Comparison of two purely Czech banks – business accounts.
After more than twenty years ago I (finally) left ČSOB! I had my back chopped for a long time, but the bank started charging me for incoming payments that are above some of their package limits are outrageous.
At the same time, it was an item worth several hundred crowns every month.
I contacted both my “banker” and the branch, saying that if they don’t change it, I’ll leave. The banker “winked” at me via email that he could arrange a “special” savings account for me for 6 months with an interest rate of 2.4%, which would compensate me for these losses for fees, which he cannot cancel… In other words, “conditions” that I have are much better without any fees, almost anywhere…
Yes, this is me. TOTALLY SERIOUS my bank, with which I had business accounts for 20 years, offered, for example, both Goat Stories, so we are talking about movements in the tens of millions of crowns during the time I had accounts with them. Nevertheless ABSOLUTE DISINTEREST!
So goodbye ČSOB! (Just like I previously left Raiffeisen Bank…)
Fio vs Air bank
So for two months I have been testing two Czech banks to see how they suit my business.
- Fees
Both banks have zero - Cards (Visa and MC)
My Air Bank card arrived within two days, unfortunately I waited for Fio for more than a month and their card service, which produces the cards for them, is really desperate. When the card did not arrive after three weeks, I applied again (this cancelled the old one), but it arrived in two days... and so I waited another 14 days for another card...
Unfortunately, my Air bank card doesn't work on Facebook (for paying for ads) - there is some technical problem that I've been working on with them and it can't be solved - it's probably a Facebook error... - Savings account
Air – 2.5%, but with the conditions of 5 active card payments + limit only up to 250,000,-
Fio – 2.5% but without any conditions or limits! - Application user interface
Air – has a super clear environment and great listings
Fio – relatively rough user interface and cannot make a retrospective statement for another specific time period... (only transaction filters). - Email notification – important to me – I use it a lot
Air – good, functional and clear
Fio – again very clunky – the notification in the email DOES NOT have the other party's account name + the notification cannot be set only for incoming payments – the notifications are set up so pointlessly for both outgoing and incoming payments... - Branches and establishment
Air – can be easily established online (37 branches)
Fio – a business account must be opened at a branch… (why on earth?) (80 branches)
Fio branches are like something out of the 90s, just like their logo (there are more of them in the Czech Republic on paper, but they are hard to find for me in Prague) - APIs
Both banks offer APIs so that you can write an application or utility yourself - I haven't used it yet. - Service and personal approach
Both banks have a completely exemplary and fast personal approach (unlike the big desperate banking trio of ČS, KB, ČSOB) – they are interested and will supposedly try to implement dysfunctional things in banking... (I'm just surprised that the defects I discovered haven't bothered anyone yet???)
Verdict?
I would definitely choose Air bank because of the user interface and better statements, but unfortunately their savings account is unusable and especially for me, the non-functional Facebook card made it impossible for me to actually use the bank.
So I'm choosing Fio, but I'm keeping Air as a backup, I'm not canceling the account, and I'll see in time...
You will best support my work buys books,
if you don't read, you can and otherwise....
From my experience, even if someone is not a business owner, I would recommend FIO, it is good and also mBank. But I am not a business owner. I don't know Air and in CSOB, as in CS, I know that the real Jewish fraudsters are the biggest and only an idiot will stay there!