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Nickel review

Updated September 28, 2026 · VaultCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026

We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings. Partners with a live offer in your country come first, then every other brand by score.

Our verdict

Nickel is a French everyday account for anyone who wants to hold and spend euros without a standing charge, and it suits travellers, students, teens and freelancers. It runs on a monthly fee of €0 and a currency conversion fee of 0%, with deposits covered by EU DGS up to EUR 100,000.

Key facts

Best for
A euro everyday account with no monthly fee and no currency conversion fee.
Monthly fee
€0↗
Deposit protection
EU DGS up to EUR 100,000↗
Currency conversion fee
0%↗
Local account details
IBAN↗
Transfer fee
Free between Nickel accounts; international transfer via Ria priced according to amount and destination country↗
Legal entity
Financiere des Paiements Electroniques (FPE)↗
Headquarters
France↗
Founded
2014↗
Support channels
Chat, Phone, Help-centre↗
Audience
Travelers, Students, Teens, Freelancers
Pricing model
No monthly fee, Low FX fees
Features
No credit check
Official website
nickel.eu

Facts checked September 26, 2026, 6 sources

Apps and profiles

Get the app
App StoreGoogle Play
Elsewhere
WikidataTrustpilot

Pros and cons

Pros

  • The monthly fee is €0, and transfers between Nickel accounts cost nothing, so everyday banking carries no standing charge.
  • The currency conversion fee is 0%, against a site median of 0.5% and an upper quartile of 2.08%.
  • Deposits sit under EU DGS up to EUR 100,000, the EU guarantee scheme, with the account held by Financiere des Paiements Electroniques (FPE) in France.
  • Applications carry no credit check, and support runs on chat, phone and help centre for help when a payment needs attention.

Cons

  • The account is built around French payment rails, with iban as the only local detail listed for paying and receiving money.
  • An international transfer via Ria is priced on the amount and the destination country, so sending money abroad costs more than the 0% conversion fee.
  • Support runs on chat, phone and help centre, which covers chat, phone and a help centre for anyone used to in person service.
Nickel

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Scored 9.0 / 10 by VaultCue.

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Who it suits

  • Travellers who pay in several currencies and want a euro account with a conversion fee of 0%.
  • Students, teens and freelancers listed in travelers, student and teen, who get an account with no credit check and a monthly fee of €0.
  • Readers in France who want a euro account with iban and support on chat, phone and help centre for everyday banking.

Who should look elsewhere

  • PayPal Colombia, whose monthly fee of $0 is quoted in another currency than the euro fee of €0 here.
  • Skrill, where a conversion fee of 3.99% works against anyone who spends abroad or holds several currencies at once.
  • bunq, whose conversion fee of 3% sits above the 0% charged on spending abroad with this account.

How Nickel compares

Where Nickel is available

Available
Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain
Licence in France
Autorite de Controle Prudentiel et de Resolution (ACPR) (16598 R), checked September 26, 2026
Licence in France
ORIAS (insurance broker registration) (17001440), checked September 26, 2026

Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)

Frequently asked questions

What does it cost to run a Nickel account?+

The standard account carries a monthly fee of €0, and the account model is listed as no monthly fee. Transfers between Nickel accounts cost nothing, while an international transfer through Ria is priced on the amount and the destination country.

What happens if the provider fails?+

Balances are covered by EU DGS up to EUR 100,000, the EU deposit guarantee scheme, and the account is held by Financiere des Paiements Electroniques (FPE) in France. The legal notices also carry an ORIAS insurance broker registration, 17001440.

What does it cost to convert currency?+

The currency conversion fee is 0%. Across the brands the site tracks, the median conversion fee is 0.5% and the upper quartile is 2.08%, while the median retail loss percentage on currency margins is 0.9%.

Who can open an account?+

Nickel is built for travelers, student and teen, and an application does not run a credit check. The account is offered in FR by Financiere des Paiements Electroniques (FPE), with iban as its local detail, so it follows French payment rails.

How do I get help if something goes wrong?+

Support runs on chat, phone and help centre, so help comes by chat, by phone and through a help centre. The brand has been running since 2014 and is based in France, with its fees and services set out on its own site.

Who regulates Nickel?+

Nickel is registered with the Autorite de Controle Prudentiel et de Resolution under 16598 R. The same notices list an ORIAS insurance broker registration, 17001440, and balances sit under EU DGS up to EUR 100,000, the EU deposit guarantee scheme.

How does Nickel rank against other accounts on fees?+

On the site rankings Nickel sits at 1 of 500 on monthly fee and 1 of 312 on currency conversion fee. Its overall score is 7.2, and the cost part of that score is 7.2.

Sources

Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.

Not confirmed yet: Licence type, Currencies.

Nickel

Nickel

A euro everyday account with no monthly fee and no currency conversion fee.

9.0/10See alternatives