Bank Norwegian began life in 2007 as the bank attached to the low-cost airline, and its free Visa card has been a fixture in Scandinavian wallets ever since. Today it belongs to the Swedish lender NOBA Bank Group and sells credit cards, loans and savings accounts in the Nordic countries and Germany. The terms are not the same everywhere: the foreign-currency fee, the interest rate and the savings rates all depend on where you live. The first thing a global reader needs to know is that you cannot apply from the UK or the US.
This review is information, not financial advice.
Bank Norwegian Promo Code box
- Offer: a Visa credit card with no annual fee in every market; in Germany, a €15 (US$16.84 / £12.64) welcome bonus after your first purchase
- Promo Code: No Promo Code needed
- Who qualifies: residents of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland or Germany who pass a credit check; in Germany you must be at least 20, with taxable income and a German mobile number
- Key terms: up to 45 days interest-free (44 in Germany); interest on unpaid balances from 17.50% to 21.99% nominal depending on country; Spain is closed to new card applications
| Offer detail | What you get |
|---|---|
| Promo Code | No Promo Code needed |
| Welcome offer | No-annual-fee Visa credit card; in Germany, a €15 bonus credited after your first purchase within 45 days of opening |
| Who qualifies | Residents of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland or Germany, subject to a credit check; not UK, US or new Spanish applicants |
| Key terms | Interest-free period up to 45 days; foreign-currency fee 0% in Germany, 1.75% in Norway, 1.99% in Denmark, 2.49% in Finland |
| How to claim | Apply online in your country, identify yourself in the Bank Norwegian app, sign digitally and use the card in Apple Pay or Google Pay |
Bank Norwegian: key facts
- Official website: banknorwegian.no
- Owner: NOBA Bank Group AB (publ); Bank Norwegian is its Norwegian branch (NOBA Bank Group AB (publ) NUF)
- Headquarters: Fornebu, Norway (group based in Stockholm and Oslo)
- Founded: 2007
- Regulation: Finansinspektionen (Swedish FSA), banking licence held by NOBA Bank Group AB; deposits covered by the Swedish deposit guarantee scheme up to €100,000, topped up to NOK 2 million in Norway via Bankenes sikringsfond
- Ratings: App Store 4.3 (17 ratings, US App Store); Trustpilot 3.4 (1,052 reviews, banknorwegian.dk profile)
- Headline offer: No-annual-fee Visa credit card; €15 welcome bonus in Germany after first purchase within 45 days
- Promo Code: No Promo Code needed
- Price from: Free (no annual fee)
- Free plan or trial: Credit card has no annual fee; savings accounts free to open
- Payment methods: Bank transfer, eInvoice (Norway)
- Best features: No annual fee and up to 45 days interest-free; 0% currency fee and free travel insurance on the German card; Savings up to 4.80% in Norway (31-day notice account)
Key facts
- Owner: NOBA Bank Group AB (publ), Sweden; Bank Norwegian is its Norwegian branch, based at Fornebu outside Oslo
- Regulator: Finansinspektionen, the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority
- Deposit protection: Swedish scheme up to €100,000 (US$112,284 / £84,267); in Norway, topped up to NOK 2 million through the Norwegian scheme
- Credit cards in: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Germany
- Annual fee: none
- Customers: more than 1.5 million
- Ratings: Trustpilot 3.4 from 1,052 reviews (Danish profile); App Store 4.3 from 17 ratings (US store)
What Bank Norwegian is and who owns it
Bank Norwegian was founded in Norway in 2007 and grew quickly on the back of a simple, fee-free credit card and consumer loans. In 2021 the Swedish bank Nordax bought it and took it off the Oslo Stock Exchange; the two merged and in June 2023 Nordax renamed itself NOBA Bank Group. Bank Norwegian now operates as the Norwegian branch of NOBA, which listed on Nasdaq Stockholm on 26 September 2025 and is supervised by Finansinspektionen in Sweden.
It is a consumer-credit and savings bank, not a current-account provider. There is no salary account, no debit card and no multi-currency wallet. You use it for a credit card, an unsecured loan or a savings account alongside your everyday bank.
Which countries does Bank Norwegian serve, and can UK residents apply?
NOBA’s 2025 annual report lists Bank Norwegian credit cards in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Germany, with personal loans in the four Nordic countries. Spain was a market too, but NOBA stopped new lending and card issuance there in 2023; the Spanish site says it is not accepting new applications, though Spanish savings accounts continue. German personal loans have also stopped.
UK residents cannot apply, and neither can US residents. Each country’s product is for people living there: the German card, for example, requires German residence, a German mobile number, taxable income, an age of at least 20 and no active debt collection, and identity checks run through the app by video. If you live in London, the nearest equivalents are UK credit cards with no foreign-transaction fee, or a debit option such as Wise or Revolut.
The credit card: fees and interest by country
Every version of the card is a Visa with no annual fee, free cash withdrawals from Bank Norwegian’s side (the ATM owner may charge) and support for Apple Pay and Google Pay. The differences are in interest and currency fees.
| Country | Annual fee | Interest-free period | Nominal interest | Effective/APR | Foreign-currency fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | NOK 0 | Up to 45 days | 21.99% | 24.4% | 1.75% |
| Germany | €0 | Up to 44 days | 21.99% (variable) | 24.4% | 0% |
| Denmark | DKK 0 | Up to 45 days | 19.99% | 21.93% | 1.99% |
| Finland | €0 | Up to 45 days | 17.50% | 18.97% | 2.49% |
| Spain (existing cardholders) | €0 | Up to 45 days | 19.99% | Not stated | 0% |
In Norway, Bank Norwegian’s own example puts the cost of NOK 15,000 of credit over a year at NOK 1,849. In Germany the credit limit goes up to €10,000 (US$11,228 / £8,427), and the card includes free travel and travel cancellation insurance. Late payments cost NOK 38 for a reminder in Norway and DKK 100 in Denmark. Optional extras in Norway include payment protection at 1% of the balance a month and car-hire excess cover at NOK 349 a year.
The welcome offer is German only: a €15 bonus credited to the card after your first purchase within 45 days of opening, for applications from 1 September 2025.
FX fees, worked through
A weekend in Valletta. Malta uses the euro, so cardholders in Germany and Finland, whose cards run in euros, pay no currency fee at all on a €400 weekend of restaurants and harbour boat trips. A Norwegian cardholder pays the 1.75% surcharge: €7.00 (US$7.86 / £5.90). A Dane pays 1.99%: €7.96 (US$8.94 / £6.71). Pay the bill in full within the interest-free period and that is the whole cost.
A Danish freelancer paid in sterling. A Copenhagen translator paid £2,000 by a London publisher cannot receive that money into Bank Norwegian, which offers no current or currency accounts, so the payment needs to land somewhere like Wise or a Danish bank. If she then spends £600 on a work trip to London with her Danish Bank Norwegian card, the 1.99% surcharge comes to £11.94 (US$15.91 / €14.17). At Wise’s listed starting conversion fee of 0.52%, the same spending would cost about £3.12; with an N26 card it would carry no N26 fee. The card is good value at home and in its own currency zone; outside it, a German cardholder is the only one who travels fee-free.
Savings accounts and interest
Bank Norwegian offers three types of savings account in most markets: an easy-access account, a Plus account with six free withdrawals a year (then 0.5% of the amount), and a 31-day notice account, where early withdrawals cost 1.5%. The rates checked on each country’s official price list:
| Country | Savings account | Savings Plus | 31-day notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 3.50% | 4.00% | 4.80% |
| Germany | 1.90% | 2.00% | 2.80% |
| Finland | 1.50% | 2.00% | 2.55% |
| Denmark | 0.95% | 1.45% | 1.70% |
| Spain | 3.01% | 2.51% | Not offered |
In Germany and Spain, balances above €1 million earn nothing. As an example, €10,000 in the German 31-day account at 2.80% earns about €280 (US$314 / £236) a year before tax, provided you give notice before withdrawing.
Deposit protection and regulation
Because Bank Norwegian is a branch of a Swedish bank, savings are protected first by the Swedish deposit guarantee scheme, up to €100,000 per customer. In Norway the bank is also a supplementary member of the Norwegian scheme, Bankenes sikringsfond, which tops cover up to NOK 2 million, the same level as Norwegian banks. One wrinkle: if you also save with Nordax Bank, part of the same group, the Swedish cover is shared between the two.
How to apply for a Bank Norwegian card
- Go to Bank Norwegian’s site for your country and complete the online application.
- Install the Bank Norwegian app.
- Finish the application in the app: identify yourself electronically (by video in Germany) and sign.
- Wait for the credit check; approved cards can go into Apple Pay or Google Pay straight away.
- Your physical card arrives by post.
Savings accounts open the same way, from the country site or the app, with no opening fee.
Customer service
Bank Norwegian handles service through its app, online banking and a customer service section on each country site. On the Danish Trustpilot profile, the bank has not replied to negative reviews.
What users say about Bank Norwegian
The Danish Trustpilot profile scores 3.4 out of 5 from 1,052 reviews, with 35% five-star and 53% one-star ratings. Positive reviews mention a quick, easy application and approval and a clear website. Complaints cover credit decisions reversed after approval or limit increases refused without explanation, hard-to-reach support, handling of card fraud, rising interest rates and travel insurance that did not pay out for common costs. The US App Store listing has a 4.3 rating from only 17 ratings, so it says little.
Pros and cons
Pros
- No annual fee in any market
- Up to 45 days interest-free and free travel insurance on the German card
- 0% currency fee on the German card
- Strong savings rates in Norway
- Deposits protected, up to NOK 2 million in Norway
Cons
- Not available to UK, US or new Spanish applicants
- Foreign-currency fees of 1.75% to 2.49% outside Germany
- High interest if you do not clear the balance
- No current account or multi-currency features
- Mixed reviews on credit decisions and support
Bank Norwegian vs Wise vs Revolut vs N26
| Bank Norwegian | Wise | Revolut | N26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Credit card and savings | Multi-currency account and debit card | Multi-currency app account | Licensed German bank account |
| Monthly fee | None | No subscription; card £5 | Standard free; paid tiers | Standard free; from €4.90 |
| FX on card | 0% (Germany) to 2.49% (Finland) | Conversion fee from 0.52% | 1% above £1,000 a month on Standard; 1% at weekends | No N26 fee |
| Credit | Yes, up to 45 days interest-free | No | Credit products vary by country | No |
| Savings | Up to 4.80% (Norway, notice account) | Varies by country | Varies by plan | 0.25% to 1.50% |
| UK residents | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Bank Norwegian is the only one of these that lends you money, which matters if you want card protection on bookings or a cash buffer. For cheap currency, Wise, Revolut and N26 all beat it outside Germany. For savers in Norway, its notice account is among the better rates we checked.
Bank Norwegian FAQs
Can UK residents get a Bank Norwegian credit card?
No. Bank Norwegian only accepts applications from residents of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Germany. New applications in Spain are closed.
Does the Bank Norwegian card charge foreign transaction fees?
It depends on the country: 0% in Germany, 1.75% in Norway, 1.99% in Denmark and 2.49% in Finland.
How long is the interest-free period?
Up to 45 days in Norway, Denmark and Finland, and up to 44 days in Germany.
Is there a Bank Norwegian welcome bonus?
In Germany, yes: €15 credited after your first purchase within 45 days of opening, for applications from 1 September 2025. No welcome offer is listed in the other markets we checked.
What interest does Bank Norwegian pay on savings?
In Norway, 3.50% on the savings account, 4.00% on Savings Plus and 4.80% on the 31-day account. Rates are lower in Germany, Finland and Denmark.
Is my money safe with Bank Norwegian?
Deposits are covered by the Swedish deposit guarantee scheme up to €100,000. In Norway, membership of the Norwegian scheme raises cover to NOK 2 million.
Who owns Bank Norwegian?
The Swedish NOBA Bank Group AB (publ), listed on Nasdaq Stockholm since September 2025.
Is Bank Norwegian still connected to Norwegian Air?
The airline sold its stake in 2019, and the bank now belongs to NOBA Bank Group.
Can I get a Bank Norwegian card in Spain?
Not as a new customer. The Spanish site says it is not accepting new applications; existing cardholders and savers continue.
Verdict
For residents of its five card markets, Bank Norwegian offers an honest, no-annual-fee credit card and, in Norway especially, savings rates worth a look. German cardholders get the best deal, with no currency fee and free travel insurance. Everyone else pays a currency surcharge abroad that app-based rivals avoid. And for the global reader, the headline is simple: unless you live in the Nordics or Germany, it is not an option.
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