Hey Geoffrey! At bunq, we always aim to improve our services, and the discontinuation of the Metal Card is in line with our mission, as it allows us to focus more on our general card offering 🙌 If anything happens to your card, don't hesitate to reach out to our support team and they will assess your specific situation!

So there will be no replacement? I thought there was talk about a replacement in the works when this got announced…

Hey there @Gerhard-Yellow-Frog#289526 👋

Thank you so much for reaching out to us 😊 I'd be happy to clarify this issue!

As of January 15, 2024, we've stopped offering the Metal Credit Card. But don't worry, if you're currently using a Metal Credit Card and need a replacement, we've got you covered. Just keep in mind that the availability of these replacement cards is limited and you can only order a replacement if your account is fully active and has a positive balance. Just a heads up, the free replacement policy doesn't apply to Metal Cards. There's a fee of €89.99 for replacing Metal Credit Cards. You can find more details about this here 📚

If you have any questions regarding your account or your Metal Card, feel free to reach out to our support team from here as Alexia suggested 🌈

I just join the discussion because I am a bit frustrated with the vague support statements. While the Metal Card is comparable expensive and comes with own specific issues like a generally non-convincing quality of the coating and the fact that some ATMs eat the card because it is considered fraud attempt (it's thicker and more heavy than plastic cards) it still has nice haptics and is something which is a visible statement for a premium priced bank account.

I'd like to know:

• Why exactly does BUNQ stop the Metal Card programm? What are the reasons?
• In which aspect do Metal Cards not fit with the Mission and which Mission is it?
• What will be improved with the "general card offering"?
• Since the production cost of a Metal Card is usually below $10, why is there still a premium fee associated with it, especially now that the program is being discontinued and availability is limited?
• What will differentiate the different account tiers in the future? Without the Metal Card, it feels like there's a lot of greenwashing going on, which is nice but not essential considering other options like direct donations to Eden Reforestation.

Given the recent fee increases and the discontinuation of the Metal Card, I'm curious to know what Bunq's plans are to retain users. Will it just be cosmetic changes or something more substantial?

I'm curious ;-)

@Alexia-Hummingbird#290976 Thank you for your response, and please don't take it personally if I still find it somewhat vague and insufficient. Clarity is only partially achieved here. It remains unclear why (that is, for what factual reasons) the metal cards are no longer available. Furthermore, it is not clear what is supposed to improve in the future.

Firstly, a feature is being removed, while fees are increasing. How should I interpret this as a customer? If I'm paying more for less, then the attractiveness of the offer decreases. If this isn't transparently communicated and understandable, then that's not helpful either.

Regarding trees: If I donate $15 directly to Eden Reforestation monthly, that plants 100 trees every month - how many trees does Bunq plant per Easy Green customer from the around €19 monthly fee, and how much transaction volume do I need to generate monthly to achieve the same volume?

But setting aside the topic of trees - everyone can handle that as they wish - I still wonder what the response to my questions should be, other than clichés with low informative value? I don't think you've adequately answered my questions.

For example, it would be okay for me if you wrote that you yourselves still don't know what will happen in the future - however, as a Bunq customer with a metal card, I would like a more transparent approach, and currently it feels to me like the metal card is a victim of profit maximization. For me as a customer, this is another reason not to switch to the highest-priced tariff and to question my current commitment in the Easy Money tariff prospectively.

I would appreciate clear, transparent communication. I would like to have good reasons for Bunq and not reasons that speak against it because - proverbially - the milk is being turned sour.

@Bogz#291369 Don't you think physical cards are becoming less important? I can't remember the last time I used a physical card, I use Google Pay all the time

@thijsoost absolutely agree with you on the smartphone payments, but why not sell people something they seem to be willing to pay for? ;-)

@thijsoost#291371 This really depends on some factors. In Germany - for example - the addiction to physical cards and money is big and many (especially older generations) really stick on physical card payments and real money. So having a physical card is still important. We may discuss if we need a metal card - but the metal card is one of the reasons for some Bunq members to pay for the higher priced plans. The plastic cards which look indeed very cheap and also do not provide premium haptic may not adequate to justify the higher prices. Also the green stuff, which is more or less a marketing thing, may not fill the gap here.

So Bunq should have a good reason to drop the metal cards and this reason should not simply be profit maximization - there should be a story customers can understand and in an ideal world Bunq provides something else for the money customers pay. Transparency creates trust and understanding - but providing blurry answers do not. And that's the point...

At the end of the day: Depending on the country, the culture, the age Google Pay may be good enough - in some countries you will run into difficulties if you do not have a physical card and especially in Germany you will run likely into difficulties if you do not have real money and real money without a card can be very, very challenging in Germany ;-) A metal card is not really necessary - but if I pay roughly 10 or 20 bucks for bank account (even with a superior app) I expect more than basic standard ;-)