Is there a free Amex card in Germany?
Yes — and it’s called the Amex Blue. The annual fee is genuinely €0, permanently, no first-year-only trick. But before you celebrate the free points: the Blue doesn’t actually earn any points for free. That’s the catch, and it’s the one thing every “best free Amex” listicle skips over. I’d rather you know it upfront than discover it on your statement. So here’s the honest version of who the Blue Card is right for in Germany — and the two cases where the Payback or the Green quietly beats it.
What you actually get
Stripped of the marketing, here’s what the free Blue Card puts in your wallet:
- A real American Express card at €0/year. Use it anywhere Amex is accepted in Germany and abroad.
- Apple Pay and Google Pay — add it to your phone and tap.
- Amex Offers — the rotating brand discounts (statement credits at participating shops) that work the same on every Amex tier.
- Travel accident insurance — the basic cover that comes with the card.
- A €25 welcome bonus on the current campaign — modest, but it’s there.
What it doesn’t include out of the box is the one thing people assume an Amex is for: points. And that’s where the asterisk lives.
The catch with points
The Blue Card on its own earns nothing. No Membership Rewards, no cashback — zero. To earn points, you have to opt in to Membership Rewards for €30/year, on top of the free card.
Pay that €30 and you earn 1 point per €1 spent. There’s a further “Turbo” add-on at €15/year on top, which bumps earning to 1.5 points per €1. So the genuinely-free Blue is an acceptance card; the earning Blue costs €30 (or €45 with Turbo) a year.
| Setup | Annual cost | Earns |
|---|---|---|
| Blue, no add-on | €0 | Nothing (acceptance only) |
| Blue + Membership Rewards | €30 | 1 pt / €1 |
| Blue + MR + Turbo | €45 | 1.5 pts / €1 |
Here’s the thing worth sitting with: once you’re paying €30–45 a year to earn points on a card, “free Amex” stops being the reason you hold it. At that point you’re really asking whether the Blue is the best way to earn Membership Rewards — and for most people it isn’t. The Green carries a fee too, but bundles MR participation in rather than charging it as an add-on, and comes with more travel extras. If the MR add-on is something you’d pay for anyway, that’s your signal to look one rung up.
Blue vs Payback — the two free(ish) options
This is the comparison that actually decides it for most readers in Germany, because both cards sit at €0 — but they earn very differently.
| Amex Blue | Amex Payback | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | €0 | €0 |
| Earns for free? | No — nothing without the €30/yr MR add-on | Yes — Payback points automatically |
| Points currency | Membership Rewards (paid add-on) | Payback (Rewe, dm & partners) |
| Best for | Acceptance + Apple Pay, or an extra MR card | Free everyday earning at German retailers |
The Payback earns you Payback loyalty points automatically — at Rewe, dm and the partner network — with no extra fee. The Blue earns nothing unless you pay the €30. So if your goal is “a free card that actually gives me something back,” the Payback is the cleaner pick. The Blue only wins this matchup in two cases: you mainly want Amex for acceptance and Apple Pay and don’t care about points, or you’re already enrolled in Membership Rewards elsewhere and want a free additional Amex on the same account.
Want the genuinely-free Amex for acceptance and Apple Pay? The Blue Card is €0/year with no commitment — just go in knowing the points cost extra.
Blue vs Green — when to step up
If you read “the points cost €30 extra” and thought I’d probably pay that — stop, and look at the Green instead.
The Green isn’t free; it carries a modest annual fee. But it includes Membership Rewards rather than charging it as a bolt-on, and it layers on more travel extras than the Blue. So the real question isn’t “Blue or Green” in the abstract — it’s: am I going to pay for MR anyway? If yes, the Green usually gives you more for a similar all-in cost, because you’re not stacking a fee-free card with a €30 (or €45) add-on to recreate what the Green already bundles. The Blue stays the better choice only when you want the card to cost you exactly €0 and you’re fine earning nothing.
The honest tradeoffs
- Genuinely free — €0 annual fee, permanently
- Full Amex acceptance plus Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Amex Offers brand discounts and travel accident insurance
- €25 welcome bonus on the current campaign
- No commitment — easy to hold as a backup card
- Earns nothing without the €30/yr Membership Rewards add-on
- Once you pay for MR, the Green often gives more for similar cost
- Payback earns automatically for free — Blue doesn't
- Amex acceptance gaps mean you still need a Visa/Mastercard alongside it
As with any Amex, acceptance in Germany isn’t universal — keep a no-fee Revolut card or any Visa/Mastercard for the shops and machines that turn Amex away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Amex Blue Card worth it in Germany?
It depends what you want from it. As a free Amex for acceptance and Apple Pay — yes, €0 fee and no commitment. As an earning card, the catch is that Membership Rewards costs €30/year extra, so the points aren’t really free. If you just want a free points card, the Payback is simpler; if you want real MR points, the Green is the better step up.
Does the Amex Blue earn Membership Rewards points?
Not automatically. MR participation costs an extra €30/year on top of the free Blue Card. Pay it and you earn 1 pt per €1 (or 1.5 pts with the €15/yr Turbo add-on). Don’t pay it and the card earns nothing — which is why the Blue is less straightforward than it first looks.
Amex Blue vs Payback — which free Amex is better in Germany?
The Payback earns Payback points automatically at Rewe, dm and partners with no extra fee. The Blue earns nothing without paying €30/year for MR. If you want a free card that gives something back, the Payback is cleaner. The Blue wins if you only use Amex for acceptance, or already hold Membership Rewards and want a free extra card.
Verdict
The Amex Blue is exactly what it says — a free Amex — and no more. Hold it for acceptance and Apple Pay at €0, and it’s a perfectly good backup card. But the moment “I want points” enters the picture, the maths changes: the free Payback earns automatically, and if you’d pay for Membership Rewards anyway, the Green bundles it better. The full Amex comparison lays all four side by side.