Business accounts in Germany

✓ Pros

• ✓Online transactions free regardless of volume
• ✓Credit card included in the price as standard
• ✓EU-wide deposit protection up to €100,000
• ✓Suitable for almost any business form, from freelancers to GmbHs

✕ Cons

• ✕No phone service or branch, online and app only
• ✕Live offer page unavailable at time of check, current terms not additionally verified
• ✕No information available on an overdraft facility
• ✕Annual base fee of €84 applies even with light account usage

✓ Pros

• ✓Free account maintenance with no monthly base fee
• ✓Online bookings are free throughout, according to the underlying data
• ✓Deposit protection in line with the EU directive, up to EUR 100,000 at 100%
• ✓Physical card plus an additional card included in the price

✕ Cons

• ✕No figure given for the arranged overdraft rate
• ✕No welcome bonus
• ✕No phone channel mentioned for account management
• ✕Only limited product-specific additional information publicly available

✓ Pros

• ✓Unlimited deposit protection through the BVR institutional protection scheme
• ✓Moderate 8.53 percent overdraft rate, including for tolerated overdrafts
• ✓Debit card included as standard in the account package

✕ Cons

• ✕125 euro annual fee with no visible waiver condition
• ✕Offline bookings at 2 euros are noticeably more expensive than online bookings (0.10 euros)
• ✕Entrepreneurial companies (UG) not explicitly listed as a target group

✓ Pros

• ✓Two debit cards and two credit cards already included in the account price
• ✓Deposit protection up to 100,000 € via the Entschädigungseinrichtung deutscher Banken
• ✓Very low fee for digital SEPA transactions (0.10 €)
• ✓Accessible via online banking, app, phone and branch
• ✓Second business account with a 100% discount plus a fee-free sub-account available

✕ Cons

• ✕Monthly base fee of 39.90 € regardless of actual usage
• ✕No apparent conditions for a fee waiver
• ✕Paper-based transactions are comparatively expensive at 3.00 €
• ✕No account-opening bonus currently offered
• ✕Overdraft terms are not transparently disclosed

✓ Pros

• ✓Branch network, phone advice and app all available at once
• ✓Free cash withdrawals at partner ATMs in more than 60 countries worldwide
• ✓Debit card included in the base price
• ✓Deposit protection up to 100,000 euros

✕ Cons

• ✕High monthly base fee of 24.90 euros with no apparent waiver option
• ✕Paper-based transactions notably expensive at 3.00 euros per item
• ✕No welcome bonus for new customers
• ✕Optional BusinessCard credit card costs an extra 29.00 euros per year

✓ Pros

• ✓Cheaper base fee than the Business ClassicKonto (14.90 instead of 24.90 euros per month)
• ✓Free cash withdrawals at partner ATMs in more than 60 countries worldwide
• ✓Debit card included in the base price
• ✓Deposit protection up to 100,000 euros

✕ Cons

• ✕Paper-based transactions notably expensive at 3.00 euros per item
• ✕No welcome bonus for new customers
• ✕No information on any base-fee waiver
• ✕Additional cards cost an extra 10.00 euros per year

✓ Pros

• ✓First year completely free
• ✓Up to two debit cards included in the price
• ✓SEPA instant transfers priced the same as regular online bookings
• ✓Branch network and phone support in addition to online banking and the app

✕ Cons

• ✕€24.90 monthly base fee from the second year onward
• ✕Offline orders cost significantly more (€3) than online transactions
• ✕Designed only for doctors, dentists, and pharmacists
• ✕No information on overdraft interest rates

✓ Pros

• ✓€100 online bonus when opening the account
• ✓Only €8.90 account fee for the first 24 months
• ✓50 free online transactions per month
• ✓Girocard included in the base price
• ✓Linkable instant-access savings account at 2.75% p.a. for 4 months
• ✓Advice available online, by phone, in branch, or via app

✕ Cons

• ✕Fee rises to €34.90 per month after 24 months
• ✕Bonus requires marketing consent and an advisory meeting
• ✕Paper-based orders always cost €2.50 with no free allowance
• ✕Additional cards cost extra (€5.90/month or €79.90/year)
• ✕No permanent fee waiver available

✓ Pros

• ✓0 euro base fee in the first year through the Kennenlernangebot promotion
• ✓Up to 190.80 euros base-fee refund when the participation conditions are met
• ✓First 10 paperless transactions per month free of charge
• ✓Credit cards usable at around 2 million ATMs worldwide

✕ Cons

• ✕Bonus only available with marketing consent and a completed advisory consultation
• ✕Regular base fee of 15.90 euros per month from year two onward
• ✕Paper-based transactions relatively expensive at 2.50 euros per item
• ✕Add-on cards with an extended feature set cost noticeably extra (5.90 euros/month or 79.90 euros/year)

✓ Pros

• ✓Free account maintenance with no booking limit
• ✓Unlimited free bookings per month
• ✓Automatic calculation of income tax and VAT built in
• ✓Physical card plus Apple Pay and Google Pay included
• ✓Deposit protection up to EUR 100,000 at 100%

✕ Cons

• ✕1.35% fee for Tap-to-Pay payments with EEA cards
• ✕No figure given for the arranged overdraft rate
• ✕No welcome bonus
• ✕Clear focus on solo self-employed people, less on larger businesses