Why open an online account
Before delving into the heart of this guide and actually seeing how to open an online account, it is good to answer a question that you have probably already asked yourself: why open an online account?
There are basically two reasons: firstly, opening an online account is possible save significantly on management costs of the latter. In many cases, in fact, online accounts have expenses practically close to zero!
Another reason that drives many to prefer online accounts concerns the numerous advantages offered by home-banking, first of all the possibility of optimizing their time by avoiding having to physically go to the bank to perform routine operations, such as bank transfers. or the F24: to manage your account, in fact, all you need is a smartphone or a PC connected to the Internet and you can do practically everything in just a few clicks!
How to open a free online account
As I mentioned in the introduction, in many cases it is possible open a free online account. Here are some zero-fee account proposals that can be right for you.
How to open a PayPal account
Let's start by seeing like open a PayPal account. We are therefore speaking not of a classic current account but of an online payment platform that allows you to send and receive money in a very simple way, without revealing the data of your credit card or bank account.
To open a PayPal account, you must already have a current account or a card to associate with the latter and then you must carry out a simple verification procedure, necessary to remove some limits that do not allow you to withdraw more than 750 euros per month, withdraw more than € 1.000 per year and receive credits over € 2.500.
To open your account, go to the PayPal website, click on the button Subscribe located at the top right, put the check mark next to the item Personal account (o Business, if you want to open a business account), click the button Continue and, on the page that opens, fill out the form with all the data required to create the account: nation, e-mail, Password, name e last name, etc.
After completing the form, click on the button Continue, put the check mark next to the box I'm not a robot and provide the information necessary for billing: address, POSTAL CODE, city, province, cellphone number and so on. Then put the check mark next to the item concerning the acceptance of the PayPal conditions of use and then click on the item Accept and create account.
Now that your account is active, click on the link Our customers (above) and, if you want to link a card, click on the button Link a card and fill out the form that is proposed to you, specifying the data of the card to be connected in the appropriate fields, remembering to click on the button Save at the end of the operation. To link a bank account, instead, click on the button Link a bank account, specify theIBAN account in the appropriate text field and click on the button Continue.
To eliminate the withdrawal and receiving limits I was talking about a few lines above, click on the symbol credit card or the checking account located on the main page of your account, click on the item Confirm your card / Confirm your account, click here Request code and follow the instructions that appear on the screen to confirm the card or account associated with your account.
Usually, the procedure consists of receiving the credit of a small sum of money, accessing the statement of the card or bank account associated with the PayPal account and entering the numbers of the transfers received. More info here.
How to open a Fineco account
open a Fineco account, the credit institution that is part of the Unicredit group, you must go to its website, fill in the appropriate application form and identify yourself with a valid identity document and tax code. At the time of writing, Fineco allows you to open a zero-fee account, with free withdrawals if they are over 99 euros.
To open the account, go to the Fineco home page, click on the button Open the account located at the top right, click the button Private customers (o Small Business, if you want to open an account on behalf of your company) and fill out the registration form providing, in the appropriate text fields, your personal information (eg. name, last name, e-mail, cellular, telephone operator, landline phone, number of holders, Etc.).
Then select one of the boxes located in correspondence with the wording What are you most interested in? (Eg. Account and cards), click on your button Online to indicate that you intend to open the account through the online procedure and indicate whether you consent to the processing of your data for commercial purposes or not by ticking the boxes Yes o No.
Now, click on the orange button Save & Continue at the bottom right of the page and follow the instructions that appear on the screen to complete the insertion of the personal data, define yours personal and investment profile and proceed with yours identification, which you can carry on Webcam (only for the bill Private signed by users residing in the city), through transfer coming from an account held in your name at another cittàn bank, by identification with a Fineco Center.
How to open a BCC online account
Also BCC (Banca di Credito Cooperativo) allows you to open a zero-cost account, through which you can get your salary credited, make transfers, top-ups, payments, withdrawals and deposits. To open the account you need to have an active email address, an identification document for each holder, a social security number and a mobile phone with an active SIM.
To proceed with the opening of the BCC account, go to this page, click on the yellow button Activate now at the top right and fill out the form that is proposed to you. Then choose who to make the account (eg. Only made out to me o In the name of me and another person), indicates the use you will make of it (eg. saving) and write, in the appropriate text fields, the data of the holder (or holders, if there are more than one), such as name, last name, e-mail, fiscal Code and so on.
Then accept the terms and conditions of the service by placing the check mark in the box at the bottom of the page, click on the button Continue and follow the instructions that are proposed to you to complete the account opening: you will have to choose a method to verify your identity, accept the contractual conditions and activate the account.
How to open an Intesa San Paolo online account
Intesa Sanpaolo allows you to open the XME account which is free of charge, as long as those who open it are under 35 (otherwise the fee amounts to 7,50 euros / month). Opening an Intesa San Paolo account is very simple, it only takes 10 minutes and to do so you need to have a valid identity document, tax code and your Android or iOS smartphone.
To proceed, go to this page, click on the button Aprilo online twice in succession and specify, in the appropriate text fields, how many years you have, yours city, yours family situation. Then choose whether or not to credit the salary via the menu credit choice and what are your passions through the menus passion 1 e passion 2.
At this point, click on your button Continue and follow the instructions that are shown on the screen to fill in the rest of the form, identify yourself via webcam o transfer, to sign digitally the contract by inserting the OTP code that you will receive on the smartphone in which the SIM associated with the number you have decided to provide is present and wait for the outcome of the request.
How to open an online bank account
After having seen how to open a free online account, we also see some paid solutions proposed by other credit institutions. Evaluate the type of account that is right for you and follow the instructions below to open it.
How to open a BancoPosta account online
If you wish open a BancoPosta account, know that unfortunately at the time of writing it is not possible to do this online. As indicated on this page of the Poste.com website, to sign up for a BancoPosta account, you must go to the post office and bring a valid identity document and your tax code with you.
At the time of writing, it is possible to open two types of accounts: BancoPosta account, which offers the BancoPosta card, the debit card to make online purchases and with a customizable PIN and a check book that can be requested, starting from 2 euro / month with the possibility of reduction; BancoPosta basic account, which includes all essential collection and payment services and a debit card, at the cost of 30 euro / year (free for pensioners).
How to open a Unicredit online account
At the time of writing, Unicredit allows you to open the MyGenius current account, which starts from 2 euros / month, a figure that can be reset if the account is opened online. The account can also be modified with the integration of active modules starting from 7 euros / month, which expand its functionality by offering the possibility of making free online transfers, check books and so on. The account can be opened by anyone who is 18 years old, resides in the city and is a new Unicredit customer.
To subscribe to the online current account of Unicredit, connected on this page, click on the button Open your account online and, on the page that opens, choose who to make the account by placing a check mark on the option Only to you or on To you and another person and click on the green button Request the bill.
On the page that opens, fill in the form displayed providing all the required data: name, last name, fiscal Code, date of birth, nation of birth, email address, cellphone number, etc. After entering your mobile number in the text field at the bottom of the page, click on the button Receive SMS, so as to receive the code through which to confirm the number entered.
At this point, check the box relating to having read the privacy policy and click on the button Confirmation to confirm the account subscription request. In the following steps, follow the instructions that appear on the screen to indicate your contact details, confirm your identity via webcam or through a SEPA transfer and electronically sign the contract by entering the OTP code which will be sent to the mobile number you provided.
How to open a BPM online account
Also BPM (Banca Popolare di Milano) offers the possibility to open an online account. The basic one starts from 3 euros / month and includes multiple services: debit card, ATM withdrawals, phone and Internet banking services and much more.
At the time of writing, however, the BPM website does not offer the possibility of opening an online account, but simply selecting one of the contact options available to get more information on what to do.
How to open an online credit card account
want open an online credit card account? Here are some interesting suggestions, which you are likely to have heard of before. Just a small clarification before proceeding: in most cases they are debit cards and not credit cards. The difference lies in the fact that, with debit cards, which can also be rechargeable and disconnected from your bank account, the withdrawal of money for payment at shops and withdrawals from ATMs is charged instantly; with debit cards, on the other hand, the debit is postponed and it is possible to spend even more than what is currently on the account, with debit in some cases in installments. That said, let's proceed!
N26
N26, a direct bank based in Germany, allows you to open an account in minutes, obtain a MasterCard debit card (compatible with Apple Pay) that can be used all over the world, make and receive SEPA transfers, obtain and transfer money in real time to other users and much more.
N26 allows you to open various types of accounts: the basic one is free and offers all the services I have just mentioned but, if you want, you can activate one for a fee, starting from 5,90 euros / month, to receive additional services, including including mobile phone theft insurance and travel insurance included. More info here.
To open an N26 account, you must download its official app for Android / iOS or go to its website, provide all the personal information requested, verify your identity by photographing your documents, confirm the mobile number to be associated with the account via code and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the required activation procedure.
If you want more information on how N26 works, I invite you to consult the guide I have entirely dedicated to the service: I am sure you will find this in-depth analysis very useful. Learn more about N26 accounts
HYPE
HYPE is an electronic money account associated with a physical and virtual Mastercard card compatible with Google Pay and Apple Pay. It allows you to manage your savings directly from your smartphone or PC, does not include any activation costs, provides the card for free and does not include costs for payments, top-ups or transfers. Also, it can be used by users aged 12 and over.
To remove the limits of the base plan HYPE Start (top up up to 2.500 euros per year and 1.000 euros per day and max 250 euros per day for ATM withdrawals), you must subscribe to one of the most advanced plans: HYPE Next which costs € 2,90 / month (with a € 20 bonus on Amazon using the code AMAZON20 during registration) and breaks down the withdrawal, top-up and spending limits of HYPE Start, also allowing to carry out the domiciliation of the utilities and the crediting of the salary, or plan HYPE Premium which costs 9,90 euro / month (with a 25 euro bonus on the first top-up using the code PREMIUM25 during registration) and includes all the benefits of HYPE Start and HYPE Next plus comprehensive travel insurance, the World Elite Mastercard debit card, priority assistance service (also via WhatsApp) and free payments and withdrawals in all the world.
To open an account on HYPE, just go to the main page of the service, register by filling out some online forms and take photos of your identification document, plus a selfie with your identity document in hand. Once the operation is completed, you will receive a confirmation email, after which the account will be activated and it will be possible to start using HYPE to make purchases online and in physical stores (with cashback on over 500 online stores), monitor income and expenses, send and receive money, setting up target savings, send and receive free wire transfers, withdraw from ATMs, pay bills and bills, buy and sell Bitcoin (only for adults) and much more.
For more information on how to open a HYPE account, read the guide that I have entirely dedicated to the service: there you will find further explanations on what to do.
More information about HYPE More information about HYPE Next More information about HYPE Premium
buddybank
Un'altra soluzione che puoi prendere in considerazione è buddybank, a UniCredit current account specifically designed to be managed by the iPhone, since it works through an app designed exclusively for Apple smartphones.
Among the most interesting aspects of buddybank is the lack of opening costs, no monthly fees and no commissions for some operations, such as SEPA transfers, UniCredit ATM withdrawals and so on. Includes an international MasterCard debit card for use both online and in physical stores, compatible with Apple Pay. More info here.
To open a buddybank account, you need to download its official app for iPhone, provide all the personal information requested, indicate your mobile number and email address and confirm the latter using the codes that will be sent by the system.
To confirm your identity, you will need to photograph your documents (e.g. identity card and social security number), attach them and then verify your identity via a selfie holding one of the uploaded documents or by bank transfer. The account activation procedure will then be carried out by receiving some codes that will be provided at the end of a video call to be made with a buddybank consultant.
For more information on how buddybank works, read the guide I have entirely dedicated to the service: there you will find further explanations on what to do.
Article created in collaboration with HYPE.
How to open an online account
