How do you withdraw cash with a bank card in Germany?

Safety at ATMs

Simple rules

• Cover your keyboard with your hand when entering your PIN — always, even if no one is around.
• Check the card slot and keypad overlay: if anything feels loose or looks stuck on, do not use the machine.
• Never accept “help” from strangers at an ATM.
• Don’t move away until you have the card and the money.
• If a card is lost or stolen, block it by calling the single number 116-116, 24/7; from abroad +49-116-116. Then be sure to file a report with the police.
• A bank, a public authority or a reputable company will never ask for a PIN, TAN or password — neither by phone nor in writing.

Are shops obliged to accept cash

Euro banknotes are the only unlimited legal tender in Germany. But this does not create obligations for the shop: freedom of contract applies, and a business may announce “cards only” in advance. If such a notice is displayed at the entrance or at the till, there is no point arguing.

Sparkasse: where withdrawals are free and what another bank’s ATM costs

Sparkasse has the largest ATM network in the country. The group itself names around 20’000 of its own machines, where Sparkasse customers withdraw cash free of charge. The card works at roughly 50’000 ATMs across Germany, but outside its own network withdrawals cost money.

There is no single fee, and that is the key point. The price is set not by your bank but by the operator of the machine, so it differs from provider to provider. In return, one rule applies: the ATM must show the amount on screen before you confirm. If you do not like the price, cancel — nothing is charged.

A trap of its own are ATMs that belong to no bank: in supermarkets, at stations, in tourist spots. Their fee is usually the highest, and the screen will also offer you a “favourable rate” — always decline it, see the section on withdrawing abroad.

Sparkasse does not publish a daily limit: it is individual and set out in your contract. You can check it and change it with your adviser or in online banking.

Each Sparkasse sets its own withdrawal limit — legally they are independent banks, and there is no nationwide rule. For orientation: Sparkasse Hannover allows up to €2,000 a day at its own ATMs, €500 or €1,000 at other banks’ machines and €500 a day abroad.

At a Sparkasse ATM the sequence is as follows. The card goes into the slot chip first; the screen shows “Geheimzahl eingeben” — the four-digit PIN, confirmed with the green key. Next comes “Betrag wählen”: the machine offers fixed amounts, and “anderer Betrag” opens a free entry field. Some machines also ask for the “Stückelung” — which notes you want — and for a “Beleg” or “Quittung”, the receipt. At most German ATMs the card is returned first and the cash only afterwards: that is deliberate, so the card is not left in the slot.

Three wrong PIN entries in a row and the machine keeps the card, while the bank blocks it. The card can be unblocked at your own branch with an ID document, and the PIN stays the same. If it happened at another bank’s machine, the card is first forwarded to your Sparkasse, which takes several days. So it is better not to test your memory for the PIN while travelling.

Sparkasse belongs to none of the three other German ATM alliances, which is exactly why withdrawing there costs a Sparkasse customer money:

• Cash Group — Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, HypoVereinsbank (UniCredit), Postbank and their subsidiaries;
• CashPool — Targobank, Santander, OLB, the co-operative Sparda-Banken and a number of private banks;
• BankCard-ServiceNetz — Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken.

According to Stiftung Warentest, a withdrawal at another bank’s ATM costs €1.95–6 per transaction — this is the fee charged by the machine’s operator. Your own bank may add a fee of its own on top: check its price list.

Can you withdraw money with someone else’s card

Formally, no. The German girocard is issued to one name, and only that person may use it. Handing the card over together with the PIN breaches the terms of every German bank.

The practical consequence matters more than the formal ban. If too much is withdrawn with such a card, or it is lost, the bank may refuse to reimburse: passing on the PIN counts as gross negligence by the cardholder. The risk stays entirely with the account holder.

There are two lawful ways to give another person access to the money:

• Kontovollmacht — a power of attorney over the account. It is set up in the branch; the authorised person gets their own card and access to the agreed extent.
• An additional card on a joint account — the usual route for spouses with a Gemeinschaftskonto.

For one-off help to a relative, a normal transfer to their account is simpler — they can then withdraw the money with their own card.

Wallet stolen: what to do in the first minutes

Withdrawing cash is the moment when your card and wallet are out in the open. If they do get stolen, this is the order.

1. Call the central blocking number 116-116. It is available around the clock and blocks the cards of participating institutions. From a German landline the call is free; from a mobile network and from abroad the cost depends on your provider, and from abroad you dial the number with the German country code.
2. Inform your own bank. The central number only blocks the card — issuing a new one and sorting out disputed debits is something only the bank can do.
3. File a police report. The bank needs it when clarifying debits — and so does the insurer if keys belonging to someone else were in the wallet.

What you actually get back. Card debits are the bank’s responsibility: under § 675u BGB unauthorised payments are refunded, and the cardholder’s own share up to the blocking notice is capped at €50 (§ 675v BGB). That share disappears entirely if the bank did not require strong customer authentication. With gross negligence, however, for example when the PIN was kept next to the card, the €50 cap does not apply and the holder bears the full loss up to the blocking notice. After the blocking notice the cardholder is no longer liable at all.

The cash itself, the wallet and the documents are not reimbursed by the bank — that is already the domain of home contents insurance (Hausratversicherung), and one detail matters here. Robbery involving force or threat (Raub) is part of the basic cover and applies away from home as well. Simple theft without force (einfacher Diebstahl, Taschendiebstahl), by contrast, only comes as an add-on module: it is far from standard in every policy, the payout is usually capped at €500–1,000, and valuables and electronic devices are normally excluded. A police report is mandatory here — without one the insurer does not pay, which is another reason not to skip the third step.

Keys in a stolen wallet are the most expensive part

Blocking the card is free, but the keys turn into real money. If the building has a central locking system (Schließanlage), it is not a single cylinder that gets replaced but the entire system, and the bill runs into thousands of euros. Whoever lost the key pays.

This is exactly the case covered by private liability insurance (Privathaftpflichtversicherung): the loss of someone else’s keys – office keys, the keys to a rented flat or to the house – is included in most modern policies. Check the key-loss cover limit in your specific contract, but the policy itself costs incomparably less than replacing an entire locking system.

Frequently asked questions

How do you withdraw money at Sparkasse?

With your own card at any of the roughly 20’000 Sparkasse ATMs — free of charge. Insert the card, enter the PIN, choose the amount. The card also works at other banks’ ATMs, but a fee applies, and the machine shows it on screen before you confirm.

How much does it cost to withdraw cash at another bank’s ATM?

There is no single price: the fee is set by the operator of the machine, not by your bank. It is usually highest at machines outside the banking networks — in supermarkets, at stations, in tourist spots. The amount is always shown on screen before you confirm, and you can cancel.

Can you withdraw money with someone else’s card?

No. The card is issued to one name; passing it on together with the PIN is prohibited by the bank terms, and in a disputed transaction the bank may refuse to reimburse. The lawful routes are a Kontovollmacht or an additional card on a joint account.

How much can you withdraw at once?

The daily limit is individual: it is set out in the contract and depends on the bank and the account type. There is no single figure for everyone. You can check it and raise it if needed in online banking or with your adviser.

Can you get cash in a shop?

Yes, many chains hand out cash at the till when you shop. Conditions and amounts differ by chain — details are in the section on free withdrawals in shops above.

What should you do if the ATM doesn’t dispense the money?

Do not leave the ATM, note the time and the address, call your bank immediately and file a claim. The exact procedure is described in detail in the section above.

What should I do if my card is stolen?

Call 116-116 immediately to block the card, then inform your own bank and file a police report. If the keys to your flat or office disappeared together with the wallet, private liability insurance (Privathaftpflichtversicherung) may cover replacing the locking system.

What else to read on finber.de

• Current account in Germany — which bank to choose and what fees to look out for
• Credit cards in Germany — what is the difference between a girocard, a debit card and a credit card
• Useful telephone numbers in Germany — single card-blocking number and other emergency lines
• Internet in Germany — another topic where commissions are hidden in the small print

Sources

Data checked against primary sources on 19 Aug 2026; the section on Sparkasse and wallet theft was extended on 6 Sep 2026:

• Official websites of the Cash Group, CashPool and BankCard-ServiceNetz ATM alliances; bank data on machine numbers and limits; Stiftung Warentest — the fee range at other banks’ ATMs
• girocard.eu (EURO Kartensysteme) — card co-brands and Maestro status
• BGB § 675d, § 675u, § 675v, § 675w, § 675y, § 676b and EGBGB Art. 248 §§ 17, 17a, 18 — fee disclosure and refunds
• EU Regulation 924/2009 as amended by 2019/518 — disclosure of currency conversion charges relative to the ECB rate
• BBankG § 14 — status of cash; GwG § 10 — identification for large cash transactions; EU Regulation 2024/1624 — cash limit from 10/07/2027
• kartensicherheit.de (EURO Kartensysteme) — description of ATM fraud schemes
• sparkasse.de — card blocking after three wrong PIN entries and the unblocking procedure; the terms of individual Sparkassen — daily withdrawal limits
• Insurers’ Hausratversicherung terms — Raub in the basic cover, einfacher Diebstahl (Taschendiebstahl) as an add-on module and its limits
• US Treasury sanctions lists from 21/11/2024 and Russian bank websites — UnionPay card status

Limits, fees and ATM network compositions change. Check the conditions for your card in the bank’s price list.