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Comment by markvdb | Hacker News Reader

Call me underwhelmed by all of this.

I've never paid a cent for my EU € banking needs for twenty years. Decent web based banking. Real people in a branch a 5 minute walk away. Free SEPA € transactions, free debit and credit card.

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These traits certainly aren't found in all EU countries.

> Real people in a branch a 5 minute walk away.

None of the major banks in the UK meet this critetia (well, maybe in London). Most of the banks are located in city centres, manned 9-to5 Mon to Friday (which is when im working of course), and most of them tell you to do your banking online/using the in-branch machines.

> free debit and credit card.

Again,country specific. Ireland used to charge 2.50/cadx, and now charges 0.12c a transaction, up to 2.50 per year.

Where are you? Where I live the banks are pretty much a cartel that haven't had to handle competition for decades and view their customers with infantilizing condescension. And there are loads of fees, as well as absurd interest rates on mortgages. Oh, and they destroyed the country, at least for a while.

Belgium. Banking is one of the only services price competitive with other EU countries here.

I don't know in which country your bank is but my anecdotal experience of banks in France are that monthly fees are common ?

Brick and mortar banks yes.

But you can easily open an online account with Boursorama, ING, Fortuneo and lot of others with no fee (some require specific income or assets tho).

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