Anyone using/used N26 here? Share your experiences. I’m currently trying to get my parents in France to use modern banking and the options are pretty limited there so N26 seems like the only option, I’ll update this thread with how it goes. 
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I have used N26 for 12 months while living in Berlin. The product works, nothing different from the others, but their customer support is weak. This is common with German companies. No idea why. 
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Yes, agree with this - customer support is weak. It took ages for them to get in app support. I had an issue with a SEPA transfer which turned out to be down to the change in account numbers they implemented, but it took them a week to respond by email to my query, by which time it had bounced and I realised what was wrong.
The app is pretty stable and slick. There are some interesting anomolies on the interest rates for the savings account.
Overall I’d recommend them.
(If you think Germanic support is weak, try Dutch. Wonderful people, but they simply don’t do service, it’s too close to ‘inequality’! Now Japan… amazing service. Saving face is a powerful motivator.)
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My other half uses N26. Apart for customer service their offering is not bad at all. Black accounts offers a some useful add-ons and they have web interface as well.
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Personally I prefer bunq and Monese. bunq most versitile if your needs just EUR but Monese great if you need EUR and GBP. Fire also do GBP and EUR but app and customer service not as great as Monese
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I think you’re spot on. Bunq has some really innovative and orignal features. Like dual PIN and mulitiple IBANs. I really like what they offer, Monzo could lean a great deal from it’s more established compitors like Bunq and N26.
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I have an N26 account from living in Germany.
I had a few problems and as already mentioned, customer service is poor. A cash machine wouldn’t dispense my money but it came out of my account. It took over 2 months to get it back and I ended up having to contact Volksbank the ATM operator myself.
The Mastercard looks cool, granted. It’s not very strong though. I’ve broken a few, they all crack in the same place. Not cool, especially when they charge 10 Euro for a replacement.
I’ve never found anywhere that was unable to accept my N26 card, instant notifications too. SEPA transfers are slow and IBAN salary credit times are unpredictable.
Having said the above, it’s much better than the alternative. I also have a Sparkasse account which is nothing short of terrible.
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I have an N26 account for my Spanish Home but, sadly, it’s poor in one or two areas. On the upside the app is good, the pc version is good and the Debit card is extremely trendy being mainly clear plastic. Customer service is awful and takes far too long to respond. There is a major issue too with the Debit card authorising a transaction, cancelling the transaction because the ATM Bank wants to charge a fee but not releasing the funds and then blocking them until Customer support is contacted. Also, the account has a fixed German IBAN meaning the account is still not accepted by some Merchants. It will be interesting to see how the UK version, with sort code and account number pans out, early in 2018.
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You might be interested in their ultra premium account that they are about to launch early next year - the card will be metal so it might be harder for you to break 
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be interesting to see how they do contactless with a metal card - the boy that runs N26 said they’d solved it in the interview posted the other day.
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It is illegal in the Eurozone part of the SEPA area for companies to practice IBAN discrimination so employers and retailers must accept any IBAN so they can’t say accept a French one but not German. Different countries have different levels of enforcement but in the Netherlands there is a helpdesk to ring or email to report offenders.
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To me, that’s absurd. It’s the same issue I have with Revolut - card replacement fees are ridiculous. Legacy banks don’t charge such fees (well, ICBC does - which is why I haven’t opened an account with them even though I want a UnionPay card), be better than legacy banks.
The only way I’d tolerate them from my bank is if they allowed you to have a mobile-only ‘card’ for free - e.g. use Android Pay and Apple Pay without a physical card. Have the PAN, CVC2, and expiration in-app for both Internet purchases and for setting up Android Pay/Apple Pay.
If they did this, I’d accept that a physical card was a premium extra feature. But as long as you need a physical card to make purchases, nope.
BTW, only slightly off topic - I’m transgender. Revolut wanted to charge me for a new card when I got my name changed by deed poll. They had the audacity to say that it wasn’t required because the wrong name on the card doesn’t render it invalid. Clearly totally insensitive to the actual issue. Bye, Felica.
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From what I’ve read (feel free to prove me wrong), at least in France, this only applies to banks - businesses can still refuse you as a customer for this (can’t set up an Internet provider’s direct debit with a non-FR IBAN for example).
This is the advice from the German Finance Ministry:
"Where can I turn in case of IBAN discrimination?
Some companies offer their customers to pay by direct debit, but limit this possibility to checking accounts held at a credit institution in the country. This constitutes a violation of the SEPA Regulation ( so-called IBAN discrimination).
Insofar as complaints about a company’s violation of Article 9 of the SEPA Regulation relate to companies that are subject to BaFin supervision, BaFin is responsible for handling the content of the complaints.
Information on this can be found on the BaFin website at
http://www.bafin.de/DE/Verbraucher/BeschwerdenAnsprechpartner/beschwerdenansprechpartner_node.html in German and under
http://www.bafin.de/EN/Verbraucher/BeschwerdenAnsprechpartner/beschwerdenansprechpartner_node_en.html in English.
Consumers and companies can also turn to one of the qualified institutions under § 4 injunctive relief law. An up-to-date list of these facilities can be found on the website of the Federal Office of Justice.
Furthermore, such a complaint may also be filed with an industrial and commercial chamber or a chamber of crafts or an association for the promotion of commercial or independent professional interests pursuant to § 3 (1) no. 2 Cease-and-desist law or § 8 (3) no. 2 of the law against unfair competition be directed. The addresses can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology under https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/DE/Downloads/I/industrie-und-handelskammern-handwerkskammern-uwg-uklag-liste.html.
In addition, consumers can send their complaints to the Center for Combating Unfair Competition Frankfurt am Main eV - in short, the Wettbewerbszentrale - which has set up a complaints office specifically for violations of the SEPA Regulation on its website."
They advise it is an offence under Article 9 of the SEPA Regulation.
Source: http://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/Content/DE/FAQ/2012-04-25-sepa-faq.html
Holvi bank also say…
What can I do if I face an IBAN - Discrimination
Companies and institutions, within the SEPA area, are obligated to accept any IBAN number of any SEPA member country. Some companies allow their customers to pay by direct debit, but only using current accounts held with a credit institution in a specific member state. This limitation is known as “IBAN-Discrimination”. This conducts to an infringement of Article 9(2) of the SEPA Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 260/2012). Pursuant a payment account located within the Union shall not specify the Member State in which that payment account is to be located.
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I am regular user of N26 since I am not in the UK and it works good.
They have Apple Pay included so this is a point vs Monzo.
They have a web interface, another point.
The rest is just alright
I fully appreciate you comment about the Law, however, you have not allowed for reality and report away in Spain, but the Government, Tax Authorities and Credit Card companies for example, will only comply as and when it suits them.
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On November 23, 2017, the European Commission published a Report to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on the application of the SEPA Regulation.
The SEPA Regulation establishes technical and business requirements for credit transfers and direct debits in euro to allow electronic payments in euro without distinguishing between national and cross-border payments.
The Commission is charged, under the SEPA Regulation, with reporting on the application of the Regulation and proposing legislative changes, if appropriate.
The Commission has concluded that the SEPA Regulation is applied correctly across the EU and that a legislative proposal is unnecessary.
The Report notes that identified issues, such as IBAN discrimination, have been addressed by Member States and their resolution will need to be closely monitored.
The Report is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/1/2017/EN/COM-2017-683-F1-EN-MAIN-PART-1.PDF
The Annex to the Report is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/1/2017/EN/COM-2017-683-F1-EN-ANNEX-1-PART-1.PDF
Not sure where to report non-compliance in Spain but most countries have a non-compliance enforcement team. For example Holland:
"If you wish to submit a complaint about the rejection of non-Dutch IBANs in the Netherlands or other EU Member States, please email us at: meldpuntIBANdiscriminatie@dnb.nl "
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I will get my card in a few days since I am Portuguese. Anyone has any ideia if Apple Pay would be enabled with a Portuguese card on the U.K. region?
I use Apple Pay already with my British cards, would be awesome to have it for my euros too.
Apple Pay isn’t region-specific you can add any supported card from any region to any region (exception - for FeliCa cards the phone has to support FeliCa obviously).
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Didn’t know that! Hope it works! That would be an major advantage versus monzo, since I mostly use my Apple Watch or my iPhone to do payments. Thanks!