What DKB Actually Charges You
DKB's famous free account now has strings attached: no €700 a month coming in, no free ride. Slip below Aktivstatus and the bank quietly adds a 2.20% surcharge to everything you spend in foreign currency.
Last checked: June 11, 2026 • Official website
The fee schedule, decoded
| Fee | What they take | The fine print |
|---|---|---|
| Account maintenance | €4.50/month | Waived with monthly incoming payments of €700 or more, if you are under 28, or if you opened the account before 14.09.2022. |
| Overdraft | 8.51% APR | Variable Dispo rate without Aktivstatus. With Aktivstatus (€700+ monthly incoming) it drops to 7.91%. |
| Foreign exchange | 2.20% | Foreign-use surcharge on Visa debit payments and withdrawals in non-euro currencies without Aktivstatus. Active customers pay 0%. |
| ATM withdrawals | €0 from €50 | Free withdrawals at Visa ATMs, with a €50 minimum per withdrawal. Worldwide with Aktivstatus, eurozone only without it. ATM operators may add their own surcharge. |
| Cards | €0.99/month | For the optional girocard. The Visa debit card is included with the account for free. |
Questions people actually ask
Only with conditions: you need at least €700 in monthly incoming payments, to be under 28, or to have opened the account before 14 September 2022. Otherwise DKB charges €4.50 a month.
You get Aktivstatus with at least €700 of incoming payments per month. It cuts the Dispo from 8.51% to 7.91%, removes the 2.20% foreign-currency surcharge and unlocks free cash withdrawals worldwide instead of eurozone only.
With Aktivstatus, no: 0% on foreign-currency payments and withdrawals. Without it, DKB takes 2.20% of every amount you spend or withdraw in a non-euro currency.
Yes, €50 per withdrawal at ATMs. DKB itself charges nothing for the withdrawal, but independent ATM operators can add their own surcharge.
8.51% per year as standard, 7.91% with Aktivstatus. Both are variable, and both are far below the 11% to 12% typical at German branch banks.
Sources
Every number above comes from the bank's own documents.
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