# Bankia charge for debit card



## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

CaixaBank suprime las tarjetas de débito gratuitas a los clientes de Bankia


Impondrá un coste de mantenimiento de 36 euros al año y bonificará MyCard, su producto de crédito




cincodias.elpais.com





Fo those of us who use Bankia. Bad enough the way they charge you monthy for using your account ( unless you have a monthly income ) they now will charge 36 euros a year for the pleasure of using their debit card!!!.
What with electricty charges going through the roof ( anyone else who has neighbours cooking and washing in the middle of the night?) Spain really is getting expensive !


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

My banks charged a fee, I think UK free banking is not the norm anywhere else, I pay €36 a year for cards. It's a business, so I'm not surprised TBH. My friends who are on mains tell me electricity is pretty much the same as before apart from the extra used during heatwave. Food prices seem to have increased , again not surprised Covid etc. Bought a brand new car for less than UK, second hand cars seem very pricey in comparison. Overall I'm not sure Spain is getting more expensiv, but then we always based our move here on like for like and budgeted accordingly. What else do you find expensive, did you not find the UK expensive on your recent visit. I dread going, it's an arm and a leg to do anything.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Supermarkets were cheaper in uk with a better range and a felt that food out was more expensive but quality was much better than Spain. Clothes were really cheap and range was fantastic. Edinburghs new St James shopping centre is incredible. I guess alcohol is expensive in UK. £5.00 a pint. But a caña in my local bar just shot up to 1.50 € and that was with 1/3rd being a head! But electricity in Spain!!! Its ridiculous! My electricity bill is now 60 € a month compared to 43euros last year and I have a small one room apartment with hob , no AC, washing machine and small water heater for shower. It is a complete RIP-off!!


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

I am currently paying account maintenance charges of €15 per quarter with Sabadell, which will not apply once I start to receive a directly deposited pension (my UK state pension) next year. Can't have my occupational pension paid into my Spanish account as the employer's pension scheme will only pay into a UK account. There is no additional charge for use of a debit card.

I have not experienced a rise in my electricity bills. My supplier (Naturgy) took ages to send me the last bill, and once it arrived it covered the months of May (at the old tariff), June and July (at the new tariff). Last year for the same months my bills totalled €155 and this year the total for those 3 months was €135, so €20 less. Iam on a tariff whereby I pay the same unit cost for electricity no matter what time of day or day of the week it is used, same as I was before. That's for 2 people in an all-electric apartment with hob, oven, microwave, fridgefreezer, dishwasher, washing machine, water heater, aircon and ceiliing fan, and we cook 2 separate main meals 6 days a week normally, as we don't eat the same things.

The only expense which has gone up this year is the house insurance premium which goes up a few euros each year.
Electricity is now less; IBI and water are the same and have not changed for years. Bus fares have not gone up, my hairdressers haven't increased their prices and have just booked a VTC return airport transfer for an upcoming holiday which is exactly the same price as before the pandemic, although I keep reading that fuel has gone up in price a lot.
Don't notice any difference overall in food prices, a couple of things seem to have gone up but then there are others which have gone down.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

I pay zero for bank accounts as well as credit and debit cards with sabadell although i di have other products with them and wages. I have a joint account with my oh and we only use to transfer joint bills in and out. Bank manager said they are starting to charge 5 euros a month for standard expansion accounts soon if there is not a nomina going in so just switched it to a premium account like the others so it's free. 

My electric is, if anything cheaper now with the vat reduction. I am spending more recently but thats because i now charge car every day. 

Shopping, i dont notice much difference although like many things, compared to 20 years ago its obvious more expensive. 

Best thing is change bank if you're getting fees or threaten to and if they value your business they will change the terms. Register for club cards in your supermarket. Where I shop i get a cheque for between 10 and 15 euros every month off shopping and also personalised discounts based on the things i buy regularly and their other suggestions.

I don't like the huge supermarkets much but, for thowe with iberdrola, keep in mind if you get a carrefour club card you get 5% of ur electric bill to spend in carrefour. So it's not a lot but every couple of months ill go and buy something with that cheque too!


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Lynn R said:


> I am currently paying account maintenance charges of €15 per quarter with Sabadell, which will not apply once I start to receive a directly deposited pension (my UK state pension) next year. Can't have my occupational pension paid into my Spanish account as the employer's pension scheme will only pay into a UK account. There is no additional charge for use of a debit card.
> 
> I have not experienced a rise in my electricity bills. My supplier (Naturgy) took ages to send me the last bill, and once it arrived it covered the months of May (at the old tariff), June and July (at the new tariff). Last year for the same months my bills totalled €155 and this year the total for those 3 months was €135, so €20 less. Iam on a tariff whereby I pay the same unit cost for electricity no matter what time of day or day of the week it is used, same as I was before. That's for 2 people in an all-electric apartment with hob, oven, microwave, fridgefreezer, dishwasher, washing machine, water heater, aircon and ceiliing fan, and we cook 2 separate main meals 6 days a week normally, as we don't eat the same things.
> 
> ...


Does your Bank not have a 'blanket' rule about deposits then?
We are with Santander and I only have to deposit more than €600 a month from anywhere to stop the €20 a month 'maintenance fee' 

I have my private pension paid to my Uk bank. I then move it via Wise (and put pension) in the reason and then move €650 to my Wife's account and we pay NO bank fee's.
In fact this is what the bank manager told me to do. 
He actually said we could move the same €600 back and forth and that would be the same. The computer is only looking for a minimum deposit and X number of DD and card uses a month.

Electric bills. Ours are almost exactly the same. We have an 8 hour plan with Iberdrola and the price didn't rise. In fact Augusts bill last year was €1.5 dearer than this years and we have more stuff (like a fishtank running).

Fuel has gone up (petrol) over the last year, food seems the same, IBI the same, my car insurance went up €6


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Barriej said:


> Does your Bank not have a 'blanket' rule about deposits then?
> We are with Santander and I only have to deposit more than €600 a month from anywhere to stop the €20 a month 'maintenance fee'


They did have (the minimum which must be deposited each month is €700) but from the start of this year, I think it was, they also introduced the €15 per quarter charge unlesss the accountholder has a directly deposited pension, or has an insurance product or investment account with the bank. I don't want to change my house insurance policy to theirs and don't have either car insurance or health insurance nor do I want an investment account with them, so I'm paying the charge until my UK state pension starts getting paid in to that account next year. My husband doesn't pay any charge for his account as his UK state pension already gets paid in.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Lynn R said:


> They did have (the minimum which must be deposited each month is €700) but from the start of this year, I think it was, they also introduced the €15 per quarter charge unlesss the accountholder has a directly deposited pension, or has an insurance product or investment account with the bank. I don't want to change my house insurance policy to theirs and don't have either car insurance or health insurance nor do I want an investment account with them, so I'm paying the charge until my UK state pension starts getting paid in to that account next year. My husband doesn't pay any charge for his account as his UK state pension already gets paid in.


Ask if they will remove it if you take a credit card. Sometimes they will, or used to if y did a minimum or 3 or 4 transactions on it. That way you pay your shopping on the card, set payments to 100% end of month, pay no interest and avoid bank fees. Not sure they still offer that but worth asking!


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

xicoalc said:


> Ask if they will remove it if you take a credit card. Sometimes they will, or used to if y did a minimum or 3 or 4 transactions on it. That way you pay your shopping on the card, set payments to 100% end of month, pay no interest and avoid bank fees. Not sure they still offer that but worth asking!


But I don't want a credit card. Theirs has an annual amount you must spend on it in order for it to be free. Really, I'm not objecting to paying the €60 a year until next year when I start getting my state pension.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

I dont have a sufficiently large enough nomina to get the free charge on my account. Iberdrola is my provider and it looks like I am the only one here who actually has a larger bill than before which is strange as I saw today that Spain now has a record price for electricity so obviously I am doing something wrong. I guess the price of living depends on the source of your income. If you work in Spain it's expensive. If you have income from UK then I guess it's cheap.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

I suppose it's all about what you buy in the supermarket and what you eat. We eat fresh food daily and cook from scratch. I'm with Santander no fees, apart from the €36 a year. There's no monthly income but a lump sum paid in half yearly, not sure if that makes a difference. My daughter recently over and kindly paid for a supermarket shop. She was surprised at what she got for the money. Again, maybe it's dependant on where you live. We supermarket stock up every fortnight. We have a large walk in pantry and two freezers. In between we shop at the local market. Our Movistar contract is not very expensive but probably our major monthly outlay at €80pm for TV, two mobile phones including calls, house phone and unlimited internet. Compared to my brother with sky (no mobile phones) £120. My council tax €250 a year compared to UK daughter £2150 mas o menos.

Wages less here my niece gets £9
At Starbucks while at college, which similar to my hourly rate working here.

Still I live here, staying here, cut cloth accordingly.


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## tmarshall57 (Jan 17, 2017)

kaipa said:


> CaixaBank suprime las tarjetas de débito gratuitas a los clientes de Bankia
> 
> 
> Impondrá un coste de mantenimiento de 36 euros al año y bonificará MyCard, su producto de crédito
> ...


To respond to the OP: I have had the Bankia Cuenta On account since 2018 which is (supposedly) completely free if conducted online, push notifications are accepted and if you register a mobile phone with the account. In practice I've been charged €28 for each of the 2 debit cards we have for each year. I have recovered these charges only by making official written complaints. I have received the notification from CaixaBank relating to the new charges which, in theory, for me appear to apply from June 2022. However I've been looking at alternative banking arrangements. As a non-resident who has basic banking needs, the accounts which appear most attractive (and fee free) to me are N.26 (which allows a Spanish IBAN and the Cajamar Wefferent account, both of which appear to offer free banking to both residents and non-residents. I started to explore the Wefferent account last time I was in Spain (a long while ago due to Covid) and was told that I would need to attend a branch and bring relevant ID. It was confirmed that the account is open to residents and non-residents. My Spanish was pretty hopeless at the time so I completed an online enquiry form, someone called me back within an hour or so and when he realised his English was about the same calibre as my Spanish, passed me over to a colleague who explained everything in a friendly fashion. My plan is to close my Bankia account over the next month or so and open both a N.26 and a Wefferent account. Any other experiences welcome.


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## Melosine (Apr 28, 2013)

kaipa said:


> I dont have a sufficiently large enough nomina to get the free charge on my account. Iberdrola is my provider and it looks like I am the only one here who actually has a larger bill than before which is strange as I saw today that Spain now has a record price for electricity so obviously I am doing something wrong. I guess the price of living depends on the source of your income. If you work in Spain it's expensive. If you have income from UK then I guess it's cheap.


We are with Iberdrola and since having a tailored plan, via their desk in Carrefore, our electricity cost have reduced considerably. Especially with the new system.
Monthly bill August 2020 €304. August 2021 €194. Which considering because of the hot 🔥weather our aircon was on we used more, is amazing.
Suggest you contact Iberdrola.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

I am also an ex Caja Madrid, ex Bankia, now Caixa customer since 2006. I haven't paid for my debit cards ever, having always met the contractual conditions to have "free" cards. But the Caixa changes will affect me from June.

I am not an expert on this but my understanding is that the bank can propose unilateral changes to the contracts with customers and the customer's silence is tha acceptance. But I will not be silent, either they will have to agree to maintain the free cards or I will simply move all the salary funds to an alternative bank (with free cards) the day after it arrives in the Caixa account, and cancel the cards which they want to charge me for.

I'll let you all know how I get on!


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Melosine said:


> We are with Iberdrola and since having a tailored plan, via their desk in Carrefore, our electricity cost have reduced considerably. Especially with the new system.
> Monthly bill August 2020 €304. August 2021 €194. Which considering because of the hot 🔥weather our aircon was on we used more, is amazing.
> Suggest you contact Iberdrola.


Wow that is a huge saving. Nearly 30% reduction!!. Todays news said that August has had the highest electricity charge ever in Spain and showed Spanish comparing facturas over the last few months. Most of the people here seem to report no change or a reduction. Guess expats are canny folk.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

kaipa said:


> Wow that is a huge saving. Nearly 30% reduction!!. Todays news said that August has had the highest electricity charge ever in Spain and showed Spanish comparing facturas over the last few months. Most of the people here seem to report no change or a reduction. Guess expats are canny folk.


From what I have read, the changes mainly affect consumers on the PVPC tariff, whereas in the free market consumers can choose the tariff which best suits their pattern of consumption. See this article, just above where it says "36 per cent rise in July".









Price of electricity hits an all-time high in Spain, sparked by cost of gas


The average price of electricity in the wholesale market in Spain will hit a new high this Monday (9 August), with an average cost of 106.74 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) and thus




www.surinenglish.com


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> From what I have read, the changes mainly affect consumers on the PVPC tariff, whereas in the free market consumers can choose the tariff which best suits their pattern of consumption. See this article, just above where it says "36 per cent rise in July".
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Okay that explains things. I am on the PVPC contract.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

kaipa said:


> . I guess the price of living depends on the source of your income. If you work in Spain it's expensive. If you have income from UK then I guess it's cheap.


????? Surely it's the amount of income that makes the difference, not where it comes from. If a Spanish worker has €1k per month to live on, and a British pensioner also has €1k per month to live on, then that €1k buys them exactly the same.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

kaipa said:


> Okay that explains things. I am on the PVPC contract.


Shop around for a better deal, then. My supplier told me I'd be better off because they started giving 25% discount on the standing charge from June, although the unit price of electricity looked a lot higher so I was very sceptical about that claim and was all set to switch suppliers. I'm sure the reduction in IVA helped too, but turned out they were right. As I'm a fairly low user of electricity I think that worked out better for me. And I still don't have to bother about what time of day or day of the week I use appliances.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> ????? Surely it's the amount of income that makes the difference, not where it comes from. If a Spanish worker has €1k per month to live on, and a British pensioner also has €1k per month to live on, then that €1k buys them exactly the same.


What I mean is that average incomes in UK ( work, rents, ISAs, bonds) are higher than Spain. So if the source of your income comes from UK Spain is cheap. If you work in Spain ( 1,000 euros a month) it is becoming expensive


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> Shop around for a better deal, then. My supplier told me I'd be better off because they started giving 25% discount on the standing charge from June, although the unit price of electricity looked a lot higher so I was very sceptical about that claim and was all set to switch suppliers. I'm sure the reduction in IVA helped too, but turned out they were right. As I'm a fairly low user of electricity I think that worked out better for me. And I still don't have to bother about what time of day or day of the week I use appliances.


So that 25% reduction sounds like an introductory offer that runs for a limited period?


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

kaipa said:


> So that 25% reduction sounds like an introductory offer that runs for a limited period?


It is for one year. When that comes to an end I shall be looking around and comparing other suppliers. That's the downside of the free market, it involves a lot more work on the part of the consumer to make sure they're taking advantage of the best deal for their circumstances. But the companies are not daft and don't want to lose customers to their competitors.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

deleted


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> It is for one year. When that comes to an end I shall be looking around and comparing other suppliers. That's the downside of the free market, it involves a lot more work on the part of the consumer to make sure they're taking advantage of the best deal for their circumstances. But the companies are not daft and don't want to lose customers to their competitors.


Yes I agree that the downsize is that you have to spend time searching around for the best deals. That is what I dislike doing as it takes time and you constantly need to be checking the details and payment dates.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Lynn R said:


> But I don't want a credit card. Theirs has an annual amount you must spend on it in order for it to be free. Really, I'm not objecting to paying the €60 a year until next year when I start getting my state pension.


Yeah but if you make all payments in full automatic at end of month you pay no interest. So imagine they say you have to spend 100 a month. Do your shopping or whatever and on 31st it gets charged. No interests but a saving on the account fee!


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## Do28 (Dec 21, 2010)

Spain is still vastly cheaper than the UK in my experience. My electric bill in the UK is nearly £300 a month. Its just gone through .20p per KW.h due to global energy prices rises multiplied by rip off Britain. My electric bill here is roughly €30 a month depending on whether I have had the air con on or not. Although its central air on an inverter and is very efficient.

My council tax in the Uk is £3200 per year. I rent here at the moment (while our new house is being built) and its included in the rent which costs me €700 a month for an absolutely stunning ultra modern apartment in the heart of Jerez with private underground parking and gated communal area shared between the 7 apartments and roof pool. I walk straight out the front into a garden square in the cobbled heart of the city. Food here is cheaper than the UK and much more fresh choice. My wife reckons she spends about €180 a month here on food and twice that when we are in the UK. We do eat out a lot more here though but its so cheap it seems rude not to.

I was in the UK last week for a week on my way back from Cyprus and there are a lot of Brexit induced shortages because of the lack of drivers. I don't have a bank account in Spain as I have never needed one, I pay my bills just fine from my UK account which is multi currency and that includes the direct debits for power, water/garbage and my internet with Movistar. I have a Vodafone contract that costs me €10 a month for 35gb data and 900min calls which rolls over so much its currently at over 300gb and I can't remember the last time I made a non FaceTime|Whatsapp call and I don't have a house phone. I don't own a car as I cycle/walk/scooter everywhere and on the occasions I do need one I just rent it, Off peak Goldcar charge me €3.50 a day for a Fiat 500!!! I pay €18 a month for my Gym/Spa membership which is used 6 times a week but thats about it!

And what makes it all worthwhile is the endless sunshine!!!


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

flybe said:


> Spain is still vastly cheaper than the UK in my experience. My electric bill in the UK is nearly £300 a month. Its just gone through .20p per KW.h due to global energy prices rises multiplied by rip off Britain. My electric bill here is roughly €30 a month depending on whether I have had the air con on or not. Although its central air on an inverter and is very efficient.
> 
> My council tax in the Uk is £3200 per year. I rent here at the moment (while our new house is being built) and its included in the rent which costs me €700 a month for an absolutely stunning ultra modern apartment in the heart of Jerez with private underground parking and gated communal area shared between the 7 apartments and roof pool. I walk straight out the front into a garden square in the cobbled heart of the city. Food here is cheaper than the UK and much more fresh choice. My wife reckons she spends about €180 a month here on food and twice that when we are in the UK. We do eat out a lot more here though but its so cheap it seems rude not to.
> 
> ...


Count yourself lucky your income is derived from the UK. For those of us working in Spain it is far from cheap ( 1000 euros a month) and working in 36 degrees is an absolute killer.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

flybe said:


> Spain is still vastly cheaper than the UK in my experience. My electric bill in the UK is nearly £300 a month. Its just gone through .20p per KW.h due to global energy prices rises multiplied by rip off Britain. My electric bill here is roughly €30 a month depending on whether I have had the air con on or not. Although its central air on an inverter and is very efficient.
> 
> My council tax in the Uk is £3200 per year. I rent here at the moment (while our new house is being built) and its included in the rent which costs me €700 a month for an absolutely stunning ultra modern apartment in the heart of Jerez with private underground parking and gated communal area shared between the 7 apartments and roof pool. I walk straight out the front into a garden square in the cobbled heart of the city. Food here is cheaper than the UK and much more fresh choice. My wife reckons she spends about €180 a month here on food and twice that when we are in the UK. We do eat out a lot more here though but its so cheap it seems rude not to.
> 
> ...


I agree it's cheaper to live in Spain, it was one of the main reasons we moved here when we took early retirement in 2008. Council tax, water rates etc were about 1 quarter of what we paid in the UK, and so many things, like open-air concerts, are free or dirt cheap. For example, at our municipal swimming pool I get 30 tickets for 20 euros; the open-air pool in Oxford now charges £8 per visit 

But the novelty of endless sunshine does wear off!


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