Firstly, N26 is a digital bank with headquarters in Berlin and operations worldwide. Its core offering is a digitally-managed bank account with a lot of great features for customers. Interestingly, one of the main characteristics of the N26 account is its low costs.
Sign-Up for N26 full digital banking experience
Basically, all your regular banking is free. No fees for ATM withdrawals, no annual fees for the account and no fees for using the N26 credit card. Also known as a Neobank, N26 does not operate with any branches — customers can access their money with a contactless debit credit card.
In general, N26 offers a full banking solution with a bank account including German IBAN number, a state-of-the-art application plus a credit card as the front-end. All in all, this works smoothly compared to regular banks. No paperwork, blocking your card with a tap, and receiving notifications on your phone every time your account is charged are all very useful functions.
Today, N26 has also managed to jump across the pond to the US and had its debut in Brazil to challenge local champion Nubank.
Currently, N26 operates not just in Germany but most of European countries. You can apply for your own personal N26 credit card in the following countries: Ireland, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Greece, Italy, Slovakia, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovenia, the UK and the United States. Further, EUR dominated accounts are available in countries such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.
Initially, N26 started out with its basic offering but has expanded into the premium niches as well. That’s why, with N26 You and N26 Metal it offers credit cards that have specific benefits for e.g. travelers and customers looking for a premium product.
We have summarized an overview of the N26 Credit Card options currently available in Germany and its other markets:
As mentioned, opening a regular bank account with N26 is relatively straightforward. After you have successfully activated your account, most of the banking will be done online.
Both, the app and the browser interface will allow you to access your transactions, choose or change your PIN if needed, and transfer money for free.
N26 collaborates with Mastercard’s Debit Credit Card Service
However, the N26 Credit Card lets you access and spend money in the real world. Therefore, it is essential to understand the nature of the card. Since it is a debit card it charges expenditures directly to your account. This means you can only spend the money you have on your account.
Credit cards offer you more flexibility in payments since they make you borrow money from your bank for a limited amount of time. If you are not sure whether to get a debit card or credit card, this article might be interesting for you.
As you have seen, the concept of N26 and its Credit Card offerings is very much aligned with the future of banking and payments. However, when it comes down to the facts, N26 might also convince you to ditch your old bank for good.
Below, you’ll find a brief summary of what customers love about N26 and some watch-outs:
Wait, you don’t have an account yet? The following article will guide you through all steps when applying for your account at N26. Most noteworthy is to point out that the application process takes only around 10 minutes and can be done simply via a smartphone.
Opening an N26 bank account is easy and can be done within 10 minutes. The following steps will guide you throughout the process.
In order to qualify to open an N26 bank account, you simply need to be a resident in the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA). Please note that a mailing address in one of these countries is necessary to receive the N26 bank account’s Mastercard.
N26 Credit Card – Apply in only 8 Minutes
To start with the registration process of your personal N26 account visit the following page: N26 Bank Account Registration. As a result, you will be asked to provide the following standard personal information:
Besides providing your basic personal information, European banking laws require you to give additional details:
We have summarized an overview of the available N26 Credit Card options in the beginning of this article.
Make sure to pick the right plan according to your requirements.
Once the standard information has been collected, you will be required to confirm your identity in order to open your N26 bank account.
In case you do not reside in Germany, you will only need to take a selfie as well as take a picture of your ID document within the N26 application. Simply follow the instructions given in the app.
Please note that the verification call can only be made between 8 am and 12 am, Central European Time (German time).
The last step to activate your N26 account is to connect your smartphone with the official application. To do so, simply download the N26 app and log into your account – in case you haven’t done this already.
If you have not yet downloaded the app, go ahead download the official N26 app from the App Store/Play Store. The app is available for both iOS and Android.
Your N26 account can be used right away after completing the registration. You only need transfer any amount of money to your account in order to start banking.
Note that you can always transfer money back to other accounts after. There are no limits or costs involved.
After testing and using N26 for multiple years, we can wholeheartedly recommend it. Your regular banking will be much smoother and simpler compared to what you might be used to.
N26 – Revolutionizing Consumer Banking?
For new arrivals, foreigners or expats in Germany N26 offers the best package. The app has a sleek and modern design you will enjoy using. And unlike in many traditional banks, you do not need to speak fluent German for the registration. The few negative points we found over time is the lack of interest paid on your deposit and the inconvenience of removing your paired device after you have lost your phone.
It’s not just N26, other banks offer free accounts as well. Our recommendations in this case would be BUNQ or the Hanseatic Bank GenialCard.
Yes, N26 complies with the latest safety regulation standards and is licensed to operate as a bank like any other. Therefore, standard protections for your funds apply (“Einlagensicherung”). It also has built-in safety features in the app like real time notification when you use the N26 Credit Card, or block and unblock your card in one tap.
Your N26 Credit Card will be accepted in all Mastercard locations worldwide. There are about 600.000 points of acceptance for Mastercard in Germany and 70.000 ATMs. Hence, also supermarkets and most shops will accept your N26 card.
N26 does not send you the PIN via mail as it is usually the case. When you activate your card for the first time, you choose your PIN yourself instead. Head to Actions > Card Settings Set/Re-Set your PIN right there.
Yes, both systems are supported by N26 in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Finland,Ireland, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, and 
Sweden.
Simply add your card on your phone running the latest OS version. You can pay anywhere with NFC where Apple Pay/Google Pay is supported – online and offline.
In the unfortunate event of a lost card, we recommend to block it straight away in the app. To order a new one, make sure that your address is up to date and order your card following Actions > Card Settings. It should take 10 days for your new N26 Credit Card to arrive and will cost you 6€ (45€ for N26 Metal).
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