bunq review
Updated September 28, 2026 · DebitCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings.
Our verdict
bunq is a euro debit card with a Mastercard and multi-currency accounts, aimed at students and at anyone spending abroad. The monthly fee is €0, the same as Wise at £0, while the currency conversion fee runs 0.5% to 3% on travel spending.
Key facts
- Best for
- A euro debit card with multi-currency accounts and no fee to hold.
- Monthly fee
- €0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Currency conversion fee
- 0.5% to 3% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Card type
- Debit (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Card network
- Mastercard (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Currencies
- 8 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- bunq B.V. (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Netherlands (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2012 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Chat (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- Multi-currency, Crypto, Virtual card, Travel
- Audience
- Students
- Official website
- bunq.com
Credit cards
- Annual fee
- €0 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Currency conversion fee
- 0.5% to 3% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Card kind
- Credit (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- bunq B.V. (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Netherlands (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2012 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Chat (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Pricing model
- No annual fee
- Features
- Multi-currency, Crypto, Virtual card, Travel
- Audience
- Students
Pros and cons
Pros
- Monthly fee of €0 and annual fee of €0, with Wise at £0 charging the same on the monthly side.
- A Mastercard card, on the network behind 38.5% of the cards compared here.
- Multi-currency, crypto, a virtual card and travel features on the plan, with multi-currency listed on 34.9% of cards here.
- Help through email and chat, so support sits inside the app and your inbox.
Cons
- Support runs on email and chat only, with no phone line for urgent card problems.
- The upper end of the conversion fee, 0.5% to 3%, is well above the conversion median of 1% on heavy foreign spending.
- Wise also charges £0, so bunq has to win on features rather than on price.
- Because the free plan card is a debit card, spending draws on the balance in the account and stops when the balance does.
Who it suits
- Students, who are the audience listed on student.
- Anyone who wants a Mastercard debit card with a monthly fee of €0 and no annual charge of €0.
- Travellers who pay in several currencies, with 8 currencies supported and multi-currency listed on multi currency, crypto and virtual card.
Who should look elsewhere
- Chime Card (Secured Visa Credit Card) if you want a credit card rather than bunq's debit card, at a monthly fee of $0.
- Wise if you would rather hold pounds, since its monthly fee of £0 is the same as bunq's €0.
- Varo Believe Secured Credit Card if you want secured credit, priced at a monthly fee of $0.
Using it abroad
Abroad, the cost that matters is the currency conversion fee, and bunq charges 0.5% to 3% on currency conversion. That range covers the middle of what cards charge, so a trip concentrated in a single currency tends to stay at the lower end, while heavy multi-currency spending lands nearer the top. The card runs on Mastercard, so it is accepted wherever Mastercard debit cards are taken. Because the fee applies on every conversion, the longer a trip and the more currencies it touches, the more the position within that range matters to your bill.
Everyday use
Day to day, bunq is a debit card on the Mastercard network, so spending draws on the money in the account and pays out wherever Mastercard is accepted. A debit card stops when the balance stops, which makes it a different job from a credit card. Support comes through email and chat, which puts help in the app and your inbox but leaves urgent card problems without a phone line. For everyday spending that is a workable setup, and less so for anyone who wants to talk to someone about a blocked card on the spot.
The company behind it
The account is run by bunq B.V., headquartered in the Netherlands, and it has been trading since 2012, so the brand is an established operator rather than a new entrant. Its home regulator is De Nederlandsche Bank, which supervises the Dutch operation. Customer questions go through email and chat, so a phone line is not part of the mix for anything urgent. That style suits people happy running the account themselves, and suits you less if you would rather pick up a phone and speak to someone.
How bunq compares
9.0 vs 9.4
bunq vs Airwallex9.0 vs 9.0
9.0 vs 8.9
9.0 vs 9.2
9.0 vs 8.8
9.0 vs 8.5
9.0 vs 8.5
9.0 vs 8.8
9.0 vs 8.8
9.0 vs 8.7
9.0 vs 8.5
9.0 vs 9.2
9.0 vs 9.0
9.0 vs 8.9
9.0 vs 8.8
bunq vs Wirex9.0 vs 9.6
9.0 vs 9.4
9.0 vs 9.4
9.0 vs 9.2
9.0 vs 9.1
9.0 vs 9.1
9.0 vs 9.1
9.0 vs 9.1
9.0 vs 8.8
9.0 vs 8.8- 9.0 vs 8.8
- 9.0 vs 8.8
9.0 vs 8.8- 9.0 vs 8.8
9.0 vs 8.5
9.0 vs 8.5
9.0 vs 8.5
9.0 vs 8.3
9.0 vs 8.2
9.0 vs 8.0
9.0 vs 8.0
Where bunq is available
- Available
- Netherlands
- Licence in Netherlands
- De Nederlandsche Bank, checked September 26, 2026
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Is there a fee for holding a bunq account and card?+
The monthly fee is €0 and the annual fee is €0, so holding the account and the card costs nothing in fees. That matches Wise at £0 on the monthly side. Spending is where costs appear, and the one to watch is the currency conversion fee of 0.5% to 3% when you pay in another currency.
What does it cost to spend money abroad on bunq?+
Converting currency costs 0.5% to 3% on bunq, the range that applies when you spend in a currency other than the one on your balance. A trip concentrated in a single currency tends to sit at the lower end, while heavy multi-currency spending lands near the top. The card runs on Mastercard, which is accepted widely.
Is bunq regulated, and who runs it?+
bunq is bunq B.V., based in the Netherlands, and its Dutch operation is supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank. The company has traded since 2012, so it is an established name rather than a recent arrival. Being supervised in the Netherlands also means the account and its rules sit with that regulator.
What kind of card is a bunq card, and which network does it use?+
bunq issues a debit card on the Mastercard network. A debit card spends the money sitting in the account, so payments stop when the balance does, which is a different job from a credit card. Mastercard is accepted in most places that take cards, covering everyday shops as well as travel.
Is bunq aimed at students rather than at everyone?+
The listed audience is student, so the plan is pitched at students. Worth knowing if you are weighing it against a general account, because the features it leads on are multi-currency, crypto, a virtual card and travel, all of which suit someone studying or living across borders. Costs stay at €0 a month.
How do I get help from bunq?+
Support runs on email and chat, so questions go through chat or email rather than a phone line. That is quick for anything you can describe in writing, and awkward if a card is blocked while you are abroad. Worth knowing before you lean on the account for travel money.
How many currencies can I hold, and why does that help?+
bunq supports 8 currencies, and multi-currency is one of the features listed on the plan. Holding separate balances lets you keep money in the currency you are about to spend in rather than converting ahead of every payment. Converting between them still costs 0.5% to 3%.
Sources
- bunq.com checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience, Card kind, Pricing model
“Students get bunq for free - bunq Free personal account”
- bunq.com/about checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded
“In 2012, founder Ali Niknam set out to build banking”
- bunq.com/about/imprint checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Legal entity, Licences
“Basisweg 32, 1043 AP Amsterdam, The Netherlands - bunq B.V.”
- bunq.com/personal/features/zero-fx checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Currencies, Currency conversion fee, Card network
“Earn high interest across 8 global currencies”
- bunq.com/personal/plans checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Annual fee
“bunq Free - Free - A simple Personal Account to get started with bunq”
- bunq.com/personal/plans/bunq-free checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Card type, Features, Monthly fee, Support channels
“Every bunq user gets a Credit Card - bunq Free personal account”
Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Free ATM withdrawals, Protection.