Vivid bank review: the perfect blend between banking & trading?

In the fast-paced world of neobanks, each new challenger is raising big money in order to conquer their niche. Vivid bank definitely fits that bill with its unique positioning & its great ambition. This Vivid bank review really only answers 2 questions:

Is this bank/trading app hybrid convincing enough to win you as a customer? Aren’t there other bank accounts in Germany to consider as well?

Vivid bank review – too long, didn’t read:

Here are the main take aways of this long Vivid bank review. You can jump into the different sections that interest you the most. Feel free to ask questions in the comments too.

• Vivid bank is personal current account with integrated cashback & investment features, in a low cost package.
• It has the usual features neo-banks come with: sub-accounts with IBANs, budgeting/analytics, slick interface, etc.
• Investment is super easy in the app, with no transaction fees. Trades stocks, ETFs or Crypto.
• Vivid’s unique feature is to automatically invest your cashback money into your investment portfolio, making the money work for you.
• Vivid bank comes with a free account (Standard) or paid one (Prime, 9,90€/month). Unless you withdraw a lot of cash and/or use cashback options a lot, the free account is probably the best option for most.
• Multilingual support: Italian, German, English, French, Spanish.
• There is no customer support via phone, only via chat or email. No cash deposits possible.
• Customer reviews are mostly positive, some criticize the lack of phone support & sometimes the authentication experience too.
• Only available to EU residents.
• Feature-set is too limited to be used a main bank account.

What’s different about Vivid?

A newcomer in the digital bank scene (already valued at close to €500 Million), Vivid Money is carving out space for itself with the promise of low fees, investment functionality, and integrated cashback incentives.  It takes you earned cashback money & automatically invest it in your portfolio for you.

Like many other neobanks, Vivid Money’s banking infrastructure and banking license is supported by Solarisbank, which provides them with banking capabilities, advanced security, and a deposit guarantee of up to €100,000 backed by the German Deposit Guarantee Scheme (DGS). Customers enjoy a slick and intuitive user interface, card control that lets you lock and unlock your card using the app, and a free VISA metal debit card.

Vivid Money also puts a heavy focus on investment capabilities and allows you to trade a number of different stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies directly from the app. It can become a serious ally if you want to start trading in Germany. We talk about this later in this review of Vivid bank.

Vivid’s features overview

While Vivid Money hasn’t reinvented the wheel when it comes to online banking, they do offer a number of cool and useful features. We cover some of those features in more details in this Vivid bank review.

• Free detail-free debit card. When you sign up for a Vivid Standard or Vivid Prime account, you will receive a metal debit card that is absent of all card details. This added security feature means that the only way to see your card’s number or bank account number is through the app.
• Free banking account. All Vivid accounts come with a free German bank account powered by Solarisbank, meaning your money is insured up to €100,000.
• Link multiple cards. You can link up to 2 physical debit cards and 3 virtual cards to your account. Virtual cards work via Google and Apple Pay and allow you to shop online safely without fear of losing your card. 
• Sub-accounts. Vivid Money allows you to have up to 15 free sub-accounts with their own unique IBAN. Known as ‘Pockets’, these sub-accounts exist within your main account and are ideal for splitting funds and savings. 
• Investments. Trade directly in the Vivid Money app. You’ll have access to over 1000 US and EU stocks, as well as ETFs & Crypto. Prices start as low as €0.01 with no commissions.
• Simple payments. Enjoy instant transfers and payments without any fees. Vivid Money also lets you set up standing orders, scheduled payments, and direct debits directly within the app.
• Fee-free overseas cash withdrawals. Withdraw up to €1000 per month globally without paying any fees if you have a Vivid Prime account. Standard account users can withdraw €200 per month fee-free.
• Spend analytics. Vivid Money shows exactly what you’re spending money on. They actually do away with strange merchant codes and tell you exactly which company or brand your money went to with each purchase. The app also splits purchases into different color-coded categories so you can better organize your transactions.
• Budgeting tools. Keep on top of your finances, set limits, and track payments. The app will send you notifications when you go over your budget and give you clear insights on where your money is going.
• Multilingual support. Vivid Money offers 24/7 in-app live chat support in English, French, Italian, Spanish and German. You can also get in touch with customer support via email. Vivid bank reviews you find on Playstore & Appstore are pleased in the different languages supported.
• Super Deals program. Earn up to €50 cashback for eight weeks if you invite friends to join Vivid. Your friend can also earn up to €50 cashback for 4 weeks if they joined with your referral link.

Vivid’s differentiating features

Commission free trading

While both investment options were already mentioned, it’s worth expanding on them as they are one of the more unique features on offer. Vivid Money allows you to buy fractional shares from more than 1000 US and EU companies and ETFs, without any transaction fees (there is, however, a 0.5% mark-up for the currency exchange rate for converting EUR to USD) and no minimum investment.

But there’s a catch. Unlike buying with actual brokers, you don’t actually own any of the shares or ETFs you buy. One of Vivid’s partners, a digital asset platform called CM Equity AG, makes the purchase and then links it to your investment pocket. It’s done this way so that Vivid can waive any transaction fees while you still have access to all of your investments. And if anything happens to the platform or they go bankrupt, it’s worth knowing that 90% of your investment is insured up to €20,000.

Vivid Money allows you to invest in 10 crypto coins including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, Chainlink, and Litecoin with no fees attached. Invest as little as €0.01 with immediate returns, and access your profits immediately within the app.

Turn cashback into stocks, automagically

That’s our favorite part of this Vivid bank review.

Cashback options

Vivid Money offers a number of different cashback programs. Earn up to €150 per month with the Prime Cashback, Champion, and Super Deals programs.

Champion program

Every two weeks, Vivid Money will select a Champion for each offline establishment in the ‘Dining out’ category. If you’re selected, you’ll be entitled to 10% cashback on all your visits to this particular establishment for the next two weeks. Not a bad feature for all socialites out there.

The neat cashback features mentioned above don’t let your money at rest. Vivid automatically puts them to work. Your cashback is automatically credited your Stock Rewards Pocket and grows when your chosen company stock increases in value.

Vivid classes

If you are a total beginner or simply need a refresh, in-app workshops are available to cover simply concepts, moving up to more difficult ones. It’s about educating your investment decisions; why investing, how to build a portofolio, etc. At the end of each chapter, there is a little quiz to test your knowledge, before moving onto the next lesson. That’s a great effort to make difficult financial decisions more understandable to all.

How do I open a Vivid bank account?

If you are an EU resident, opening a Vivid Money account is simple and can be done in a few steps:

1. Head to Vivid Money’s website and select “Open your free account” .
2. Enter your email address or scan the QR code to receive a link to download the Vivid Money app.
3. Download the app either for Android or iOS.
4. Open the app.
5. Create a new account.
6. Next, you’ll have to verify your identity on a video call within the app. Like other online banks, this process involves showing your ID or passport to a bank agent who will then confirm your identity. You have to have an ID or passport from one of the nationalities listed here.
7. Deposit some funds (€20 or more) into your account and you can start using Vivid Money.
8. You’ll wait up to 7 working days to receive your metal debit card (but you should receive it in about 4 and 5 days).

Some Vivid bank reviews mention how it can be a bit restricted for non-EU citizens. This is unfortunately due to the inability of the verification service to review passports from some countries.

Vivid bank review: how much does it cost?

Vivid Money offers two accounts. Their Standard account is free, and their Prime account costs €9.90 per month after the first three free months of use. In addition to the monthly fees, there are a number of other fees you should be aware of:

• ATM fees. Vivid charges a 3% ATM fee for Euros and other currencies on both their Standard and Prime accounts.
• Additional card fee. Additional physical cards cost €20 each to replace.
• Currency conversion fee. Prime users have to pay a 0.5% fee for currency conversions. Certain products like underlying ETFs may also incur additional costs.
• Virtual card fee. Vivid Standard users pay €1 for each Vivid virtual card. Vivid Prime users but nothing for the first card but subsequent virtual cards cost €1 each.

What are the Vivid Money account options?

Vivid Money offers two account tiers: Standard and Prime. Each of these accounts come with different levels of benefits and a different monthly fee:

What are Vivid’s weaknesses?

No Vivid bank review would be complete without a detailed look at some areas where it is currently lacking.

No cash deposits

If you have deposits to make, you’re out of luck as Vivid Money doesn’t offer any way of depositing cash. To top up your account, you can only send SEPA transfers. This is problematic if you want to transfer money from a different currency into your bank account. There are also real credit cards option offered.

No customer support over the phone

While Vivid Money offers email and in-app chat help, they don’t have any dedicated phone support. This can be frustrating if you need to get in contact with the bank immediately, or if you have some sort of emergency you need to sort out. As a plus however, customer support is available in Italian, French, Spanish, English or German.

Limited risk-security protection

Your investment portfolio is “only” insured up to 90% of 20 000€, which is not a whole-lot if you are serious about day-trading. This is of course doesn’t impact how much your current account is covered: up to 100 000€.

Vivid bank reviews: what do customers say?

PlayStore Vivid reviews

The app scored well on the PlayStore, receiving a 4.2 out of 5 rating based on over 10,000 reviews. Those who loved it praised the cashback system, investment platform, and helpful support. Those who didn’t criticise the long and frustrating authentication and registration process which sometimes crashed during operation.

TrustPilot Vivid reviews

With a 4.2 out of 5 score based on over 1800 reviews, Vivid Money is generally quite well-received on TrustPilot. The majority of users (64%) rated it as excellent, praising the investment and trading functionalities, the helpful support, and its ease of use. Critics pointed out that their accounts were closed multiple times without any reason.

App Store Vivid reviews

Users on the App Store were more generous, awarding the app 4.7 stars out of 5. Like other sites, the ease of use, quick setup, and investment functionalities were all very well received. The few critics were dissatisfied with the cashback options, claiming they required a lot of work and “advertising to other people” in order to enjoy a decent return.

Vivid bank review: who should consider this?

Their features are pretty limited if you want to do any hardcore banking or use it as your main account. That being said, it’s a good personal account with great security features that could fit frequent travelers and those looking to get started in investing. If you are used to work with cashback already, Vivid is a good pick because it puts that money to work by investing it into your portfolio automatically.

We can’t recommend Vivid as a main bank account yet, as it lacks some essential features to steal that title from more established players like N26. On a last note: Now that Revolut is not officially EU-based anymore, Vivid might be great replacement.

I hope this Vivid bank review was useful to you. Feel free to ask questions in the comments. I answer each of them personally.

Bastien

Vivid bank review – FAQ