EUR accounts in the UK

20 countries in Europe use euros as their official currency. If you’re in the UK, and need to send or receive EUR payments, or if you travel frequently to countries like France, Germany, Ireland or Spain, opening a EUR account in the UK can be a smart move.

EUR accounts are available for day to day use, and for saving, investing and sending payments, from digital providers like Wise, and from several UK-based banks. This guide covers all you need to know to select the right EUR currency account based on your transaction needs.

What is a EUR currency account?

A EUR currency account is an account which lets you hold euros.

Euro accounts are available as single currency accounts, and multi-currency accounts which let you hold EUR as well as currencies including GBP. Depending on the EUR account you pick you may be able to receive EUR payments with local account details, send money in EUR, or get a linked debit card to spend and withdraw euros conveniently.

What can you do with a EUR account in the UK?

You might benefit from a EUR account in the UK if you’re an expat, international student, frequent traveller, digital nomad, freelancer or business owner. Different accounts focus on different customer needs, to allow you to transact easily whatever your situation.

Here are some common uses for a euro account:

• Hold and convert between EUR and other currencies: If you manage your money across euros, pounds and other currencies, a EUR account makes this simple and allows you to view all your funds in one place.
• Receive payments in EUR: Business owners and freelancers – and anyone who receives payments in euros – could use a EUR account to receive money with local account information, for quick and cheap transfers.
• Send payments in EUR: Whether you’re sending money to a family member or paying a bill, using a EUR account can make the transfer hassle free, and may also cut the costs associated with cross border payments.
• Spend and withdraw EUR: With providers like Wise you can spend with a linked card, online and in person, and also get cash in Europe for spending while you’re on your travels.

Types of EUR accounts

EUR accounts on the UK market usually fall into one of two categories – here are what you’ll find, alongside a quick introduction to the providers featured in this guide:

Multi currency accounts: Hold EUR and other currencies in a multi-currency account, to view your balance across all currencies and convert between them easily. Multi-currency accounts can support 40+ currencies in some cases, and products from digital first providers like Wise and Revolut also offer linked cards for convenient spending.

• Wise Account: Hold 40+ currencies, and get local account details for receiving 8+ currencies including EUR, and SWIFT details for receiving 20+ currencies easily.
• Revolut Account: Hold 25+ currencies and get local details to receive GBP, with SWIFT details to receive other supported currencies.
• HSBC Global Money Account: Hold EUR along with 17 other currencies, with no HSBC ATM or monthly maintenance fees
• Airwallex Account: Business account supporting 20+ currencies including EUR and GBP, with ways to receive customer bank and card payments online.

Foreign currency accounts: Foreign currency accounts are most commonly offered by UK banks. These accounts support only 1 currency, and may be a convenient way to hold and send payments in a foreign currency – but have no debit card for day to day transactions.

• Barclays EUR Account – EUR account through Barclays International which lets you hold, send, spend and exchange EUR – high minimum balances apply to avoid fall below fees.

Best EUR currency accounts in the UK

EUR currency accounts in the UK are available for individual and business customers. Specialist providers like Wise or Revolut cater to customers looking for flexible account and card services, while banks, like Barclays or HSBC have more specialist products for sending payments or saving.

There’s no best EUR account in the UK as such – you’ll need to compare a few depending on how you expect to transact.

If you want to send payments, save and invest, and prefer face to face service in a branch, a bank might be your best option. Or if you’re looking for an account to hold a selection of currencies for daily use, with a debit card for withdrawals and spending online and in person, a provider like Wise or Revolut may be a better fit.

Here we’ve selected some different providers and banks offering EUR accounts in the UK for personal and business use, looking at convenience, cost and customer intention.

Read on to learn more about each and how their EUR account in the UK works.

💡 At a glance
Wise Account	Hold and exchange EUR and 40+ other currencies, spend with a Wise card in 150+ countries, send and receive payments globally in GBP, EUR, USD and more.
Revolut Account	Choose from 5 different account plans which all offer a debit card, and support 25+ currencies for holding and withdrawal. Travel perks available on some account tiers.
Barclays EUR Account	Accounts for high wealth individuals which allow you to hold EUR, and can offer personal banking services if you qualify.
HSBC EUR Account	Global Money Account to hold 18+ currencies with a linked debit card for spending and withdrawals. Spend at home and abroad, and send payments internationally from the HSBC app.
Airwallex	Business account supporting EUR, GBP and 20+ other currencies for holding and exchange, with low conversion costs and great exchange rates.

Wise EUR Account

Open a Wise Account online or in the Wise app, for personal or business use, and hold EUR alongside GBP and 40+ other currencies all in the same account. You can exchange between currencies in the app with the mid-market rate and low, transparent fees, order an optional debit card for spending and cash withdrawals, and send and receive payments globally in GBP, EUR and more.

Accounts offer local and SWIFT details to receive payments, with no fee to receive EUR to your Wise account with local details. There’s a small Wise fee to receive EUR SWIFT payments.

• Hold and exchange EUR and 40+ other currencies
• Mid-market currency exchange with low, transparent fees
• Use your Wise card in 150+ countries for spending and cash withdrawals

Account opening fee: No opening fee for personal customers. Business customers pay 45 GBP for full feature access. No minimum balance

Eligibility criteria: Available to residents of the UK and many other countries and regions globally

Supported currencies: 40+ currencies, including GBP and EUR.

Monthly fees: None

Exchange rates: Mid-market exchange rates

Revolut Account

You can open 5 different types of Revolut Account as a personal customer in the UK, with an additional 4 plan options for business customers. As a personal customer you can choose a Standard plan with no monthly fee, or upgrade to a plan with maintenance fees up to 55 GBP/month.

Higher tier plans offer more no fee transactions, discounts and perks – but all accounts have a linked debit card and ways to convert in the account between 25+ currencies including GBP and EUR.

• Hold and exchange 25+ currencies in the same account
• Select your account plan based on your transaction needs
• Personal and business services offered

Account opening fee: No opening fee, no minimum balance

Eligibility criteria: Available to residents of the UK and many other countries and regions globally

Supported currencies: EUR, GBP and 25+ other currencies

Monthly fees: Personal customers pay 0 GBP- 55 GBP/month, business customers 10 GBP- 90 GBP/month

Exchange rates: Weekday currency exchange uses the Revolut rate to plan limits. After this fair usage fees of up to 1% may apply depending on plan. Weekend exchange may attract an extra fee up to 1%.

Barclays EUR Account

You can open the Barclays International EUR Account through the International and Expat banking arm of Barclays, which is based on the Isle of Man. This account allows you to hold EUR, send payments, and spend with a debit card. You may be able to manage your application online depending on your personal circumstances, and subject to meeting eligibility requirements.

This account is aimed at higher wealth individuals who hold significant amounts of funds with Barclays.

• Full digital banking service and linked debit cards for global spending
• Send payments to 90+ countries, in 60 currencies
• Relationship management services available for high wealth individuals holding 250,000 GBP or more

Account opening fee: None

Eligibility criteria: Residents of one of the 35 eligible countries, holding 100,000 GBP or more in Barclays savings, investment and other account products

Supported currencies: EUR

Monthly fees: No monthly fee – but a 40 GBP monthly fall below fee applies if you do not hold the minimum balance

Exchange rates: Exchange rates are likely to include a markup

HSBC EUR Account

The Global Money Account is the HSBC EUR Account for UK residents. This account supports 18 currencies including EUR and many other major currencies making it a good choice for travellers and for sending payments overseas. You can get a virtual and physical debit card to spend and make cash withdrawals, and there’s no fee to spend a currency you have in your balance. Bear in mind that currency conversion costs, and non HSBC fees – such as ATM operator charges – may still apply.

• Hold and exchange 18 currencies including EUR, with a card for travel spending
• No HSBC ATM fees, and no additional fee to spend currency you already hold in your balance
• App based account which makes it easy to keep on top of your transactions

Account opening fee: None

Eligibility criteria: UK residents with an active eligible HSBC GBP account

Supported currencies: 18 currencies, including EUR

Monthly fees: No monthly fees – fees may apply to your underlying GBP account

Exchange rates: Exchange rates are likely to include a markup

Airwallex Business EUR Account

If you need a EUR account for business purposes, an Airwallex Business EUR Account could help you take customer payments online, with corporate debit and expense cards for business spending online and in person.

Airwallex accounts offer great exchange rates with low fees for exchange, making this a solid choice for ecommerce businesses in particular.

• Receive, hold, send and spend 20+ currencies
• Take customer card payments online easily
• Business features including batch payments, corporate cards, and more

Account opening fee: None

Eligibility criteria: UK business owners with eligible proof of address and ID, as well as business verification paperwork

Supported currencies: 20+ including GBP and EUR

Monthly fees: 0 GBP- 999 GBP depending on plan and account usage

Exchange rates: Interbank rates with a fee of 0.5% for major currencies and 1% for less commonly traded currencies

Fees for EUR accounts in the UK

While getting a EUR account in the UK can bring down your overall money management costs, there are likely still to be some fees to pay. As these costs can vary a lot, and may not look like your GBP transaction account fees, you’ll need to read your account fee schedule carefully before you transact.

Here are some fees to look out for:

• Monthly maintenance fee: Maintenance or service fees may apply to keep your EUR account, or an underlying GBP account, open. Where this fee applies you may not be able to avoid it – but providers like Wise don’t charge a maintenance fee.
• Fall below fee: A fall below fee applies on some accounts if you don’t hold the provider’s required minimum balance. This is common on premium type accounts from global banks – like the Barclays account we’ve looked at in this guide. To open a Barclays EUR account you may need a deposit of 100,000 GBP or more to avoid this cost.
• ATM withdrawal fees: Not all EUR accounts offer a card, but where they do you might pay an ATM fee for local or international use. Fees may be a flat charge or a percentage of the withdrawn amount. Providers like Wise and Revolut offer some no fee ATM use each month to help you lower your transaction costs.
• Outgoing transfer fees: Sending payments to and from EUR may incur fees, including costs added to the exchange rate used for currency conversion. Compare both the rate and the fee applied before you transact. Providers like Wise can often offer lower overall costs compared to your bank.

How to open a EUR account in the UK

Once you’re ready to open a EUR account in the UK you’ll need to take a look at the specific process used by your preferred bank or provider. Banks usually allow you to open online, but you might have to visit a branch if you don’t already have a GBP account with that specific bank.

In pretty much all cases you need a proof of ID and a proof of address document for verification.

With banks: If you’re a new customer, you might need to visit a branch to set up your euro account and open your GBP account at the same time. If you’re adding a EUR account but already hold a GBP account with the bank you might be able to arrange your application online. In a branch you’ll be asked to present your original ID documents, or online you can upload photos of the relevant paperwork.

With online providers: Specialist providers offer a fully digital application, verification and onboarding experience. All you’ll need is your phone or laptop, and images of the documents required to support your application. Enter your personal and contact details, set a secure password and follow the onscreen instructions.

How to use your EUR account in the UK

A EUR account in the UK can bring benefits for personal and business users, including making transacting quicker and cheaper when you need to manage conversions between GBP and EUR. If you deal with additional currencies such as GBP or USD, a multi-currency account is a smart way to receive, hold, send or spend all the currencies you need from one account.

Here are some ways expats commonly use their UK-based EUR accounts:

• Send international money transfers: Expats and international students might need to send money to Europe from the UK, or vice versa, to cover bills, mortgage payments or rent for example. A EUR account makes this simple and cheap.
• Hold and exchange EUR and GBP: Check your EUR and GBP balance side by side, convert between currencies when you see a great exchange rate, and build your savings in whichever currency you prefer.
• Receive EUR payments: Get paid by an employer or client in Europe, or if you’re an international student you may want to receive EUR payments from your family or student loan provider. Use the EUR details that come with your account to get your money and then hold it in EUR until you need it.
• Use your debit card for spending and withdrawals: Spend in euros when you travel or when you’re shopping online, with no additional costs if you hold sufficient EUR balance to cover a payment. Or use your GBP balance in the UK if you have a multi-currency account with a provider like Wise or Revolut, to avoid conversion costs.

Conclusion

Get a EUR account in the UK from a UK or global bank, or a specialist provider like Wise, Revolut or Airwallex.

You can find EUR accounts from banks like HSBC or Barclays which are useful for making payments, and accessing add-on services. Some products – like the Barclays International account we’ve featured here – are targeted at high wealth individuals looking for premium services.

If you’re thinking more of a euro account with a linked card for day to day transactions, check out Wise. Wise lets you easily send, spend, receive and hold EUR along with GBP and 40+ other currencies, all in the same account. With no minimum balance to maintain, and no monthly fee, Wise is an equally good choice for occasional use or for daily spending, depending on what you need.

Useful resources:

• Wise – Wise UK landing page with links to pricing and account features
• Revolut Personal Pricing Plans – Revolut UK personal pricing plans and feature descriptions
• Revolut Business Pricing Plans – Revolut UK business pricing plans and feature descriptions
• Barclays International – Barclays International landing page, introducing the Barclays EUR account
• HSBC UK Global Money Account – HSBC AUD Account information summarised, with application details
• Airwallex Pricing – Airwallex UK account descriptions and pricing plans