Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania review

The range covers a debit card on the mastercard network and a credit card. That means everyday spending and borrowing can sit with the same bank, and the charges differ: the annual fee of €15 belongs to the credit card.

The credit card charges an annual fee of €15. Across the cards listed on DebitCue, the typical annual fee is €0, and the debit ranking reaches €15.75 at its upper quartile, so weigh this fee against how often you would use the card.

Converting currency on the debit card costs 2.5%. For comparison, Wise charges 0.1% and Starling's personal account debit card charges 0%, so a trip with regular foreign spending eats that difference quickly.

On currency conversion fee this card sits at position 192 out of 259 brands listed. Its fee of 2.5% also matches the 2.5% mark, so it belongs with the pricier end of the market rather than the free-spending end.

Among the debit cards listed on DebitCue, the monthly fee sits at €0 at the typical point and €0 at the upper quartile. The costs that stand out here are the 2.5% conversion fee and the €15 annual fee on the credit card.

It fits customers who bank in Albania and mostly spend in the local currency, since the 2.5% conversion fee only bites when spending abroad. Holding both a debit card and a credit card with one provider also suits people who want spending and borrowing handled together.

The debit card runs on the mastercard network. Acceptance at home and abroad follows that network, so the card works for ordinary shopping; the cost that matters is the 2.5% charged when a terminal or cash machine converts the currency for you.

Wise converts at 0.1% and Starling's personal account debit card at 0%, against 2.5% here, and Bitpanda's card lists 0%. The gap is small for an occasional foreign purchase and large for a traveller paying every day.