Best Credit Cards in Austria (2026)

How Do Austrian Credit Cards Compare?

Sources: TF Bank, Erste Bank, Santander, BAWAG, easybank, Openbank, Advanzia. Prices and rates as of September 2026. The repayment column matters most: revolving cards roll any unpaid balance into the next month with interest, the others collect the full balance unless you ask for instalments. Cash withdrawals accrue interest from day one on most cards.

How Do Credit Cards Work in Austria?

A credit card gives you a credit line: you pay with the issuer’s money, receive a monthly statement, and decide how much of it to repay. Repay the full statement by the due date and on most cards purchases cost no interest, which is where the up to 51 interest-free days at TF Bankcome from. Repay less and the rest becomes a balance charged at the card’s interest rate, up to 25.09% effective on this page. Cash withdrawals are the exception: most cards charge interest from the day you withdraw.

The cards come from two kinds of lender. Erste Bank, BAWAG (also behind easybank) and Santander Consumer Bank are Austrian banks supervised by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA). TF Bank (Sweden) and Advanzia Bank (Luxembourg) lend into Austria under an EU passport and are supervised in their home country. Cards that take the full balance every month with no option to spread it, such as American Express or the cards of Bank Austria, are charge cards and are compared on our charge cards page.

Acceptance has improved significantly in recent years. Most larger shops, restaurants, and online retailers accept Visa and Mastercard, while some smaller businesses and traditional restaurants still take cash only, so carry some cash alongside your card. For everyday expenses, see our cost of living guide. The Arbeiterkammer (Chamber of Labour) handles consumer protection for credit card disputes.

What Types of Credit Cards Are Available in Austria?

What Are the Annual Fees for Named Austrian Credit Cards?

Sources: TF Bank, Santander, Openbank, Advanzia, easybank, Erste Bank, BAWAG. Fees as of September 2026. BAWAG PayLife and easybank add a 1% exchange-rate markup (1.5% for less common currencies) on top of the listed foreign fee. Santander does not publish a foreign fee.

Four cards cost nothing a year: TF Bank, free.at, the Santander Card and the Amazon Visa. Among Austrian banks, easybank is cheapest at €1 a month (€12 a year), followed by the Erste Smartcard at €22.44 and the BAWAG PayLife Classic at €28.30. Gold cards with insurance cost €75 at Erste and €95.80 for the PayLife GoldPlus.

The annual fee is the smaller cost on a credit card. Carry a €1,500 balance for a year at TF Bank’s 25.09% effective rate and the interest comes to about €376. On Erste Bank’s instalment plan at 5.19% the same balance costs about €78, at BAWAG PayLife’s 14.40% about €216. Paid in full every month, the free cards stay free and the paid ones cost only their fee.

Some issuers want a linked Austrian bank account (AT-IBAN) for the direct debit, but under Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 260/2012 a provider cannot refuse a valid euro IBAN from another EU country. IBAN discrimination is unlawful, and you can report it to the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA). TF Bank and Advanzia (free.at) accept an EU IBAN, so you do not need an AT-IBAN to hold their credit card. The regulation sets no fine for the party that refuses, and authorities are the usual sticking point: FinanzOnline takes only an Austrian IBAN in its standard field, and a foreign one goes in under profile, general master data, foreign bank details.

Which Other Credit Cards Are Worth Knowing in Austria?

How Much Does a Credit Card Cost in Austria?

What Are the Hidden Costs of Austrian Credit Cards?

What Do You Need to Get Each Credit Card in Austria?

Collected from each provider's own application page in September 2026. “Not published” means the provider does not state it.

None of these issuers puts a number on income. They name documents instead: Santander wants your last three proofs of income and checks that the instalment stays affordable, and easybank only issues the card to customers whose easybank account is at least 180 days old. BAWAG asks for your income and payslips, and Erste Bank wants an ID with an NFC chip and a mobile number from Austria, Germany or Italy, a rule you only meet halfway through the online form.

For newcomers two rules decide most applications. TF Bank asks non-EU citizens for a residence permit still valid for at least 24 months on the day they apply, so a one-year permit rules the card out. And almost every card here runs a KSV1870 check, which is why a first card is easier after a few months of salary on an Austrian account. Documents in detail are on our credit card requirements guide.

How Do You Apply for a Credit Card in Austria?

To apply for a credit card in Austria you need a valid ID, a residence in Austria, and for the easybank card an Austrian bank account at the same bank. Almost every issuer checks the KSV1870, and none of the cards here names a minimum income. The table above lists what each card asks for.

The KSV1870 RiskIndicator runs from 100 to 700, and a higher number is worse: 100 to 399 counts as good, 400 and above signals an above-average default risk. Check your own file before you apply: the self-disclosure under Article 15 GDPR is free once a year, and the paid InfoPass at €43 that KSV1870 shows first is not needed for it.

Approval and delivery take about one to two weeks at a bank. Online checks are faster: TF Bank and BAWAG verify you by IDnow video, and Erste Bank reads the NFC chip in your ID. Before you sign, check the minimum repayment and switch it to full repayment where the card allows it.