Citadele review
Updated September 28, 2026 · VaultCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Citadele suits Latvian savers who want a variable rate on an easy-access account alongside free SEPA payments. The monthly fee of €2.70 on the C card account and the modest rate mean the appeal is access and local convenience rather than return.
Key facts
- Best for
- Easy-access saving in Latvia with euro payments and a small monthly charge
- Monthly fee
- €2.70↗
- Currencies
- 13↗
- Local account details
- IBAN↗
- Free ATM withdrawals
- €750↗
- Transfer fee
- Free unlimited SEPA EUR payments from a C card account; 18 EUR per payment outside SEPA in any currency; 5 EUR incoming outside SEPA (BEN/SHA)↗
- Legal entity
- AS Citadele banka↗
- Headquarters
- Latvia↗
- Founded
- 2010↗
- Support channels
- Email, Chat, Phone, Help-centre↗
- Audience
- Expats, Students, Teens
- Pricing model
- No monthly fee
- Features
- Free ATM withdrawals
- Official website
- citadele.lv
Savings
Pros and cons
Pros
- The savings account pays a variable rate of 1% and asks for a minimum deposit of €0
- Money moves out of the savings account to the current account free at any time, without prior notice
- SEPA euro payments from a C card account carry a transfer fee of €0
- Support runs on email, chat and phone and 13 currencies are covered
Cons
- The C card account charges a monthly fee of €2.70, where bunq charges €0
- The variable rate of 1% sits below the everyday account median of 3.25%
- Payments outside SEPA in any currency are charged per payment
Who it suits
- Latvian savers who want a variable rate with easy access to their money
- Anyone paid in euros who sends regular SEPA payments
- Expats and students banking in Latvia
Who should look elsewhere
- bunq, if keeping the monthly charge at €0 matters more than the savings rate
- Pixpay FR, if a monthly fee of €3.99 fits and a Latvian base is not needed
- bunq Spain Bank Account, if you want a monthly fee of €0 and no Latvian base
Fees and currency costs
The C card account carries a monthly fee of €2.70. SEPA euro payments from that account are unlimited and free, with a transfer fee of €0, while payments outside SEPA in any currency are charged per payment and incoming payments outside SEPA carry their own charge. The card includes a free ATM allowance of €750.
Who runs it
Citadele runs as AS Citadele banka, headquartered in Latvia, and the group traces its history back to 2010. The card range is aimed at expats, student and teen. Support runs on email, chat and phone, and local payment details follow the iban format used for SEPA transfers in the EU.
How Citadele compares
8.8 vs 8.7
8.8 vs 8.6
8.8 vs 8.0
8.8 vs 8.9
8.8 vs 9.1
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 8.7A monthly fee of €0 next to Citadele's €2.70, for readers who would rather hold no monthly charge than a Latvian savings rate.
8.8 vs 8.7
8.8 vs 8.7Costs a monthly fee of €3.99, close to Citadele's €2.70, though with no Latvian bank behind it.
8.8 vs 9.0
8.8 vs 8.7
8.8 vs 9.5
8.8 vs 9.4
8.8 vs 9.3
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.2
8.8 vs 9.1
8.8 vs 9.0
8.8 vs 9.0
8.8 vs 8.9
8.8 vs 8.9- 8.8 vs 8.9
8.8 vs 8.7
8.8 vs 8.5
8.8 vs 8.5
8.8 vs 8.5
8.8 vs 8.4
8.8 vs 8.3
8.8 vs 8.2
8.8 vs 8.1- 8.8 vs 8.1
8.8 vs 8.0
8.8 vs 8.0
8.8 vs 8.0
8.8 vs 9.1
Where Citadele is available
- Available
- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What interest does the Citadele savings account pay?+
The savings account pays a variable rate of 1%, set as variable rather than locked for a term. That sits below the everyday account median of 3.25%, so the appeal here is access rather than return.
Is there a minimum deposit to open the savings account?+
The minimum deposit is €0, so no balance floor has to be met before the account is usable. It is an easy access account, and money can move to the current account at any time without prior notice and without commission.
What does the monthly fee come to?+
The C card account charges a monthly fee of €2.70, against a site median of €0. If the monthly charge is the deciding factor, bunq at €0 is the cheaper starting point for a euro account.
What do payments cost?+
SEPA euro payments from a C card account are unlimited and free, with a transfer fee of €0. Payments outside SEPA in any currency are charged per payment, and incoming payments outside SEPA carry their own charge.
How fast do payments arrive?+
SEPA Instant payments go through immediately, standard euro payments within the EU land on the same working day, and payments in Swiss francs and sterling arrive the next working day. bank transfers are how money leaves the account.
How is the bank supported?+
Support runs on email, chat and phone, so help is available through several channels rather than one, which matters when a card or payment query does not fit a standard answer. The company behind the brand operates as AS Citadele banka and is based in Latvia.
Who is the account built for?+
The card range is aimed at expats, student and teen. Customers are covered in a single market, LV, so the account suits people banking locally in Latvia rather than readers who need coverage across several countries.
How many currencies does it cover?+
The account covers 13 currencies, above the everyday account median of 9 and above the site median of 5. The C card also carries a free ATM allowance of €750, which helps on cash withdrawals abroad.
Sources
- cblgroup.com/en/about/history checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded
“Citadele was registered as a joint stock company on the 30th June, 2010. The bank began operating on the 1st August, 2010.”
- cblgroup.com/en/companies checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headquarters
“Citadele is a Latvian based full-service financial group offering a wide range of banking products”
- citadele.lv/en/private/payments checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Payout methods, Fee to send 1,000
“Transfer up to 15 000 EUR instantly to other Latvian banks or to more than 1900 European Union banks”
- citadele.lv/en/private/payments/execution checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Delivery time
“EUR: SEPA Instant payment - without restrictions - immediately after acceptance; EUR: SEPA, other payments - before 15.15 - the same working day”
- citadele.lv/en/private/savings checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Access terms, Account kind, Minimum deposit
“You can freely access your savings at any time by transferring them from your Saving Account to your current account without prior notice and without commission”
- citadele.lv/en/private/savings/rates checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headline rate, Pricing model, Rate type
“Savings Account, Annual interest rates for Private Customers: EUR 1,00 %”
- citadele.lv/en/rates checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Currencies
“USD, AUD, CAD, CHF, CNY, CZK, DKK, GBP, JPY, NOK, PLN, SEK”
- citadele.lv/en/support/disclaimer checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Legal entity
“Citadele bank (AS Citadele banka) websites”
- citadele.lv/lv/private/c-cards checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience, Monthly fee
“Only for young people aged 7-21 the C smart card is free of charge; the promotion does not apply to clients with a residence permit and work visa or to foreign students”
- citadele.lv/lv/private/c-cards/c-smart checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Free ATM withdrawals, Features
“Up to 750 EUR per month cash withdrawal at any ATM, also abroad, is free of commission (C smart)”
- citadele.lv/lv/private/payments checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Local account details, Support channels, Transfer fee
“The recipient account number in IBAN format is mandatory for SEPA payments”
Compiled from 11 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Licence type, Deposit protection, Currency conversion fee.
Related by the facts
Citadele
Easy-access saving in Latvia with euro payments and a small monthly charge