Your Guide to Smart Spending — July 31

💳 Stop Using a Debit Card That Gives You Nothing

I still have and love my free N26 card – their banking app is simply the best in Germany. But doing most of your spending through a bank account that gives you absolutely nothing back (or worse yet, charges you fees) feels almost silly now that you have an alternative: Trade Republic’s free debit card gives you 1% cashback on every card purchase, up to €15 per month. That’s free money back for buying things you’re buying anyway!

To get the cashback, you need to have a savings plan (ETF, stocks or crypto) with Trade Republic that you can easily set up in the app with no fees – but you can sell it whenever you want, there’s no long-term commitment. If investing is not your thing, just set up a savings plan to get your cashback and cash it out later.

Trade Republic is great both for savings and day-to-day banking – you get a German IBAN, SEPA transfers, and 2% interest on savings (which matches the current ECB rate). I moved most of my banking there a while ago and never looked back. So unless you love bank fees (in which case, we need to talk), check it out or read my full review.

🔥 This Week’s Top Deals

🧳 A Year of Free Travel Insurance

A generous insurance deal if I’ve ever seen one: if you’re under 40, GetSafe is offering a full year of travel insurance completely free — then just €15 per year after that. A full year of travel insurance for €0 isn’t exactly standard industry practice, so this is definitely an offer to take advantage of! Everything’s managed digitally in their app, and yes — it’s all available in English.

Travel insurance is essential if you’re traveling outside Europe. But even within Europe, your German health insurance only covers you up to the local public system’s standards — which usually excludes things like private treatment or emergency transport home. I don’t pay for many insurances, but this is one I always keep. If you don’t have travel insurance (or yours is up for renewal soon), this is a great time to sign up. Get your free year here.

🍎 €10 Off Picnic Grocery Delivery

There’s a new Dutch grocery delivery app in Germany I’m excited about: Picnic. It’s now active in Berlin, Hamburg, NRW, Mannheim, and Darmstadt — and more cities are being added. You get €10 off your first order with the code ANN36536. Minimum order is €40, delivery is always free, and 100% electric.

Picnic sits somewhere between the fast-but-overpriced delivery apps like Flink and slower services like Rewe delivery that have a higher minimum order and are better suited for big weekly shops. With Picnic, you can usually get a delivery slot for the next day, or you can schedule for later that week. Slots are 1–2 hours — so you’re not stuck waiting at home half the day.

I tried it recently and really liked the experience. Prices were very fair — only slightly higher than in the supermarket — and they carry Edeka’s Gut & Günstig private label, which offers really good value for money. You can still add items or reschedule your delivery after checkout, which I found quite useful. Plus, an unexpected perk: they take your Pfand bottles and deduct the amount from your bill — no more carrying them to the supermarket yourself! From the second order on, you can also return the bags from your previous order. Order here and use code ANN36536 for €10 off.

🏦 €75 Bonus from Comdirect Bank

Comdirect is offering a €75 welcome bonus when you open a new current account — available to anyone who hasn’t been a customer in the last 6 months. You get a free Visa debit card, and you can add a Girocard for €1 per month if you need one. You also get 3% interest for your savings for 6 months with a free Tagesgeld PLUS account.

The account is free for the first 6 months. After that, there is a €4.90 monthly fee — but you can easily avoid it by using the account: either receive €700+ in incoming funds (can be a self-transfer), or 3 card payments per month via Apple Pay or Google Pay. The fee is also waived if you’re a student, pupil, trainee or intern under 28.

To get the €75 bonus, agree to receive promo emails when signing up (don't unsubscribe until you get the bonus) and make 5 transactions of €25+ within the first 3 months. The bonus will be paid to you automatically in the 4th month. Open your Comdirect account here.

I like this deal because the bonus conditions are really easy — no need to switch your salary or move your main income. If you’re after a bigger bonus, Berliner Volksbank is offering €200 instead — but that requires three incoming payments of €700+ (salary, pension, or student aid) in the first three months. Despite the bank name, this deal is open to everyone — you don’t need to live in Berlin.

👀 More Deals

• AmEx Payback credit card: Until August 17, you get 2,000 Payback points (worth at least €20) plus a €20 Amazon voucher when you sign up — no minimum spend. This is the only free credit card in Germany that gives you rewards: 1 Payback point per €3 spent, plus regular promos. Sign up here or read my full review of AmEx Payback.

• Airalo eSIM: If you’re travelling outside the EU, Airalo eSIM is an easy and reliable way to get mobile data. Setup takes minutes, prices are reasonable, and customer support is helpful. New customers get 15% off here, returning users get 10% off here.

• MyProtein is one of those brands that’s always on sale — which makes it hard to know when the discount is actually worth it. This one is about as good as it gets though: on August 1–3, they’re offering up to 60% off in the summer sale, plus an extra 15% off with the code DACH25. They are most known for their protein powders, but they also sell snacks and supplements. Shop the sale.

• Surfshark VPN: A good-value VPN deal: €1.99/month with a 2-year plan, or €3.19/month for one year — plus 3 extra months free either way. You can also add antivirus protection for €0.50/month, which might be worth it if you use a Windows computer. Get the deal here.

🎁 Freebies

• Hanuta Riegel & duplo Chocnut: Ferrero is at it again! Buy a promotional 5-pack with the “Jetzt gratis testen” label, upload your receipt and a photo of the packaging, and get your money back. You can test both products — one package of each will be reimbursed. Full details here.

• Volvic Touch Sparkling Zero: This is Volvic’s sugar-free, flavoured sparkling water — a good option if you like fizzy drinks but want something lighter. To test it for free, buy two cans by September 21 and upload your receipt here by October 5.

• Löwensenf Organic Mustard: Buy a jar of Löwensenf Bio Dijon or Mittelscharf mustard with the “Gratis probieren” sticker, upload a photo of the receipt here, and get your money back. Limited weekly redemptions – submit early in the week.

Money-back promos are one of the most underrated ways to save money on shopping in Germany. Some offers from the previous issues (July 22, July 8, June 18, and June 3) are still running too — check them out before they expire. If you want to test more grocery items for free, take a look at the Rewe product test page as well.