Amex PAYBACK Card Review 2026: The Free American Express

The short version

Here’s a sentence most affiliate sites won’t write, because there’s less money in it: for a lot of travelers, the free card is the right card. The PAYBACK American Express Card costs nothing, carries zero pressure, and lets a cardholder find out whether a premium card would actually get used before paying for one. For anyone traveling a couple of times a year, this Amex PAYBACK Card review might be the only one needed.

And before filing it under “not a travel card,” consider this: a Lufthansa business-class seat to Tunis can be booked on points this €0 card earns. The mechanics are below. It’s the trick the brochures leave out. All figures verified August 18, 2026 on americanexpress.com.

What changed in 2026?

Three things to help you place older reviews correctly. First, PAYBACK reworked its partner network: Rewe and Penny left at the end of 2024, replaced by Edeka and Netto Marken-Discount; dm and Aral remain. Second, the Amex Green Card, once seen as the next step up from PAYBACK, no longer exists; its successor is the American Express Card at €60 a year, free from year two at €9,000 spend. Third, the Gold now costs €240 a year instead of €144, which makes the jump up from the free PAYBACK pricier and makes PAYBACK even more attractive for occasional travelers. Amex also sells a co-branded dm PAYBACK American Express Card: same €0 annual fee, same Extra points welcome offer, and every supplementary card included, aimed at dm shoppers specifically.

How much does the PAYBACK American Express cost and what do you get?

As of August 18, 2026, sourced from the PAYBACK American Express Card product page.

What you actually get with the PAYBACK American Express

The PAYBACK American Express Card has no annual fee, €0, and every supplementary card is included, which makes it the truly risk-free way into American Express. One distinction the brochures gloss over: it earns PAYBACK points, not Membership Rewards. PAYBACK is Germany’s everyday loyalty programme. The card gives you 1 point per €3 spent on everything you pay with it (except gas stations), and at PAYBACK partners like dm, Edeka or Aral the normal partner points stack on top, quietly turning a routine you already have into points. The Platinum/Gold travel machinery is absent too: no lounges, no hotel status, no credits.

What you do get is the Amex ecosystem itself: acceptance, the app, the security tools, real-time notifications, Amex Offers, and a card that quietly earns PAYBACK points on normal spending without ever asking you to justify a fee. A point is worth a cent: €12,000 in annual spend earns 4,000 points, so €40, plus the partner points. It’s not a fortune, but it’s honest money for a zero fee.

The bit that makes it a travel card after all

Here’s what “not travel-flexible” misses. PAYBACK points can be converted into Lufthansa Miles & More, and a few times a year Miles & More runs a transfer bonus on top. So the everyday shopping points a cardholder barely notices earning become airline miles, and during a bonus window they become more airline miles. That single bridge is the reason a free everyday card can quietly fund a real flight. The exchange rate, minimum amount and bonus size all shift over time, so check them directly with PAYBACK and Miles & More before transferring.

How a free card can fund business class

The card is routinely dismissed as “not for travelers,” yet a close look at where Miles & More balances actually come from tells a different story.

Routine spending on a free PAYBACK card builds a real balance over time with no gaming required: the weekly grocery run at a PAYBACK partner such as Edeka, dm runs, and a regular tank of fuel at Aral all earn points on top of each other. Many cardholders find that most of the miles they eventually fly on trace back to plain PAYBACK spending on everyday purchases, not to a single large transaction.

The payoff shows up when Miles & More runs a transfer bonus. Moving a PAYBACK balance across at that moment, with the bonus applied, is how a Lufthansa business-class seat to Tunis has been booked for as little as 15,000 Miles & More. A blocked middle seat, lounge access before the flight and a proper hot meal instead of a trolley service, funded entirely by a card that costs €0 a year and is often written off as a groceries-only card.

That’s the open secret: the free card earns the currency, and Miles & More is the exit ramp to actual flights. The metal card is not required to redeem points for a flight abroad. What it takes is the everyday spend and one good transfer bonus.

The honest tradeoffs

That’s not a knock; it’s a matter of fit. For a few-times-a-year traveler, a free card earning PAYBACK on normal spending (that you can later cash out as Lufthansa miles) is exactly right. If you’d rather bank flexible Membership Rewards that transfer to many airlines and hotels, that’s the American Express Card (€60/year, free from year two at €9,000 spend), the Gold (€240) or the Platinum (€720). And because every German Amex charges a 2% foreign transaction fee and isn’t accepted everywhere abroad, pair it with a no-fee Revolut card for foreign currency, cash and spending where only Visa or Mastercard is taken.

Welcome bonus: up to 4,000 Extra points

Amex’s product page lists up to 4,000 Extra points for new customers, worth around €40 (checked October 2026); the exact terms are in the application. The bonus is for new cardholders only, meaning no primary PAYBACK Amex card in the last 18 months. VoyageHacks earns points for the referral too, which is the disclosure.

Who should get the PAYBACK American Express (and who shouldn’t)

Get the PAYBACK Card if you travel occasionally, want zero commitment, or are testing the waters before a paid card, especially if you already shop at dm, Edeka or Aral and like the idea of cashing those points out as Lufthansa flights. Skip it if you want lounges, hotel status, or the flexibility of Membership Rewards across many airlines and hotels: that’s the American Express Card, Gold or Platinum. A common path is to start with PAYBACK, move up to Gold, then to Platinum once travel frequency justifies the fee. The full Amex Germany comparison lines up all five cards side by side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a free American Express card with no annual fee?

Yes. In Germany the PAYBACK American Express Card has a permanent €0 annual fee, with every supplementary card included (as of August 2026). It earns 1 PAYBACK point per €3 of card spend (not at gas stations) on top of the regular PAYBACK points at partners like dm, Edeka or Aral, and the points never expire. The honest caveat: no flexible Membership Rewards, no lounges, no credits, no hotel status. It’s the right pick if you travel only a couple of times a year or want to try the Amex ecosystem at zero cost.

Does the Amex PAYBACK Card earn Membership Rewards?

No, and this is the key distinction. The PAYBACK American Express Card earns PAYBACK points (1 point per €3 of spend, each point worth 1 cent), which you redeem within Germany’s PAYBACK programme. If you specifically want flexible Membership Rewards points for flights and airline transfers, you need the American Express Card (€60/year, free from year two at €9,000 spend), the Gold (€240) or the Platinum (€720) instead.

Can you use Amex PAYBACK points for flights?

Yes, by way of a detour: PAYBACK points can be converted into Lufthansa Miles & More, and Miles & More periodically runs a transfer bonus on top. As miles, you can redeem them for Lufthansa and Star Alliance flights, including business class. A Lufthansa business-class seat to Tunis has been booked for as little as 15,000 miles, built mostly from everyday PAYBACK spending, when a transfer bonus lines up. Check the exchange rate and minimum amount directly with PAYBACK before transferring, since both can change.

How big is the Amex PAYBACK Card welcome bonus?

Amex’s product page lists up to 4,000 Extra points for new customers (as of October 2026), worth around €40. The bonus is for new cardholders only, meaning no primary PAYBACK Amex card in the last 18 months.

What’s the catch with the free Amex PAYBACK Card?

There’s no annual-fee catch; it’s genuinely free. The trade-off is scope: no travel perks, no lounges, no hotel status, no credits, and rewards are PAYBACK points (worth 1 cent each) rather than travel-flexible Membership Rewards. On top of that, like every German Amex, there’s a 2% foreign transaction fee and 4% (minimum €5) for ATM cash. It’s a no-frills everyday card, not a points-maximiser’s tool.

Who should get the Amex PAYBACK Card?

Occasional travelers who don’t want to justify a fee, anyone who already shops at PAYBACK partners like dm, Edeka or Aral, and anyone who wants to live inside the Amex ecosystem (acceptance, the app, the security) before deciding whether a paid card is worth it. Many people start here, watch their travel habits for a year, then upgrade to the American Express Card, the Gold or the Platinum if the numbers justify it.

Verdict

The PAYBACK American Express Card is the honest starting point. Free, no pressure, 1 point per €3, points that never expire, and a clean way to decide whether a paid Amex earns its keep. Start here through the referral link below, and if travel frequency picks up a year in, the American Express Card, Gold and Platinum are waiting. Compare every card side by side in our credit cards guide.