One more thing: I wrote a guide to TK health insurance, and it’s yours if you refer 2 friends to Smart Living in Germany. It walks you through all the ways to save money on TK – from the bonus program and cashback for opting out of some services to hidden benefits most people don't know they're entitled to, with step-by-step instructions for claiming each one.
The weather in Berlin has finally decided to behave, which has me in a spring mood, stocking up on sunscreen and adding a few bright spring touches around the apartment (you'll see them in today's Amazon Corner). Also in this issue: how to check your new Schufa score, a strong savings account offer from Consorsbank, and a fresh batch of grocery freebies.
Note: this article contains affiliate links, which are marked with *.
🏦 Tip of the Week: Understand Your New Schufa Score
If you've lived in Germany for a while, you probably already know that your Schufa score affects a lot of things here – from renting an apartment to getting a credit card or even signing up for a phone contract. What you might not know is that Schufa rolled out a brand new score recently, and it became a lot more transparent.
The old score was a percentage between 0 and 100 with very little explanation behind the number. The new score uses a points system based on 12 clearly defined criteria, so for the first time, you can see exactly what goes into your score and how each factor affects it. For context: 709 points or more is considered good, and 776 or higher is excellent.
A few things worth knowing if you want to improve (or protect) your score:
Pay your bills on time. Payment defaults are by far the most important criterion – avoiding them alone gets you up to 264 points.
Bundle your inquiries. Within a 28-day window, multiple inquiries (e.g. when you compare offers for a credit card or a current account) won't hurt your score. So if you want to apply for multiple cards or accounts, do it within the same month.
Keep your old bank accounts. If you have an old bank account or credit card and it's free, keep it. Long-standing financial relationships have a positive impact on your score.
Take out fewer, larger loans rather than many small ones. Several small loans in quick succession can drag your score down.
A few other factors that influence your score: the age of your current address (the longer you've lived somewhere, the better), whether you have a mortgage or act as a guarantor on one (having one is a plus, as Schufa sees it as a sign of financial stability), and whether your identity has been verified by a bank (verified is better than not).
To check your new Schufa score for free, use Schufa's official app or Bonify*. Bonify is a Schufa subsidiary, so you see exactly the same data, just with a nicer UX. With both options, your score is updated once per quarter. If you'd like something closer to real-time, mySCHUFA compact* is a paid subscription (€4.95/month) with a 30-day free trial; it gives you 24/7 access to your Schufa data, daily updates, and notifications whenever something changes – for example when a company runs a credit check on you. There's a 12-month minimum contract after the trial, but you can cancel before the trial ends.
🔥 Hot Deals
☀️ 22% Off Korean Sunscreens at Stylevana
If you identify as a responsible adult, you already know that this is the time of year to be serious about sunscreen. My personal recommendation: skip the dm’s sunscreen shelf and switch to Korean sunscreens. The textures are so much lighter and more pleasant to wear, and the prices are unbeatable – you can get a great product for under €10.
Stylevana is where I order most of my Korean beauty products. Their prices are the lowest I've found anywhere, and they always have a promo running on top. The only catch is delivery time – packages ship from Asia and usually take 2–3 weeks to arrive – so it's worth ordering before you actually run out. Right now, you can get 22% off all suncare* with code AFFSPF22 (advertisement), plus 17% off all other items on orders of €69+.
If you're new to Korean sunscreens and not sure where to start, here are some of my favorites:
Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Rice Probiotic SPF50* (€12.96) – one of the most popular sunscreens of the last few years, and rightly so.
Missha All Around Safe Block Essence Sun SPF45* (€5.99) – absolutely unbeatable for the price; the texture is so nice.
Shiseido Anessa Perfect UV Sunscreen Milk SPF50* (€19.50) – a classic that never disappoints.
Bellflower Watermelon Fresh Sunscreen SPF50* (€8.53) – with a watermelon scent, for those who like their sunscreen to smell like summer.
Dear Klairs All-day Airy Sunscreen SPF50* (€19.55) – the prettiest one of the bunch.
If you'd rather stock up on skincare instead, code AFF24BDMIX (advertisement) gets you 24% off the bestseller brands like Beauty of Joseon, COSRX, Haruharu Wonder, Round Lab and Numbuz:n, and 18% off all other items on orders of €59+. Shop Stylevana here*.
💰 3.40% Interest on Your Savings with Consorsbank
If you've got some money sitting in your current account doing nothing, this is worth a look. Consorsbank* just increased their welcome offer on their Tagesgeldkonto to 3.40% annual interest rate for 5 months – that's the strongest introductory rate on the market right now.
The account has no fees, interest is credited quarterly, and your money stays fully accessible at any time. A free securities account is automatically included, and all ETF savings plans run with €0 savings plan fees. You're eligible if you haven't held any account with Consorsbank in the last six months.
After the five-month promo period, the rate adjusts to the standard one – but for those five months, you can earn a meaningful chunk of interest with zero effort, and once the promo ends, you can always move your money elsewhere. Sign up for the savings account here*.
If you'd rather lock in a rate for longer, Myntro* offers 2.6% interest guaranteed for 12 months. And if you have a registered business (for example, freelancer or Gewerbe), have a look at Finom’s business account* with a 5% interest rate.
3.40% interest for 5 months is the strongest welcome offer on the market right now.
💰 More Deals
40% off your first Marley Spoon box: New customers get 40% off their first box, plus free delivery – which means you can get 3 meals for 2 people (6 portions) for €27.68 – that's €4.61 per portion for great meals from high-quality ingredients. The bigger the box, the better the deal: 4 meals for 2 people comes to €34.51 (€4.31/portion), and the largest box works out to only €3.30/portion. You can pick your meals from 40+ options, and I really like their recipes. The second box is 35% off and the next ones are discounted too, but you can cancel any time after your first box. If you don't want to cook, you can choose ready-to-eat meals instead. Get your box here*.
AliExpress sale: AliExpress is running one of their bigger sales from May 18 to 22, with discount codes that scale up depending on your order size: SSDE02 for €2 off €18+, SSDE05 for €5 off €39+, SSDE11 for €11 off €79+, and SSDE20 for €20 off €139+ (advertisement). Just pick the one that matches your order size at checkout. Good time to stock up on small things you've been adding to your cart. Shop the sale*.
Coffee Friend sale up to 42% off: Coffee Friend is running a sale with really good prices on coffee beans and machines until June 2. For instance, 1 kg of Lavazza Qualità Oro beans* is €19.49 right now, significantly cheaper than anywhere else I've checked. If you're more of a capsule person, they also have Nespresso machines on sale* starting from €55. You can also stack two extra codes on top: RESET for €5 off orders over €60, and SALE for an extra 6% off non-reduced products (advertisement). Shop the sale*.
🎁 Freebies
Tony's Chocolonely chocolate bars: Buy a 90 g or 180 g Tony's Chocolonely bar (full list of eligible products here) and upload your receipt here by June 14 to get refunded. This is one of my favorite chocolate bars, so naturally I bought one as soon as I found out about this promo. Weekly redemptions are limited and the counter resets on Mondays at 9 am, so upload early.
Ben's Original Street Food: Try one of Ben's Original's new Street Food instant noodle dishes (Chinese Style, Indonesian Style Spicy, Japanese Teriyaki Style, Singapore Curry Style, or Thai Style) for free. Buy a participating product, then upload your receipt and a photo of the packaging by August 2 to get refunded.
Purina Gourmet Revelations cat food: Buy at least two participating Gourmet Revelations products in one purchase – options include chicken, beef, tuna, deep-sea fish or salmon mousses, and fine morsels in jelly with chicken or salmon. Upload your receipt here by July 12 to get up to €6.58 refunded. You're also automatically entered into a draw for one of 100 home24 vouchers worth €100.
Gefro sample pack: New customers can request a free Gefro sample pack with soup sachets, seasoning mixes and salad dressings – a nice way to test their range without committing to a full-size product. Get your sample pack here*.
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.
An instant noodle dish is always good when you’re in a time crunch.
That wraps up this week's round-up of ways to save money in Germany. If you'd like this kind of content delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to our newsletter here. It's free, and every week you will get practical deals and tips that make life here a little easier and cheaper.
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