Yes. bunq B.V. is a Dutch bank supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). Unlike e-money apps, it holds a full banking licence, so eligible deposits are covered by the Dutch Deposit Guarantee up to €100,000 per person, per bank.

How much does bunq cost per month?

For personal accounts as of 15 October 2026: bunq Free €0, bunq Core €3.99, bunq Pro €9.99 and bunq Elite €18.99 per month. Business plans are €0, €7.99, €13.99 and €23.99.

Are bunq ATM withdrawals free?

On Pro and Elite, the first 6 withdrawals a month are free, the next 5 cost €0.99 each, and €2.99 each after that. On Core every withdrawal costs money: the first 5 a month are €0.99 each, then €2.99. On Free every withdrawal is €2.99. If a currency conversion is needed, bunq adds 0.5%.

Who is bunq best for?

EU residents who want a real bank account (with deposit guarantee) that also handles travel spending and multiple sub-accounts, and who will use a paid plan. It's a weaker fit if you mostly need to receive foreign currencies cheaply, because incoming SWIFT payments cost €5 each (€10 if the sender doesn't share the costs).

bunq Review 2026: Plans, Real FX and ATM Costs, and Who It's For

Q: Is bunq's 'ZeroFX' really free?

Not quite. bunq's plans page markets 'ZeroFX card payments abroad', but its own price sheet (dated 15 October 2026) lists card payments in a foreign currency at 'the real Mastercard exchange rate and a 0.5% currency fluctuation prevention' on every plan. On the Free plan that applies to the first €1,000 a year, after which the fee is 1.5%. Check the total in the app before relying on the 'zero' label.

Disclosure: Some links below are affiliate links — if you open an account through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects our rankings; we rank on the researched numbers alone. How we rate providers.

bunq is one of the few app-first banks in Europe with a full banking licence, not an e-money licence. That’s the main thing that sets it apart from Revolut, Wise and Vivid. It also comes with a confusing pricing structure, and one marketing claim, “ZeroFX”, that doesn’t match bunq’s own price list.

How this review was done: we haven’t held a bunq account. Everything below comes from bunq’s official pricing sheet (dated 15 October 2026), its plans page, its fee information document, and the Dutch central bank’s own guidance, all read on 19 October 2026. We don’t describe how the app feels to use, because we haven’t used it.

bunq at a glance


What it is	A Dutch bank (bunq B.V.), supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank
Deposit protection	Dutch Deposit Guarantee, up to €100,000 per person, per bank
Personal plans	Free €0 · Core €3.99 · Pro €9.99 · Elite €18.99 per month
Card payments in other currencies	Mastercard rate + 0.5% on all plans (Free: 1.5% after €1,000/year)
Currency conversion in-app	Currencycloud rate + 0.5%
Receiving SWIFT payments	€5 each (€10 if the sender doesn’t share the costs)
Best for	EU residents who want a real bank with good travel and multi-account features
Not for	People who mainly need to receive foreign currencies cheaply

The plans, and what you actually get

bunq has four personal plans. The price sheet lists them like this (personal accounts, monthly):

	Free	Core	Pro	Elite
Price	€0	€3.99	€9.99	€18.99
Bank accounts (each with own IBAN)	3	5	25	25
Cards	1 digital	1 physical + 1 digital	3 physical + 25 digital	3 physical + 25 digital
Foreign card payments	Mastercard rate + 0.5% on first €1,000/yr, then 1.5%	Mastercard rate + 0.5%	Mastercard rate + 0.5%	Mastercard rate + 0.5%
ATM withdrawals	€2.99 each	First 5 at €0.99, then €2.99	6 free, next 5 at €0.99, then €2.99	6 free, next 5 at €0.99, then €2.99
Travel insurance	No	No	No	Yes

Sources: bunq pricing sheet and plans page, checked 19 October 2026.

In practice, bunq Free is a trial. With no physical card and €2.99 for every ATM withdrawal, it isn’t a real everyday account. Core is the cheapest usable plan. Pro is where ATM withdrawals start being free and the multi-account setup (25 IBANs) becomes available.

”ZeroFX”: what the price sheet says

bunq’s plans page advertises “ZeroFX card payments abroad” on Core, Pro and Elite, and “up to €1,000 per year” on Free. The price sheet describes foreign-currency card payments on every plan as:

“The real Mastercard exchange rate and a 0.5% currency fluctuation prevention.”

The fee information document says the same: “Real Mastercard rate + 0.5% currency fluctuation prevention”. On the Free plan, it’s 1.5% after the first €1,000 a year.

So when you pay in dollars or pounds with a bunq card, bunq’s own documents describe a 0.5% charge on top of the Mastercard rate, whatever the name on the plans page. The same 0.5% applies to in-app currency conversion (Currencycloud rate + 0.5%) and to ATM withdrawals that need a conversion.

0.5% is a modest charge, but it isn’t zero, so compare it fairly with the alternatives. Revolut, for example, doesn’t add a weekend charge on its Premium plan, but on its free plan exchanges cost 1% extra at weekends, as our Revolut weekend fee guide explains. Before relying on the “ZeroFX” label, check the total for a foreign payment in the app.

Receiving money from abroad: bunq’s weak spot

If you’re a freelancer or remote worker paid by foreign clients, this is where bunq costs the most:

Receiving SWIFT or US Fedwire payments: €5 per payment, or €10 when the sender chooses to have you pay all costs.
Receiving non-SWIFT payments into a foreign-currency account: €0.70 per payment (personal).
Converting what you receive: Currencycloud rate + 0.5%.

A client paying you in USD by wire every month costs €5–€10 per payment before any conversion. A Wise account with local USD details avoids the wire fee for ACH payments. For getting paid in foreign currencies, see Wise vs Payoneer vs Deel and our guide to the best account to receive salary and payments from abroad.

Sending money in euros within SEPA, including instant transfers, is free on all personal plans.

Other costs worth knowing

Card top-ups: first €500 a month free, then 0.5% for EEA cards or 2.5% for non-EEA cards.
Cash deposits (via Barzahlen, viacash, Paysafe Cash): first €100 a month free on paid plans, then 2.5%.
Express card delivery: €29.99 (€14.99 promotional on Elite). Standard delivery is free.
Replacement card: €9.99, with one free replacement a year on paid plans.
Investing in stocks: 0.99% per transaction on Free and Core, 0.79% on Pro and 0.49% on Elite. That’s expensive compared with dedicated brokers.
Interest: the plans page lists 3.11% on savings on all plans, as of 19 October 2026. The rate is variable, and bunq’s price sheet notes it was set from 15 October 2026 and can change.

Is bunq safe?

bunq has the strongest regulatory position of the app-first providers we cover:

It’s a licensed bank. bunq B.V. is supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank, the Dutch central bank. You can confirm this in DNB’s public register.
Deposits are guaranteed up to €100,000. Under the Dutch Deposit Guarantee, money in your bank accounts is protected up to €100,000 per person, per bank, “even if your bank goes bankrupt”, with no action needed from you.
Investments aren’t deposits. DNB states that the guarantee doesn’t cover shares, bonds, insurance or crypto. Anything you hold through bunq’s stock or crypto features isn’t protected by it.

This is a real difference from e-money providers such as Wise or Revolut’s non-bank entities, which safeguard your money instead. Our guides to whether Wise is safe and whether Revolut is safe explain how safeguarding works. For a large balance, a deposit guarantee is the stronger protection.

Pros and cons

Pros

Full Dutch banking licence and €100,000 deposit guarantee
Free SEPA and instant transfers on every personal plan
Up to 25 sub-accounts with their own IBANs on Pro and Elite
Free ATM withdrawals on Pro and Elite (6 a month)

Cons

“ZeroFX” still carries a 0.5% charge according to bunq’s own price sheet
The Free plan isn’t a usable everyday account (no physical card, €2.99 per ATM withdrawal)
Receiving SWIFT payments costs €5–€10 each
Stock trading fees are high

Who bunq is for, and who should skip it

bunq is a good fit if you:

live in the EU and want an app-first account that’s also a real bank with a deposit guarantee;
travel in the eurozone and abroad, and will pay for Core or Pro;
like separate IBANs for bills, savings and projects.

Skip bunq if you:

mainly need to receive USD, GBP or other currencies from clients. Wise or Payoneer is built for that (see Wise vs Payoneer vs Deel);
want truly zero-markup spending abroad. Compare the total cost first in Currensea vs Wise vs Revolut;
only want a free account. bunq Free costs more than it seems, and your current bank may be cheaper.

Bottom line

bunq is one of the few app-first banks with a full licence and a €100,000 deposit guarantee. That makes it a credible place to keep money, not just to spend it. The paid plans are good for EU residents who travel and like multiple IBANs. The “ZeroFX” marketing deserves caution: bunq’s price sheet lists 0.5% on top of the Mastercard rate. For receiving foreign payments, wire fees make it one of the more expensive options.

If bunq doesn’t fit, our Vivid Money review covers another euro-based app, and our hub on getting paid and spending across borders explains which tool fits which job.

Sources: bunq pricing sheet (dated 15 October 2026), fee information document, plans page and imprint; De Nederlandsche Bank, FAQ on the Dutch Deposit Guarantee. All checked 19 October 2026. bunq doesn’t currently appear in our affiliate programmes, so we earn nothing if you sign up. This is general information, not financial advice.