1. Overview: Which Bank Accounts can customers choose from?

• • • Current account for individuals (Girokonto)
    • Current account for couples (Gemeinschaftskonto), includes free bank cards for both account holders
    • Current account for students (Girokonto für Studierende), includes free International Student Identity Card (ISIC) and related discounts for one year free
    • Current account for minors (Girokonto u18), automatically offers perks for “active customers” and does not require minimum monthly incoming funds of €700 (see below for details)

2. Features: What does DKB offer?

All accounts have a German account number (IBAN). The account for minors (Girokonto u18) comes without any monthly fees. For all other accounts no without monthly fees are charged in the first 3 months after account opening and afterwards if incoming funds of €700 are registered. Otherwise a fee of €4.50 will be charged in the consecutive month:

• • • Free Visa Debit Card with contactless option
    • Premium card options
      • Visa Credit Card with contactless option (fully suitable for i.e. store payments, online shopping, hotel or rental car bookings) – €2.49/month
      • Girocard with contactless option (Maestro or VPay) – €0.99/month
    • Mobile Payment (Apple Pay / Google Pay)
    • Free card payments in Germany and within the Eurozone
    • Free card payments worldwide in other currencies than Euro for active customers, “inactive customers” are subject to a transaction fee of 2.2%
    • Unlimited free cash withdrawals at ATMs in the Eurozone (minimum withdrawal amount of €50) and associated retailers in Germany (between €50 and €300 at i.e. REWE, Rossmann, Penny, Real, dm)
    • Unlimited free cash withdrawals at ATMs worldwide in other currencies than Euro (minimum withdrawal amount of €50), for “inactive customers” an additional fee of 2.2% is applicable
    • Unlimited free cash deposits at one of DKB’s cash deposit machines (about 20 machines in large German cities, i.e. Berlin, Munich, Leipzig, Dresden)
    • Cash deposits of up to €999,99 per day at associated retailers with a transaction fee of 1.5% (i.e. REWE, Rossmann, Penny, Real, dm)

Active and inactive customers

Additionally, to above mentioned benefits “active customers” enjoy further advantages such as reduced overdraft fees, services for emergencies/ fraud, online cashback and free tickets for live events.
All new customers automatically are granted the “active customer” status for the first 6 months of their account opening. In order to maintain this status, your account shall record incoming transactions of at least 700 EUR per month (e.g. salary, pensions, transfers from other accounts). Once incoming transactions are inferior to €700, it takes three consecutive months of sufficient incoming funds to re-obtain the “active customer” status.

3. Requirements: Who can Open a Bank Account with DKB?

Job requirements

The DKB current accounts (Girokonto) are available to private individuals. Freelancers and self-employed people can also apply for the normal account if they use it for private purposes only.

Moreover, there is also a special business account with not only a credit card included but also different overall conditions (€15 montly fee, status: 12/21). It is only available to special freelancers like notaries, lawyers, bakruptcy advisors, tax accountants, auditors, healtcare professionals, pharmacists and real estate managers.

Residence

Accounts can be opened with all countries of residence (except Iran/ North Korea) if you have German citizenship. People with other nationalities require an official residence in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. In any case, you can keep your account and continue using DKB’s services when moving abroad later.

Creditworthiness

DKB was known for issuing a real credit card and performing quite intensive credit checks. In November 2021 DKB changed their model and now hands out debit cards as part of their standard accounts. This has also increased chances for Germany newbise without intensive credit history. Hence, you should give it a try to open a DKB Cash account. In case you may be rejected, you may simply chose another bank account from our comparison table and reapply at a later point in time.

In case, you apply for a premium credit card, the outcome of an initial credit check defines your Visa card limit. This limit you will be granted as a free credit to spend: once a month, the amount will be settled with an automatic transaction from your current account. In case you need a higher limit on your Visa card (e.g. for larger purchases, travelling, rental car guarantees) you may always transfer funds from your current to your Visa card account or contact DKB to review the limit.

Online banking and mobile app

DKB provides an advanced infrastructure for internet and mobile banking. The online banking interface in your web browser includes all functions to fully manage your account. Furthermore, there is a state-of-the-art mobile app “DKB-Banking-App”, which includes amongst others the following useful features:

• • • Bank Transfers
    • (Temporary) locking of bank cards
    • Cash withdrawals in shops
    • Mobile payment (Apple / Google Pay)
    • Push notifications in real-time to control card usage
    • Review of balances and limits (i.e. overdraft, credit card)

Further services (savings, investments, credits)

If you would like to merge all your financial activities at one bank, DKB might be an especially good option for you. In its portfolio there are

• • • Savings accounts and fixed-term deposits (even though there might be options with higher interest on the market)
    • Investment accounts (“DKB Broker” comes without monthly fees, reasonable transaction costs and a range of ETF saving plans)
    • Offers for credits and mortgages

6. Account opening: What steps to follow to get a DKB-Cash?

Opening an account is convenient, fast and done completely online. It follows the ordinary account opening process that we have described here: You will have to fill out the online form with your data and then identify via Post- or Video-Ident.

For any questions, do not hesitate to use the comment function!