# What is the best bank to use while in Spain for the long term?



## nova2018 (Jan 2, 2019)

So,

I am a UK resident and will be moving into Madrid for the long term in a few months and I'd like to know what is the best bank to use. I do not plan on ever switching from a British passport to a Spanish one, no matter how long I stay. Even if I settle down in Spain.

I am also an entrepreneur and I work online, so there's that to consider as well.

I do not plan to go back to Sabadell due to many poor experiences and none of the other Spanish banks seem to fill me with confidence either.

I am also not too fussed about the withdrawal rates from ATMs since I won't be using them often. I read about the N26 bank and while they do charge monthly fees, the 200€ per year for their best personal service doesn't phase me in the slightest as long as it saves me the hassle, time and complicated crap that I have to deal with anytime I have to deal with anything official in Spain.

I will also keep my Santander account in the UK open, just to be on the safe side.

N26 seems to have a good enough rating, but I wanted to know what you guys think. If you don't recommend them, who would you recommend?

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/n26.com

https://n26.com/en-gb/?utm_medium=company_profile&utm_source=trustpilot&utm_campaign=logo_click


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Once you move to Spain you will no longer be a UK resident but a Spanish one.

Don't confuse citizenship with resident - it is your choice whether to get a Spanish passport or not but residency is quite different.

Once resident, bank charges are much less. I would suggest you give Sabadell another go - perhaps a different branch. Their fees are zero if you meet their criteria.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

One you can walk to, with a manager you can talk to.

All have their pros and cons, their advocates and their opponents, so I always say go for convenience!


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## nova2018 (Jan 2, 2019)

snikpoh said:


> Once you move to Spain you will no longer be a UK resident but a Spanish one.
> 
> Don't confuse citizenship with resident - it is your choice whether to get a Spanish passport or not but residency is quite different.
> 
> Once resident, bank charges are much less. I would suggest you give Sabadell another go - perhaps a different branch. Their fees are zero if you meet their criteria.


Thanks for letting me know. I just thought Brexit might affect something like that, but as someone has already said, we won't really know what the effects are until it's ACTUALLY happened. As most people are just over reacting about how bad Brexit will be, when in reality they don't really know what the effects will be.

I don't care much about bank charges or fees, but about convenience (since I almost never have the need to go to banks to talk about anything in the first place, but I like things done fact), professionalism (Sabadell lacks this a lot) and trust (even less). It also doesn't help the fact that every business or professional interaction I've had with Spaniards and non-Spaniards leading companies within Spain over 12 months has led an extremely bad taste in my mouth. So, that's why I'm trying to avoid it as much as possible.

Social interactions are a very different story and that's one reason why I'm moving there.

That being said, if we take a company like N26 and let's say that the more you pay them, the faster and better the quality of their customer service will be, then I'll take it. Because it'll be guaranteed to be better than any bank in Spain as you won't be treated like just any other customer, but a top paying one and companies generally do everything they can for their top clients to keep them happy. Plus, it's only 200€ per year, which is small change to me.

So, I guess I've decided already who I'll choose, as I tend to think best as a talk (which is kind of weird when you think about it), but I appreciate the comments anyway!


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