I know there are a lot of posts already about N26, Transferwise and Revolut but I’d be curious to hear from those of you who use all 3 of them and how you articulate them.
Curve: I recently picked up a Curve card due to the recommendation on Nomad Gate. It works great with all three cards.
I don’t see any downsides to opening up an N26 account as well, they are really the leader of the challenger banks and it shows, the UI is very slick. They recently announced that they will skim a small amount off every transaction that is to do with gambling or betting, which is offputting, I hope they don’t continue further down that path.
If I missed your point or you have other questions, shoot.
Thanks @DaxBernat! That’s the sort of comments I was hoping for.
Why have you been using Transferwise when traveling instead of Revolut? I tend to use Revolut in Europe and South America (Brazil). Have you tried using both? Why do you prefer Transferwise?
I’ve never checked Curve out. What is it good for?
I’ve used both and actually haven’t compared the fees and costs to see which one is better there, I just assumed they are both competitive so I could be swayed to Revolut if it’s clearly cheaper. I prefer the usability of Transferwise and I don’t like that Revolut only has an App and can’t be accessed on my laptop. Also, in terms of minimizing my risk I prefer to split up the duties between the two in case I have issues with one I can switch to the other. I’ve used both accounts while travelling and they both worked fine.
I got the Curve card after reading about it here: Why Curve is the Only Card You Need to Carry | Nomad Gate. I’ve only used it once so far but you can essentially load your cards into their app, then you select the card you want to pay with and use your Curve card details. Not a game changer but seems cool so far.
I just got an email from a new start up you may want to look at. They haven’t launched YET and are wait listing currently, but I like what I see so far.
(I live/work between US/France and Andorra) and the USD to Euro fees that N26 and Revolut take get expensive after a while. ) Rayo
N26: Nice but a bit boring. You get an IBAN and they gave me a Mastercard and Maestro card. Transparant pricing. Nice app. It all works ok, but that’s all. Nothing new. And in the past months incoming transfers to N26 sometimes took a very long time.
Revolut: More options than N26. They gave me a Mastercard and Maestro card. I really love their disposable virtual visa card. It’s a card you can generate in the app, and it can be used only once. It’s perfect for trial subscriptions if you have no intention to continue after the trial But I do not like Revolut very much. The only reason is that it took me too much time to understand their pricing structure and exchange rates. The only thing I understand is that for some currencies they are much more expensive than N26 and Transferwise. There is also no website. And I heard some horror stories about people with blocked accounts. Unblocking requires sending proof of where your money comes from, but that’s not nice when you are somewhere far and try to get money from an ATM. No really suitable for travel that way. I use it as a backup.
Transferwise: They only gave me a Mastercard, no Maestro. I like to have both cards, because where I come from Mastercard used to be almost useless. I also like 2 cards when travelling. The Mastercard to use, the Maestro card in my luggage in case I loose the Mastercard. That way I can always get some money. Transferwise is nice for international transfers. The Mastercard seems like a side issue for them.
I never used transferwise much unless to top up my revolt. I’ve been using Revolut in different countries and never had a problem (but it’s good to have both as a backup).
Let’s see how it goes with N26…
But I do not like