My Favourite online banks
/In normal times I travel quite a lot and I invoice in multiple currencies from US Dollars, to Stirling from Pound Sterling to Hungarian Forint and from Swiss Franc to Euro plus I may pay in different currency and get money from an ATM quite often so I am always looking for lowest fees and a normal High street bank is not for me
Here are my fav. and the reason why
Transferwise
The TransferWise money transfer service has more than 7 million customers, 50,000 positive customer reviews and is rated 9.8/10 on Trust and Credibility, 9.5/10 on Service Quality, 9.0
TransferWise is an innovative money transfer service that's often dubbed the "Robin Hood" of the industry. They focus on making international transfers more affordable than traditional banks by charging low and transparent fees. In other words, there are zero markups on the exchange rate.
Their apps have great ratings (4.7/5 stars on 19,300 ratings and 4.4/5 on almost 80,000 ratings). Customers said the apps are invaluable for anyone transferring money internationally. The company has grown quickly
I have with them their standard account in 5 different currencies I love ..it is quick, secure and super fast!!
Monese
It was probably my first online Bank and I have a business company account as well with them, I had a major problem with them a couple of years back and the article is in their blog but the solved it at the end and apologised and most importantly compensate me! Since I had no other issues and all is gone smoothly.
Monese has a Trustpilot rating of Excellent with 4.3 out of 5.0 stars from over 15,000 reviews. 76% of reviewers rate it as excellent citing excellent customer service and claiming it is easy to transfer money between accounts. Only 8% of reviewers rate Monese as bad.
Monese is a digital banking app and card using smartphone technology to improve your banking experience. Monese is great for travellers and works well if you are looking to set up an account quickly in another country. It allows fee-free card payments and ATM withdrawals abroad, something you can only dream of with a traditional bank.
Monese works like a traditional banking system, but more streamlined. Like with most digital-only accounts, it’s all managed through the app, which has multiple tabs focussed on different aspects of your account:
Debit card. Order and manage your contactless debit card. You can see whether your card is active and get a reminder of your pin.
Support. The support tab provides customers with easy access to customer service via instant messenger or email. This tab also has an FAQ section.
My plan. Monese offers a free account and two paid account options. You can see what benefits might come from an upgrade or subscribe to the service.
Direct debits. View and manage your active direct debits. Your account number and sort code are provided on this page for you to copy.
Add Eurozone account. Add a Eurozone account at the click of a button. You can switch between your UK and European accounts at any time on the home page.
Invite and earn. Invite a friend and you will earn £15 once they deposit money into their account. They also get £15.
I have the standard account in GBP and Euro
Revolut
Again one of my favourite and I have with them also a business freelancer account. Revolut is not really a Bank account so deposits are not protected. I tend to use it for purchases and cash withdrawals and leave ion the account a limited amount of money.
Revolut is basically a mobile banking app and credit card that is positioned as an alternative to traditional banking products, designed to fit the lives of those with a global lifestyle, or anyone who wants flexibility that you can't get from conventional banks.
I use a lot their function to buy cryptocurrencies in particular Bitcoins and Ethereum but also shared and stock. Super easy and super cheap to use these functions.
You can buy shares from 450 companies. The list includes well-known companies like Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook and Uber. They’re all listed in the US. For now, Revolut doesn’t let you buy shares in any company listed on the London Stock Exchange.
You can buy fractional shares. Some companies’ shares are very expensive (in the order of thousands of US dollars) but Revolut allows you to buy fractional shares, so you can start with as little as £1.
Revolut isn’t covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, but is fully licensed by the Financial Conduct Authority both to deal in electronic money and to act as an investment firm. Client money has to be kept separated from the company’s finances, so even if Revolut were to go bust, you’d get your deposits back.
You can buy fractional shares. Some companies’ shares are very expensive (in the order of thousands of US dollars) but Revolut allows you to buy fractional shares, so you can start with as little as £1.
I have with them the Top Metal Account
N26
N26 is a great service that provides you most of the accustomed features of a regular bank but in a completely digital way. From cash withdrawals at ATMs to international money transfers at exchange rates with very low fees, they have a lot to offer.
With N26, you get 5 free withdrawals every month1. After that, you pay 2€ per withdrawal1. Most banks charge 2-5€ to use another bank's ATM. With N26, I haven't paid ATM fees in years. you can use it anywhere
The standard N26 account is free and is the one I have. It allows me to receive payment as a freelancer. It comes with a free MasterCard and a free Maestro card. Many banks charge a yearly fee for their credit cards, but N26 doesn't. If you look at their price list, almost everything is free.
The N26 MasterCard is amazing for travelling. There are no transaction fees and no currency conversion fees. You pay the real exchange rate1. You only pay a fee if you withdraw money in other currencies1. You can also get the travel card to pay fewer fees and get free travel insurance.
You will never need to go to the bank. Everything is done through the app. You also get a push notification for every transaction so it is super safe and very fast!!
Starling Bank
Starling has the key challenger bank features instant transaction notifications, savings sub-accounts (here, they're called "Spaces") with a roundup function and spending broken down into categories for better budgeting. Alongside a personal account, you can also add a joint or business account, as well as a Personal Euro account, handy for travellers or expats; there's a 0.4% fee on exchanging from pounds to euros, and then transactions are free.
Like other challenger banks, Starling's API allows third-party companies to link up with the app, such as PensionBee, Churchill and Flux, among others. Starling is the furthest along with this idea of third-party services, with its Marketplace already built into the app with a selection of 11 partners covering bill management, insurance, receipts, savings and more; a charity section is in the works. This all means you can add and manage such services, be it signing up for an ISA or tracking receipts, directly via the app. This is the promise of open banking, and with Starling, it's already a reality.
Starling is also streets ahead of challenger rivals when it comes to loans. Need a bit of extra cash, and Starling has an overdraft like the others, but it also has a built-in longer-term loan facility.
It is not a bank but a brilliant card to link and manage all your cards with one, so it is the only card you will ever need!
Curve is an excellent choice if you use many different bank cards but don't want to carry all of them everywhere. ... Curve supports cards of many currencies and also follows fee-free foreign spending, while useful additional feature are being added continuously.
I have the posh metal card with them!
