Free bank accounts in Belgium
Several Belgian banks and both widely used European neobanks list a current account with no annual maintenance fee. The exemption is almost always conditional: online-only management, income paid into the account, an age limit or a minimum number of transactions. It covers the package fee, not the credit card and not transactions in other currencies.
A free account is free as long as the condition holds, and the exemption normally stops at the debit card. Before choosing on that basis alone, price the credit card, withdrawals outside your bank's arrangement and payments in other currencies. That is where the bill reappears, usually larger than the package fee you avoided.
| Provider | Plan | Price | Key points | View plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 KBCCheapestPartner |
KBC Base | €0/year |
| View plan |
KBCPartner |
KBC Plus Jeunes | €0/year |
| View plan |
 Revolut |
Standard | €0/year |
| View plan |
 N26 |
Standard | €0/year |
| View plan |
 Belfius |
Beats Pulse | €0/year |
| View plan |
 Beobank |
Compte Go | €0/year |
| View plan |
 Keytrade Bank |
Keypack | €0/year |
| View plan |
 Hello bank! BNP Paribas Fortis |
Hello4You | €0/year |
| View plan |
 CBC Banque KBC |
CBC Pure Online | €0/year |
| View plan |
 BNP Paribas Fortis |
Compte Hello | €0/year |
| View plan |
 AXA |
Start2bank | €0/year |
| View plan |
Prices and features surveyed on July 31, 2026. They may have changed since. Always check the offer on the provider’s website before signing up.
The conditions attached to a free tier
Online-only management is the most common condition: electronic statements, transactions through the app, no counter service. Any operation carried out in a branch may then be billed individually.
Income domiciliation comes next. The bank asks for a salary or a regular income to be credited to the account, which in practice rules the tier out for a secondary account.
An age limit applies to youth tiers, and a minimum number of transactions or a minimum balance appears on others. All of these belong in the fee information document each bank has to publish in the standardised European layout.
When the condition stops being met, pricing reverts to the standard tariff automatically, and often without a specific warning. Check your statement in the month after a change of job, address or age bracket.
What still gets billed on a free account
The credit card is billed separately on almost every free tier. Its annual cost on its own can exceed the package fee of a full paying account, which reverses the comparison entirely if you need one.
Cash withdrawals outside your bank's arrangement, or beyond a monthly quota, are charged per operation. This matters more than it looks if you still handle cash regularly.
Transactions in other currencies carry a conversion commission expressed as a percentage. Over a single holiday or a few months of online purchases abroad, that percentage routinely outweighs the annual fee you saved.
One-off services — certificates, document searches, urgent transfers, card stop instructions — are billed per act according to a published schedule that applies to free and paying accounts alike.
Frequently asked questions
Can the free tier be withdrawn?
Yes. Tariffs change, and a Belgian bank may amend its schedule subject to notice. An amendment that is unfavourable to you normally opens a right to close the account without charge. Notification is usually sent electronically, so it is worth reading the messages in your banking app rather than deleting them.
Do I have to have my salary paid in to get it free?
At several Belgian banks, yes. It is the most common trade-off: the bank waives the maintenance fee in exchange for being your main banking relationship. Check the minimum monthly amount required, because it varies from one institution to another and is not always modest.
Does a free account include a credit card?
Rarely. The debit card is generally included and the credit card billed on top. If you need a credit card — for car hire or certain bookings, where a debit card is often refused — add its annual cost to the comparison before concluding that the free account is cheaper.
Are neobank free plans genuinely free?
Their entry plan usually carries no monthly subscription, with caps on free withdrawals and on the amount converted at the interbank rate. Past those caps, charges apply. The paid plans lift the caps and start to make sense only if you actually use international services every month.