bunq review
Updated September 28, 2026 · HodlCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
bunq suits readers in the Netherlands who want a debit card with crypto trading in the same app, and students who want no recurring charge. A monthly fee of €0 keeps holding the account cheap, so the number that matters is conversion at 0.5% to 3% when you spend abroad.
Key facts
- Best for
- A debit card with a €0 monthly fee and crypto trading in the same app
- Monthly fee
- €0↗
- Currency conversion fee
- 0.5% to 3%↗
- Card type
- Debit↗
- Card network
- Mastercard↗
- Currencies
- 8↗
- Legal entity
- bunq B.V.↗
- Headquarters
- Netherlands↗
- Founded
- 2012↗
- Support channels
- Email, Chat↗
- Features
- Multi-currency, Crypto, Virtual card, Travel
- Audience
- Students
- Official website
- bunq.com
Crypto exchanges
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 6 sources
Pros and cons
Pros
- A €0 monthly fee, so the debit card costs nothing to keep open.
- Conversion at 0.5% to 3% sits well below the 10.5% charged at the priciest end of the market.
- A coin list of from 350, above the 62 median for the exchanges and cards compared, without leaving the banking app.
- The plan lists multi currency, crypto and virtual card as its features, so a virtual card and multi-currency balances come with the crypto side rather than as extras.
Cons
- Support runs on email and chat only, where phone support appears on 66.4% of the crypto cards compared.
- Trading fees of 0.25% to 1.99% sit above the 0.2% median taker fee across the sites compared.
- The account holds 8 currencies, so spending in anything outside that set is charged 0.5% to 3%.
- Trading runs as a cex exchange, while self-custody is the setup on 13.9% of the sites compared.
Who it suits
- Readers in the Netherlands who want a debit card and a crypto account in the same app.
- Students, who make up the listed audience for the account, since the monthly fee is €0.
- Travellers who convert often, with 8 currencies on the balance and multi currency, crypto and virtual card listed for the plan.
Who should look elsewhere
- Bitpanda, for readers who want currency conversion at 0% instead of the 0.5% to 3% bunq charges.
- Wise, whose account also carries a £0 monthly fee, for anyone who would rather not hold crypto inside their bank app.
Everyday use
The everyday product is a debit card on mastercard, so payments come straight off the account balance. The plan lists multi currency, crypto and virtual card as its features, which puts a virtual card and multi-currency balances on the same screen as the crypto side. Help runs on email and chat, so a question goes by inbox or live chat. Day to day the routine is short: spend from the balance, move between currencies, and check coin prices without opening anything else.
Using it abroad
Converting a payment into another currency is charged at 0.5% to 3%, a band rather than a single flat rate, so a week of small foreign spends can cost more than one large purchase. The card runs on mastercard, so it is accepted wherever that network is accepted, and travel is listed among the account features. A reader who crosses borders often should treat conversion, not the card itself, as the real cost of using bunq away from home.
Fees
The monthly fee on the personal account is €0, so the recurring cost of holding the card and the account is nothing. The bill comes from use instead: conversion runs at 0.5% to 3% whenever a payment is converted. Those two numbers pull in opposite directions, which is the trade-off to hold on to. A low fixed charge suits an account that is opened and left open, while the conversion band only matters to readers who genuinely spend in other currencies.
The company behind it
bunq is run by bunq B.V., headquartered in the Netherlands, and the firm was founded in 2012, so the provider behind the card has a long operating record. Support is delivered on email and chat, the same channel list the account uses from day to day, with no phone line in that list. The company is Dutch, and the way you reach it stays digital from the first question onwards.
How bunq compares
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9.0 vs 9.1It charges 0% on currency conversion, where bunq's band is 0.5% to 3%, which matters most to readers spending abroad.
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9.0 vs 8.1
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bunq vs Wirex9.0 vs 9.2
bunq vs Wirex Card9.0 vs 9.1
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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
What does bunq cost to hold each month?+
The personal account carries a monthly fee of €0, so there is no recurring charge for keeping the card and the account open. Money leaves through activity instead: currency conversion is charged at 0.5% to 3%, and crypto trading adds taker fees of 0.25% to 1.99% and maker fees of 0.25% to 1.99%. The fixed cost is the easy part to judge.
Who regulates bunq and where is it based?+
bunq is supervised in the Netherlands by De Nederlandsche Bank. The account is run by bunq B.V., headquartered in the Netherlands, and the firm was founded in 2012. Crypto is listed among multi currency, crypto and virtual card for the account, so the crypto side sits inside the same banking app rather than needing a separate exchange sign-up.
What does it cost to spend in another currency?+
Conversion is charged at 0.5% to 3%, a band rather than a single flat rate, so the exact cost depends on the rate applied to each payment. The account holds 8 currencies, so keeping balances in the places you spend reduces how often that band applies. The card runs on mastercard, which keeps it usable abroad.
What are the crypto trading fees?+
Buying and selling through bunq's crypto service charges taker fees of 0.25% to 1.99% and maker fees of 0.25% to 1.99%. For context, the median taker fee across the sites compared is 0.2%, and the upper quartile of crypto card taker fees is 0.8%. Trading is where this account costs money, not the card.
How many coins can I trade?+
The coin list runs to from 350, above the 62 median across the exchanges and cards compared. Trading runs as a cex exchange, and crypto is listed among multi currency, crypto and virtual card for the account, so the crypto side stays open inside the same app as the balance you spend from.
How do I get help?+
Support runs on email and chat. That is narrower than most of the category: phone support appears on 66.4% of the crypto cards compared, and a help centre on 62.2%. Inbox and live chat are the route here, and there is no phone line on the channel list.
Who is bunq aimed at?+
bunq lists students among the audiences for the account, and the monthly fee of €0 means holding it costs nothing in recurring terms. It suits readers in the Netherlands who want a bank and crypto in the same app, with a debit card on mastercard and 8 currencies in the balance.
What kind of card do you get?+
It is a debit card on mastercard, and multi currency, crypto and virtual card are listed for the plan, which includes a virtual card option. Debit means spending is limited to what the account holds. Travel is listed too, so the card is meant for use beyond the home market as well as within it.
Sources
- help.bunq.com/articles/crypto-faq checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Coins listed, Maker fee, Taker fee
“over 350 others available in the Crypto tab”
- bunq.com checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience
“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/crypto checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Exchange type
“Kraken powers trading and custody; bunq gives secure app access”
- 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/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 7 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Free ATM withdrawals, Protection.