Fed up with hidden fees and clunky banking apps? Me too. That’s why I took a leap and switched to bunq, the Netherlands’ most popular neo-bank. And I’ve never looked back.
When I moved to the Netherlands as a student, I didn’t care much about choosing a bank. However, when I started working full-time, I decided to look around to find my best banking options. That’s when I switched to bunq.
With my Easy Bank Pro account at bunq, saving has become easier, budgeting smarter, and I finally feel like I have control over my finances.
Here’s why I find the monthly €9.99 is a small price to pay for my financial health.
There’s a healthy 2.46% interest rate on my savings
It’s no secret that interest rates on savings in the Netherlands have been dismal in the past five years — a 1.5% interest rate at major Dutch banks? You’ve got to be kidding.
At bunq, I enjoy a competitive 2.46% interest on my savings of up to €100,000, which is paid out weekly.
READ MORE | This Dutch bank has up to 2% cashback on daily spending AND earns you 2.46% on savings
With this, bunq makes it easy for me to grow my savings rather than just having them sit around and lose value from inflation.
I get insights on where my money goes each month
Have you ever reached the middle of the month and wondered, “Where the heck did all my money go?” Me too.
One of the biggest challenges when it comes to budgeting is knowing where you are spending your money. Expenses such as an occasional kapsalon after a night out can quickly add up but are easily forgotten in the next morning haze.
Well, not with bunq.
Although confrontation can be difficult, it’s necessary to ensure you stay on track with your financial goals. bunq’s ‘Insights’ tool can help by categorising your spending into 23 different categories, such as “Household Expenses,” “Food and Drink,” and “Subscriptions.”
Even better, the feature lets you integrate any external bank accounts, allowing you to easily track your spending across all your accounts. 💪
Various features budget my money effortlessly
Speaking of budgeting, bunq has multiple hi-tech features that make budgeting a breeze.
One such feature is the Payment Sorter, which simplifies the process of setting money aside each month. For example, my Payment Sorter automatically allocates a specific percentage of my income to savings and investments.
bunq also allows me to have multiple sub-accounts with individual IBANs, which makes budgeting my money straightforward and organised.
Saving up for a trip? I’ll make a separate account for it! Money for my utility bills? I store it in a separate account! My grocery money? In a separate account. 💰
Since each account has its own IBAN, it’s easy for me to set up direct debits, for example, for my bills.
In addition, bunq is able to auto-select the right account based on the transaction category. This means that all my Albert Heijn transitions get pulled straight out of my designated “Groceries” account!
These features not only help me stick to my savings goals but also give me a better overview of my overall finances.
I save without having to think about it with AutoSave
By far my favourite feature of bunq is AutoSave. I’m the type of person who sometimes likes to spend money purely because it’s otherwise sitting in my account (niet goed, I know).
But bunq helps me work on this character flaw by simply making sure I have less liquidity sitting around in my account for reckless spending. 🤷
READ MORE | Dutch savings accounts: Best interest rates in the Netherlands in June 2024
It does this with the AutoSave feature, which automatically rounds up every payment I make and sends the difference to either one of my savings accounts or my investment accounts.
I have my AutoSave set to round up to the nearest multiple of 5, meaning if I spend €2.40 on a candy bar, bunq will automatically put the remaining €2.60 into my savings. And it works! Within just over one year, I have saved up to over €1,200 without ever having to think about it.
I don’t have to worry about unexpected expenses when travelling
My sister lives in the UK, and my partner’s family lives in the US. As a result, I frequently travel outside of the EU and need to deal with various foreign currencies.
Before using bunq, I’d have to pay a foreign transaction (FX) fee on any purchase made in pounds or dollars. This fee typically ranges from 1% to 3% of the transaction amount, meaning a $100 bill becomes a $103 bill — simply because you’re abroad.
bunq’s ZeroFX feature lets me dodge these pesky fees by letting me enjoy fee-free currency exchange. Moreover, bunq lets me open accounts in up to 22 local currencies to make my international transactions even smoother.
Now, I can spend money without the hassle of calculating exchange rates or dealing with foreign transaction fees. It’s a simple and convenient way to save money when making international purchases.
Tip: Speaking of travelling, if you get yourself an Easy Bank Pro XL account with bunq, you automatically get travel insurance for you and your family!
I have a good conscience knowing I bank sustainably
Sure, all these financial advantages of bunq are great, but I also want to know that I’m doing what I can to bank sustainably.
bunq gives me that peace of mind in multiple ways. First off, bunq lets me decide that my investments may only be put towards green companies, meaning all my investments on bunq are sustainable. 🌱
In collaboration with veritree, bunq also plants trees for a greener planet and even shows me the CO2 footprint of my monthly spending. To date, bunq has planted over 20 million mangrove trees in Kenya — and that’s a cause I love to support. 👏🧡
Want to join bunq yourself? There are different plans to choose from, ranging in price from completely gratis to €18.99 per month. So, just pick one you like and get banking!
Do you have a bunq account? What are your favourite features? Share your thoughts in the comments!
