DKB: No Branch Offices
The author at the subsidiary entrance of the DKB in Potsdam.
Classical branch offices, as known from the Sparkasse or Volksbank, do not exist at the DKB.
However, there are subsidiaries in six federal states. What they exactly are and how to use them, will be shown in this article.
Additionally, what benefits can be offered to customers by a bank without branch offices …
To start with:
An account opening is only possible through the Internet. You can find the Application Form on this page: www.dkb.de
Accessibility and availability of the DKB
The advantage of a bank branch office is that there is a place, where one can go as a customer in order to discuss an issue in person or to carry out an account opening immediately.
But there are also disadvantages in a branch office. For example:
- one can only speak to someone within the opening hours
- if one of the „consultants“ is not sympathetic (like my experiences with the Deutsche Bank), one cannot procede or is quickly in a tight spot
- banks with branch offices have to constantly convince their customers of buying new products (over the past 10 years, we were able to get countless insights into the machinations of branch offices)
- if necessary, time and money for the arrival and departure to the branch office must be planned.
The DKB is available around the clock and does not carry out active cross-selling!
As a DKB customer, you are entitled to a permanent availability of the bank. Therefore, the bank has established a customer service operating in shifts. This is available by phone at the phone number +49 (0)30.12030000 around the clock every day. Even during the Christmas holidays and I have tested it myself and was able to wish a Merry Christmas!
Especially for travelling people or German citizens residing abroad, it is a great advantage to be able to reach the bank by phone anytime. Regardless of the time zone!
Likewise, the DKB is contactable via e-mail. The response will be sent usually within 24 hours. You can even ask by e-mail to call you back. At best, state the desired call period. This way, you can save the telephone charges, if you do not have a flat rate.
Orders by fax and mail are, of course, also accepted by the DKB.
DKB Subsidiaries
One can also withdraw cash free of charge at the ATMs of the DKB subsidiaries (no branch offices) with the normal bank card.
DKB operates subsidiaries in all new federal states and the head office is situated in Berlin. This structure has historical backgrounds. In East Germany, the DKB is active in real estate and the municipal finance.
However, these DKB subsidiaries are no bank branch offices. As the owner of a free current account, you cannot receive consultation. However, you can get a couple of services:
- withdraw cash (also with the DKB Girocard)
- deposit cash
- send letters
Cash free of charge using the normal bank card
As an owner of the DKB Visa credit card, you will normally be able to withdraw cash from any visa-enabled ATM worldwide at no charge – since 10 years, this is a huge plus for the DKB.
In the subsidiaries of the bank, there are own ATMs and at these, you can also withdraw cash free of charge with the normal bank card – depending on the time of account opening, a Maestro Card (customers until summer 2012) or V Pay Card (customers since summer 2012).
Saving the postage costs
If you are near a subsidiary of the DKB (address list, German article), you can also send or post letters to the bank. These are then forwarded through the internal DKB-mail to the according customer service.
Advantage: you save the postage costs.
Summary
Although the DKB has no branch offices for its private customers, you will probably be able to enjoy a better service from this bank than you are used to from your last.
With the introduction of the motto „main bank in the Internet“, the bank has been working hard on the professionalization of the customer service with constant accessibility and on the expansion of banking services.
Thanks to SEPA, German account holders can use the DKB as their main bank within the whole Euro-area (blue marked countries).
Tip: If you think about a change of account, then open first an account at the DKB and let it run in parallel for several months, until you get used to the branchless banking.
If you still need a branch office in your area – for example, if you need more than the Online-safe of the DKB and you need a real bank vault for the storage of gold coins – then continue to use both accounts.
Depending on with which bank you feel better in the long run, you grant your chosen bank the status „main bank“.
Further recommended content:
- www.dkb.de (retrieval of the current conditions, possibility of the account opening)
- DKB Visa Card for the abroad use
- Open a DKB joint account
Hi!
Can I deposit cash to my account through a branch? Is there a limit for that?
The DKB has deposit machines at 14 locations in Germany. One can deposit bills from Euros 5 to 14,995 per day around the clock (you do not have to pay attention to opening times).
Depositing on the own DKB account is always free of charge. You need the Girocard to deposit cash.
You can find the locations of the machines on this German overview page: https://www.deutscheskonto.org/de/dkb/bargeld-einzahlen/
In Munich, there is even a DKB-bank counter. There, you can deposit any amount and even in foreign currencies (this will be exchanged, because the DKB account is in Euros). You can find an article on this in German language here: https://www.deutscheskonto.org/de/dkb-bargeld-einzahlen-muenchen/
Is there a Minimum deposit required (what is it) to open an account at DKB?
No, there isn’t.
Dears,
What should I do to withdraw 12000€ in a cash machine?
Thank you in advance
DKB has a cash service. You can have larger cash amounts delivered to your home or a different location – for example your workplace by special courier. If the order happens until noon, the delivery takes place on the next banking day. You can find out about further details, when you log into your account.
Hi! Do you know if DKB has a phone number for English-speaking service? If I have an emergency and no German speaker available to help, how do I contact them quickly (I know they don’t reply emails in English)?
The contract and communication language at DKB is German. Everyone signed this with the account contract when opening the account. If someone on the hotline switches the language – which often happens when you ask for it politely- it’s out of goodwill. If one does not want to do that, one has to become a customer of one of the extremely few banks that offer English-language support officially. However, prices and services are not as good as at DKB!
Hi Im trying to create an international payment for a client who’s using the DKB bank and I can’t seem to find the Branch address and the bank on my side requires that I put a branch address.
Please assist
DKB
Taubenstrasse 7-9
10117 Berlin
Germany