The best prepaid cards with IBAN of 2022 (FREE)

A card with IBAN, physical or virtual, therefore allows you to perform banking operations such as receiving credits, sending or receiving bank transfers, paying bills but without having the management fees of a current account. Rechargeable by bank transfer or cash deposit, a card with IBAN can be contactless, therefore usable for payments without typing PIN codes

Once upon a time there was the “classic” prepaid. The card that, unlike debit or credit cards, allowed you to spend only the funds already loaded on the card itself by reloading, without drawing extra money from your current account. Today, account cards or prepaid cards with IBAN allow you to take advantage of the advantages of a rechargeable one and the basic services of a current account. But how?

Index of topics

Why choose a prepaid card with IBAN

IBAN, the International Bank Account Number,it is an alphanumeric code, therefore composed of letters and numbers, of 27 characters. The IBAN identifies the current account, the bank, the country of reference: it is the code necessary to identify a bank account. Prepaid cards with IBAN, physical or virtual, therefore allow you to perform banking operations such as receiving credits, sending or receiving bank transfers, paying bills but without having the costs of managing a current account. Rechargeable by bank transfer or cash payment, prepaid cards with IBAN can be contactless, so they can be used for payments without typing PIN codes. They do not allow you to pay or possess checks, they cannot be jointly managed but have a higher limit than the “standard” prepaid cards, therefore a higher spending limit. Prepaid cards with IBAN are a flexible tool,

What to consider before activating a prepaid card with IBAN

Before choosing among the prepaid cards with IBAN the one that best suits your needs, in addition to saving, it is necessary to pay particular attention to the security and functionality of the card itself.

It is advisable to check the payment circuit to which the card is associated: reliable circuits such as Mastercard, Visa, Maestro allow the prepaid with IBAN to be accepted everywhere.

Other important aspects are: the reliability of the body issuing the card; guarantees in the event of fraud or theft; the conditions of use abroad; the expense traceability system, through notifications of movements via sms or email; the “remote” management system, via app or pc.

The 5 best prepaid cards with free IBAN

The following prepaid cards with IBAN are free in the true sense of the word: they have no activation fee, no annual fee, or card issue fee. A parameter that greatly reduces the choice in the vast panorama of the offer: to respect it, in addition to the prepaid cards, also account or debit cards have been included that require the activation of an online current account (at zero activation and management costs ).

Tinaba

Tinaba, acronym for “This Is Not A BAnk”, is the Nexi prepaid card with IBAN from Banca Profilo, a company listed on the stock exchange since 1999. It does not include activation costs, annual fees or issuance costs. MasterCard circuit, the Tinaba card is part of a system that provides a virtual current account and an app, also free.

Through the app, Tinaba allows you to manage payments, make investments, raise funds, as well as send and receive wire transfers, make online purchases, create shared accounts, arrange recurring transfers, create savings goals and acquire 10% cashback on purchases. with card. It is a Nexi card, accepted everywhere, which guarantees the control of expenses, recharging by cash, bank transfer or payment cards, 30 years of experience in fraud prevention, blocking in case of theft or loss.

Compatible with Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, FitBit Pay and Garmin, the Tinaba card also allows you to pay via QrCode. It has a deposit limit of 12,500 euros, of 24 free daily cash withdrawals in the EU between 25 and 250 euros. Withdrawals from ATMs outside the EU have a cost of 4 euros.

To obtain the Tinaba card The registration procedure lasts from 5 to 10 minutes, through the insertion of personal data, self-certification, recognition through an identity document and tax code, signature. With the account activated, the card, physical or virtual, allows you to perform banking operations such as receiving credits, sending or receiving bank transfers, paying bills but without having the management fees of a current account. Rechargeable by bank transfer or cash deposit, a card with IBAN can be contactless, therefore usable for payments without entering PIN codes. a will be issued and sent automatically to the address communicated.

N2 6 Standard

N26 is the virtual debit card with IBAN issued by the online bank of the same name, active since 2015 in Germany. MasterCard circuit, accepted everywhere, does not include activation costs, neither annual fee nor issue costs. It is associated with the opening of a free, 100% mobile current account. The issue of the physical card, on the other hand, has a cost of ten euros.

• Allows the sending of promotional material, carrying out market research or commercial communications with automated and traditional contact methods of the Joint Controllers on behalf of third parties (without communicating data to them) belonging to the manufacturing branch, of services (in particular ICT ) and trade.

The N26 card allows you to make free online transactions, free payments from abroad in any currency, three free euro withdrawals per month, with a 1.7% commission in foreign currency. In the event of balances exceeding 50,000 euros, a commission of 0.5% per annum is applied.

The card guarantees MasterCard 3D Secure security system, monitoring of expenses with SMS notification and categorization of transactions. Contactless, it is compatible with Google Pay and Apple Pay. It allows you to withdraw up to € 1,000 per day and spend up to € 5,000 per day, € 20,000 per month.

To activate the card, you need to register on the website www.n26.com and open the account of the same name. The procedure takes about 8 minutes. The first step is to confirm your country of residence, your native language and your email. Then, you need to download the app and verify your identity with a valid and legible document. Once registration is complete, you must select the type of account you want: the debit card will be sent to the communicated address.

Hype Start

Hype Start is Banca Sella’s prepaid card with IBAN.

There is no activation fee or annual fee. The issue of the physical card provides for a fee of 9.90 euros. MasterCard circuit, it is enabled for MasterCard 3D SecureCode, which makes it accepted for all online payments. Contactless, it is compatible with Apple Pay and Google Pay ,

It allows you to exchange money in real time via email or phone number and get up to 10% cashback from online purchases. It guarantees: reimbursement on unauthorized purchases (thanks to membership of the “Protected always and everywhere” Mastercard program); management and monitoring via app for Android, iPhone and Windows Phone; the TAP operation, or the passage to the state of “Inactivity” and the possible restoration at any time and without producing supporting documentation.

The Hype account has a maximum available balance of € 7500: the card cannot be recharged for more than € 15,000 per year (4,990 in one day, 10,000 in a month) and does not allow payments exceeding € 4,990.

The Hype card has a ceiling of 250 euros for withdrawals at EU and non-EU ATMs. Rechargeable by bank transfer, with another card via app (cost 90 cents), in cash through tobacconists or supermarkets (cost 2.50 euros) or in a Banca Sella branch (free).

To activate the card, you need to register online on the website www.hype.it and activate the account of the same name, Hype. The procedure, which takes a few minutes, involves filling in a form with personal data: name, surname, social security number, mobile number, email address, residential address and domicile. After filling in the form, the card number will be provided and you will have to choose between the virtual card, saved only on your smartphone, or the free physical card. Verification of identity will follow through a selfie with a legible identity document in hand. You will then receive a confirmation of the completion of the procedure or a message with the error committed. In the event of unexpected interruptions, an email will allow you to resume the process without starting over.

Revolut

Revolut is the prepaid card with IBAN issued by Revolut Ltd, a fintech company based in the United Kingdom that in 2018 reached unicorn status: that is, it was valued more than a billion dollars, for the homonymous digital banking system of latest generation offering financial services from a mobile app .

MasterCard circuit, accepted everywhere, the Revolut card does not include activation costs, neither annual fee nor issuing costs in virtual mode. Instead, there is a delivery cost if you choose the physical card. The Revolut card is associated with the opening of the free online current account, 100% mobile. It guarantees real-time card locking and unlocking functions and an anti-fraud system that keeps fraudulent transactions below 0.01%. It supports Apple Pay and Google Pay wallets.

Through the app, you can see the status of your finances at a glance, send a cross-border transfer per month for free, send and receive money in 30 fiat currencies up to 1000 euros per month with no hidden fees, shop in 140 currencies in the Mastercard circuit at the interbank exchange rate. Sending money can also take place as a P2P payment and local account data can be generated in multiple currencies to save costs. On the shopping side, you can shop in over 150 currencies at the interbank exchange rate.

The 2% commission is foreseen for withdrawals over 200 euros per month. The first five withdrawals per month, if less than 200 euros, are free. Payments within the SEPA area are not subject to commissions. A maximum of 1,000 euros per month of currency exchange without commission is allowed: in addition, a surcharge of between 0.5% and 2% is applied.

The card converts into the payment currency at the interbank exchange rate and selects the currency (or cryptocurrency) to be used in each specific payment, going by exclusion based on the availability in the app’s wallet.

To activate a Revolut card, you need to download the app of the same name, available for Apple Watch, iPhone and iPad with operating system iOS 9 and above and for Android smartphones with operating system 4.4. and above. After installation, you need to enter your mobile number, choose an access code and enter the verification code received via sms, then the registration data and an email address. The welcome email marks the opening of the free virtual euro account. Before activation, you need to access the “More> Profile> Personal Details” section, fill out the form to verify your identity, take a selfie and send a photo of an identity document valid for at least the next three months. The last step is to top up, from the “Account” section, of at least 10 euros, by credit card, bank transaction or Google Pay in the currency of the declared country of residence. Once the account is activated, the virtual prepaid card is also activated automatically. It can be recharged by SEPA bank transfer on the IBAN received at the time of activation; from another payment card through the app, in the “Add funds” section; by crediting the salary (SEPA transfer from the employer); via Google Pay. There are no top-up costs or amount limits for this card with Iban. from another payment card through the app, in the “Add funds” section; by crediting the salary (SEPA transfer from the employer); via Google Pay. There are no top-up costs or amount limits for this card with Iban. from another payment card through the app, in the “Add funds” section; by crediting the salary (SEPA transfer from the employer); via Google Pay. There are no top-up costs or amount limits for this card with Iban.

Bitsa

Bitsa is a prepaid card with IBAN that does not require a current account. Distributed by Bitsa Sas, a company based in Nice, it is issued by a Spanish company, Pecunia Cards EDE. Visa circuit, contactless, accepted everywhere, has no activation or release costs, nor annual fees. Its peculiarity is that it can be requested by anyone, since the issue does not require current account ownership or solvency investigations.

It allows you to receive and send wire transfers (1% commission), transfer money to other Bitsa users via contact address book, withdraw cash and make purchases all over the world. It guarantees a monitoring of expenses via the app. Compatible with Apple Pay and Google Pay, it supports payments in currencies other than the euro (commission of 1.15% in the euro zone, 1.50% outside the EU) and can be recharged in cash, wire transfers, payment cards, vouchers recharge, cryptocurrencies.

The basic plan allows you to load up to € 24,000 per year on the card, with no more than € 500 in one day and € 2,000 in a month. The platfond of the card is a maximum of 2,500 euros, with a POS purchase limit of up to 1,500 euros and daily withdrawals of 450 euros.

Thanks to the association of the unique codes of the different Bitsa cards, only one IBAN account is used for the transfer of money for many users: therefore each card does not have a personal IBAN code associated with it and this does not allow payments to be made at home.

To activate the card, you need to download the BITSA app, compatible with Android version 4.4 and later and iPhone version 11 and later. Once downloaded, the telephone number, e-mail address and password needed to log in are registered. Once the account has been created, with the registered credentials, the card can be requested via the menu on the home page (“Request card”) or by clicking on the cart symbol. The virtual card is free. The verification phase will follow with the upload of the identity document and the insertion of the code received via email. To make the card active, simply enter the last 4 digits of the card and the identification code.