Santander • EUR
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Ingrid Schneider · Updated: 3 September 2026
BestGiro from Santander is an online current account with a traditional branch-bank background, aimed mainly at customers who actively want to move their main account to Santander. The provider advertises one of the higher switching bonuses in the German current-account market along with fee-free account management with no minimum incoming payment.
According to Santander's offer page, BestGiro is free, with no minimum incoming payment or other conditions. New customers opening the account after 2 June 2026 also receive 0.20% p.a. interest on their balance for the first twelve months — a small but, for a current account, unusual extra.
For overdrafts, Santander charges 10.45% p.a. interest on both the arranged and unarranged overdraft — a mid-range value by market comparison.
New customers receive a EUR 250 bonus, but it is clearly tied to actually using the account-switching service, not just to opening the account:
The bar is therefore higher than for a simple account-opening bonus: it's not enough to open the account — the switching service must be actively used and completed within the three-month window, including moving at least four direct debits or incoming payments. Anyone already planning to move their main account entirely benefits, since the service automates most of the effort. Anyone wanting only a secondary account without a genuine switch is unlikely to reach the EUR 250.
A fee-free Visa debit card is included with the account, and a free Girocard is now also newly available. An optional credit card is offered, currently fee-free according to the offer page, though it normally carries a EUR 24 annual fee and requires a credit check.
With the Girocard, cash withdrawals are free at CashPool ATMs nationwide. With the Visa debit card, six free cash withdrawals per month are available worldwide, after which a fee applies. In addition, up to EUR 200 in retail purchases are fee-free when cash is paid out alongside a purchase (cashback).
The MySantander online banking portal allows the account to be managed from home and on mobile, with statements automatically stored in a digital PostBox. Deposits are protected up to EUR 100,000 per customer via the Entschädigungseinrichtung deutscher Banken GmbH. The account is accessible online, by phone, in branch and via app, and the account-switching service is — as described above — actually a condition for receiving the full bonus.
BestGiro suits employees, students, apprentices and retirees who want to move their main account fully to Santander and collect the EUR 250 bonus along the way. Anyone looking for just a secondary account without a genuine switch still benefits from free account management but will miss out on the bonus.
The account is opened online via the Santander website within the promotional period ending 31 August 2026. To qualify for the bonus, the account-switching service must then be completed within three months, notifying at least four payment partners.
BestGiro stands out with one of the higher switching bonuses on the market and, according to the offer page, free account management. The EUR 250, however, is tied to a genuine account switch with at least four payment partners moved over — anyone willing to put in that effort benefits the most from this offer.
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