If you’ve ever used a Card Complete credit card for purchases in Turkey, Thailand, or anywhere outside the Eurozone, you’ve probably been overcharged. Not just by a little, potentially hundreds of euros over the years. The good news? The Arbeiterkammer (Chamber of Labour) took the company to court, won, and now you can get that money back. The bad news? You have until August 1, 2026 to claim it, and the process requires navigating Austrian bureaucracy at its finest.
The Scam: Paying Twice for the Same Transaction
Here’s what Card Complete was doing: every time you paid in a foreign currency or withdrew cash abroad, they hit you with a processing fee of 1.5% to 1.65% of the transaction amount. Standard practice, right? Not quite. Simultaneously, they were also building a hidden markup into the exchange rate itself, what they called “Wechselkursabschläge” (exchange rate deductions). This meant customers paid twice: once through the explicit fee, and again through an artificially worse exchange rate.
The Oberster Gerichtshof (Austrian Supreme Court) didn’t mince words. They ruled this Doppelverrechnung (double billing) “intransparent” and therefore illegal. The court’s logic was straightforward: if customers can’t clearly see what they’re paying for, they can’t make informed decisions. The Arbeiterkammer had been arguing this for years, and in late 2025, the OGH finally agreed in a landmark decision.
Timeline: When the Overcharging Started
The illegal practice didn’t begin at the same time for all card types. If you had a Diners Club card from Card Complete, they started this double-dipping on March 1, 2015. For Visa and Mastercard holders, the scheme began later, August 1, 2018. This matters because your potential refund depends on which cards you held and when.
One particularly frustrating detail: many affected customers closed their accounts years ago, assuming their relationship with Card Complete was finished. The Arbeiterkammer made sure the settlement covers these “beendete Verträge” (terminated contracts) too. Your old statements from 2015 or 2018 could be worth real money.
How Much Money Are We Talking About?
The amount varies dramatically based on your spending habits. A weekend in Budapest might have cost you an extra €5-10. But if you were a frequent business traveler to the US or Asia during those years, regularly charging hotels, flights, and expenses to your Card Complete Visa or Mastercard? Your refund could easily reach into the hundreds.
Card Complete hasn’t published average refund amounts, but the 1.5-1.65% fee applied to every foreign transaction. Add the exchange rate markup, which the Arbeiterkammer estimates was similarly substantial, and those who traveled extensively between 2015-2023 have significant claims.
The Claims Process: Step-by-Step
Getting your money back isn’t automatic. You need to actively file a claim by August 1, 2026. Here’s exactly how:
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Access the online form: Visit Card Complete’s refund portal. The form is in German, so international residents may need translation help.
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Provide identification: You’ll need to verify your identity and provide the last four digits of the affected card numbers. If you don’t remember your old card number, check old statements or emails.
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Choose your refund method: For active accounts, you can receive a Gutschrift (credit) to your card or a transfer to your Girokonto (checking account). For closed accounts, only bank transfer is possible.
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Wait: Card Complete has up to two months to process your claim. They’ll send you a detailed breakdown of the refunded amount.
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Check for offsets: If you have outstanding debts with Card Complete, they may offset your refund against those amounts, a detail buried in the fine print that has frustrated many claimants.
Alternative method: Download the PDF form, print it, fill it out manually, and mail it to Card Complete’s Vienna office. The Arbeiterkammer provides a Musterbrief (template letter) for this approach on their dedicated information page.
The Bigger Picture: Other Providers Are Next
This case sets a precedent that extends far beyond Card Complete. The Arbeiterkammer explicitly states that the OGH decision has “Signalwirkung” (signal effect) for the entire industry. Other Austrian credit card providers have been charging similar “Manipulationsentgelte” (manipulation fees) for foreign transactions.
If you hold cards from other Austrian banks or providers, you can use the Arbeiterkammer’s Musterbrief to demand refunds for similar double-billing practices. The legal reasoning is identical: if they charged a stated processing fee AND gave you a poor exchange rate, that’s illegal Doppelverrechnung.
Why This Took So Long
Many international residents express frustration that such an obviously unfair practice persisted for nearly a decade. The reality is that Austrian consumer protection moves slowly. Individual complaints to Card Complete were routinely rejected. It took the Arbeiterkammer’s institutional resources and willingness to litigate through multiple court levels to force change.
The case also highlights a common issue in Austria: financial institutions often interpret regulations in ways that maximize profit until explicitly told otherwise by the OGH. The “intransparent” nature of these fees wasn’t a bug, it was the entire business model.
What You Should Do Right Now
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Check your eligibility: Did you hold a Card Complete Visa, Mastercard, or Diners Club card between 2015-2023? Did you use it for foreign currency transactions? If yes, you’re owed money.
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Gather documentation: Find old card statements showing foreign transactions. If you don’t have them, Card Complete should have records, but having your own speeds up the process.
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File immediately: Don’t wait until the 2026 deadline. Processing takes time, and early filers report receiving refunds within 4-6 weeks.
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Spread the word: Many affected customers, especially former expats who’ve left Austria, remain unaware. Share this information in expat forums and social media groups.
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Check other cards: Review statements from other Austrian credit cards for similar foreign transaction fee structures. The Arbeiterkammer’s Musterbrief works for these too.
The Bottom Line
Card Complete’s settlement represents one of the largest consumer refunds in recent Austrian financial history. While the company presents this as a voluntary gesture, it’s a direct result of legal pressure from the Arbeiterkammer and a clear OGH ruling. For international residents who’ve felt powerless against Austrian banking giants, this is a rare victory.
The refund process itself remains characteristically Austrian, bureaucratic, German-language heavy, and requiring proactive effort. But the money is real, and the legal precedent is now firmly established. Those who act before August 2026 will see actual cash returns for years of systematic overcharging.
For detailed FAQs and the official Musterbrief, visit the Arbeiterkammer’s Card Complete information hub. The clock is ticking, and your foreign holiday memories from the last decade might finally pay dividends, literally.
