airberlin credit cards now earning status miles
May 4, 2014, 8:47 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: BSL
Programs: AA (EXP); among others :)
Posts: 2,520
airberlin credit cards now earning status miles
Airberlin topbonus members now earn one status mile per Euro spent on their co-branded Airberlin Visa cards (issued by LBB Berlin). Link (in German only). Unfortunately, German residence required for this one.
Austrian members with the Airberlin and NIKI Visa card are even better off - they earn not only one status mile for every Euro spent on purchases etc, but also when using the card to get cash! (Link, German only)
Cash advance fees for this card is 3% plus 35 Euro cents. Pretty reasonable, actually. Standard limits are rather low but negotiable with the issuing bank (Raiffeisen). Needless to say, Austrian residence and bank account required here.
I think this is the most generous co-branded card offer out there right now and all German/Austrian residents seeking OW status should act as long as this is live.
Oneworld status and miles for a few EUR in ATM/cash advance fees? This is almost seems too good to be true, and I believe this to be a rather desparate attempt to attract customers at money-losing AB that probably won't last very long.
Austrian members with the Airberlin and NIKI Visa card are even better off - they earn not only one status mile for every Euro spent on purchases etc, but also when using the card to get cash! (Link, German only)
Cash advance fees for this card is 3% plus 35 Euro cents. Pretty reasonable, actually. Standard limits are rather low but negotiable with the issuing bank (Raiffeisen). Needless to say, Austrian residence and bank account required here.
I think this is the most generous co-branded card offer out there right now and all German/Austrian residents seeking OW status should act as long as this is live.
Oneworld status and miles for a few EUR in ATM/cash advance fees? This is almost seems too good to be true, and I believe this to be a rather desparate attempt to attract customers at money-losing AB that probably won't last very long.
May 6, 2014, 1:33 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2008
Programs: AAdvantage, United MP, Marriott Rewards
Posts: 1,137
According to me a German bank account should be sufficient to order the card.
And any EU citizen should be able to open a German bank account.
Disclaimer: Above applies to the HHonors CC so I assume the same applies to this CC.
And any EU citizen should be able to open a German bank account.
Disclaimer: Above applies to the HHonors CC so I assume the same applies to this CC.
May 8, 2014, 8:12 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: BSL
Programs: AA (EXP); among others :)
Posts: 2,520
Unfortunately not. The application form will not accept non-German addresses: https://kartenantrag.lbb.de/antrag/a...internet/page1.
And credit pulls are still national in the EU: No German residence -> no SCHUFA data -> no card.
Call LBB to clarify (+49-30-24552494) - it'd be great news if the card would be available to non-German residents like me!
The more attractive Austrian version even lists "Austrian residence" as a formal requirement:
Welche Voraussetzungen sind notwendig, um eine airberlin & NIKI Visa Card zu erhalten?
Jede natürliche Person, die mindestens 18 Jahre alt ist, in Österreich einen polizeilich gemeldeten Wohnsitz inne hat und über eine österreichische Bankverbindung verfügt, kann die airberlin & NIKI Visa Card bestellen. Die Staatsangehörigkeit ist nicht relevant.
And credit pulls are still national in the EU: No German residence -> no SCHUFA data -> no card.
Call LBB to clarify (+49-30-24552494) - it'd be great news if the card would be available to non-German residents like me!
The more attractive Austrian version even lists "Austrian residence" as a formal requirement:
Welche Voraussetzungen sind notwendig, um eine airberlin & NIKI Visa Card zu erhalten?
Jede natürliche Person, die mindestens 18 Jahre alt ist, in Österreich einen polizeilich gemeldeten Wohnsitz inne hat und über eine österreichische Bankverbindung verfügt, kann die airberlin & NIKI Visa Card bestellen. Die Staatsangehörigkeit ist nicht relevant.
May 9, 2014, 3:22 am
#4
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 10
I have been able to get the airberlin creditcard as a foreigner. First arranged a bank account in Germany (not very easy, but doable, eg. with comdirect). Especially the identification route is cumbersome. I went to a german postoffice and used postident for that.
Then you need to apply for the LBB AB creditcard, and again need to identify. This time, it requires a validated copy of my ID (done at my local town hall, for ~7 euro's).
Then you need to apply for the LBB AB creditcard, and again need to identify. This time, it requires a validated copy of my ID (done at my local town hall, for ~7 euro's).
May 9, 2014, 1:01 pm
#6
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: ZRH / SIN
Programs: FB Ulti, QR-Gold (OWS), TK *Gold, Bonvoy Ambassadort Elite, GHA Titanium, Accor Platinum
Posts: 530
I´m Austrian national and swiss resident, I tried to get the Niki Visa Card and applied also two times for the LBB credit card. Every time my application was declined, even though I have bank accounts in Austria and Germany.
I´ve given up on this.
I´ve given up on this.
May 9, 2014, 4:21 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: AB Gold, LH FTL, ST ElitePlus, HH Gold, LeClub Plat, Melia Gold
Posts: 130
Unfortunately not. The application form will not accept non-German addresses: https://kartenantrag.lbb.de/antrag/a...internet/page1.
And credit pulls are still national in the EU: No German residence -> no SCHUFA data -> no card.
And credit pulls are still national in the EU: No German residence -> no SCHUFA data -> no card.
May 9, 2014, 5:58 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: BSL
Programs: AA (EXP); among others :)
Posts: 2,520
In the vast majority of cases, once you have a card you can keep it even after moving countries as long as you don't get into any payment trouble.
In rare cases, depending on the issuing bank, come renewal time or you asking to make any changes to the account like adding authorized users or change the credit limit, they pull your credit report, see a lower score because of no activity any more and either lower your limit to unusably low levels or outright deny to renew the card. Never had that happen myself but it did happen to coworkers with cards from smaller, regional banks.
The underlying reason for this is that credit bureaus and credit reporting are still very much a national only affair in Europe, and the average expat's credit score will come in as not sufficient for a credit card with no day-to-day banking activity on the credit report pulled in a country where all one has is a checking account with a little bit of cash in it.
EU law is not regulating this at all. LBB and Raiffeisen do not discriminate based on nationality - they just have unpublished creditworthiness requirements for their products that are practically unattainable for the average citizen living in another country.
Edit: I have written TB CS and asked if they planned to make co-branded credit cards available in Switzerland. Not holding my breath, but one never knows...
In rare cases, depending on the issuing bank, come renewal time or you asking to make any changes to the account like adding authorized users or change the credit limit, they pull your credit report, see a lower score because of no activity any more and either lower your limit to unusably low levels or outright deny to renew the card. Never had that happen myself but it did happen to coworkers with cards from smaller, regional banks.
The underlying reason for this is that credit bureaus and credit reporting are still very much a national only affair in Europe, and the average expat's credit score will come in as not sufficient for a credit card with no day-to-day banking activity on the credit report pulled in a country where all one has is a checking account with a little bit of cash in it.
EU law is not regulating this at all. LBB and Raiffeisen do not discriminate based on nationality - they just have unpublished creditworthiness requirements for their products that are practically unattainable for the average citizen living in another country.
Edit: I have written TB CS and asked if they planned to make co-branded credit cards available in Switzerland. Not holding my breath, but one never knows...
May 26, 2014, 9:53 am
#9
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: Topbonus, Miles&Bonus, Miles&Less
Posts: 84
I have been able to get the airberlin creditcard as a foreigner. First arranged a bank account in Germany (not very easy, but doable, eg. with comdirect). Especially the identification route is cumbersome. I went to a german postoffice and used postident for that.
Then you need to apply for the LBB AB creditcard, and again need to identify. This time, it requires a validated copy of my ID (done at my local town hall, for ~7 euro's).
Then you need to apply for the LBB AB creditcard, and again need to identify. This time, it requires a validated copy of my ID (done at my local town hall, for ~7 euro's).
a) German residency (at least a letterbox in Germany)
b) A German bank account
c) A sufficiently good credit report (SCHUFA entry) in Germany
A) and B) can be gamed, but it is c) which will separate the wheat from the chaff. If you do not have suffcient banking history, LBB will decline.
Do feel free to try to game the system, but don't have any high hopes.
Aug 7, 2014, 12:40 pm
#11
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: ZRH / SIN
Programs: FB Ulti, QR-Gold (OWS), TK *Gold, Bonvoy Ambassadort Elite, GHA Titanium, Accor Platinum
Posts: 530
As an Austrian with a german bank account living in Switzerland, I was not succesful in getting such a card, neither the AB credit card nor the Niki credit card.
Nov 25, 2014, 11:01 am
#12
Join Date: May 2013
Location: GVA, BSL, ZRH
Programs: A3*, HH, club carlson: all gold and bonvoy plat
Posts: 466
I'm swiss resident with a german bank account and thinking about getting the visa card. I called them to see if there is any way getting around this german residency rule. They said no. 
Has anyone experiences with the postfach or nachsendung or something else ?
Has anyone experiences with the postfach or nachsendung or something else ?
Nov 27, 2014, 4:33 am
#13
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Paris
Programs: Flyingblue Platinum, All Accor Platinum, M&M Senator
Posts: 316
To be more precise, to get German based Airberlin card you need to have :
1)German bank account,
2)German SCHUFA history
3)German postal adress,
4a) an ID (German one or any other EU country but with your GERMAN ADRESS written on it - Italian ID cards for example can contain German postal adresses).
or
4b) Any other valid document plus a proof of residence ( handled by the German Town hall/Police station where you live). Even Germans with German Passport need such a document as German passport does not contain any postal adress.
Thus if you have no such documents (especially 4a or 4b) there is no chance you can get the credit card.
This because when you fill in the credit card form you can add any German adress you want but in order to get the envelop with the card from the post office you will have to present the ID card or the passport + proof of residence ( teh post office agent will make sure to have both as he has to enter all details in his PC in order to get the right to handle teh envelop to you)
On top the letter is kept by the local post office only 15 days and the credit card issuer is not able to inform when the letter and the card are send.
Living in France I have been able to get the card but I also have to say that I have all the above mentionned documents (Passport + proof of residence in Germany) that I got while living in Germany.
1)German bank account,
2)German SCHUFA history
3)German postal adress,
4a) an ID (German one or any other EU country but with your GERMAN ADRESS written on it - Italian ID cards for example can contain German postal adresses).
or
4b) Any other valid document plus a proof of residence ( handled by the German Town hall/Police station where you live). Even Germans with German Passport need such a document as German passport does not contain any postal adress.
Thus if you have no such documents (especially 4a or 4b) there is no chance you can get the credit card.
This because when you fill in the credit card form you can add any German adress you want but in order to get the envelop with the card from the post office you will have to present the ID card or the passport + proof of residence ( teh post office agent will make sure to have both as he has to enter all details in his PC in order to get the right to handle teh envelop to you)
On top the letter is kept by the local post office only 15 days and the credit card issuer is not able to inform when the letter and the card are send.
Living in France I have been able to get the card but I also have to say that I have all the above mentionned documents (Passport + proof of residence in Germany) that I got while living in Germany.
Last edited by PROACTIVE; Nov 27, 2014 at 4:39 am Reason: typos deletion
