Credit Cards in Norway — Compared and Explained in English

How we test credit cards

Most comparison sites read the terms and stop there. We apply for the cards, use them, and write up what actually happened — including the parts issuers would rather we left out.

• We hold the cards: Our editorial team applies with our own money and uses the cards in everyday spending and while travelling.
• We check the terms against primary sources: Fees and rates are cross-checked against Finansportalen and each issuer's own SEKKI document, not against other comparison sites.
• We track real approval rates: The approval figures below come from applications actually submitted through our site over the last 30 days.
• We rate on six criteria: rewards and benefits, insurance, travel value, fees and interest, approval rate, and customer feedback.

We earn commission from some partners when you apply through our links. This is how the service stays free, and it does not affect our ratings, rankings or recommendations.

How to get a credit card in Norway as a foreigner

This is the part most comparison pages skip. If you have recently moved to Norway for work or study, meeting the "best card" criteria is irrelevant until you meet the approval criteria.

What Norwegian issuers require

• A Norwegian national identity number (fødselsnummer).
  In practice this is the biggest hurdle. You are assigned a fødselsnummer when you are registered as resident in the National Population Register, which normally requires a residence permit or right of residence of six months or more. A temporary D-number is not usually enough on its own for unsecured credit — most issuers require you to be registered as resident. A few will assess a D-number application manually if your income, identity documentation and Norwegian credit data are strong, but you should expect a rejection as the default outcome.
• BankID
  Every credit card application in Norway is signed electronically with BankID, which is issued through a Norwegian bank. Without BankID you cannot complete an online application at all. This means opening a Norwegian bank account is effectively step one.
• Documented income in Norway
  Issuers typically require a minimum gross annual income, usually somewhere between NOK 100,000 and NOK 250,000 depending on the card, verified against the Norwegian Tax Administration.
• Norwegian credit history
  This is where foreign applicants are most often caught out. Your credit history from your home country does not transfer. Norwegian issuers assess you against Norwegian tax returns and the national debt register (Gjeldsregisteret). Many newcomers need at least one, and often two, full Norwegian tax years before an application succeeds.
• No payment defaults (betalingsanmerkninger)
  An active default results in automatic rejection, with no exceptions.
• Age
  The legal minimum is 18, but several cards set the bar at 20, 23 or 25.

The lending rules that decide the outcome

Under the Norwegian lending regulation (utlånsforskriften), your total debt — including credit limits you have not used — may not exceed five times your gross annual income. Credit card limits below NOK 30,000 are exempt from this calculation, which is why some issuers will offer a newcomer a small limit rather than reject outright.

The practical consequences:

• An unused NOK 100,000 limit on an existing card counts against you on the next application. Close cards you do not use.
• If you are offered a lower limit than you asked for, that is often the regulation at work, not a judgement on you.
• Applying to several issuers in a short period does not usually harm you the way it does in some other countries, but each application triggers a credit check that is visible to you and to the issuer.

What a Norwegian credit card actually costs

Norwegian credit cards are unusual in one respect: annual fees are rare. Every card in our top list costs NOK 0 a year. The cost sits elsewhere.

• Interest: Effective rates on Norwegian consumer credit cards typically run between roughly 20% and 30%. If you clear the balance in full each month, you pay none of it. If you do not, it compounds quickly.
• The interest-free period: Between 43 and 50 days on the cards above, counted from the start of the billing period rather than from your purchase date. The number quoted is the maximum, not what you get on every purchase.
• Currency surcharge (valutapåslag): 1.75% to 2.00% on the cards above, applied on top of the exchange rate when you spend in a foreign currency. Over a year of travel this often costs more than any annual fee would.
• Cash withdrawals: Several Norwegian cards charge nothing for the withdrawal itself, but interest usually starts accruing from the withdrawal date, with no interest-free period. The same applies to bank transfers and bill payments made from a credit card.
• Invoice and reminder fees: Typically NOK 8–10 per paper invoice, NOK 0 with e-invoice, and NOK 35–38 for a payment reminder.

The nominal rate is the base interest rate. The effective rate (effektiv rente) includes fees and compounding and is the figure to compare — Norwegian issuers are required to disclose it.

Included travel insurance: read the payment rule first

Free travel insurance is the headline benefit on several Norwegian cards, and it is genuinely valuable. But it only activates if you pay for the trip in a specific way, and that rule has recently become stricter.

Bank Norwegian changed its terms on 1 August 2026. For trips booked on or after that date, at least 75% of the trip's combined transport and accommodation costs must be paid directly with the Bank Norwegian card. The previous rule was more than 50% of transport costs only. Payment must go directly to the airline, hotel, travel agency or equivalent supplier — paying a private individual who then books, or routing payment through certain third-party services, may not count. Trips booked before 1 August 2026 remain under the old terms.

The practical trap: if you book the flights on your Bank Norwegian card but a travel companion pays the hotel with a different card, you may fall below the 75% threshold and lose cover for the whole trip.

Requirements differ between issuers, so check the terms for your specific card rather than assuming a common standard. Note also that on Bank Norwegian's included cover, travel illness, repatriation, cancellation and accident cover ends at age 75.

If you travel often, or with people outside your immediate family, an annual travel insurance policy is usually the safer choice. Card-included cover is tied to the individual trip and is not a substitute for a standalone policy.

Using a credit card sensibly

• Pay the full balance by the due date: This is the whole game. Do this and the card is free credit; fail to do it and the interest rate makes it one of the most expensive ways to borrow money available to you.
• Avoid cash withdrawals: Interest usually starts the same day, even where the withdrawal fee is zero.
• Check the travel insurance payment threshold before you book, not after. On Bank Norwegian that is now 75% of transport and accommodation.
• Do not hold cards you do not use: Unused credit limits count against your total debt under utlånsforskriften and will reduce what you can borrow later — including on a mortgage.
• Pay more than the minimum: The minimum payment is designed to keep the balance outstanding.

Credit cards are not right for everyone. If you find it difficult to keep track of spending, or you are already carrying consumer debt, a debit card is the better tool. If you are struggling with debt, the Norwegian state offers free financial counselling through NAV's økonomisk rådgivning service.