I'm sure you've heard of the neobanks before. These are online banks that are transforming the banking sector with their simple but comprehensive offering that can be managed from a smartphone. Today I decided to tell you about bunq and more specifically about bunq easyGreen. This card promises to fight deforestation by planting trees when you spend money.
As long as you consume responsibly, I find the idea very interesting. Deforestation is both a cause and a consequence of climate change! Notably because of human activities, including forest degradation.
That's why I plant trees, doing my research on the internet with Ecosia. Through associations such as Reforest’Action. Or simply when I pay for my purchases using bunq SuperGreen, I'll tell you how.
Planting trees with your bank: how does it work?
With bunq easyGreen it's pretty simple. All you have to do is pay for your purchases with your credit card. Then bunq in combination with Eden Reforestation Projects takes care of everything.
For every 100€ spent with your card, a tree is planted. So you do your shopping, one tree. You go to a restaurant, one more tree. You go on a trip, a forest is planted!
Since 2005, Eden Reforestation Projects has already planted more than 265,000,000 trees on 82 different sites! Notably in Madagascar, Nepal, Haiti, Indonesia, Mozambique and Kenya.
Learn more about bunq easyGreen
bunq Metal Card is a metal Mastercard credit card that works exactly like a debit card. This means that every payment is immediately deducted from your card balance.
bunq easyGreen costs €17,99/month. To top it up, it's free up to €500. Above this amount bunq charges 0.5% when you top up with an EU card, or 2.5% when you use a card outside the Eurozone. It is possible to use any Visa or Mastercard to top up your bunq Metal Card. You can also use Apple or Google Pay.
Thanks to the ZeroFX feature, payments in a currency other than Euro are subject to Mastercard exchange rates, so you never pay additional exchange fees.
You can also withdraw money from ATMs around the world, 10 times for free. Each additional withdrawal is then charged €0.99.
bunq : prices and comparison
The Metal Card can be accompanied by a subscription to the other bunq plans, namely :
- bunq easyGreen Personal
- bunq easyMoney Personal
- bunq easyTravel
We take stock with a comparative table of the 3 subscription plans available at bunq :
Account | bunq easyGreen Personal | bunq easyMoney Personal | bunq easyBank Personal |
|---|---|---|---|
Account fees | €17,99/month | €8,99/month | €2,99/month |
Sending / Receiving payments | Free | Free | Free |
Sending Transferwise payment | Real exchange rate through partnership with TransferWise | Real exchange rate through partnership with TransferWise | Real exchange rate through partnership with TransferWise |
Pay by direct debit | Free | Free | Free |
Card payment(no €) | Mastercard exchange rate | Mastercard exchange rate | Mastercard exchange rate |
Withdrawal(€) | 6 withdrawals/month included, then 5/month at €0,99/withdrawal, remaining at €2,99/withdrawal | 6 withdrawals/month included, then 5/month at €0,99/withdrawal, remaining at €2,99/withdrawal | 5 withdrawals/month at €0,99/withdrawal, then 2,99/withdrawal |
Neobanks : comparing free offers
Just like other FinTech banks, such as Revolut, N26 or the new TreeCard by Ecosia. bunq also offers its free card, the bunq easyTravel, which, among other things, allows you to :
- Send and receive payment requests via the mobile app or SMS
- Withdrawing money from ATMs around the world
- Pay abroad at no cost
We take stock with a comparative table of the 3 free plans :
Account | N26 | Revolut | bunq |
|---|---|---|---|
Account maintenance fees | €0 | €0 | €0 |
Card fee | €0 | €0 | €9,99 at opening |
Type of card | systematic authorization card | systematic authorization card | credit card |
Euro Zone Payments | €0 | €0 | €0 |
Payments outside the Euro zone | €0 | Free up to €200, then 2%. | €0 |
ATM Withdrawal Cost | 5 free withdrawals, then 2€/withdrawal | Free up to €200, then 2%. | €0,99/withdrawal |
Withdrawals outside the Euro Zone | 1.7% of amount withdrawn | Free up to €200, then 2%. | €0,99/withdrawal |
Open Account |
My opinion about bunq easyGreen
To begin with, what I particularly like is that unlike other neobanks, bunq has a banking license. This way the money you deposit in your accounts is protected by the Dutch deposit guarantee system up to €100,000.
Then, thanks to bunq MassInterest it is also possible to benefit from an interest rate of 1.51% on all accounts. This interest is paid monthly.
Finally, it is very easy to open an account in 5 minutes from your smartphone. No paperwork, no waiting and no visits to the branch. But what I like most of all is being able to help fight deforestation and plant trees thanks to bunq easyGreen and the money I spend.