I’m writing this from a trip to South America where the flights were mostly paid with air miles from my Amex Gold. There’s this idea that Germany just doesn’t do good credit cards, and to be fair, it’s not exactly the US-style points circus here (which is a good thing as far as I’m concerned) – but if you pick the right card, you can definitely collect enough miles to make a real dent in your travel costs, and I’ll show you one of the better options available in Germany in today’s email.
Also in today’s issue: my favorite Scandi-designed razors and refillable deos with 70% off, why now is a good moment to commit to a fixed-term savings account, new household freebies, and more ways to make your everyday spending in Germany a bit cheaper.
Note: this article contains affiliate links, which are marked with *.
⏰ Tip of the Week: Lock in Your Interest Rate Now
I’ve been following interest rates on savings accounts quite closely over the past few months, and I can tell you: they’re drifting down fast. Normally, I’m team flexible savings – I mean a Tagesgeld account where you can move money in and out whenever you like. But right now, if you have some savings you won’t need in the next 12 months, it can make sense to lock in a higher rate with a fixed-term account (Festgeld).
The main difference is simple:
With flexible savings, you can withdraw money at any time, but the bank can also adjust your interest rate at any point (which, these days, usually means “down”).
With a fixed-term savings account, the rate is locked for the full term – as long as you don’t need to touch the money before the agreed-on period is over.
One of the better options right now is the fixed-term savings account from Rediem Capital*. They offer 2.45% interest per year, with deposits starting from €5,000 and no monthly fees. Rediem is based in Sweden, so your money is covered by the Swedish deposit guarantee scheme, which protects deposits up to roughly €100,000 per person.
If you have some spare cash you won’t need for the next year, parking it in a savings account is a low-effort way to squeeze more out of your money while rates are sliding. Read more about the Rediem savings account here*.
🔥 Hot Deals
🪒 Estrid Razor & Deodorant Starter Kits with 70% off
Estrid* is a Scandinavian shaving brand with a focus on design – metal handle, clean look, and blades that are actually pleasant to use. I first ordered their starter kit about five years ago and haven’t used any other razor since; I’ve also given it as a gift a few times, and everyone ended up loving it as much as I do. At this point, I'm a customer for life.
Estrid does both body and face razors, made to fit different routines and all genders. The starter kit normally costs €9.95, but with this link* you get it with 70% off (for €2.99) including delivery. The kit includes the handle, two blades, and a wall holder. Replacement blades cost €12.95 for a pack of four on subscription (you choose how often they arrive), but if you prefer buying in person, you can cancel your subscription and buy them at dm.
Estrid has also recently added a refillable anti-perspirant to the lineup. The starter kit for that is €14.95, and you can get 70% off* it as well. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m definitely going to – I like the refill concept, the design looks just as beautiful as the shaving kit, and the way they describe the scents is making me think they will smell amazing.
If you’d like to upgrade your usual drugstore setup for something more beautiful without spending too much, this is a great way to do so. Get your Estrid starter kit with 70% off here*.
The design, the shape, the colors — I didn't know it's possible to feel this strongly about a razor.
✈️ 50,000 Membership Rewards Points with Amex Gold
If you’ve been in Germany for a while, you’re probably familiar with the country’s love affair with cash and its general skepticism towards credit cards. Which is unfortunate, because there are some good credit cards out there, and in particular there is one that's really worth it if you want to collect airline miles: the American Express Gold Card*.
Right now, you can get up to 50,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for Amex Gold by March 25 and spend €5,000 within the first six months. The card costs €20 per month, so it’s somewhat of a commitment – but if you plan to put some spending on it, the points you get from spending plus the 50,000 welcome bonus can easily be worth several hundred euros in flights when transferred to airline partners.
I’ve had my Amex Gold for over two years now, and I’m very happy with it – the flights for my current South America trip were mostly covered by miles collected with this card. The nice thing about Membership Rewards is that they’re flexible and work with the majority of airline alliances. You can sign up here* or read my full guide to Amex Gold in Germany, where I go into more detail on how to collect and redeem points and miles.
P.S.: If a paid card doesn’t appeal to you but you still like the idea of getting rewards on your everyday spending, take a look at the free Amex Payback Card*. It has no annual fee and comes with a 5,000 Payback points welcome bonus (worth about €50) if you sign up by March 25.
📱 sim24 Phone Plans from €3.99/Month
Mobile plans in Germany are a lot cheaper than they were a few years ago, so if you haven’t checked your tariff in a while, it might be time. Right now, sim24* has some of the lowest prices around:
10 GB for €3.99 per month
35 GB for €5.99 per month
60 GB for €9.99 per month
All tariffs include 5G data, unlimited calls and SMS within Germany, and speeds up to 50 Mbit/s. With the 24-month contract there’s no activation fee; if you prefer the monthly-cancellable option, there’s a one-time €9.99 setup charge. You can also bring your current number over when you switch from another provider.
If you’re still paying over €10 a month for less data, this is an easy win for your wallet. Check out sim24 plans here*.
P.S. If you’d like even more data, Lyca Mobile’s 160 GB for €8.99 per 28 days could be worth a look – more details here*.
💰 More Deals
KoRo: I really like KoRo, but I don’t get to mention them often because they rarely run any promos – so I’m quite happy that they’re offering 12% off their 12 bestsellers until February 19. KoRo is a Berlin-based food brand known for high-quality natural products – healthy snacks, nut butters, dried fruit and baking ingredients, with many organic options and generally short ingredient lists. The nut butters are especially good, and I’ve also loved their energy balls and protein bars. Shop the sale*.
20% off on Babbel: If your language-learning resolution stalled somewhere in mid-January, Babbel is currently running a “Resolution. Restart” promo with discounts on subscriptions (starting from €8.09/month), and 20% off on Babbel Lifetime with forever access to all languages. It’s a good option if you want to commit once and never think about monthly payments again. I personally really like Babbel and learned the majority of my German and Spanish on this app. Check the promo here*.
Ninja airfryer promos: If everyone around you seems to have discovered air fryers, but you’ve still been holding off, Ninja has some good discounts right now: you get €10 extra off the dual-zone Ninja AF400EU with code AF10DEAL (advertisement), bringing it down to €139.99 on this offer page*. For a smaller and cheaper option, the 4.7L Ninja AF140EU* is currently €99.99, and with the 10% discount you get if you subscribe to their newsletter, the price drops to €89.99.
Lufthansa strike compensation: If your Lufthansa flight was cancelled or heavily delayed because of the last week’s strike, you may be entitled to compensation – you can submit a claim yourself, or if you’d rather not deal with the paperwork, services like Flightright* or AirHelp* can handle the process for you. If you were affected by recent disruptions due to severe weather (like in Berlin), compensation is usually not owed because this counts as “extraordinary circumstances”. However, if the airline was slow to get operations back on track, you might still have a case – these services can check this for free and only take a commission if they’re successful.
If you get one of these, you might also start talking about air fryers to your friends incessantly.
🎁 Freebies
Fairy Max Power: Buy a Fairy Max Power dishwashing liquid bottle with the “Gratis Testen” sticker until May 12 and upload your receipt and a photo of the product here until May 26 to get your money back. Only products with the promo sticker are eligible.
Smol laundry capsules: Try 9 Smol laundry detergent capsules for free – you only pay €1 shipping. You’ll need to set up a recurring delivery when you order, but you can cancel after your trial pack has been shipped if you don’t want further deliveries. You can order the trial pack on the Smol website.
Lenor laundry perfume: One more laundry promo – buy a participating Lenor laundry perfume (like April Fresh or Fresh Cotton Blossom), then upload your receipt together with a photo of the back of the product here to receive a full refund. The promotion runs until June 15, and receipts can be uploaded until June 30.
Sheba cat food: Buy at least €6 worth of Sheba cat food and upload your receipt and barcodes here to either get up to €6 back or use your purchase to enter a voucher prize draw. The promo runs until April 30, and receipts can be uploaded until May 15. Weekly redemptions are limited, so it’s worth submitting your receipt early in the week.
Money-back grocery and household product promos are one of the easiest ways to cut everyday costs. A lot of promotions from previous issues are still active – you can find them all here if you’d like to try more. For more free grocery products, Rewe product tests are worth a look as well.
If you’d like to get practical, up-to-date ways to save money in Germany – from cashback offers and bank promos to everyday discounts and freebies – you can subscribe to our newsletter here. It’s free, and it lands in your inbox once a week with the tips that make life here a bit cheaper and a bit less stressful.
Ad/Anzeige disclosure: This article contains affiliate links, which are marked with *. If you make a purchase through them, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the newsletter and keeps my content free. I only recommend products and services I’ve personally tried or thoroughly researched. Thank you for your support!
