The Big Banking Chat: what are the biggest frustrations with banking?

If we don’t talk about what annoys us about banking, we can’t avoid those same problems hurting us again and again in the future. So, to kickstart the Big Banking Chat, we wanted to surface the complaints and frustrations we all have about traditional banking.

Where to begin? Well, perhaps with our most shocking finding—two in three of us have been stung by a hidden fee, or unexpected charge from our current bank. And while these costs alone are outrageous enough, the impact they have on our financial habits is even more worrying.

Banking should be transparent and simple, but instead we find ourselves wondering what else we’re missing when managing our money. And because we worry about what we’re missing, we just stop looking at our accounts, preferring blissful ignorance to worrying about how we’re being ripped off.

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This leaves us unwilling to talk to other people about our financial concerns—less than half of us will share our worries with another person. And when we do, it’s clear that we’re sceptical of professionals; just 27 percent of people would ask their bank for advice, only slightly more than would ask their parents! Shockingly, in France that number drops to 16 percent and just 13 percent in Germany.

This has to change. As it’s not just hidden fees and charges, there’s so many different things which irritate us all about traditional banking. And if we’re not talking about them, we can’t fix these irritations.

Nearly half of Europeans and Americans say they get irritated by their bank, with nearly a third of us saying our bank doesn’t have our best interests at heart. And this goes even further—while we may be loyal to our banks, we don’t feel that loyalty is rewarded or recognized. This is particularly true in Spain where 30 percent of consumers say loyalty doesn’t pay, and in Italy, where nearly a quarter of people think their bank only cares about making money from them.

What’s underpinning our irritation? It all comes back to needless charges, which consumers don’t expect, and the traditional banks aren’t transparent about.

38 percent of us have had to deal with ATM fees while 40 percent have been stung by an overdraft fee. The overdraft charges are particularly irritating—after all, less than half of people across the US and Europe can explain what having an arranged overdraft actually means. With that being said, it’s no surprise that when we asked people the one thing they’d change about banks, two-thirds of them said they’d scrap these hidden fees and charges.

If this has got you nodding your head in recognition, it might be time for you to try a different approach—one which doesn’t leave you irritated and in the dark about your finances.

At N26, we put you back in control. Our app makes banking completely transparent, meaning you know what’s happening to every penny you spend. And our range of perks, partnerships and features mean we can offer a truly individual banking service to all our customers, while making sure your money goes that little bit further.

The only question we want you to have left unanswered about banking with us is why you didn’t make the switch sooner.

Ready to switch? Get started here.

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✓ 100% mobile ✓ No hidden fees ✓ No paperwork ✓ Free virtual Mastercard ✓ Free ATM withdrawals

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