. You can read my article on the Advanzia Bank Gebührenfrei Credit Card to know more about the Billing details.
Payment Options for the Mastercard Gold
The TF Bank Mastercard Gold can be used worldwide for payment free of charge. There are no costs such as foreign currency fees. Unlike cash withdrawals, no interest is charged for card payments if you pay the credit card bill in full on the due date.
The Advanzia Mastercard Gold can also be used worldwide for payment free of charge. There are no foreign currency fees, and all payments also remain interest-free if you pay the card bill on time and in full.
Advanzia Gebührenfrei vs TF Bank : Interest Rate
At TF Bank, an effective annual interest rate of 23.89% is charged if you do not settle your card payments in full but in partial amounts. Furthermore, interest accrues in the same amount if you use the card to withdraw money, regardless of whether the settlement is paid in full. So, only card payments that are paid in full with the monthly credit settlement are interest-free.
At Advanzia, interest accrues, and the effective annual interest rate here is 23.89%. As with TF Bank, interest is charged if you use the installment facility. As always, with cash withdrawals, the purchase of cryptocurrencies is also subject to interest. Here, only card payments that are paid in full with the credit card statement are interest-free.
Is Interest-free payment possible with TF Bank and Advanzia Bank?
If you do not use the TF Bank Mastercard Gold for cash withdrawals and always pay the monthly bill in full, you have an interest-free payment target of up to 7 weeks.
The same applies to the Advanzia Mastercard Gold. If you do not use it for cash withdrawals and always pay the monthly bill in full, you have an interest-free payment target of up to seven weeks.
Does Advanzia Bank have a Higher Limit or TF Bank?
The credit limit that you receive from TF Bank is granted individually based on your creditworthiness (based on your SCHUFA score). Over time, the credit limit can be automatically increased if there are no payment delays. Unfortunately, it is not possible to keep the card in credit to increase the credit limit.
Similarly, with Advanzia Bank, the credit limit is determined individually and can also be subject to automatic increases if the credit card account is properly managed. However, it is also not possible to transfer credit to the card to increase the credit limit. With both cards, you can apply for an increase in the credit limit. But as Advanzia Bank does not do a SCHUFA check, the initial credit limit is quite low compared to TF Bank.
Contactless payment with the Mastercard Gold
With both the TF Bank Mastercard and the Advanzia Mastercard, you can make contactless payments without a PIN or signature for amounts up to 50 euros. With the Advanzia credit card, you can use three services: Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Garmin Pay. It does not matter whether you use an iPhone or an Android smartphone. The payment is made simply by the security function of your smartphone, such as Face ID or your secret code.
Does TF Bank Mastercard Gold offer better insurance or Advanzia Bank Gebührenfrei?
Both cards offer free travel insurance, which is especially interesting because the Mastercard gold cards come with no annual fee.
TF Bank Mastercard Gold travel insurance includes:
- Foreign travel health insurance
- cancellation insurance
- Trip Interruption Insurance
- Baggage Insurance
- Flight and baggage delay insurance
- Personal liability insurance abroad
- Accident insurance
With the Advanzia Bank, the following insurances are included:
- Travel luggage insurance
- Travel cancellation insurance
- Travel health insurance
- Travel accident insurance
- Private liability insurance for abroad
For all insurances, there is a deductible of 100 euros in case of damage, and in order to get the protection, you must have paid at least 50% of the travel price with the card. If you are interested you can get more details on Insurances offered by TF Bank Mastercard Gold Credit Card with its conditions.
Which credit card is better, Advanzia Bank Gebührenfrei Gold or TF Bank Mastercard Gold?
When it comes to choosing between the two Mastercard Gold Credit Cards: Gebührenfrei Gold and TF Bank Gold, the conditions are quite similar. However, the TF Bank Mastercard Gold is better than the Advanzia Bank Gebührenfrei Gold card by a slight margin. As the TF Bank card offers slightly better insurance options. The decision to choose one of the cards is largely influenced by personal preference and prestige. In terms of appearance, the TF Bank card is more attractive as it looks more premium and is not immediately recognizable as a fee-free credit card.
It is important to note that with both cards, it is essential to avoid cash withdrawals at the ATM and to pay credit card statements on time and in full, as high interest rates can be charged otherwise. The better credit card for an individual depends largely on the importance of making payments with Garmin pay. If this is not a priority, the answer is simple the TF Bank Mastercard Gold Credit Card is the Best Free Credit Card in Germany
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Disclaimer: None of the content in this article is meant to be considered as investment advice, as I am not a financial expert and am only sharing my experience. The information is based on my own research and is only accurate at the time of posting this article but may not be accurate at the time you are reading it.