In this article: two free months of restaurant deals with NeoTaste, a 50,000-point sign-up bonus with Amex Gold, two Shark vacuums for the price of one, and a fresh batch of try-it-free freebies for your next supermarket trip. Plus: for anyone who's ever waited four months for a dermatologist appointment, a way to get prescription skincare without it.
Note: this article contains affiliate links, which are marked with *.
🧴 Tip of the Week: Prescription Skincare Without the Wait
If you like beauty products that actually work, you've probably noticed how hard it is to get skincare with real active ingredients in Germany without a dermatologist's prescription. Even retinol in a concentration high enough to be effective is prescription-only here, which I find a little wild. And getting to a dermatologist isn't always easy either – on public insurance, the wait can easily run several months (I book my regular check-up four months in advance).
If you have a real skin concern that qualifies for a prescription, the cheapest route is still to go through your regular dermatologist – the medication is covered by insurance. But that's not always practical, which is why I really like what Formel Skin* is doing. It's an app-based dermatology service where you upload photos of your skin, describe what you'd like to fix or improve, and a doctor reviews your case and prescribes a personalized treatment that gets shipped to your door. No appointment, no waiting room, no waiting list.
Formel is great for skin concerns like acne, rosacea, and melasma, with prescription ingredients like azelaic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and antibiotics such as erythromycin or metronidazole where needed. But they also work with "I'd just like better skin" requests (for fine lines, wrinkles, and dullness) using things like retinoids and niacinamide. You can get 40% off your first two months with the code HEY40 (advertisement). Try Formel Skin here*.
Effective skincare with active ingredients, no dermatologist visit required.
🔥 Hot Deals
🍕 2 Free Months of Restaurant Deals with NeoTaste
NeoTaste* is an app that gives you access to restaurant deals, and I've been loving it for months now. I've used 27 deals so far and saved around €242 – at this point, it's paid for itself many times over. At first, I had a prejudice that restaurants offering big discounts wouldn't be the best ones, but NeoTaste quickly proved me wrong. The app has plenty of good places – the kind of restaurants I'd happily go to even without a deal.
NeoTaste is now in 53 cities in Germany and a few other European countries, with the biggest presence in Berlin (1600+ deals), Hamburg (730+ deals), Munich (650+ deals) and Cologne (620+ deals). You can find the full list of cities here.
Here are the types of offers you'll find on the app:
2-for-1 offers – usually on the main dish or the signature item a place serves. Examples in Berlin include poke bowls at Maloa, burgers at Hans im Glück, coffee at Starbucks, croissants at Croissant Couture, coffee + cake at 19Grams, and cocktails at Zu mir oder Zu dir.
€10 off >€25 spend – a discount that works out to up to 40% off. I usually use it for sit-down lunches or dinners for two. In Berlin, you can get this discount on Thai food at Hangmee, tapas at La Peccadille, Middle Eastern plates at Ali Baba and many other places.
€1 dishes – the jackpot deals that sell out quickly. Examples in Berlin include fried chicken at Mmaah, a burger at Peter Pane, and cookies at OOH! Cookie.
If you haven't used NeoTaste before, you can try it free for two months with this link* (up from the usual one free month). After the free trial, NeoTaste costs €3.99 per month with annual billing (€47.88/year) or €6.99 if you pay monthly – but you can cancel anytime before the end of the trial to avoid getting charged. Start your free trial here*.
✈️ 50,000 Points with Amex Gold
If you've been thinking about getting a credit card to collect airline miles, this is a good moment. Sign up for the American Express Gold Card* by June 30 and you'll get 50,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend €5,000 within the first six months – those points alone are worth roughly €500–€1,000 in flight value, depending on how you redeem them. The card costs €20 per month, so it's not for everyone, but if you actually want to collect miles, it's easily the best option in Germany right now.
I've had mine for over two years and I'm a fan – the flights for my South America trip last winter were mostly covered by points I collected with this card. The nice thing about Membership Rewards points is that they're flexible: they transfer to twelve airline programs and work across most major alliances, so you're not locked into one carrier. Read my full Amex Gold guide to learn about all the card benefits, how to collect and redeem points, and how to make the most of the card, or sign up for Amex Gold here*.
💰 More Deals
eschuhe summer sale: eschuhe is running a sale with up to 50% off bestsellers until June 22 – a good time to pick up sandals or sneakers. The variety is unmatched, and the prices are really good. I’m eyeing yet another pair of Birkenstocks because they are the best summer shoes (this is not open for debate). Shop the sale*.
Lyca Mobile plan for Germany + Turkey: I didn't know this was a thing, but Lyca Mobile has tariffs that work in both Germany and Turkey on a single SIM – useful if you visit Turkey often, live between the two countries, or just want to use your phone normally on a one-week holiday. The plans start at €8.99 for 15 GB (10 GB usable in Turkey) and go up to 70 GB. No contract, so you can also use it for a single trip. Check the plans here*.
Xiaomi 17T launch: For Android users out there, Xiaomi just launched the new 17T series, and the reviews look good. The 17T starts at €749.90 and the 17T Pro starts at €899.90, both with up to €200 trade-in cashback if you have an older phone to swap in. Stack an extra 5% off with code XM17T2026 (advertisement). See the 17T* or the 17T Pro*.
Two Shark vacuums for the price of one: Until June 14, anyone who buys the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty cordless vacuum* gets a Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 robot vacuum (worth €399.99) free with it. The vacuum is currently €499.99, and you can drop another 10% by signing up for Shark's newsletter, bringing it down to €449.99 for two excellent devices. Get the bundle*.
Eschuhe is a great place to buy shoes, so I’ll definitely be shopping this sale.
🎁 Freebies
Teinacher Water+ flavored water: Buy a case of Teinacher Water+ in orange, lemon or lime (you can mix flavors) and upload your receipt by July 31 to get up to €10 back.
tetesept Melatonin Sleep Spray: Buy tetesept Melatonin Sleep Spray (2.0 mg) in-store at dm, Rossmann, Müller, Edeka, Rewe, Globus or Citti by June 30, then upload your receipt by July 7 to get refunded.
Cottonelle Ultimately Fresh wet toilet paper: Buy a pack of Cottonelle Ultimately Fresh wet toilet paper (42 wipes) in-store by July 31 and upload your receipt by August 15 for a full refund. Daily redemptions are limited, so upload early in the day.
On That Ass boxer shorts: Get a free pair of men's boxer shorts (XS-3XL or boys' sizes 104-152) when you sign up here*. Shipping is included. After the 14-day trial, the subscription continues at €12.99/month for a new pair delivered to you monthly, but you can cancel before the trial ends at no cost.
Money-back supermarket product promos are among the easiest ways to cut everyday costs. A lot of promotions from previous issues are still active – you can find them all here. For more free grocery products, Rewe product tests are worth a look as well.
You can test not just one bottle, but a whole crate of Teinacher flavored water.
📰 Newsletter Pick: German Life, Explained
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