N26 vs Revolut for paying autonomo cuota, real fees
don't forget that even with an es iban you still need to make sure your name matches exactly with what you put on the modelo 036. i had a friend in mallorca get his cuota rejected because he used his middle name on revolut but not on his autonomo registration. n26 seems to be more flexible with those small discrepancies.
the hidden fee with revolut is the exchange rate if you are moving money from your home country to cover the cuota. the free plan has limits on weekends. n26 is much more transparent for the day to day stuff in spain. plus the n26 card is actually accepted at some of the smaller shops in palma that rejected my revolut card for some reason.
does n26 actually let you pay the taxes directly from the app or do you have to set up a direct debit on the government website? i am still waiting for my tie and i need to get the banking sorted this week. the 80 euro flat rate for the first year is cheap but the fines for missing a payment are huge. i hear they slap on 20 percent if you are late.
everyone says n26 is the way to go but i have had zero issues with revolut in the last year. paying the 80 euro fee is automatic and i never get flagged. maybe it depends on if you have the metal plan or just the basic one. how long have you been using n26 for this? i might switch if they have better customer service for tax issues.
customer service for tax issues is non existent on both. they are fintechs not gestors. if the payment bounces you are the one who has to go to the social security office in person to fix it and pay the 10 percent penalty. pay the extra for a peace of mind bank like n26.
i made the mistake of trying to use my original irish revolut account when i first moved to palma. it was a disaster because it didn't have the ES prefix back then. now that they give spanish ibans it is better but i still hear horror stories about the tgss rejecting the payment mandate. n26 just feels more integrated with the local system for some reason.
i actually disagree about n26 being the safe bet. they locked my account for two weeks for a compliance check right when my quarterly vat was due. it was a nightmare. at least with revolut i can see the pending transaction clearly. are you sure you aren't just getting lucky with the flagging?
that sounds like a nightmare. did they give you a reason for the lock? i am about to sign up for n26 in palma to pay my first cuota and now i am nervous. i thought they were the gold standard for nomads here.
the real problem isn't the bank but the digital nomad setup in general. if you are in palma go to the bank march branch and just open a physical account. it costs more in maintenance fees but when the government blocks your account for a random check you have a real person to talk to. n26 support is just a bot that loops you.