Three neobanks dominate the Dutch expat market in 2026: Revolut, N26, and bunq. All three let you open an account in minutes, skip the branch visits, and manage everything from your phone. But they charge differently, offer different perks, and have different catches buried in the terms.
I've used all three. Here's what matters.
The basics: accounts and fees
Revolut offers a free Standard plan with a Dutch IBAN, a debit card, and currency exchange at the interbank rate up to €1,000 per month. After that, you pay a 0.5% markup on weekdays and 1% on weekends. The Premium plan (€9.99/month) removes those limits and adds travel insurance. The Metal plan (€15.99/month) adds cashback and a metal card, which is mostly aesthetic.
N26 has a free Standard account with a German IBAN and a Maestro card. You get three free ATM withdrawals per month in the eurozone, then €2 per withdrawal. The Smart plan (€4.90/month) adds ten withdrawals and a few discount partners. The You plan (€9.90/month) adds travel insurance. All N26 accounts come with Spaces, which are sub-accounts for saving goals.
bunq starts at €2.99/month for Easy Bank, which includes a Dutch IBAN and one debit card. Easy Money (€8.99/month) adds 25 sub-accounts and auto-save rules. Easy Green (€17.99/month) plants a tree for every €100 you spend, which is nice if you care about that. There's no free tier anymore as of January 2025.
If you want free, pick Revolut or N26. If you want Dutch IBANs and don't mind paying, bunq is the only one that guarantees it on all plans.
Currency exchange and foreign spending
This is where Revolut wins. The interbank rate up to €1,000/month is unbeatable if you travel or shop online in other currencies. After that, 0.5% is still cheaper than most banks. Weekend rates jump to 1%, so convert on Friday if you can.
N26 uses Mastercard's exchange rate, which includes a markup of around 0.5-1% depending on the currency. Not terrible, but not transparent either. You won't know the exact rate until the transaction posts.
bunq uses the ECB rate with a 0.5% markup for paid plans, 1% for Easy Bank. Clear, but not as good as Revolut's free tier.
If you spend in USD, GBP, or PLN more than once a month, Revolut saves you money. If you rarely leave the eurozone, it doesn't matter.
ATM withdrawals
Revolut Standard gives you €200/month free, then 2% per withdrawal. Premium removes the limit. Most Dutch ATMs are free anyway, so this only matters if you travel.
N26 Standard gives you three free withdrawals in the eurozone, then €2 each. That's fine unless you're the kind of person who takes out €20 at a time.
bunq Easy Bank gives you five free withdrawals per month globally, then €0.99 each. Easy Money and Easy Green make all withdrawals free. If you use cash a lot, bunq is better. If you don't, it's irrelevant.
Savings and interest
Revolut offers a Savings Vault with 3.51% APY as of March 2026, but it's only available to Premium and Metal subscribers. Standard users get nothing. The vault is flexible — you can withdraw anytime — but the rate isn't guaranteed and can drop with 30 days' notice.
N26 doesn't offer interest on savings. You can use Spaces to organise your money, but it just sits there at 0%.
bunq pays 2.46% on balances up to €250,000 for Easy Money and Easy Green users. Easy Bank users get 1.56%. Not the highest rate out there — Trade Republic pays 3% and Openbank pays 2.5% — but it's automatic and flexible.
If you want interest, Revolut Premium or bunq Easy Money are your best bets here. But you'll do better opening a separate savings account.
Customer service
Revolut's support is chat-only and can take hours during peak times. Premium users get faster responses, but "faster" still means 20-30 minutes. No phone support unless you're on Metal.
N26 offers chat and email. Response times are similar to Revolut. Phone support is available for You and Metal customers only.
bunq has phone support for all paid plans and responds quickly in chat. This is the main reason some people tolerate the monthly fee.
All three have communities and help centres that are more useful than you'd expect. But if you need a human, bunq is the easiest.
Which one should you pick?
If you want free and you travel or shop internationally, Revolut Standard is the best deal. You get currency exchange, a decent savings rate if you upgrade, and enough features for most people.
If you want free and you mostly spend in euros, N26 Standard works fine. The German IBAN is a minor hassle — some Dutch employers and landlords prefer NL IBANs — but it's rare enough that most people don't notice.
If you want a Dutch IBAN, good customer service, and automatic savings, bunq Easy Money at €8.99/month is worth it. Easy Bank is too limited and Easy Green is overpriced unless you really care about the tree-planting.
None of these should be your only account. Dutch salaries, rent, and utilities still work best with a traditional Dutch bank like ABN AMRO or ING. Use a neobank for daily spending, travel, and savings, but keep a backup.
The catches
Revolut's weekend exchange markup is annoying and easy to forget. If you convert £500 on a Saturday, you pay £5 extra. Do it Friday night instead.
N26's German IBAN occasionally causes issues with Dutch direct debits. Not common, but it happens. Have a backup payment method ready.
bunq's cheapest plan costs more than Revolut Premium and offers less. You're paying for the Dutch IBAN and phone support, which matters to some people and not to others.
All three can freeze your account with little warning if their automated fraud systems flag something. This is rare but disruptive. Keep at least €1,000 in a traditional bank so you're not stuck.
Bottom line
Revolut is the best value if you travel. N26 is fine if you want free and simple. bunq is worth it if Dutch IBANs and support matter to you. None of them are perfect, but all three are better than paying €5/month for a basic account at a legacy bank.