mBank

You can open an mBank account online in the app or at mbank.pl. In the app you confirm your identity with a selfie and a video of your ID, with your e-ID and PIN, or via mObywatel; on the website you use your e-ID (eDO App) or a courier. You need a Polish ID card, mObywatel or a Polish passport, and foreign nationals need a passport plus a residence document. mBank also has branches where you can book a meeting with an expert.

Yes, opening and maintaining the eKonto do usług account costs 0 zł. According to the bank's website, the debit card is free if you pay at least 350 zł in total with it in a month; otherwise the fee is 9 zł. For customers with higher income or savings, mBank offers the premium mKonto Intensive account, which is free to maintain when you meet the inflow or balance conditions.

According to mBank's website, złoty transfers leave the sender's account in sessions at 5:55, 9:55 and 13:25, and incoming transfers are booked after 10:30, 15:00 and 18:05. If time matters, you can use an Express Elixir express transfer.

mBank was launched in 2000 as the first internet bank in Poland (a new BRE Bank brand for retail customers). It launched its mobile app in 2011. The app and online banking include a finance manager that sorts your spending into categories and shows trends over time.

The mBank app is free and available on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android), where it has high user ratings. Among other things, it lets you make transfers (including to a phone number), pay with BLIK, your phone or a watch, temporarily block your card and analyse your spending in the finance manager.