Revolut Vs N26 In Ireland

Revolut Compared to N26


The two digital banking providers that have the most customers in Ireland are Revolut and N26 .
This is a review of the features and the pros and cons of Revolut Vs N26.


A Comparison of N26 Vs Revolut in Ireland (The Free Accounts)

A Summary of N26

N26 Bank first launched in Ireland in December 2015 and now has more than 7 million customers across  Europe and the USA, with at least 200,000 in Ireland.
N26 has a full European banking licence and funds are covered by the German Bank guarantee (up to €100,000).
The Central Bank of Ireland regulates N26 for the conduct of business rules in Ireland.

A bank account with N26 is in Euros and it has a bank account number and IBAN –  the same as any “mainstream” bank. (The IBAN is a German one.)


Customers can pay in their salary and set up Direct Debits. N26 customers can also lodge money into N26 by bank transfer. Topping up by debit card is also possible but there is a 3% charge – so it is best to avoid it.

You will need a smartphone to register and set up an N26 account. However, most of the N26 banking functions can also be carried out on laptops, tablets and PCs .

N26 , being branchless, does not deal with cash or cheques – (but how often do you need to do that these days?)

In March 2024 , N26 started offering Irish customers the option of savings accounts paying interest. At launch, the interest rates were 2.8% for Standard, Smart and You accounts. On the N26 Metal account – the interest rate is 4% . Funds of up to €100,000 are protected by the German Bank Guarantee.

Joint accounts are not possible yet with N26 – but there are ways that couples can share an N26 card by using Google Pay or Apple Pay on separate phones (it works). (More about N26 and Joint Accounts )

The N26 app also allows cheap international money transfers in more than 30 currencies. (They use WISE).

You can also send money instantly to other N26 users from your phone without knowing their account details. N26 calls this feature “MoneyBeam. You can send up to €1000 to other N26 customers within a 24-hour period. 

N26 also has a feature called Spaces – which allows you to have sub-accounts for savings or separate spending pots. This is available on the “Smart Account” (€4.90 fee per month). You can get a free two-month trial of 2 Spaces on the free Standard account.

Apple Pay and Google Pay are supported by N26.



N26 Debit Card

You get a free virtual debit card which you can use with Apple Pay or Google Pay . If you also want a physical card, N26 will charge €10 for delivery. Many people can do without a physical card these days.

The only fee on the debit card is a €2 ATM withdrawal fee IF you make more than 3 ATM withdrawals in Euros in a month.

The €2 ATM fee does not apply to ATM withdrawals outside the Eurozone – but instead, there is a 1.7% fee on non-euro withdrawals. This 1.7% fee is lower than the “main” Irish banks – which all charge around  3.5% for non-euro cash withdrawals.

Unlike all the other Irish banks – there are no conversion or processing fees for using the N26 debit card to make purchases in currencies other than Euro. (See how much the other banks charge here)

The N26 Mastercard also has no fees for contactless payments.


N26 Sign Up

You can sign up to N26 for free with a smartphone . You just need to fill in an online form and take a selfie and send a picture of your passport.  (Over 18s only) . You need to add some money to your account to activate it. The first top-up payment by debit card is free.

Irish residents can Join N26 Here


Revolut Vs N26 in Ireland:-
What are the differences?

FeaturesN26Revolut
Full Banking Licence?YesYes (March 2022)
Virtual CardFreeFree
Physical Card
Delivery Fee
€10 £4.99
Can be operated from PC/Laptop as well as Smartphone ?YesPartial
Foreign Currency SpendingNo Charges , no limits.First €1000 worth of spending a month is free – then a 1% fee.
Annual FeeNoneNone
Account CurrencyEuroEuro / GBP/ USD
ATM Withdrawals in EurosFirst 3 withdrawals a month are free then €2 each.First 5 or upto €200 per month is free then a 2% charge min €1.
Non Euro ATM withdrawals outside Ireland1.7% ChargeFirst 5 or upto €200 per month is free then a 2% charge min €1.
Apple PayYesYes
Google PayYesYes
Direct DebitsYesYes
Instant Transfers to other UsersYesYes
International Money
Transfers
Yes - 40+ currenciesYes - 31 currencies
Top up with another debit card?Yes - first one is free then a 3% charge.Yes
Age Limit1818
Debit Card TypeMastercardVisa or Mastercard
Daily Spending Limit€/£5000£/€5000 (in 96hours)


Revolut in Ireland – A Summary

Revolut has a HQ in the UK and has been running since July 2015. They have over 20 million users in total and close to 2 million of those are in Ireland.

Since March 24th 2022 , Revolut has been a fully licenced bank in Ireland and funds of up to €100,000 are guaranteed by the Lithuanian State Company Deposit and Investment Insurance.

Revolut Bank UAB has established a branch in Ireland, with company number 909790 and whose address is at 2 Dublin Landings, North Dock, Dublin 1, Ireland

Revolut also has a banking license in 28 other European countries such as Lithuania, Poland , Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Malta, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.


Irish IBAN

All new customers joining Revolut since 13th Feb 2023 are given a Euro account with an Irish IBAN as well as a UK GBP account.
In early 2023 , Revolut transferred its existing Irish customers to their Irish branch and allocated them an Irish IBAN instead of a Lithuanian one. This will mean that payments in and out such as salaries and direct debits will operate as smoothly as any other Irish bank such as AIB or BOI.


Revolut can accept incoming payments in over 20 currencies.
Instant transfers between Revolut customers are also possible.
You can also apply for loans with Revolut and you can apply for a credit card with Revolut too.
Revolut customers can also get car insurance from Revolut.

revolut card



Revolut supports Apple Pay and Google Pay .

Revolut has no joining fee – but you will usually need to pay £4.99 or more for delivery of a physical debit card .

More here about Using Using Revolut in Ireland

Revolut Offer

Special Offer for Money Guide Ireland readers. If you join Revolut using the link below – you will get a 3-month free trial of Revolut Premium for FREE.

You can sign up Here .

Revolut Debit Card (Standard Account)

Using the Revolut debit card you can spend in another currency or exchange up to €1,000 in total every month without any foreign conversion fees.  (Important :- A 1% fee applies after the first €1000).

Only the first €200 of ATM withdrawals per month are free, after that, they charge a fee of 2% .
There are 5 free withdrawals a month. After 5 withdrawals a month, Revolut will charge you €1 each time. If you have also gone over the €200 limit – the charge will be the higher of 2% or €1 per withdrawal.

Direct Debits are also possible with Revolut  – and as with N26, they don’t cater for paying in cash or cheques.

Customers can access the Revolut app on a PC/laptop. You can view transactions and account balances , add money and Freeze or unfreeze your card .

Revolut and Joint Accounts:
Unlike N26 – a joint account is now possible with Revolut (since April 13th 2023).

Plus you can also link a Junior Revolut account to your main Revolut account (for 7 to 17-year-olds). The Revolut app allows parents and guardians to manage and oversee all their child’s spending from one day to the next. Apple pay is also available on Revolut Junior.

With Revolut you can receive bank transfers directly into your Revolut account in a number of currencies: including- USD, GBP, EUR, AUD, NZD, JPY, MAD, CZK, QAR, THB, and ZAR. and more.

Revolut also began offering “Flexible” accounts – which are investment accounts which offer daily interest (variable). At the time of writing – they were offering variable rates of return from 3.50% to 3.95%. This is not the same as a normal deposit account. Flexible Accounts invest in Money Market Funds, which have lower expected risk compared to other investments, although in unfavourable market conditions, you could still lose part or all of your principal investment.

Sign up for Revolut Here



Which is better N26 or Revolut?

Overall we prefer the free version of Revolut to the free version of N26 for the following reasons :-

  • Irish IBAN on Revolut . (N26 is a German one)
  • Joint Accounts now possible on Revolut (Version 9 of the app)
  • Ability to receive and hold several different currencies in Revolut. N26 only accepts inward payments of Euros.
  • Extra facilities such as loans , credit cards and share trading on Revolut.

But  – there’s no harm in having both an N26 account and one with Revolut. Having spare cards and accounts with some money on them can be useful if there are problems with one of them.

Read about N26 and Joint Accounts here.



N26 and Revolut Exchange Rates Compared

Revolut says they use the Interbank exchange rates when you use their card for non-Euro purchases. But they will add a 1% markup to the exchange rate at weekends.

N26 uses the standard Mastercard exchange rates.

We did a small comparison of  USD/EUR rates, Interbank versus Mastercard, over a 2 week period in late 2017.

On average – the Mastercard rate, used by N26, was just 0.25% worse than the Interbank rate used by Revolut.  On a €1000 equivalent spend, you would be €2.50 worse off with N26 compared to Revolut.

However it’s important to note that Revolut adds a 1% markup to the interbank rate at weekends on 14 major currencies and a 2% markup for all others. So this would make the Revolut exchange rate 0.75% worse than N26 at weekends.


Important Note:
With a Revolut standard account- if you convert more than €1000 in a month they will charge 1% fee. So N26 is better if you are going to hit the €1000 conversion limit in a month.

With Revolut – you do have the option of doing the currency conversion on a week day, and then spending that currency at the weekend to avoid the extra markup (if you remember) . Or you could get both N26 and Revolut cards and use them wisely to reduce fees.


More details of Revolut Plans and Charges in Ireland.


Making Large Purchases Abroad

If you are looking to make a large purchase (i.e over €5000 worth) outside Ireland  – i.e a car  – N26 or Revolut might not be the best option. The free versions of both cards have daily spending limits. N26 card has a daily spending limit of €5000 and Revolut’s limit is £5000 in 96 hours. Also – the Revolut free account will charge 1% currency conversion on spending of over €1000. Although you could upgrade to Revolut Premium for a month to avoid this fee – but it will cost you €8.99 for a month.

For larger purchases in other currencies – such as a car – you should consider the online currency exchange marketplace Currency Fair.
CurrencyFair is based in Dublin and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. You can transfer your Euros to CurrencyFair , convert it to any of 19 currencies and then transfer it out to the seller’s bank account.



An Alternative to N26 and Revolut


WISE

With WISE (Formerly Transferwise), you get a “Multi-Currency Account ” with a UK account number and sort code plus a Euro account with an IBAN and also USD account. (Other account currencies are also available). A WISE account can accept payments in multiple currencies.

The Wise Multi-Currency Account also comes with an optional debit card for spending in different currencies with very low fees. (£5 delivery charge).

It is not a full-blown banking app – so the features won’t be as good as Revolut or N26. There is NO monthly fee.


You get the interbank rate on currency conversions plus a fee that will depend on the currency.
For example : – EUR to GBP or USD or AUD was 0.41% ; EUR to PLN (Zloty) was 0.48% when we checked.

ATM withdrawals are free for the first 2 a month if you withdraw less than €200. After €200 in a month, it’s 1.75% fee. After 2 withdrawals in a month there is a 50p fee per withdrawal. Just use ATMs rarely .


Sign up With WISE Here



UK Banking Apps

Other mobile banking apps that are currently only available in the UK and other EU countries include Monzo, Starling and Atom. Some of these may be available in Ireland in the future but they will find it hard to compete with Revolut.
Monzo has a licence to operate in Ireland – but it looks like they currently have no plans to start offering services here in the near future.


Starling Bank has previously said they will be coming to Ireland – but it was revealed by Sky News on July 18th 2022 that Starling withdrew its application for an Irish banking licence.

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