💰 November’s Best Deals in Germany

Mastercard Cashback on Online Shopping

Mastercard recently launched Click-to-Pay feature for faster online shopping checkout without entering card details. To promote it, they are offering cashback on online purchases at major German retailers: get €30 back on €100+ purchases at MediaMarkt or Saturn (perfect timing with Black Friday approaching), and €10 back for spending €50+ at Kaufland or €75+ at Lidl. You’ll need to create a Click-to-Pay account and register your Mastercard to participate, then make a purchase with Click-to-Pay by November 30th to receive automatic cashback. Online purchases only.

Two Months of Free Podcasts and Audiobooks

Podimo is a Danish audiobook and podcast app (think Spotify Premium meets Audible) that just launched in the German market. The audiobook library is mostly in German (at least for now), but there’s plenty of podcasts in English, including heavy-hitters like Huberman Lab, The Joe Rogan Experience, The Tim Ferriss Show, Radiolab, and pretty much any other podcast you can think of. Or if you're feeling ambitious, listen to one of the German podcasts instead.

Exclusive for Smart Living subscribers: get 60 days free access instead of the regular 7-day trial until December 1st! It’s a nice way to get your podcast fix without paying for Spotify Premium.

Fast & Fresh: Knuspr Grocery Delivery on Amazon

Amazon Fresh is leaving Germany (it never really took off here anyway), but Knuspr steps in to fill your fridge. Think an online grocery store that offers same-day delivery and has a lot of fresh produce, extensive organic selection, and even bread baked to order. New Knuspr customers get €10 off plus free delivery on their first order (€39+) with KNUSPR10 promo code until December 2nd. For your next order, delivery is €0.90–€4.90, or free from €79. This makes it a decent choice for families or big shoppers, while those who spend less per grocery trip might still prefer Rewe's delivery service with €50 minimum order and free delivery once per week.

You need to be an Amazon Prime member to use Knuspr on Amazon — if you’re not, look for Prime trial offers in your Amazon account to avoid the €8.99 monthly fee. Alternatively, order directly through Knuspr's website if you don't want to sign up for Prime, but that way you'll miss the €10 discount.

More Quick Deals

• Marley Spoon: Get 35% off your first box and 32% off the second as a new customer. I recently used this offer: first box came to €28.74 for 6 meals (€4.79 per portion). Quality is great, and you can choose the exact recipes you like from 40 options. Cancel anytime after your first box arrives.

• Rewe delivery service: It’s truly been my favorite way to shop for groceries for a while now. It offers the same prices for delivery as in-store with only €50 minimum order, and delivery is free one day per week. First-time users get €5 off + free delivery with the code 22900000000000200027.

• Uber Eats: New customers get €30 off their first 2 orders (2 x €15 off with €20 minimum order). Already using Uber Eats? Order with a friend who hasn't signed up yet.

📉 Economic Pulse: What You Need to Know

German economy isn't exactly thriving these days. The numbers just came in, and while we technically avoided recession with 0.2% growth in Q3 (after -0.1% in Q2), it's nothing to celebrate. The usual autumn surge in hiring hasn't materialized this year either, with unemployment increasing. Cherry on top: Inflation's back up to 2.4% from September's 1.8%. Economists forecast lower growth, higher energy costs and continued inflation next year too: 2025 growth forecast has also been cut from 0.9% to a measly 0.4%. The minimum wage will see a modest increase to €12.82 per hour in January 2025, though this 3.3% increase lags behind general wage growth.

Meanwhile in Berlin, the budget-friendly €29 ticket is getting cancelled as the city's governing coalition desperately tries not to run out of money. No exact end date yet, but BVG has been told to wrap it up ASAP. They probably won’t make it by January 1st, but don't count on keeping your ticket for much longer. And that's just the start of Berlin's budget trimming: cultural funding is being cut by 12%, affecting theaters and museums, while transport and environment projects face massive cuts of €660 million. This means, among other things, delays in tram extensions, reduced cycling infrastructure, slower transition to electric buses. Silver lining: free school meals and daycare remain largely untouched.