I've been with Commerzbank for years and pay so much in fees every year for my checking account. I've heard that DKB and ING don't charge account fees, but do you need a minimum deposit or something like that?
Switching would probably be worth it for you if you're paying regular fees at Commerzbank. I know several people from my village who did exactly that, and they save a decent amount of money each year. With DKB you don't need a minimum deposit for the free checking account, and neither does ING - they've got really generous conditions. With ING it's basically so that the account is completely fee-free, and with DKB too, as long as you're getting money in regularly or making card transactions, but honestly you don't need much for that. My husband switched two years ago and didn't have any problems with it.
The only thing you should watch out for: take a look at what else is important to you. Do you need lots of ATMs near you? DKB has a huge network, ING does too, but not equally good everywhere. Some people also still have standing orders or insurance tied to their old bank - you just have to keep an eye on that. But if it's mainly about the account fees for you, I'd say: go ahead and switch. It's really not that much effort, and these days the banks make it relatively easy for you digitally.
To be honest, I'd definitely switch! DKB and ING really have no account maintenance fees and you don't need a minimum deposit either, just regular income going into the account (with ING I think it's 700€ a month or something, with DKB it's even more relaxed). After 19 years in engineering I know plenty of people who made the switch and they all say it was the best decision - Commerzbank's fees have just become ridiculous at this point! By the way, you don't have to do much with the switch itself, they handle it for you, they take care of everything with the standing orders and all that. Just try it, it costs you nothing and you'll save yourself a decent amount of money every year!
If you're paying fees regularly, switching is definitely worth it. I'm more of a practical type myself and I've been putting off stuff like switching banks for ages, but if you're losing money every year, that's just stupid. With DKB and ING you normally don't need a minimum deposit for a free checking account - it's just like that. DKB is actually pretty chill about it, they just want your account to not be completely dead. With ING I think you need either regular deposits coming in or a credit card, but you should double-check their website on that one because stuff changes every now and then.
The only thing that gets on my nerves with this kind of stuff is all the paperwork involved with switching, but honestly it goes faster these days than it used to. Most banks help you redirect your standing orders and stuff. Reading your question, I'm thinking - if you've been paying there for years, we could easily be talking about saving several hundred euros a year. That's real money you could use for more important things. So I'd say just do it. It's 2026 now and free accounts are completely normal by this point.
I'd recommend it too! 🎯 I've never really looked into it that intensively myself, but I've heard from a lot of people that DKB and ING are really practical - no fees, no annoying conditions. The only thing you should keep in mind: with ING, you need regular income as far as I know (like 700€ a month or so), otherwise you do have to pay fees, and with DKB I think it's similar. But if you normally earn money, that shouldn't be a problem 💰 With 20 years as a security specialist, you definitely have that! Switching banks these days is super uncomplicated anyway, the new banks handle almost everything themselves. Probably saves you a ton of euros per year - I could even treat myself to something nice for knitting with that 🧶
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