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What's new?

1. ECB rate cut - It's impact on German mortgage

ECB cut rate again in Oct by 25 points. Experts predict a further cut in Dec 2024 and 2025.

ECB rates have a direct relation with mortgage interest rates. This means that with the ECB rate decreasing, the interest to borrow money also decreases.

This is advantageous for

• New home buyers
• People who have a mortgage with a variable interest rate
• You can even refinance your mortgage at a lower interest rate

You can consult a mortgage broker for advice. We recommend ExpatCompassGermany. Other mortgage brokers are Dr. Klein* and InterHyp*.

2. Berlin scraps 29-euro ticket

Berlin government announced that the 29-eur ticket is scrapped. The move is to save the costs.

Deutschland ticket might meet the same fate if Olaf Scholz's government fails to secure the confidence vote. Regardless, there is a high probability that the price of Deutschland-ticket will rise in 2025.

3. Black Friday and Discounts

As you all know, Black Friday is here, and every shop is offering amazing discounts. So, if you were waiting to buy a winter jacket, PlayStation, or bike, now is the time.

Here are some tips to get the most out of Black Friday discounts.

• Compare prices on comparison portals such as Idealo and Geizhals.
• Check the variants of the product you want to buy. Sometimes, a variant is cheaper than what you wanted. For example, a 1 TB hard drive might be cheaper than a 512 GB drive. A black color iPhone might be cheaper than a white colored.
• Don't limit yourself by browsing online. You should also visit the Brock and Motar shops of your favorite brands.
• Visit the stores sooner rather than later. The reason is good stuff doesn't last long.
• If you run an online business, this is a great time to buy great subscriptions and lifetime deals.

Inflation and cost increases

Premiums for all types of insurance are going to increase in 2025. Here are the insurance types that will increase the premium for sure.

1. Health Insurance

Regardless of whether you have public or private health insurance, the premiums are going to increase next year.

If you're a member of public health insurance, you can move to a cheaper insurance provider without sacrificing the coverage. We find TK as the best public health insurance company for expats in Germany. You can switch to TK for free using our online service.

For privately insured individuals, changing health insurance providers is not recommended. The reason is you lose part of your retirement provisions.

If you are unhappy with your provider and are insured for a few years, you should consider making the switch. However, always consult an insurance broker before making such a decision.

2. Car Insurance

​Car insurance premiums are going to rise drastically in 2025.

If your insurer has notified you about the increase, you can cancel the contract and look for a new one.

Regardless, we recommend everyone compare the car insurance plans on Verivox* and Check24*. As per Finanztip, customers found better deals on Verivox than on Check24.

3. Legal insurance

Lawyers fees are increasing. Thus, legal insurance companies are also planning to increase their premiums. You can expect an increase of around 7%.

When it comes to legal insurance, coverage is more important than the premium. So, you should never compromise on the service to save a few bucks.

In our comparison and test, we found that Arag*—Aktiv-Premium, WGV—Optimal PBV, and KS-Auxilia*—Jurprivat are the best legal insurance plans.

Here are the common mistakes expats make when buying legal insurance.

1. Buying legal insurance from Feather and Getsafe, expecting to get legal advice or services in English. However, the reality is no legal insurance company in Germany offers legal advice in English.
2. Buying legal insurance from the company with which they have other types of insurance. This is a conflict of interest. You should never buy legal insurance from a company with whom you have other types of insurance.
3. Confusing that all the plans offered by the suggested companies are good. Rating agencies rate a particular insurance plan and not the insurance company.

🎉 Introducing: Community Shoutouts!

Got something awesome to share? Whether it’s a hidden gem you discovered in Germany, a quirky expat story, a life hack, or even a new café serving the best Apfelstrudel—this is your moment to shine!

We’re launching Community Shoutouts, a special section in our newsletter just for you. Share your finds, tips, or fun moments with the GermanPedia family. We'll review your submissions and feature them in our next newsletter edition.

Ready to make the spotlight? Submit your shoutout now and let’s spread the awesomeness! 😊

No one knows everything, but everyone knows something.

Help us prioritize

We receive tons of suggestions and requests from you all. As we cannot work on all of them at the same time, we thought it's best to ask you to help us prioritize them.

Your feedback matters

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Change contracts to save money - Deadline is the end of Nov.

Switching your electricity, gas, internet, car insurance, and other contracts can save you money. Companies and comparison portals offer various discounts to attract new customers. Switching your contracts can save you more than 1000€.

How do you do it?

• Simply compare plans on Check24 or Verivox.
• If you find a cheaper contract, sign up for it.
• The new company takes care of canceling your old contract.

Expats guide to buying a house in Germany Grab your copy German healthcare demystified Free Download German healthcare demystified for students Free Download ​ Deals for you Ask an expert ​Health insurance expert​ ​Mortgage advisor​ ​English speaking tax advisor​ ​German citizenship lawyer (immigration lawyer)​ Important types of insurance you should have in Germany ​Public health insurance ​ ​Register with TK​ ​Private health insurance ​ ​Consult an expert for free​ ​Dental Insurance ​ ​Deutsche Familienversicherung AG* Allianz ​Private liability insurance ​FRIDAY* ​Feather* ​Getsafe* ​Legal protection insurance ​Arag* ​KS-Auxilia* WGV ​Car Insurance​ ​Verivox* ​Tarifcheck* ​Term life insurance​ ​Allianz* Personal Finance Free trading accounts ​Scalable Capital* ​Finanzen.net Zero* Tax Software ​Wundertax* ​SteuerGo* ​Smartsteuer* Free Checking account ​C24* ​N26* NOTE: Investing involves the risk of loss Fixed account for 12 months (Festgeld) Up to 3.56% interest. Check offers from different providers here*. Tagesgeld account for 6 months Up to 3.77% interest. Check offers from different providers here*. Personal loan ​Verivox* ​Tarifcheck* ​Finanzcheck* ​Smava* Go to Deals*

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