Revolut Metal
- Choose from three fully metal contactless cards
- Earn up to 1% cashback in any currency
- One free LoungeKey Pass to use at 1,000 airports
- Delayed baggage and flight insurance
EU based digital bank N26 has chosen to stop operating in the UK in early February due the UK’s decision to leave the EU. Read our guide for alternatives to N26.
Revolut and N26 are big names in the growing wave of mobile-only banks. Offering a totally digital banking experience, these rising stars have won customers over with their clean and stylish apps, and features like fee-free spending abroad.
Both Revolut and N26 are now looking to capitalise on the success of their free-to-use basic accounts by launching premium accounts, both called Metal. These cards are designed for jet-setters and big-spenders.
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Revolut metal | N26 metal | |
What is it? | Revolut is a complete alternative to high-street banking. It offers a prepaid card, a currency and cryptocurrency exchange, and P2P payments. | N26 is an app-based bank account that can be used on the go in any EU country. It’s all about the ease of sending and saving money. It launched in the UK in 2018. |
Main selling points |
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Drawbacks |
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What is unique about it? | Revolut Metal has a couple of features that lift it above other Revolut options. The concierge service is exclusive to Metal account holders. Customers can ask for help in the app for a range of needs. You might want restaurant suggestions, or perhaps you need to book a last-minute trip. The concierge will sort these bookings out for you and give you a price. All you have to do is accept in the app. Metal cashback is unique to the Metal card too. This gives customers 0.1% cashback on spending in Europe, and up to 1% on transactions outside of Europe. | N26 Metal users can get a couple of features its Black account members can’t. For one, N26 Metal offers dedicated customer support in its app. N26 Metal’s defining quality is its partnership deals. It has a few of these, but the pick of them is probably its coupling with WeWork. For one day a month Metal customers get to use office space at WeWork for free. Discounts on the dry cleaning site Zipjet and the hotel booking platform Hotels.com are also notable. |
What are the main costs? |
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How do I get the card? | Download the app for iOS (rated 4/5) or Android (rated 4.2/5). | Download the app for iOS (rated 4/5) or Android (rated 4.2/5). |
How safe is it? | Revolut is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, but any money it holds directly isn’t protected by the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme. | Your N26 account is protected by the German financial authority, up to the sum of €100.000 (around £88,000). |
Want to find out more? | Visit Revolut | Read our review |
It depends on which benefits you’ll use the most. Both these cards are ultimately tailored to big-spending travellers, but if you like to withdraw cash when travelling around then N26 is probably the one for you, while if you spend a lot on your card abroad, then Revolut’s likely to be a better option.
Likewise, if you like the look of one of N26’s partnerships then you could regularly save money with Metal. Given that a basic WeWork membership usually costs $45 a month (about £36), N26’s £14.90 a month doesn’t look too bad.
In truth, though, neither represents great value for money. Other than the allure of a sleek metal card, both Revolut and N26’s cheaper premium accounts offer pretty much the same features. Even then, these are really only necessary if you travel abroad a few times a year.
Revolut and N26’s basic accounts will cover most customers’ needs. You can check out how they compare in our review. You can also learn more about Revolut metal here.
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