Switch to Qonto in record time with our free service

As a new Qonto customer, you can take advantage of our free account switching service offered through our partner, fino.digital. If you already have a Qonto account and want to move another account to Qonto, you can also access the same service for free.

Here's how it works:

1. Log in to your current account through fino.digital’s secure PSD2 interface.

2. fino.digital retrieves your transaction history and identifies all your payment partners.

3. You then choose which payment partners you want fino.digital to automatically notify about your account switch. (And by default, which you’ll handle yourself manually).

As your account switch progresses, you’ll receive status updates to keep you up-to-date.

An account switching service is a free offering by banks, financial institutions, and payment institutions (like Qonto) designed to simplify the process of moving your transactions to a new account. This service helps you to notify your payment partners, to transfer direct debits and standing orders to the new account, and to streamline the closure of your previous account.

fino.digital is a fintech company based in Kassel, Germany, and founded in 2015. The company offers products and services designed to streamline business processes within the financial sector. Regulated by BaFin (the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority), fino.digital adheres to the highest security standards in the industry.

Setting up an account switch takes only a few minutes, but it can take several business days to be fully completed. This depends, amongst other things, on the response speed of your payment partners. 

When switching accounts, it's important not to close your existing bank account immediately. Instead, plan for a transition period of several weeks to accommodate any unexpected payments you may have missed. During that time, ensure there’s a remaining balance in your old account, which your previous provider can transfer to your new account after the closure.

In Germany, account switching for checking accounts is free. This is regulated by the Payment Accounts Act (ZKG). Since 2016, banks and savings banks are have to provide this service. Whilst there’s no legal obligation to provide the same free service for business accounts, Qonto has teamed up with fino.digital to support both new and existing customers with their switch.  

Instead of the free account switching service, you can manually transfer your standing orders, direct debits, etc. by yourself. Of course, this could be more time-consuming and leaves the door open to potential human error.