Review of Free Banking and Investment Account: Vivid Money
Features, Services, Fees and Opening
Vivid Money is one of Europe\’s hyped challenger banks that differentiate themselves with their innovative digital services and perks.
Founded in 2020, Vivid Money is a fairly young player. However, its collaboration with established Solarisbank and the coverage of funds under the German deposit insurance scheme make it a totally safe option to go. Vivid Money covers everything required for managing daily transactions by offering a current account with several sub-accounts, international cash withdrawals, an attractive cashback program as well as investments into shares, ETFs, cryptos and more.
1. Overview: Which bank accounts can customers choose from?
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- VIVID STANDARD Vivid accounts offer very different perks and solutions. Therefore, here, it’s more than worth checking the difference between the two account offers. Though any company tries to upsell their offers the basic account is already super rich in terms of daily usage but, also, in terms of security.
- VIVID PRIME With Prime account, the Vivid company opens up a new world of perks. From percentage of cashback to withdrawals limits or even the offer of a beautiful and extra safe metal card.
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| Standard | Prime | |
|---|---|---|
| Free Visa Debit Card (with contactless)1 | ||
| Choice on Card Design | Plastic | Metal or personalized |
| Free ATM withdrawals worldwide2 | €200 | €1,000 |
| Free ATM withdrawals in Germany2 | €200 | €1,000 |
| Mobile banking and payments | ||
| Sub-accounts (pockets)3 | 15 free (40 different currencies) | 15 free (107 different currencies) |
| Shared sub-accounts (pockets) with other users | ||
| Multi-language support4 | ||
| Investment offers | ||
| Crypto investment | 1 free / month | Unlimited |
| Cashback program | Up to €20 / month | Up to €100 / month |
| Insurance offers | ||
| Account security5 | ||
| Monthly fee | Free | €9.90 |
1 The card is free if at the time of opening you top it up with 200€. Otherwise a 9.90€ delivery fee will be applicable.
2 For both account types, the minimum cash withdrawal to avoid extra fees is €50. Any withdrawal below €50 or over the monthly limit is subject to 3% fee. This applies for both in Germany, EU and globally. MEGA TIP: And you ask: How can I know, in a foreign currency, that I am withdrawing above 50€ and below the limit? The answer is: in both accounts you have a “pocket” section that you can pre set up to the currency of the country you will travel to. Here you can (beforehand) put the right amount, let’s say 200€ if you have a standard account. And this way the chances to go below the 50€ or above the 200€ are much less.
3 Every individual pocket comes with an own German IBAN and can be connected directly to Visa card in the app. Also, different currencies can be saved on each pocket.
4 English, German, French, Italian or Spanish.
5 Besides the normal security measures Vivid Money offers to block the card within the app. Furthermore, the card is completely blank – card number, CVV or expiry date are only visible through the app. So even in case of theft or loss no one has access to those details.
Last update: 28 May 2022
Compare more banks and read further reviews in our overview of best bank accounts in Germany.
2. Features: What does the Vivid Money current account offer?
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- Free Visa Debit Card with contactless (fully suitable for i.e. store payments and online shopping; some hotel or rental car companies may ask for a credit card)
- Mobile payments and withdrawals (Apple Pay / Google Pay)
- Free card payments worldwide
- Free digital card
- Limited free cash withdrawals in Germany, the EU and worldwide with a minimum and a maximum fixed amount depending on the account type (Standard / Prime)
Tip: If you want to make sure that your withdrawals are within the limits when making transactions in a foreign currency, you can preset the currency of a pocket and deposit the correct amount there before withdrawing. - Free real-time transactions to other Vivid accounts
- 15 sub accounts that can also be shared with other users and managed in different currencies
- Investments opportunities in shares, ETFs, cryptos and precious metals. Setting up regular savings plans is possible.
- Cashback can be collected with both accounts but with a robust and larger offer for Vivid Prime.
- Vivid Standard users can collect up to €20 of cashback per month through card payments (0.5% cashback per transaction)
- Vivid Prime users can collect up to €100 of cashback per month through regular card transactions (1.5% cashback per transaction), payments at restaurants and cafés outside Europe (3% cashback per transaction) and shoppint at collaborating brands ( up to 25% of cashback depending on partner)
- Insurance partnerships that rival the current offers from private companies. From devices to house insurances, the offer is broad
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3. Requirements: Who can open a bank account with Vivid Money?
Age and Profession
You need to be at least 18 years old to open an account. There is no pre-conditions in terms of profession: Anybody from pupils, students, employees to freelancers can open accounts for private (not business) purposes.
Residence, nationality and language skills
A Vivid bank account can be opened with a residence in a different country than Germany. On the following list you can check which countries and document types (passport, national ID) are accepted in the course of the identification process.
On another note, when opening an account from Germany, you must either speak English or German during identification. If register using a foreign residence, the options available will be English, German, French or Spanish.
Creditworthiness
In general, neither Vivid Money nor its partner Solarisbank collect information on your financial situation. In Germany, they do not collaborate with the “SCHUFA” credit service. Hence, it might be a good option if you have just arrived to Germany and do not have extensive credit history.
Technical requirements
You need a compatible smartphone to open and maintain your account:
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- Apple: iPhone 5s or above, with updated iOS 11 or higher
- Android: Operating system of 6.0 or higher
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4. Customer services: Which languages are supported and how is the online/ mobile banking?
Chat, hotline and language support
Vivid bank offers customer support in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish. Most of their communication will be via the app, but it can also happen via email if the same is provided at the creation of the request. They will never contact you or let you contact them via phone. This is part of their security measurements.
The live chat is available Monday to Saturday from 8am to 11pm. Email inquiries may take up to 2 business days to get a response.
Online banking and mobile app
Though there is also a web interface, the app is the best way to manage the account. It is extremely rich in facilities, user friendly and offers the following features:
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- Review of balances and limits
- Managing sub-accounts (Pockets)
- Bank transfers
- Managing investments
- Managing subscriptions due to their Vivid’s AI-powered algorithm which easily flags your usage with companies such as Netflix, allowing you to block the subscription on the app itself
- Mobile payment (ApplePay / Google Pay)
- Push notifications in real-time to control card usage
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Further services for managing savings
You can set up a free monthly savings plan to invest regularly and automatically in (fractional) shares, ETFs or cryptos.
5. Account opening: What steps to follow to get a Vivid Money account?
Opening an account is very easy and completely online like all other account opening processes: Here you only need to download the app, launch it and get ready for a photo/video identification.
Vivid, allows you to open a bank account with them still having your official residence elsewhere, you just need to check if your official foreign address is part of the participating countries (see requirements).
For any questions, just use the comment function!
