Bunq Easy Savings 2026 Review: 3.16% EUR with Full Dutch DGS

TL;DR

Bunq Easy Savings pays 3.16% on EUR for Easy plan, 3.36% for Easy Investments+, and up to 4.16% for Premium+ (Q1 2026). Unlike Wise or Lightyear, deposits are held on Bunq's own balance sheet as a fully licensed Dutch bank and covered by the Dutch DGS (DNB) up to €100,000 per depositor. Interest is paid monthly with no balance cap on most plans. The catch: Bunq is a paid product — Easy plan starts at €2.99/month, and the high 4.16% Premium+ rate requires a €17.99/month subscription (cost-justified only on balances above ~€20-30k). Best for: people who want a real bank account with sub-account organisation, instant SEPA, and high yield in one app, and who already use or would use Bunq's spending features. Worst for: anyone treating it as a pure savings account at the basic Easy tier (€2.99 fee eats yield on small balances).

Why Bunq differs from neobroker savings products

Most "high-yield" platforms reviewed in 2025-2026 are not banks — they're either brokers (Trade Republic, Lightyear), e-money issuers (Wise), or marketplaces (Raisin). Bunq is genuinely different: it is a fully licensed Dutch bank, supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) and the European Central Bank as a significant institution under SSM rules.

That means when you open Bunq Easy Savings:

• You get a real Dutch IBAN
• Your deposits sit on Bunq's balance sheet
• You are covered by the Dutch Deposit Guarantee Scheme up to €100,000 per depositor in case of bank failure
• Your interest is bank-deposit interest (cleanest tax treatment in most jurisdictions)

The trade-off is that Bunq monetises through subscription plans rather than spreads on cash. You pay a monthly fee for the account, and in exchange you get a yield that is competitive but not always the absolute highest in the EU.

In Q1 2026, Bunq's headline rates are:

• Easy plan (€2.99/month): 3.16% on Easy Savings
• Easy Investments+ (€7.99/month): 3.36% on Easy Savings
• Premium / Easy Bank (€10.99/month): ~3.66% on Easy Savings
• Premium+ (€17.99/month): 4.16% on Easy Savings + Bunq Metal card + extra perks

Always check the live rate — Bunq adjusts roughly in line with ECB policy.

Side-by-side overview

How Bunq Easy Savings actually works

When you open a Bunq account and select a plan with Easy Savings:

1. You get a primary Dutch IBAN (your "main" account) and can open up to 25 sub-accounts for budgeting, of which one or more can be flagged as Easy Savings.
2. Funds in Easy Savings sub-accounts earn the headline rate, calculated daily, paid monthly.
3. The deposit sits on Bunq's balance sheet — Bunq uses the funds as part of its banking operations and is subject to ECB/DNB supervision and capital requirements.
4. You can move money instantly between any of your sub-accounts and your spending account; SEPA Instant outbound is also supported.
5. The Dutch DGS protects you up to €100,000 per depositor (across all your Bunq accounts in aggregate, not per sub-account).

Critically, Bunq's rate is partially funded by the subscription fee, not a pure spread on customer cash. This is why higher-tier plans pay more interest — you are buying yield by subscribing. The math only works above a certain balance threshold (covered below).

Real-world example: 12 months at each plan

The crucial calculation is net yield after the monthly subscription fee. Let's compare each plan over 12 months at different balances. (Assuming the rate holds for the full year, which it likely won't.)

Easy plan (€2.99/month = €35.88/year), 3.16% rate

Premium+ (€17.99/month = €215.88/year), 4.16% rate

The breakeven for Premium+ vs Easy is roughly €20,000-€22,000 of balance — below that, the cheaper Easy plan is more cost-effective per euro of yield.

But Bunq subscriptions also include other features: card spending limits, FX-free spending, travel insurance (on Premium+), Apple Pay, Google Pay, virtual cards, Bunq Metal card, etc. If you would pay for those features anyway, the savings rate is essentially "free" yield on top.

Tax considerations by country

Bunq deposit interest is straightforward bank-deposit interest in nearly every jurisdiction.

Poland

19% Belka on interest. Bunq does NOT withhold for Polish residents — self-report on PIT-38. Bunq provides annual interest statements; download from the app.

On €280 net interest (Easy plan, €10k balance), you owe €53 Belka, leaving €227 net.

Germany

Abgeltungsteuer ~26.375% on bank deposit interest. As a Dutch bank, Bunq does NOT withhold for German residents — self-report on Anlage KAP. Sparerpauschbetrag €1,000 applies.

Netherlands

Bunq is a Dutch bank — interest is reported automatically to the Belastingdienst. Box 3 deemed-return system applies (the Bunq balance value at 1 January is what matters, not the actual interest). For 2026, the deemed return for bank deposits is in the ~1.4-1.6% range, taxed at 36%.

Spain

Base del ahorro 19/21/23/27/28%. Foreign-account reporting (Modelo 720) likely applies if total foreign assets exceed €50k.

France

PFU 30% by default.

Italy

26% imposta sostitutiva on foreign deposit interest. Quadro RW disclosure required for foreign accounts.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Real bank with full Dutch DGS €100k protection
• Easy SEPA Instant in/out
• Up to 25 sub-accounts for budgeting and earmarking savings
• Easy multi-currency (22 currencies)
• Mobile-first UX considered among the best in EU banking
• Instant withdrawals to spending account or external IBAN
• Available across 30+ EEA countries without residency restrictions in most cases
• Treated as a deposit for tax purposes in most countries (cleaner than MMF income)

Cons

• Monthly subscription fee required for most features (€2.99-€17.99)
• Headline rate is below Trade Republic and Lightyear at the basic Easy tier
• Premium+ rate of 4.16% only economic above ~€20k balance
• No fixed-term option — rate is variable
• Foreign-asset reporting (Modelo 720, Quadro RW) may apply
• Customer support primarily in-app chat — limited phone support
• Pricing changes from time to time — historical rate cuts have annoyed long-term users

Who should use Bunq Easy Savings

Best for:

• Anyone who wants a real bank account with high yield in one app
• Users who value sub-account organisation for envelope-style budgeting
• People who already pay for premium banking features (Bunq Metal cardholders)
• EU residents who want Dutch DGS protection specifically (vs German via Trade Republic, vs Estonian via Lightyear)
• Multi-account households (each adult can open one)

Less ideal for:

• Pure savers with <€5k wanting maximum yield (use Trade Republic or Lightyear)
• People unwilling to pay any subscription fee
• Investors wanting fixed-term rate certainty (use Raisin)
• Multi-currency yield seekers (use Wise or Lightyear)

FAQ

Q: Can I open Bunq without paying for a plan? Bunq used to offer a free plan for some markets but now requires a paid plan for most users. Check the live signup flow for your country — basic plans start around €2.99/month.

Q: Is the rate the same for all my Easy Savings sub-accounts? Yes — all sub-accounts under the same plan earn the same headline rate.

Q: Does Bunq pay interest on the spending balance too? Some plans include interest on the main spending balance; others restrict interest to the Easy Savings sub-accounts. Check your plan terms.

Q: How does the €100k DGS work if I have €120k at Bunq? DGS protection is per depositor per bank, not per account. €100k is covered, the remaining €20k is unprotected and ranks as a normal creditor in the unlikely event of bank failure. Many investors consider keeping balances above €100k spread across multiple banks.

Q: Can companies open Bunq Easy Savings? Yes — Bunq has a separate Business plan (Bunq Business) which also has yield-bearing sub-accounts; the rate may differ.

Q: How do I move money between Bunq plans? You can downgrade or upgrade your plan in-app, usually effective the next billing cycle. Funds and sub-accounts move with you.

Practical setup: opening Bunq and configuring Easy Savings

Bunq's onboarding is among the smoothest in EU banking — most users complete it in 15 minutes:

1. Download the Bunq app (iOS / Android — no web onboarding for personal accounts).
2. Choose a plan (Easy at €2.99/mo is the entry tier; you can upgrade later).
3. Pay the first month's subscription via card (then the SEPA Direct Debit takes over from your Bunq balance).
4. Verify identity via video-ident with passport or EEA national ID. Approval typically within minutes.
5. Receive your Dutch IBAN instantly upon approval.
6. Order a physical card (optional) or use the virtual card immediately for online spending.
7. Create sub-accounts — including one or more Easy Savings sub-accounts. Funds you transfer there earn the headline rate from day one.
8. Move money in via SEPA from your home bank, or set up incoming salary directly to Bunq.

To enable yield specifically: when creating a sub-account, choose "Easy Savings" as the type. Standard sub-accounts (used for budgeting only) do not earn the headline rate.

How Bunq fits into a broader savings strategy

Many EU savers use Bunq for a specific role: the spending-and-buffer layer, with up to €100k of cash earning a deposit-protected yield in the same app where they manage daily expenses. They then complement it with:

• Trade Republic as an emergency fund holding pen with German DGS protection (different bank, different DGS).
• Raisin for medium-term locked deposits (12-60 month fixed-term).
• Wise or Lightyear for any USD/GBP balances they hold.

The advantage of layering is DGS diversification: €100k at Bunq (Dutch DGS), €100k at Trade Republic via Deutsche Bank (German DGS), €100k at Trade Republic via JP Morgan SE (German DGS), €100k via Raisin partner bank in France (French FGDR), etc. Even a saver with €500k can fully DGS-protect each €100k tranche.

Bunq vs Trade Republic for an EUR-only saver

The natural side-by-side for many readers:

• Headline rate: Trade Republic 4.00% beats Bunq Easy 3.16% by 84 bps.
• Subscription: Trade Republic free; Bunq Easy €35.88/year. On €10k balance, this gap = €120/year in favour of Trade Republic.
• Withdrawal speed: Bunq instant SEPA; Trade Republic 1-2 days SEPA.
• Bank vs broker: Bunq is a real bank with Dutch IBAN, card, instant SEPA, sub-accounts; Trade Republic is a broker offering cash interest as a feature.
• Deposit protection: Both DGS €100k — Bunq directly via DNB; Trade Republic via partner banks via German DGS.
• Tax treatment: Both interest income, both untreated for non-DE/non-NL self-reporting respectively.

If you want a real bank where you can spend, budget, and save in one app, Bunq makes sense even at the lower headline rate. If you want pure yield with no monthly cost, Trade Republic wins on math.

Tracking subscription costs vs yield

The Bunq subscription fee is a real cost that should be netted against earned interest when you compare savings platforms. Freenance lets you track recurring subscriptions (including Bunq, Wise, brokerage fees) alongside cash positions and earned interest, so you can see the true net yield by platform.

Compliance disclaimer

Rates and plan pricing change. Figures above are current as of Q1 2026; verify on Bunq's website before subscribing. Deposit guarantees apply per depositor per bank. This article is informational and is not financial advice. Tax treatment varies by country — consult a local tax advisor for your specific situation.

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