MediaMarkt's VAT-free weekend is back, with ~16% off on Saturday and Sunday – if there's a TV, laptop or washing machine that you wanted, this is a good weekend to buy it. Also in this article: a €250 bonus for opening a free bank account at comdirect, up to 30% off shoes at eschuhe, and how to make insurance more fun.
Note: this article contains affiliate links, which are marked with *.
🎊 Tip of the Week: How to Make Insurance More Fun
Insurance is famously one of the most boring topics on the planet, which is why I like what Getsafe* is doing with their products: they've turned insurance into something that's almost, dare I say, fun.
Part of that is the app itself, which is a pleasure to use – clean design, everything in English, no paper letters or phone calls required. The other part is Safepoints, a points system built into the app that rewards you for things like staying claim-free on your liability insurance, doing little quizzes, and even going to the dentist if you have their supplementary dental insurance plan. You then redeem your Safepoints for up to 30% off your premiums.
Unlike most German insurance, Getsafe is the one I actually enjoy using. I have travel insurance* with them for €15 a year, used to have their personal liability insurance* for €1.43 a month, and recently added home contents insurance* for just €1.80 a month – great prices for the peace of mind they give me.
Until October 31, Getsafe's dental plan* also comes with a chance at Apple AirPods 4. You spin a wheel of fortune in the app first and only take out the insurance once you've won, so there's nothing to lose. The plan fully covers unlimited professional cleanings (no yearly limit, which I haven't seen anywhere else), gives you €200 towards teeth whitening every two years, and pays out 75–100% on crowns, implants and dentures and 100% on fillings and root canals, with no waiting period. Prices on the 75% plan start at €24.44/month for a 35-year-old with no missing teeth. Check out the Getsafe dental plan here*.
Getsafe has one of the best dental insurance plans on the market – and you get AirPods 4 on top.
🔥 Hot Deals
💻 MediaMarkt VAT-Free Weekend: ~16% Off
MediaMarkt* is bringing back its "VAT free" promotion this weekend, for myMediaMarkt and mySaturn members. Signing up for either program is free and takes a couple of minutes, so you can do it right before checkout.
Despite the "19% VAT off" framing, the discount you actually get is a bit smaller. VAT makes up about 16% of the gross price you pay – a €119 item is €100 plus €19 of tax – so stripping it out works out to roughly 15.97% off. It's still a real saving on big-ticket items, and the discount also applies to products with the reduced 7% VAT rate.
Online, you'll see discounted prices in the cart once you log in, from Saturday, October 17 at 6 am until Sunday, October 18 at 23:59. In stores, you show the membership card from the MediaMarkt app at the checkout – if you're not a member yet, you can sign up in the app or at the store. Some stores are also open on Sunday, so check your local opening hours. Only marked items in stock qualify, and Apple, consoles, Sonos, Samsung phones and tablets and some Dyson products are excluded. Shop the MediaMarkt sale here*.
💶 €250 Bonus and 3.25% Interest from comdirect
The highest bank bonus on the market right now comes from comdirect*: €250 for opening a free current account. You can get it if you open your account by November 23 and haven't been a customer in the last six months, and the conditions are very easy for a bonus this size: agree to receive promotional emails when you sign up (don't unsubscribe until the bonus arrives), and make five transactions of at least €25 each within the first three months. Transfers, direct debits, deposits and ATM withdrawals all count (card payments aren't on the eligible transaction list this time, so stick to these four transaction types to secure the bonus). The bonus is paid out automatically in the fourth month, and you need to keep the account open for at least 12 months.
The account is free for the first 36 months with no conditions attached, and after that it stays free if you receive at least €700 a month. It comes with a free Visa debit card with five free cash withdrawals per month, plus an optional credit card (free for 36 months) and an optional Girocard (free). You also get the Tagesgeld PLUS savings account with 3.25% interest for six months on balances up to €250,000. Open your comdirect account here*.
The highest bank bonus on the market right now, with very easy conditions.
💰 More Deals
sparSIM 60 GB for €9.99/month: sparSIM’s M plan is currently €9.99 a month on a 24-month contract, and if you bring your number over from another provider, you get a €50 switching bonus, which brings it down to about €8 a month. You get 60 GB of 5G data in the Vodafone network plus unlimited calls and texts within Germany, with no connection fee. Sign up here*.
SharkNinja up to 15% off: If you've had your eye on a new vacuum, air fryer or hair styler, SharkNinja is running a sale this weekend: code SAVE (advertisement) takes 10% off orders of €150 or more and 15% off orders of €250 or more on almost the entire range. The code is valid until Monday, October 19, at 10 am and doesn't combine with other offers. Shop the sale*.
eschuhe up to 30% off: Until October 20, eschuhe has up to 30% off selected products on orders from €79 with code DEALS (advertisement). It's one of my favorite websites for shoes – the selection is huge and the prices are good even outside of sales. Shop the sale*.
€12 off your first Lieferando order: If you've never ordered from Lieferando, code HALLO12 (advertisement) gives you €12 off your first food delivery order of €15 or more until October 30. Alternatively, you can use code HALLO15 (advertisement) for €15 off with a minimum order of €20. Order here*.
Germanpedia is a weekly newsletter that breaks down German systems in clear English – taxes, pensions, healthcare, renting, bureaucracy, legal topics and more. Even after many years in Germany, I still learn something new about how things work here from this newsletter. You can subscribe here.
🎁 Freebies
Tulip bacon and pancetta: Buy one pack of Tulip bacon slices (Baconscheiben, 125 g), bacon strips (Baconstreifen, 200 g) or pancetta (2 x 75 g) by December 24 and upload your receipt to get your money back. The number of refunds is limited, so it's worth uploading early, and the pancetta isn't stocked everywhere (check Kaufland).
Arla Skyr Drink: Buy a drinkable Arla Skyr in Natur, Erdbeere Himbeere (strawberry & raspberry) or Pfirsich Maracuja (peach & passionfruit) and upload your receipt by November 8 to get your money back. There's a daily limit, so it's best to upload early in the day.
Gefro sample pack: New customers can request a free sample pack* with soup sachets, seasoning mixes, salad dressing packets and more. I got a lot of use out of mine – the Klare Suppe instant broth in particular has become a staple in my kitchen.
Whiskas cat food sample: Order a free sample of Whiskas chicken in jelly, either the Junior version for kittens up to 12 months or the regular one for adult cats, until December 31 or while stocks last.
Money-back grocery and household product promos are one of the easiest ways to cut everyday costs. A lot of promotions from previous issues are still active – you can find them all here if you'd like to try more. For more free grocery products, Rewe product tests are worth a look as well.
A free Arla Skyr Drink – just upload your receipt by November 8.
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