N26 Review

N26 began as Number26, then shaved the “umber” to save five characters - and a little personality. This N26 review looks for something similar in the app itself: saving seconds, saving taps, saving money. The question is whether the shortcuts add up to durable control over everyday spending.

Now, the platform is an EU-focused bank under a German license with €100,000 protection. Fun fact: N26 is the first 100% mobile bank to be granted and to operate with a full German banking license (2016). After exits from the UK and US, the focus is on Europe and sustainable growth. By November 2024, it reported its first quarterly profit.

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N26 Review: Quick Overview

To help you figure out what is N26, I think it would be great to get a quick look at what the platform has to offer and other minor details about it. Therefore, here is a table showing you some of the key information:

Table: Quick overview of N26

Having taken a quick glimpse, I think we can proceed with this N26 review and get to know it better, starting with the platform’s target audience.

Who’s N26 For and Who Should Avoid It

Clearly, the majority of things in life are meant for different groups of people; simply put, one size doesn’t fit all. The same goes for money transfer services; one might have better rates for sending to Africa, the other for making transfers to North America. So, in this chapter, we’ll address who N26 fits best.

Who’s N26 for:

• EU residents who just need a working Euro account fast. N26 lets adults in supported EU/EEA countries plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, etc., open a euro IBAN from their phone in minutes - no branch visit, no paperwork, ID via video.
• Freelancers and self-employed workers. N26 Business is designed for individuals working under their own legal name - not a registered company - and includes perks like cashback, easy separation of personal VS business spend.
• Newcomers/expats. N26 markets itself to people who’ve just arrived in a Eurozone country and don’t want to deal with branches, language barriers, or paperwork.

• Travelers. Paid tiers bundle travel insurance (medical emergencies, delays, luggage) and remove most foreign ATM/FX extras, positioning N26 as a “take this card on the trip” bank for frequent travelers.
• Couples/shared household. N26 rolled out Joint Accounts across more than 20 European markets in 2024, so two people can manage shared bills and budgeting under one IBAN, with both having equal legal access.

Now, here’s a list of who N26 is not ideal for:

• People outside supported countries (e.g., UK/US residents). You need residency in a supported European market. As stated, N26 exited the UK and US, so, for instance, a Manchester-based user can’t open an account.
• Companies that need an account in the company’s legal name. N26 Business doesn’t support GmbH/SRL/Ltd accounts or branding on the card.
• Cash-heavy users outside DE/AT/ES. CASH26 deposits/withdrawals are limited to specific countries and partners. Elsewhere, you’ll rely on ATMs (fees and allowances vary) depending on your subscription.

• Users who need overdrafts/credit. Overdrafts are only available in Germany and Austria (loans are country-limited, too).
• People expecting 24/7 customer support. N26 is branchless. Core support is in-app chat (07:00-23:00 CET). Phone support is for paid tiers only.
• Multi-currency account seekers. N26 is euro-only for balances. International transfers are routed via its partners, not held as multi-currency wallets.

As you can see, there are primarily two things that decide if N26 is a fitting option for you: residency and currency. It shines as a euro-only, mobile account for European life.

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Plan & Pricing

N26 keeps the subscription ladder consistent across Europe:

• Standard - €0
• Smart - €4.90/month
• Go - €9.99/month
• Metal - €16.90/month

The Standard plan starts you off with a virtual Mastercard. You can add a physical one later, though typically virtual ones are safer than physical^[1] because they create a buffer between merchants and your real credit card account information. The essentials are the same across tiers - Spaces, Insights, SEPA Instant, and in-app card controls. What scales with N26 price is convenience: higher allowances, travel perks, and premium card options.

As you can imagine, Metal is the top tier for people who want the full bundle and priority touches.

Depending on where you are based, you’ll be able to check different country pages - versions of N26’s websites you see after choosing a country (e.g., Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, France, or “Rest of EU”). The N26 prices for their plans are the same everywhere.

In those country pages, you’ll be able to see allowances (how many free ATM withdrawals your plan includes before a per-withdrawal fee applies) and local options. For instance, Spain highlights Bizum for domestic transfers; Austria often displays broader EU euro-ATM terms.

These pages also show CASH26 availability, which is strongest in Germany, Austria, Italy, and Spain.

Moreover, you’ll also see Instant Savings rates displayed per country. Treat those as extra brownie points rather than the reason to pick a tier. Overall, you should choose the plan based on how often you use cash and how much you travel.

Fees & Allowances

Having checked out the plans and pricing, we can continue with N26 fees. Think of pricing as the monthly ticket and fees as metered usage. Plan prices don't vary by country; your actual spend depends on how often you use cash, withdraw in foreign currency, deposit at partner stores, or send transfers outside SEPA.

Withdrawals are quite simple; it’s free up to your country’s monthly allowance for your tier. After that, it’s typically €2 per withdrawal. For non-euro cash, Standard/Smart subscriptions charge 1.7%, while Go/Metal plans waive that FX fee.

CASH26 at partner stores. Deposits usually carry a 1.5% rate (often with a €50 minimum and daily caps around €999). Withdrawals via CASH26 are generally €0 where the service is available, with the strongest coverage in Germany, Austria, and Spain.

For N26 cards and shipping, if you’re on the Standard, Smart, or Go tier and want a physical card, expect a €10 one-off delivery charge. The first Metal card is included with the membership. If you want to reorder, it will be €45 via standard delivery. You can also get express delivery: €25/€35 (Standard/Go) and €65 (Metal).

SEPA Instant is free for day-to-day euro payments. Incoming SWIFT above €150 is priced at €12.50 + 0.1% (capped at €100), with some Metal tier exemptions on certain routes. These don’t affect most domestic SEPA use, but they matter for cross-border inflows.

To summarize N26 fees, inside SEPA, everyday banking can be close to fee-free if you stay within your allowance. Costs show up when you exceed euro-ATM limits, withdraw non-euro cash on lower tiers, deposit cash at stores, ship premium N26 cards, or receive funds via SWIFT.

Security

I reckon that the majority of the people who have opened up this N26 review are interested in the question “is N26 safe?”.

One of the most important aspects that I have already mentioned is that N26 clients’ funds are protected up to €100,000 by the German Deposit Protection Scheme.^[2] Naturally, that’s not it; there are other measures taken to make sure that N26 is safe to use.

Your account is fully hosted in the cloud, and they also use AI and machine learning to protect it and fight financial crime and card fraud. Artificial intelligence can analyze vast amounts of transaction data, previously labeled as legitimate or fraudulent, to identify subtle indicators of potential fraud.

That said, here are some other security features that confirm N26 is a safe banking platform:

• A single paired device. Your N26 account can only be accessed via your paired smartphone.
• Two-factor authentication. In addition to logging into your N26 account via your paired device, you must provide your password or verify yourself biometrically.
• In-app card locking. If you ever have reason to believe that your card details have been compromised, you can immediately lock your card or change the PIN.

• 3D Secure. This authentication step requires you to authorize online payments via your N26 app before they are processed.
• Location tracking. By enabling your N26 app to track your location, N26’s systems are able to detect if your card is being used in a different location from where you are.
• Smart payment blocks. Stay in control of how your card can be used in your app by easily disabling online payments, ATM withdrawals, magnetic stripe transactions, or payments abroad.

Evidently enough, N26 is safe and provides great security measures to ensure that your account and assets are protected.

User Experience

I think the best way to check a platform’s user experience is to a) read what real customers say, and b) test it yourself. That’s exactly what I did.

My first stop was to check N26 reviews on Trustpilot. Now, at the moment of writing, the platform sits at 3.8/5 stars from over 38k reviews, a decent score at this scale. App-store sentiment is split around 4.6/5 on Apple Store and 3.2/5 on Google Play, hinting at smoother iPhone performance than Android.

Afterward, I went and tried out the app myself to figure out how does N26 work day to day. The layout is clean: balance and recent activity up front, with fast actions for “Send”, “Deposit”, and “Stocks and ETFs”. Instant push alerts land after every card payment or transfer, which keeps you anchored to real-time spend.

The onboarding itself was quick, unless we count the KYC verification process, which took quite a while. You open an account from your phone, add the virtual Mastercard to Apple Pay/Google Pay, and start using it immediately while the physical card ships, well if you ordered one, of course.

N26 also provides great budgeting tools. The Insights feature auto-categorizes transactions and shows trends. Monthly Wrap-Up recaps spending with category splits and recurring payments. It’s simple, but helpful when you don’t want to spreadsheet every coffee.

That said, Spaces act like sub-accounts you can drag money into. The Premium plan lets you assign an individual IBAN to a Space, so rent, utilities, or subscriptions can be debited directly from that pot - no more accidental spending of bill money. Rules, Round-ups, and Income Sorter add light automation.

Moreover, shared money flows are handled in two ways. Shared Spaces let you co-save with others (no IBAN/card on the shared pot), while the newer Joint Account gives two people a full shared IBAN with equal access and Insights. The latter feels more “household account” than a piggy-bank.

Support is chat-first in the app, usually available 07:00-23:00 CET. Phone support is reserved for top-tier plans. That aligns with the branchless design, but it also explains why some N26 reviews focus on responsiveness during account checks.

Lastly, there’s a Web App for statements and account details if you prefer a keyboard for admin tasks. Day-to-day, though, the phone remains the command center.

How to Use N26

Let’s get to the practical part and explore how to actually use N26. For that, I have prepared a beginner’s guide:

How to Create a N26 Account

First things first, you’ll need an account. Here is how the process works:

That’s it. After providing all of the details asked for, such as your ID, place of birth, and video selfie, you will need to wait around 10 minutes for them to confirm everything.

However, even though the platform states 10 minutes, after 2 hours of waiting, I was still not verified. Hence, I messaged N26's customer support, and they then informed me that the verification can take up to 72 hours. So, it's fair to say that it's quite misleading, and onboarding takes a while.

How to Deposit Money to N26

Top-upping your N26 balance is really straightforward, here are the steps:

That’s it, pass the final confirmation and you should receive your money within seconds, well depending on the payment method you chose.

How to Send Money Using N26

After topping up your balance, the next thing you can do is send the money:

And that’s it. You will need to make final confirmation, but that’s the majority of steps needed for sending money to a different account, pretty straightforward, right?

Comparison to Other Money Transfer Services

To give you a better understanding of how N26 compares to other money transfer services, I have chosen three separate platforms and held them side-by-side.

N26 VS Ogvio

If you bank with N26 but need fast, simple sends, Ogvio feels built for that job. The former is a licensed bank with €100,000 deposit protection. Ogvio is a transfer tool that aims for seconds-fast delivery, low fees, and a clear flow.

N26 covers you, IBAN, card, budgeting, and support. For cross-border payouts, N26 routes transfers through Wise in-app, which usually results in higher fees since another party is involved. Ogvio, however, leans on tag-based sending that works like a DM and can be used in over 160 countries with 40+ currencies.

In addition, Ogvio says no to hidden fees and lets you keep funds pegged to EUR or USD before you send. This feature is a great method to save your funds from inflation if the currency you’re depositing is not stable.

When to choose which: keep N26 for euro banking and cards. Use Ogvio when you want an instant, predictable handoff to a recipient, with a simple tag or a regular bank transfer and clear pricing.

N26 VS Wise

Now, I would say that if exchange rate fairness leads, Wise is the pick. However, that’s hard to state when, on Jan 30, 2025, the company got fined by the CFPB over fee disclosures.

That said, as I mentioned in the sub-chapter above, you don’t have to leave N26 to use Wise. International transfers are built into the N26 app, so you start from your N26 balance and complete the send inside the same screen.

N26 is your Euro bank with deposit protection and card controls. Wise is a transfer platform. If you need an IBAN and daily banking, N26 fits. If you only need sharp FX, Wise is the choice.

N26 VS Western Union

N26 is a mobile bank for everyday euro use, with deposits protected up to €100,000. Western Union is a money transfer service built for payouts, including cash pickup, bank account credits, and some mobile wallets. Different tools, different jobs.

Naturally, delivery matters. Western Union enables cash pickup - the receiver will need to show a valid ID and the 10-digit MTCN (a unique Money Transfer Control Number to track transfers), and some routes fund mobile wallets or bank accounts. N26 shines inside SEPA with instant euro transfers that are free for all customers.

Pricing works quite similarly. Western Union’s fees and exchange rates vary by corridor, funding method, and payout speed. Always check the price estimator before paying. With N26, euro SEPA Instant is free; non-euro transfers are initiated in-app and show costs before you send.

That said, clearly, use cases separate them. Hence, you should pick Western Union when your recipient is unbanked or needs cash in hand at a local agent. Choose N26 for euro bills, card spend, and quick SEPA payments between bank accounts.

Conclusions

This N26 review points to a euro-first mobile bank that trades branches for speed. The platform provides features like Spaces and Insights for budgeting, instant SEPA, and €100,000 protection. If your life runs on euros, it’s a great daily driver, clean app, real-time alerts, shared options like Joint Accounts, so long as you’re fine with a euro-only balance.

That said, N26 will also let you make international transfers, but for that, it uses Wise. Hence, you can expect higher fees as it uses a third-party platform and doesn’t offer the complete service itself.

Scientific References

1. Vukovljak, B., 'N26 as a case study of fintech penetration into the banking industry';

2. Fountis, A., Mukherjee, M., 'N26: a Fintech - Revolutionizing the Banking Sector's Supply Chain'.

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