Ranking - 2026

Ranking of free credit cards in Belgium

Free credit cards do exist in Belgium, but they are rare: only one is free with no conditions at all, the Europabank Visa. The others are free for the first year, before 25, or as long as you pay twelve times a year. Eight cards ranked on how well the "free" actually holds over time.

Fees checked on 12 August 2026

In brief

  • Only one Belgian credit card is free with no usage condition and no mandatory current account: the Europabank Visa, at EUR 0/year.
  • Keytrade renews the free status of its Visa Classic as long as you make 12 payments a year; below that the fee becomes EUR 25/year.
  • Revolut, N26 and Wise cost nothing but are not credit cards: no deferred payment, no car-rental deposit hold accepted.
  • At Argenta, Hello bank! and Beobank, "free" is a condition (age, first year) rather than a price: EUR 20 to 27/year afterwards.
  • Two issuers in this ranking do not show their FX fees on the product page: you have to open the conditions PDF.
  1. 01

    Europabank Visa

    8.9/10
    Annual feeFree (EUR 0/year)
    Non-euroNot published on the product page
    NetworkVisa - Europabank

    Pros : No annual fee, no usage condition and no current account required at Europabank: it is the only free Belgian credit card that asks nothing in return. EUR 2,500 reserve, debited at the start of the following month, interest free.

    Cons : The card is only enabled for the European region: elsewhere it works with chip and PIN only, unless you temporarily enable worldwide use in eb online. FX fees are not shown on the product page - you have to open the banking conditions PDF.

    The best free credit card in Belgium, as long as you remember the geographic setting before you travel.

  2. 02

    Keytrade Bank Visa Classic

    8.6/10
    Annual feeFree with 12 payments/year (otherwise EUR 25/year)
    Non-euro1.40%
    NetworkVisa - Keytrade Bank

    Pros : Free the first year, then free as long as you make at least 12 payments over the past year - one a month. ATM withdrawals inside the euro zone are free, which no other Belgian credit card offers.

    Cons : A quiet year triggers EUR 25 the year after (EUR 50 Gold, EUR 150 Platinum). Outside the euro zone a withdrawal costs EUR 2 plus 0.40% of the amount plus 1.40% FX.

    The best-held free offer on the Belgian market if you pay at least once a month. The transaction counter sits in your dashboard: check it in December, not in January.

  3. 03

    Revolut Standard

    8.3/10
    Annual feeFree
    Non-euro0% up to EUR 1,000/month, then 0.5%
    NetworkVisa - Revolut

    Pros : No fee, interbank exchange rate within the monthly cap, Belgian IBAN (BE) since 2025 and a virtual card available immediately.

    Cons : It is not a credit card: no deferred payment, no instalment repayment, and hotel or car-rental deposit holds are often refused. Free withdrawals capped at EUR 200 per month.

    The best free card to pay with, the worst at what a credit card is for. Keep it as a second card, never as your only one.

  4. 04

    N26 Standard

    8.0/10
    Annual feeFree (EUR 10 physical card)
    Non-euro0% on payments, no monthly cap
    NetworkMastercard - N26

    Pros : 0% FX on card payments with no monthly cap, where Revolut stops at EUR 1,000. European banking licence and a EUR 100,000 deposit guarantee.

    Cons : The physical card costs EUR 10 and free withdrawals are limited in number. A debit card here too: no instalment credit, no reliable deposit hold.

    The free card to prefer if you pay a lot by card outside the euro zone and rarely withdraw cash.

  5. 05

    Argenta Mastercard

    7.5/10
    Annual feeFree under 25, then EUR 24/year (EUR 2/month)
    Non-euro1.5%
    NetworkMastercard - Argenta

    Pros : A real credit card, free while you are under 25, attached to the Green account which is free as well. Clear monthly billing, no bundled package required.

    Cons : At 25 the free ride stops dead: EUR 2 a month, with no notice other than the pricing schedule. Argenta raises its fees on 1 April 2026. No insurance included.

    The best free card for a Belgian student. Write down your 25th birthday somewhere: that is when the bill starts.

  6. 06

    Hello bank! Visa Classic

    7.2/10
    Annual feeFree the first year, then EUR 27/year (EUR 2.25/month)
    Non-euroNot published on the product page
    NetworkVisa - Hello bank!

    Pros : First year free, then half price for Hello4You members up to and including 27. Two free purchase-protection policies (up to EUR 3,000 in store, EUR 1,000 online, AG Insurance) and a limit up to EUR 5,000.

    Cons : Reserved for Hello bank! customers, and the free period lasts a single year past 27. Withdrawals are capped at EUR 620 per four-day period, and FX fees live in the fee list, not on the product page.

    Worth it if you are under 28 and already bank with Hello. Beyond that, it is a EUR 27 card with a welcome discount.

  7. 07

    Beobank Visa Extra

    7.0/10
    Annual feeFree the first year, then EUR 20/year
    Non-euro1.5%
    NetworkVisa - Beobank

    Pros : First-year fee waived, provided you make a first payment within three months of the card being issued. Then 1% cashback on all purchases, in Belgium and abroad.

    Cons : The free year is a welcome offer, not a price: EUR 20 from year two. Cashback is capped at EUR 100 per calendar year and excludes cash withdrawals.

    The only card on this list that pays you back. Worth it from roughly EUR 2,000 of yearly card spending, even after the first year ends.

  8. 08

    Wise (multi-currency card)

    6.7/10
    Annual feeFree (EUR 7 issuance)
    Non-euro0.35% to 0.55%
    NetworkVisa - Wise

    Pros : No annual fee, real exchange rate and fees shown before the transaction. Useful if you hold several currencies at once.

    Cons : The physical card costs EUR 7, FX fees are not zero, and Wise is a payment institution: funds are safeguarded but there is no bank deposit guarantee.

    Free in the strict sense, but it is a currency tool, not a credit card. As a supplement only.

Does a genuinely free credit card exist in Belgium?

Yes, but only one with no strings attached: the Europabank Visa, at EUR 0 a year, with no current account required at that bank. Every other free card on the Belgian market is conditional.

Europabank is the only Belgian bank that issues its credit cards itself and processes the payments in house. It belongs to the Crelan group and is headquartered in Ghent. The card gives you a EUR 2,500 reserve, debited at the start of the following month, interest free, subject to approval.

In practice you should judge "free" over three years, not one. Over three years the Europabank card costs EUR 0, the Keytrade card EUR 0 if you pay once a month, the Beobank card EUR 40 and the Hello bank! card EUR 54. Same word, four different bills.

Sources: Europabank - free credit card - Wikifin (FSMA)

Why do most free cards stop being free in year two?

Because the free year is a welcome offer, not a price. Three cards in this ranking start charging from year two: Beobank at EUR 20, Hello bank! at EUR 27, and Keytrade at EUR 25 if you have not used the card enough.

At Beobank the first-year fee is waived after your first purchase, and only if it happens within three months of the card being issued. At Hello bank! the first year is free and the 50% discount that follows is reserved for Hello4You members up to and including 27. At Keytrade, last year's transaction count decides next year's price.

Watch the detail: nobody will warn you. The fee lands on your statement, not in your inbox. Working in a branch, I saw customers discover the line fourteen months after signing for a card sold as free, and leave convinced they had been lied to. They had not been lied to - they had been sold a first year.

Sources: Beobank Visa Extra (conditions) - Hello bank! - credit card

Are Revolut, N26 and Wise really credit cards?

No. They are debit cards: the amount leaves your balance immediately, with no deferred payment and no instalment repayment.

The difference shows up exactly when it costs you. A car rental firm or a hotel placing a deposit hold asks for a credit card in the driver's name; a debit card is often refused at the counter, whatever your balance. Revolut, N26 and Wise do not answer that need, even on paid plans.

What that means for you: if you want a free card to pay and travel with, the neobanks are unbeatable. If you want a free credit card in the Belgian sense, look at Europabank, Keytrade or Argenta. Confusing the two is the main reason free-card comparisons contradict each other.

Sources: FSMA - Financial Services and Markets Authority - Febelfin

What does a free card really cost outside the euro zone?

Between EUR 0 and EUR 15 for every EUR 1,000 spent. Once you leave the euro zone, the annual fee stops being the point.

Keytrade charges 1.40% FX on payments outside the euro zone, and EUR 2 plus 0.40% of the amount plus 1.40% on a withdrawal. Beobank and Argenta apply 1.5%. Revolut and N26 stay at 0% within their respective limits. And two issuers in this ranking, Europabank and Hello bank!, do not publish that figure on their product page: you have to open the banking conditions PDF or the fee list.

A worked example: two weeks in the United States with EUR 2,000 of spending costs EUR 30 on a Belgian card at 1.5%, EUR 28 at Keytrade, and EUR 0 on an N26 Standard. A free card charging 1.5% FX therefore costs more than a EUR 20 card used only in Belgium.

Sources: Keytrade Bank - credit card costs - National Bank of Belgium

Which free card should you pick for your profile?

Student or under 25: the Argenta Mastercard, free until your 25th birthday, or the Hello bank! Visa Classic if you already bank with Hello and are under 28.

Everyday use in Belgium with no counter to watch: the Europabank Visa. Everyday use with at least one payment a month: the Keytrade Visa Classic, which adds free euro-zone withdrawals.

Travel and foreign-currency payments: Revolut Standard or N26 Standard, knowing you will still need a real credit card alongside for deposit holds. High spending: the Beobank Visa Extra, whose 1% cashback covers the EUR 20 fee from roughly EUR 2,000 of yearly spending.

Sources: Test-Achats - Card Stop

Methodology

How we score.

40 %
Actually free over 3 years

Total fees over three years, renewal conditions included.

25 %
Type of card

A real credit card (deferred payment, deposit holds accepted) or just a debit card.

20 %
Non-euro fees

FX fees on payments and the real cost of a withdrawal abroad.

15 %
Access conditions

Age, mandatory current account, minimum number of payments, application approval.

Sources

Fees read off the issuers' official pricing pages on 12 August 2026. They can change without notice: always check the issuer's page before subscribing.

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Frequently asked questions

Which is the only genuinely free credit card in Belgium?

The Europabank Visa: EUR 0 per year, with no usage condition and no current account required at Europabank. The application is still subject to approval, like any Belgian credit card.

Does the Keytrade card stay free if I barely use it?

No. You need at least 12 payments over the past year. Below that, the fee becomes EUR 25 a year for a Visa Classic, EUR 50 for a Gold and EUR 150 for a Platinum. The transaction counter is visible on your dashboard.

Can Revolut or N26 replace a free credit card?

Not entirely. They are debit cards: no deferred payment, no instalment repayment, and hotel or car-rental deposit holds are often refused. They replace a payment card very well, but not a credit card.

Is the Beobank first free year automatic?

No. The first-year fee is waived after your first purchase, and only if it happens within three months of the card being issued. After that the fee is EUR 20 a year, with 1% cashback capped at EUR 100 per calendar year.

Does a free credit card require a minimum income?

Every Belgian credit card is subject to approval and banks ask for a regular income. Neobank debit cards (Revolut, N26, Wise) have no minimum income requirement.

What happens at 25 with the free Argenta card?

The free status reserved for 18-24 year olds ends and the card moves to EUR 2 a month, i.e. EUR 24 a year. Argenta is also raising its fees on 1 April 2026: check the current schedule before renewing.

How do I block a stolen free card?

Call Card Stop on 078 170 170, available 24/7, which blocks the card instantly. Then file a police report and notify your issuer. At Keytrade and Europabank, blocking and replacement are free.