Thousands of residents in Spain - both Spanish and foreign - have set the same ambitious goal for 2022: stop paying commissions for the simple fact of having a bank account.
A general escalation of bank fees began in 2019, driven by the fall in interest rates to historical lows, which threatened the profitability of banks.
Since then, in search of new sources of income, banks have greatly increased their fees. According to the latest data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE), in November 2021 bank and post office commissions had risen 10.6% year-on-year.
The cost of having a bank account in Spain today can reach 240 euros per year, depending on the financial institution. Those most affected by this new commercial policy are the people who do not receive regular salary or pension payments. For this reason, Spanish banks without maintenance fees have become the most sought after on the internet by Spanish consumers.
According to the financial information website Helpmycash.com, there are still banks that do not charge commissions for their bank accounts and that did not increase their prices in 2021. These are, above all, online banks.
Their main advantages are that they are free and that many do not charge commissions to clients without a salary or another stable source of income.
Currently, according to Helpmycash.com, the ranking of the best accounts without commissions and maintenance fees is led by the online accounts offered by BBVA, Openbank and Abanca.
Other banks, such as Santander, Liberbank or N26, also offer free online accounts without linking a monthly salary, pension or unemployment benefit or other regular source of income.
