• What inspired you to start using bunq?

Hi All,

As the aftermath of bunq update 8 draws to a close I've been inspired by many user stories on how they first got into contact with bunq. And what made them interested in bunq.

I'm super curious: what's your story? How did you get in touch with bunq? What drew your attention?

Thanks!

Ali

    The first thing that got me interested in bunq is when a friend of mine received a chocolate bar from her bank! šŸ«
    I couldn't imagine that there was a bank sending chocolate to its customers! Especially because I couldn't imagine my old bank doing that. 😲

    I started to take a little interest in bunq and found out that they were the only bank with an open API, something that really appealed to me as a (studying) developer. šŸ’»

    That's when I decided to join bunq, and I've never looked back. I'm now all in and use bunq as my only bank.
    Over the next few months, I fell in love with bunq, I couldn't imagine ever being able to say that about a bank! ā¤ļø

      @Ali#27107
      Hello Ali šŸ™Œ,
      That’s a really good question. My story is kind of a long one and complicated one. Once I turned 18 I left the Sparkasse and moved to the Ing-Diba where my father had a savings account for me. But after some time I was annoyed because the Ing didn’t had any good mobile apps they just showed you their website and you had to login every time you wanted to do stuff that was so annoying. Then some time later I discovered N26 they claimed to be the mobile bank and so I tried them out and used them as my main bank for some months. After some months I purchased something on Amazon, and but the merchant account was hacked so my money was only authorized and Amazon gave me the authorization code so I could call N26 and they could simply delete the authorization, which they where not able to because their system is automated. So in the end I waited week to get my money back. At arround the same time I got to know bunq and opened a account but after just 2 days I think I closed it again because my young stupid me tought it’s not worth to pay 7,99 for a bank account. The problems with N26 continued with a lot of bugs and downtime and not helpful error messages ā€œHuston we have a problemā€ that’s not helpful. So I decided to try out bunq once more and then it made click in my mind and now I love ā¤ļø bunq. It even my most used app after Telegram I think. I can’t say how happy I am with bunq it’s just amazing. And it’s a true honor to have a eye šŸ‘ on this community and help it grow and evolve. I still hate myself for having left bunq the first time. And if you ask if you should use bunq as your main account my anwer is oh yessss you will love it šŸ˜. One of my most magical šŸ§™ā€ā™‚ļø moments was when I received a bar of chocolate from bunq and a postcard with it and on this postcard I was asked how my exams went, this is just amazing. I mean if you think about it a customer support agent replied to 100 of questions every day and he remembered this when he wrote this postcard that was such an amazing moment. I can’t tell you how much I love bunq, the stickers are all over my place and even my door has a bunq wallpaper on it.

      Best wishes,
      Timo

        I just love bunq. My old bank Sparda bank I have been for my whole life is very old and don’t offer any new features. New mobile paying no instant transfers. Even online banking on your phone took them years. Now they even started to charge services that were free before. After the I was a victim of credit card fraud I decided to search for a bank where I can control how and where I can spend my money. After trying N26 I switched to bunq very quickly because they have so many awesome features and are totally worth the money. Would even pay 10 bucks a month so awesome are they.

          I am often an early adopter when it comes to tech and new services so when bunq launched in November of 2015 I wanted to join right away and so I did! At first, the added value over my former bank ABN Amro wasn’t clear, but as bunq progressed and got more nifty features I ordered a card during the period that you could give friends a free card. After trying it out a bit, topping up by 20 euros now and then, I noticed that I really liked the app and the whole philosophy behind bunq when it comes to not investing your money. When Premium came a long it took be some days to get used to paying 8 euros for bank account but I quickly caved and have moved to bunq as my main account ever since. The added bonus of Apple Pay made me even happier and I can’t imagine going back now!

            Back in 2016 I was really unhappy with Rabobank. Crappy online banking experience, crappy app and of course the outages... I already played around with Revolut, when I read an article about a small tech startup making small steps in the banking world. I read about highly innovative ideas and I thought it was super cool that a Dutch company wanted to do this.

            I signed up when I read bunq provides push notifications of payments and the real-time switching the account connected to the maestro card. To try it out, I also ordered a card (back then 9 euro for a card that is valid for 4 years). After graduation, I switched to bunq. Now, I'm a proud premium user.

            Apart from all the innovation, high tech stuff and what not, another reason to signup is the personal connection. I've never ever got a bar of chocolate with a handwritten note before from a bank (or other company for that matter). Keep up the good work guys!

              @Ali#27107 Hi Ali,

              I tried bunq when it first launched in the app store, however I was not convinced at that moment to switch. I started to look at vunq again when the Apple pay rumors started. After the implementation of Apple pay I tried it again and instantly loved it. From the app functionality, the support and the overall style. I read the book 'breken met banken' and decided to switch from Abn Amro to bunq instantly- both as a consumer and my business.

              Great job!
              Coen

                Hi Ali,

                My wife and i wanted a shared bankaccount. Both our ā€œold-school banksā€ required us to visit their office to arrange for this. So, that was certainly not gonna happen....šŸ˜’

                I had heard about bunq somewhere, decided to download the app and check y’all out.

                There i found out about al the features, ease of use, and easily shared accounts! And no need to go to see some desk-clerk to be interrogated to get maybe get some sort of service from my old-school, self-centered bank.

                That is where you got us on board.

                After update 7 and the demonstrated oppertunity to activate ā€œcertain featuresā€, we both immediately became a premium member. This ā€œcertain featureā€ was the big one we needed to pul the trigger on going premium.

                Cheers, Stefan. šŸ‘ŠšŸ»

                  I remember (the story of) bunq from when it wasn't open for the public. For me, the whole concept of a 'bank' that doesn't hire bankers, but hires nerds, was ground breaking. It's like a bank that's started by your peers, specifically for people like myself. It felt personal and kinda 'nerdy'.

                  That concept led to me following bunq. I tried it once during the old price model and was a bit confused by it. Better said: I'm more of an 'all you can eat' kind of guy. Eventually I came back on board after the pricing model was changed and (although more expensive) a lot clearer.

                  The simplicity and different views really made bunq something else than the traditional banks I used and have worked for. From the terms of use, the sign-up to the actually use, it was all so much easier. This made me decide to cancel my other accounts and do everything with bunq.

                  Shortly after that my girlfriend (who is originally British) moved back here and we wanted a shared account. After some considerations and having a ton of hassle with ING, she was fed up and wanted to try bunq too. Showing her how easy it was to create her account and creating a shared account for us, convinced her within minutes to go all-in on bunq too :).

                  It's not a very interesting story, but I think it's one that many people can recognise.

                  Now, being brutally honest, I do hope that bunq will keep paying attention to these points. With the new artwork and new website I'm honestly not entirely sure if I would sign up if I were a new user (not because the product isn't good, but because it doesn't appeal as much to me anymore): it's lost a bit of it's simplicity and 'nerdiness'.

                  I hope that feedback like this is why you're asking this question, Ali. All that remains is for me to say thank you for the amazing product and investments you're making to make this work. And of course thank you to all the bunqrs that made bunq into such a cool product.

                    I like to try FinTech/banking apps and I consider myself as being a payment nerd. So I also came to test bunq.
                    First I was watching some videos on Youtube and I was really amazed that the Update sessions have a very Apple-Keynote-ish touch, which I liked.
                    Also I couldn't believe that there was merchandise for a bank. I can't imagine this will come for any bank I know
                    I've been using it for about two weeks now and what impressed me the most is the phenomenal support. They answer to request very quickly and are helpful in most cases.
                    Features like Dual PIN or the revolving CVC are really nice and strong arguments for using bunq.
                    Currently I'm still in the trial period and although I like what bunq has to offer, I'm not convinced to pay 7,99/month for a bank account.
                    I'm using YNAB for budgeting so I don't have much need for the 25 bunq IBAN accounts.
                    Maybe I will become a paying customer once there are other pricing options. I know there's bunq packs, but I would prefer something where I am not dependent on others, like for example a couple's premium pack for 10€/month

                      Multiple bankaccounts did it for me. And a some nice features that came after that (multiple pin) and the app is pretty nice too.

                        At first I needed an iBAN for my newly born daughter as fast as possible and Rabobank kept failing so I googled a bit and found bunq, in 10 min I got her her own iBAN. I was immediately very impressed with the speed and looks of the app and when I learned there was no web interface I got curious as to the why and how of bunq and read all about the philosophy. This perfectly matched how I felt about traditional banks and I wanted to switch immediately but then the pricing model changed and I learned that Rabobank will cut my mortgage interest discount if I leave completely. So I enjoyed the classic/free bunq for a bit and started thinking about how to justify the price and a second bank next to Rabobank (the geek/tech appeal is there for me, but do I really need it...). But then I saw Ali on DWDD (dutch TV) explaining about the how and why of a DDOS and how to protect against them and I felt a bit of a man-crush coming on. Here was the CEO of a "bank" telling it how it is, no spokes person with convoluted techno-babble just a guy that knows his s..t. I decided to go all in mainly for the philosophy and by that time there was an API and a very nice desktop app already (which I don't use but I very much appreciate that it exists, I'm sure I will use it at some point).

                        Also, together is great and the near instant feedback is something that I appreciate a lot. Sometimes I don't agree with choices but the responsiveness of bunq make me very forgiving and it inspires trust (the price change was handled with grace by the employees on together, I remember specifically Koen). So, now I have much more ordered finances. And after killing my old account and downgrading my "samenrekening" bunq is only 2-3 euro's extra in cost which is nothing in comparison to what you get extra with bunq.

                        Also, things like using my card with a group of friends by setting a secondary pin linked to a separated iBAN topped up by easy to track requests thrown in a WhatsApp group is gold (although that flow changed a bit in v8, I'm confident the future will make is at least as easy as it was ;) ).
                        Edit 2018-08-02: And the request sharing is back, you see, bunq listens. I love it.

                        So, keep it up, I'm a happy customer and I look forward to what the future will bring! I don't mind changes in things I have gotten used to, I like how you experiment and make hard choices that not everyone agrees with immediately. So far everything turned out very well and I have confidence that bunq will only get better and better.

                          Simpel de uitstekende Bunq app, perfecte support via de app (TOP KLASSE!) en natuurlijk Apple Pay, had via via gehoord dat dit zou komen bij Bunq. Vandaar gelijk voor een premium account gegaan.

                            In 2015 I read an inspiring article in NRC Handelsblad about bunq being the ā€˜WhatsApp for banks’ and it made me curious enough to download the app immediately. At that time I had just transferred from Rabobank to Triodos, mainly because of the bad investments of Rabobank. And than all of a sudden there was bunq, all digital and innovative without the bad stuff.

                            After spending a few years with the app – and much appreciating the growing number of features and the transformation into a grown-up user interface – it was the introduction of Apple Pay that finally made me switch from Triodos to bunq. And I’m glad I did it. Triodos may be the best of all the old dutch banks, but still did investments that weren’t my cup of tea. Also they sended an unnecessary printed and plasticized magazine periodically. And they have an app from the stone-age…

                            In the four months that I’ve used bunq as my only bank it striked me that I have gotten a much better insight in my spendings through the notifications, the use of piggy banks and because I spend way more time in bunq's money app than I did with the others.

                            And it’s no secret that I really love the request functionality :)

                              One card to rule them all!!
                              I seriously dislike wallets. And keys but that's another story :). The fact that I could have just one card and swap it between my own, my company and my shared accounts was all the incentive I needed. From 8 to just 4 cards in my wallet. All I need now is Apple Pay in NL and an on phone/wallet OV pass and digital drivers license an I can toss out my wallet permanently. #firstworldproblems ;)

                              Thanks for that :)

                              P.S. The app is amazing as well

                                Coming from the UK where banking is free and where you get cashback on credit cards, it was a shock to learn that in Holland you have to pay for the privilege for banks to play with your money...

                                I found Bunq as a service that will let me get what I need, without being charged, and allowing for ideal payments, something my English and German bank don't support.

                                Now I'm only missing a free debit card, but here my German and British bank help me out.

                                Who needs cash if you can do everything online and mobile!

                                  It was a sunny day in april (2017). I remember sitting in my room just searching the internet and looking on Facebook. Then I saw an N26 advertisement on Facebook. I looked at it and scrolled further. Later I realised that it would be fun to try a new banking alternative with fresh features and an open view to the future, because the Rabobank was annoying me. But I was forgotten the name from N26. So I searched Google and found bunq. The advertisement did not looked the same but the story did appeal me. So I did installed bunq and 3 months later (july 2017) my Rabobank bank account was closed.

                                  I have since the first time opening the app been so happy with bunq that I would never ever go back to the Rabobank or any other bank.

                                  Love,

                                  Hans

                                    I read some articles at nu.nl, and I was interested in the concept of bunq so I wanted to try!

                                    So I made myself an account and at first I thought "hmmm, not that cool"

                                    I used it next to ABN Amro, so I topped it up a few times and used it for Card Payments and I liked it very much! Instant notifications, I got a lot of compliments about the colorful debit card!

                                    I started to use it as my main bank and it is great, but when Bunq premium launched it took me 3 months of doubing if I wanted to upgrade my profile and now I'm so glad I did it.

                                    NO REGRETS AND BUNQ IS AWESOME!

                                    I LOVE THE FREEDOM ā¤ļø

                                      Ik ben bunqr sinds 2015 en wat mij het meeste in bunq aantrok waren het betalen voor wat je gebruikt, de jeans/sneaker cultuur en de kleurtjes die helemaal passen bij mijn leven. Ik ben echt allergisch voor van die banktypes met hun stropdas die de klant wel even vertellen wat belangrijk is en wat wel en niet kan.
                                      Na verloop van tijd werd de bunq app steeds volwassener en stond alleen nog het niet beschikbaar zijn van de en/of rekening een overstap in de weg. Direct nadat bunq de en/of rekening heeft geĆÆntroduceerd zijn we als huishouden overgestapt en kort daarna van het bunq more model overgestapt op bunq premium, puur en alleen omdat Apple Pay beschikbaar is.

                                      Dat bunq niet investeert vind ik eerder een nadeel dan een voordeel. Investeren is goed, daar is de maatschappij op gebouwd. Je kan discussiëren waarin geïnvesteerd moet worden, maar investeren zelf is niet vies/raar/eng/fout. Een beetje investeren zorgt ook voor betaalbare producten en de massa zal simpelweg gewoon spaarrente willen. Wil bunq groeien, dan zal er op dat gebied iets moeten gebeuren.