As a digital nomad or long-time expat, you have likely encountered location-specific services and slow processing times when dealing with your home country's traditional banking system. When looking for the best bank for expats, you will want to keep an eye out for much more nomad-friendly services.
The best banks for expats will provide you with the following digital services:
In this guide, we explore Revolut, Chime®, and six other first-class options. Let's see why these are some of the best international bank accounts for expats in the US, the UK, Europe, Oceania, and around the world.
Explore the best banks for expats in 2023:
UK-based Revolut offers one of the best digital accounts in the world, entirely accessible from a single virtual card or Revolut debit card.
While the British pound and euro account details are offered to only a select number of nationalities, the multi-currency account allows users of any nationality to hold and exchange money in 30+ currencies, letting you spend like a local pretty much wherever you are in the world. Paid memberships also include perks like travel insurance and reduced fees and limits across the app.
The standard account (which charges no fixed monthly fee) allows you to withdraw £200 or €200 per month from ATMs, the premium account (£6.99 per month) up to £400 or €400 and the metal account (£12.99 per month) up to £600 or €600. After these limits, your international ATM withdrawal incurs a charge of 2% of the amount. Keep in mind that fair use limits, weekend surcharges, and third-party ATM fees may apply.
To open an account, you’ll need a name, postal address (this can be c/o) and proof of identification, but you don’t need a proof of address or a credit check. For more about Revolut, check out our full review or watch our YouTube video review.
For a limited time, Monito readers in the US can get up to $300 if they sign up with our exclusive link and set up a Direct Deposit to their Revolut account.
Check if Revolut is available in your country:
| Revolut |
The Wise Multi-Currency Account provides you with your very own bank details in the UK (GBP), the US (USD), Eurozone (EUR), New Zealand (NZD), Australia (AUD), and 5 other countries. That means you can directly debit into any of the 10 supported currencies.
The account is free to open and need only to pay a small fee to have the card delivered to you. Their incredible technology allows you to convert your home currency into 50+ other currencies on the app at the real mid-market exchange rate. Instead of getting charged hidden weak exchange rates, Wise charges you a transparent, up-front, and industry-low fixed fee per conversion. When you present your card abroad, merchants and ATMs will treat you like a local.
Wise requires proof of address in the form of a utility bill, bank or credit card statement, tax bill, vehicle registration, driver’s license, or government document.
Learn more about the Wise Multi-Currency Account with our in-depth review or watch our YouTube review.
Check if Wise is available in your country:
| Wise Multi-Currency Account |
N26 offers a complete digital bank account, available in the European Union with deposits insured up to €100,000 by the German Deposit Protection Scheme. You can open the account online from anywhere, but you will need a European postal address.
You only get EUR local bank account details, so you won't be able to get paid like a local business by clients outside of the Eurozone (if you have US customers, for example).
However, N26 is great for using your balance abroad 🌎:
On the basic plan, you have no monthly limit of 0% FX commission on foreign card transactions and ATM withdrawal fees of 1.70% outside of the EU. N26 is also fully integrated with Wise money transfer, giving you access to some of the lowest international money transfer fees on the market. As of 2022, you can earn up to 1.38% interest on savings per year.
Learn more about Europe's most famous neobank with our N26 Review or watch our YouTube review.
Check if N26 is available in your country:
| N26 |
Chime is one of the most widely-used mobile financial apps and debit cards in the United States, available to those with a social security number. While it does not offer a multi-currency account option for travelers, your Chime cards charge zero international card transaction fees and provide you with access to fee-free ATMs worldwide¹ (although mostly in Mexico and the Anglosphere).
You only get USD bank details with Chime, but you can open up to three different account types: checking (the Chime Checking Account), savings (the Chime High Yield Savings Account), and a credit builder (the Secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card²). Chime uses Plaid software to integrate your traditional banks (such as BoA or Chase) for seamless ACH transfers.
The Chime (High Yield) Savings Account gives you APY at 2.00%, which is far above the national average³. The credit builder Visa card even helps you build your credit score without having to actually take on any debt⁴. To enjoy these perks while spending abroad at a low cost makes Chime an ideal online finances app and debit card for American digital nomads.
Read more about Chime's benefits with our Chime review.
Check if Chime is available in your country:
| Chime |
Starling Bank is a fully-authorised bank in the UK that is well known for fee-free banking and excellent customer service. In addition, you get access to an impressively complete range of financial services (including overdrafts, loans, joint accounts, youth cards, pensions, Euro balances, interest, no foreign transaction fees, etc).
We think Starling Bank offers one of the best online banks in the UK, which is why we recommend it as a complete replacement for an account at a high-street bank. Starling Bank is licensed and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
The Monzo vs Starling Bank rivalry, which you can learn more about in our dedicated video, will likely continue for many years. While Monzo is a good choice for international spenders and nomads seeking digital banking, Starling Bank's multi-currency accounts are attractive to UK expats who have a permanent or semi-permanent situation in the Eurozone.
Starling Bank's new fixed-rate savings feature also makes it an attractive choice. As of February 2023, the account pays 3.25% interest on your savings.
Read on about Starling Bank in our full review or watch our YouTube review.
Check if Starling Bank is available in your country:
| Starling Bank |
Want a UK account in British Pounds or a European account in Euros but have no permanent address? Monese makes it easy.
Any resident in the European Economic Area (EEA) can open a UK account, a euro account, or both. Each account gets you an IBAN number and a free contactless debit card, plus there is no proof of address and no credit check. You’ll just need a postal address, email, and valid ID to send the physical card.
The simple plan is zero per month and gets you a debit card, and £1.50 cash withdrawals. The classic plan has a £5.95 monthly fee and comes with a free debit card and a £500 limit of free cash withdrawals per month. Then there’s the premium plan at £14.95 per month — it offers a £1,500 limit of free cash withdrawals and a free debit card. Only the classic and premium plans offer no foreign transaction fees.
For more details about Monese, check out our our dedicated review or watch our YouTube review.
Check if Monese is available in your country:
| Monese |
Payoneer is a world-class digital payments system that offers an attractive business account option for SMEs and self-employed professionals relying on frequent cross-border payments and receipts. It is free to sign up and is available for dozens of nationalities around the world. Accessing local bank accounts in nine countries (including USD, GBP, & EUR) means you will be able to avoid costly international wires by withdrawing your revenue in local currency.
Your Payoneer account comes with card pay-out processing functionality, a debit Mastercard debit card, and inexpensive international transfers. Getting paid by your customers via bank transfer is cheap but Payoneer charges 3% to process card payments (same as charges with Stripe).
You will incur fees when converting foreign revenue into other currencies. If you are an American business that gets paid by EU customers, for example, then you will get charged when you decide to move your EUR revenue from your EU Payoneer account to your US Payoneer account.
Competitors like Wise Business beat Payoneer here in terms of fees, but Payoneer wins in terms of its direct integration into marketplaces like Google Adsense, AirBnb, Rakuten, and Ebay.
Learn more about Payoneer's solutions and fees with our complete review.
The darling of digital nomads who also happen to be US residents is The Charles Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking® Account has been the darling of US digital nomads.
This USD account is actually a standard US bank account that also offers the option to do some investing. But the key selling point for international folks is that most everything is free–from free cash withdrawals anywhere in the world to zero monthly costs. The account comes with a free Visa debit card and you can link the account to Apple Pay®, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and Microsoft Wallet.
Its average percentage yield on savings exceeds its competitors, namely Bank of America, Chase, and Wells Fargo. Unlike the other big-name banks, this Schwab account charges no monthly maintenance fees and no international card transaction fees.
You’ll need a US address, a social security number or an ITIN (taxpayer ID number), plus a government-issued ID. Beyond this, requirements vary — green card holders may have to send in a copy of their documents. You can open the account online but if you are outside the US when you open it, use a VPN. Otherwise, they will ask you to present yourself at a Schwab office.
As a final word of advice, we strongly urge you to avoid using PayPal when making transactions overseas or sending money internationally.
They charge high foreign transaction fees and purposely trick users into paying dynamic currency conversion fees.
Learn how to avoid PayPal's hidden currency conversion fees with our guide and informative YouTube video.
Here are the best banks for digital nomads and expats in 2023:
For a limited time, Monito readers in the US can get up to $300 if they sign up with our exclusive link and set up a Direct Deposit to their Revolut account.
Here's a list based on eligibility by proof of US residency or citizenship:
These are digital bank accounts available to those from the United Kingdom:
Have a look at the best digital banks for European digital nomads:
Here are some digital nomad bank accounts for Australians and New Zealanders:
Our recommendations are built on rock-solid experience.
You’re probably all too familiar with the often outrageous cost of sending money abroad. After facing this frustration themselves back in 2013, co-founders François, Laurent, and Pascal launched a real-time comparison engine to compare the best money transfer services across the globe. Today, Monito’s award-winning comparisons, reviews, and guides are trusted by around 8 million people each year and our recommendations are backed by millions of pricing data points and dozens of expert tests — all allowing you to make the savviest decisions with confidence.
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