Polish Bank Account. Nowadays, a bank account can be considered an absolute necessity, without which it is impossible to function normally. Of course, some may argue that it is easy to live without it, but these are mostly elderly people or people who for some reason (e.g. foreclosure) don’t even want an account. But let’s face it, who handles money orders these days? Personally, I don’t know anyone except my grandmother.
Today, however, we will look at the topic of bank accounts from a slightly different perspective. As Ahoy Career is a recruitment agency primarily focused on the Polish market, we take a look at how the situation looks in the bank account field in Poland. Where to open a Polish bank account? Which bank offers the best conditions? What documents will you need? We will answer these questions in today’s article.
An ideal Polish bank account, is there such a thing?
I’ll answer that question straightaway – it doesn’t exist. Each offer has its advantages and disadvantages. For one, the high price may be a disadvantage, while another may be bothered by the level of quality of customer support or the unclear interface of online banking. So we won’t be looking for the ideal Polish bank account, but for the solution that best suits your individual needs.
Polish Banks and Their Offer
Working in Poland is quite an interesting way to go abroad. As in other countries, you will need to arrange quite a few things once you arrive. To this day, I remember the first time I came to Warsaw. Compared to others, I had the advantage that my employer provided me with housing, but I still had a lot of work to do. The salary was the first priority for me at that time, so I started to find out how to open a bank account in Poland. Without any contact with Polish, alongside a colleague from work I went to the city center to open an account in a Polish bank.
Due to the pitfalls of the big city and the lack of documents, it was only on the second attempt and it certainly can’t be said to have been a success. Yes, I had an account, my paycheck had somewhere to go, but the terms and conditions? The account fees were exorbitant, home transfers were expensive and the bank branch was about 4 km from where I lived. I lasted 3 months in this Polish bank. Then I gave up and repeated the whole process, but in this case I was better prepared.
Those who are ready are not surprised. That’s why we’ve prepared a small comparison of the most popular banking institutions in Poland, so you can easily choose the best bank account for working in Poland.
Polish bank account: mBank
I mention the Polish branch of mBank in the first place mainly because it’s a bank that’s very popular in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. So it will not be alien to our people. It offers a very nice app for mobile phones. If you have an Android phone and you have set Slovak as the system language, the application will be completely in Slovak.
Documents needed to open an account: An ID card or a passport and zaświadczenie o zarejestrowaniu pobytu obywatela Unii Europejskiej
Advantages:
- no account maintenance fees
- mobile application in Slovak
- you can do many things online
Disadvantages:
- monthly card fee (will not be charged if you make at least one card transaction)
- fee of 2.5 zlotys per withdrawal from an ATM of a partner network (for withdrawals of less than 100 zlotys)
- free withdrawals only via ATMs of mBank, Euronet, Planet Cash and Santander Bank Polska S.A.
ING
Another representative of a number of banks that also operate on the Czech and Slovak markets. In the case of ING, unfortunately, unlike the competition, you will not receive an application in Czech or Slovak. On the other hand, you can expect very friendly Internet banking, professional support and a personal account almost for free. Again, certain conditions must be met in order to avoid fees.
Documents needed to open an account: ID card or passport
Advantages:
- no account maintenance fees
- excellent customer support
- possibility of a customized form of payment card (for 15 zlotys)
Disadvantages:
- monthly card fee (will not be charged if you make monthly transactions with a total value of 300 zlotys)
- free withdrawals only at ING and Planet Cash ATMs
Nest Bank
A relatively young player on the Polish market arrives with a very interesting offer. A bank account that is “free”. Remember that nothing is free. In the case of Nest Bank, the price is compensated by a lower quality of service. Despite its shortcomings, we would recommend this bank to less demanding users who are mainly concerned about price.
Documents needed to open an account: ID card or passport
Advantages:
- the account is truly free, even foreign SEPA transfers
- withdrawals from domestic and foreign ATMs are free of charge
Disadvantages:
- late posting of transactions
- worse customer support
- occasional unavailability of Internet banking
- the number of branches could be higher
Millennium
Millennium bank offers a convenient bank account, which is free if the conditions are met (one payment using Blik and the account must receive at least 1000 zlotys per month), a great app for mobile phones and a very interesting reward system where you can get rewards in the form of discount coupons or cinema tickets.
Documents needed to open an account: ID card or passport
Advantages:
- the account is free of charge if the conditions are met
- nice mobile app
Disadvantages:
- If you do not meet the conditions, you will pay 15 zlotys
What’s next?
Once you have successfully completed your interview and arrived in Poland, our Community Manager will help you during the first days and weeks in your new country. Whether it’s help with arranging a bank account, information about important offices or advice on how and where to find suitable accommodation, you’ll have a contact person to turn to from day one.
That’s all for today. Next time we’ll take a look at what it’s like with Polish mobile operators, compare their offers and write something about alternative options for calling our home country.
