Charges on Current Bank Accounts in Ireland

The majority of the banks in Ireland have some sort of transaction fees or admin charges on current bank accounts.

The options for current bank accounts in Ireland are smaller in 2024 since Ulster Bank and KBC have withdrawn from the Irish market. Some new online-only banks such as N26 and Revolut are competing with established banks
We have compared current bank account charges in Ireland to show you how much an average customer could be paying each year. We have included the online banks N26 , Bunq and Revolut.


Read More About Revolut .


Bank Charges Compared

We carried out a comparison of the Charges on Current Bank Accounts in Ireland to help you decide which is the best bank for you if you want to reduce the amount of bank fees you pay.


(We have included some charges for non-Euro debit card purchases – which is fairly common now with online shopping in the UK etc) . (See more about Non Euro Charges here).

Tip : If you have a mortgage and want to save thousands of euros – you should look into Switching Your Mortgage.
See How Much You Can Save By Switching Your Mortgage.


Summary of  Charges on Current Bank Accounts in Ireland 

The figures below were checked in January 2024.


N26

  • N26 have no Admin fees on their current account. The only transaction fee is on Irish ATM withdrawals if you use them more than 3 times a month. (€2 charge a time).
  • There are no fees with N26 for card spending in foreign currencies.
  • A physical debit card will cost €10 to send out – but you can probably manage without one if you are going to use Apple pay or Google Pay etc.
  • Based in Germany, N26  is an “online-only”  bank with a full EU banking licence. Funds are covered by the German deposit guarantee scheme (up to €100,000).
  • N26 are also regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland for the conduct of business rules in Ireland
  • There are no N26 branches  – so you can’t pay in cash or cheques, but you can set up Direct Debits. No overdrafts.
  • N26 only charge 1.7% fee on Non-Euro cash withdrawals.


Revolut

  • On the Standard Revolut account, there are no monthly charges
  • The first 5 ATM withdrawals per month or the first €200 per month are FREE. After that, there is a 2% fee. (Min €1).
  • When spending in non-Euro currencies with Revolut – the first €1000 per month is fee-free, after that, there is a 1% fee.
  • With Revolut you can’t pay in cash or cheques, but you can set up Direct Debits. They also allow loans.
  • Revolut is a fully licenced bank in Ireland and funds of up to €100,000 are guaranteed by the Lithuanian State Company Deposit and Investment Insurance.
  • Since early 2023, Revolut issues Irish IBANs for its Irish customers – which should make things easier.
  • More about Revolut Here


Bunq

Bunq has been available in Ireland as a payment card for a few years now – but they have gradually upgraded their service to a fully-featured bank account.

Bunq is a fully licenced EU bank – and any money held with them is protected by the Deposit Guarantee Scheme of the Dutch National Bank (DNB) up to €100,000

There is a monthly fee of €3.99 with the Bunq “Easy Bank”
The first 5 ATM withdrawals a month will cost €0.99 each Then ATM withdrawals are €2.99 each after you exceed 5. (Best to avoid ATMs). Apart from that, there are no transaction fees.
When purchasing in another currency – the bunq Easy Bank card adds a 2% foreign exchange fee.
As with N26 and Revolut – you can’t pay in cash or cheques, but you can set up Direct Debits.


PTSB (Explore Account)

  • The  PTSB Explore account has an €18 * quarterly account maintenance fee but no day-to-day transaction charges. (*This is rising to €24 from April 2024)
  • The account also offers cash rewards such as 10c for every time you use your debit card. This reward is capped at €5 a month.(You would need to use the debit card 50 times in a month to get the maximum €5 cashback.)
  • PTSB offer cashback on payments of bills to specific companies by direct debit.  More about the PTSB Cashback Current Account here.

EBS (Money manager Account)

EBS doesn’t currently have any charges on current bank accounts.  However, this is an account with basic features, chequebooks are not issued and overdrafts are not allowed. No Apple Pay or Google Pay.


Bank of Ireland (BOI)

Bank of Ireland’s current accounts have a flat fee of €6 per month. (€72 a year). This fee cannot be avoided. More details about the Bank of Ireland Charges .

(There are no fees on Golden Years, Graduate, 3rd Level student or 2nd Level student current accounts).


Allied Irish Bank

  • AIB charges Admin Charges and Transaction Fees .
  • The admin fee is €4.50 per quarter. (€18 a year).
  • AIB also charge the following amounts for transactions :
    • Automated Transactions (Direct Debit/ Standing Orders)  20c.
    • Internet or Phone transaction 20c
    • ATM withdrawals  35c
    • Machine Lodgements 35c
    • Cheque Processing 39c
    • Debit Card Transaction  20c
    • Over-the-Counter Transaction  39c
  • More on AIB Charges

Credit Union Current Accounts

Not all Credit Unions offer current accounts .
Those Credit Unions that do offer current accounts have a monthly Account Maintenance Fee of €4 charged quarterly ( €12 per quarter).
There is also a 50c charge per ATM withdrawal once you go over five in a month.
If you use the card for spending outside the Eurozone there is a 2% charge, capped at €12.


An Post Smart Account

This account has a €15 a quarter charge (€60 a year) PLUS other charges as follows :
Cash Withdrawal in Branch  50c (1 a week is free)
ATM withdrawals  60c
Lodgements at branch  50c
This account no longer pays rewards.



Comparison of Bank Charges 

These figures are based on the following annual transactions:

  • Debit Card Purchases (Euros) :  365 (1 a day)
  • Contactless 365 (1 a day)
  • Debit Card Non-Euro Purchases of €100 equivalent. 12 : (1 a month)
  • ATM withdrawals: 36 (3 a month)
  • Online transactions – 52 (1 a week)
  • Direct Debits 72 (6 a month)
  • Standing Orders : 12 (1 a month)
  • Counter transactions – none
  • Cheques Lodged 0

    We have not included any cheque lodgement fees or fees for counter transactions. ( AIB will charge extra for these)

Sample Annual Bank Charges

For all the transactions listed above: –

  • Revolut would charge you nothing.
  • N26 would charge you nothing.
  • EBS would charge €12  (just for the non-euro purchases.)
  • PTSB would charge €33 (with the 10c reward for twice-daily debit card purchases included) (€55 from April)
  • Bunq would charge €71.88
  • Credit Union would charge €72
  • BOI charges would be €96.
  • An Post would charge €117.60
  • AIB would charge  €151.80

The best way of getting FREE banking in Ireland.

If you don’t need access to a branch, don’t need to pay in cheques and don’t want to deposit cash – then a free Revolut or N26 account will be fine – and they are both FREE.

If you think you will need to deposit cash and/or cheques – then one option is to have an account with EBS plus another account at N26 or Revolut
(You will not get a chequebook). Both of these accounts are free to operate.

You can use the EBS account for ATM withdrawals, paying in cash and cheques. You can use the N26 or Revolut debit card to get Apple Pay, Google Pay fee-free non-euro purchases and all the features of a smartphone banking app.
Salaries can be paid into either bank and money transferred between them as required.
Having more than one bank account will also reduce the risk of having no access to funds in the situation of a bank or card provider experiencing IT problems.


Revolut Offer

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

You can sign up Here .


Stamp Duty on Debit Cards

Note:  There is also a government stamp duty of 12c per ATM cash withdrawal at all banks. (Capped at €5 a year)
More details of Debit Card Stamp Duty

There is also a 50c stamp duty charged by the government on each cheque. This charge is payable when a chequebook is issued. ( €20 for a book of 40 cheques). If you have unused cheques your bank should refund you the stamp duty if you send them in. .


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Apple Pay availability in Ireland

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More About Revolut Card

Tip : If you have a mortgage and want to save thousands of euros – you should look into Switching Your Mortgage.
See How Much You Can Save By Switching Your Mortgage.

More Money Saving Tips