bunq plans explained: Free, Core, Pro and Elite

bunq is a Dutch bank with four personal plans: Free (€0 a month), Core (€3.99), Pro (€9.99) and Elite (€18.99). Every new personal account starts on a 30-day Elite trial that continues automatically at €18.99 a month unless you pick another plan, so it is worth choosing your plan early.

Who bunq is

bunq B.V. is a bank with a Dutch banking licence, supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) and the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). Eligible deposits are protected up to €100,000 per person by the Dutch deposit guarantee scheme. Accounts are opened in the app and are aimed at residents of the European Economic Area.

The four plans at a glance

The figures below are from bunq's plans pages for the Netherlands and Germany in October 2026, which show the same prices and allowances.

A metal card is available on Pro and Elite for €99 per card. bunq notes that stock trading involves risk of loss.

Free (€0)

Free gives you three accounts and one digital card for phone payments and online shopping. There are no free cash withdrawals: each one costs €2.99. Card payments in foreign currencies are covered by ZeroFX up to €1,000 a year; above that, bunq charges a 1.5% currency conversion fee.

Core (€3.99 a month)

Core adds a physical card, five accounts, unlimited ZeroFX payments and €100 a month of free cash deposits at shops. ATM withdrawals still cost money, but the first five each month are €0.99.

Pro (€9.99 a month)

Pro is the plan for people who want many accounts and cards: up to 25 accounts and three physical cards. It includes six free ATM withdrawals a month and five free foreign currency transfers.

Elite (€18.99 a month)

Elite has the same accounts, cards and ATM allowance as Pro, ten free foreign currency transfers a month and travel insurance (see below).

How ZeroFX works

ZeroFX is on by default for all cards. bunq says it removes the currency conversion fee that many banks charge, but it is not quite the raw exchange rate: bunq uses the Mastercard rate and adds a 0.5% "currency fluctuation prevention" when markets are open, which it says can work for or against you. This adjustment also applies to other currency exchange within bunq, including ATM withdrawals abroad.

Savings interest

Interest on savings is the same on all four plans. You need a bunq Savings Account, and bunq's rates are variable. Since 15 October 2026 bunq applies the following for EEA residents:

• 3.11% on savings above your threshold, up to €100,000,
• 1.61% on savings up to your threshold, for the first €10,000,
• 1.51% on savings up to your threshold above €10,000.

Your threshold is the highest amount you held in your savings accounts in the previous half-year, recalculated on 1 January and 1 July. If you are new, your threshold is €0, so all your savings earn the higher rate until the first recalculation. Interest is calculated daily and paid weekly.

Elite travel insurance: the details

The travel insurance is administered by Qover and underwritten by Lloyd's Europe. bunq's help centre lists, among others:

• emergency medical costs up to €2,500,000 and repatriation up to €1,000,000,
• trip cancellation or curtailment up to €3,000,
• baggage, money and travel documents up to €1,000,
• personal liability up to €1,000,000,
• car rental excess up to €3,000.

To be covered you must live in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, Belgium or Italy, be aged 18 to 76 at the start of the trip and pay for flights, hotels or car hire with your bunq card. Your partner and dependent children are covered when travelling with you. Trips are limited to 90 consecutive days and 180 days in any 12 months, and exclusions such as pre-existing conditions apply, so read the full terms.

The 30-day Elite trial

When you sign up, you get Elite free for 30 days. If you do nothing, the plan continues and you are charged €18.99 a month. bunq may move a barely used account to Free instead, but only if strict conditions are met (for example, no outgoing payments and no physical card ordered). The safe option is to choose your plan in the app under Profile, Plan, Switch Plan before the trial ends; you are then billed for that plan once the trial is over.

Switching plan

You can switch at any time in the app. A downgrade takes effect at the end of your billing cycle, while moving from Free to a paid plan takes effect immediately. Accounts and cards above your new plan's limit are frozen until you upgrade again. If you were billed unexpectedly, bunq may refund the latest invoice if you have been billed for a plan three times or fewer and have never had a plan refund before.

Discounts for students and groups

• Students: bunq Pro is free and Elite costs €9 a month for eligible students who upload proof of enrolment for the current academic year. The discount ends when you finish your studies or turn 26.
• bunq Pack: up to four people share Pro plans for €28.99 a month in total (about €7.25 each). Each person keeps a private account and only the Pack owner is billed.

Which plan fits?

Free suits a secondary account for card payments and savings interest, as long as you rarely need cash. Core adds a physical card and unlimited ZeroFX for a low fee. Pro and Elite mainly make sense if you use many accounts, withdraw cash regularly or would use the travel insurance.

See bunq's full profile, compare it with N26 in N26 plans explained and with Revolut in neo banks in the eurozone, or use the comparison table for the Netherlands. For more on deposit protection, read is my money safe in a neo bank?. For bunq's banking licence, the €100,000 Dutch deposit guarantee and DNB's fines, see is bunq safe?.

Sources

• bunq: Plans (Netherlands)
• bunq: Plans (Germany)
• bunq: Homepage (Netherlands)
• bunq Help: What's ZeroFX and how does it save me money?
• bunq Help: EEA residents can earn up to 3.11% on savings
• bunq Help: What does the Travel Insurance cover?
• bunq Help: Who's eligible for Travel Insurance?
• bunq Help: Enjoy 30 days of trial period for free
• bunq Help: How do I change my plan?
• bunq Help: Free for Students
• bunq Help: bunq Pack

Prices and features checked on 24 October 2026.

This guide is general information, not financial advice. Fees, features and availability change, so check the provider's own website before you apply. Read how we compare providers and our affiliate disclosure.