Most fraud attempts don't involve anyone hacking into your bank. They rely on old, leaked passwords getting tried across different banking apps, or on people clicking a link they shouldn't have. Two-factor authentication alone stops most of that. The rest of it is a handful of small habits.

Lock down your login

Use a strong, unique password

If you reuse a password and one of those other sites gets breached, that password is now out there for anyone to try on your bank account too. Give bunq its own password, and use a password manager if remembering it is the issue.

Turn on two-step verification (2FA)

Two-step verification asks for something you know, like your password, and something you have, like your phone. So even if your password does leak somewhere, it's not enough on its own to get into your account.

You can set up two-factor authentication directly from your Security settings. It takes two minutes and significantly raises the bar for anyone trying to access your account.

Set your app to lock automatically

By default, bunq logs you out after 5 minutes of no activity. If your phone is ever picked up while unlocked, that's still a window. You can set the timer to 0 seconds in Security settings so the app locks the second you're not using it.

Control what your card can do

Set a Payment Limit

With payment limits, you can decide how much can be spent without a PIN, anywhere from €1 to €1,000. Keep that number low and any larger payment needs your confirmation, so a lost or stolen card can't be used for much before it's noticed and blocked.

Use a Digital Credit Card for unknown websites

If a site you bought something from gets hacked, whatever card details they had on file are compromised too. A Digital Credit Card gets around that: it's a separate card number for a single transaction that you can switch off right after. Your actual card never touches the website. bunq Pro and Elite users can have up to 25 of these active at once.

Block your card instantly if something feels off

If your card's missing or you spot a transaction that isn't yours, freeze or block it from the app straight away. No calling anyone, no waiting on hold.

Be careful with networks and devices

Avoid public Wi-Fi for banking

Anyone else on the same open network can potentially see what you're doing on it. Save your banking for your mobile data connection instead of the airport or cafe Wi-Fi.

Only use the official app

Fake versions of banking apps exist, and they look convincing. Stick to the App Store or Google Play, and if you're ever not sure whether what's on your phone is genuine, delete it and download it again from there.

Keep your device updated

Updates usually include fixes for security holes that are already publicly known. The longer you put them off, the longer those holes stay open on your phone specifically.

Know what to watch for

Check your push notifications

bunq sends a real-time notification for every transaction, which means you'll usually know something's wrong within seconds rather than at the end of the month. If a payment doesn't look right, change your security code and freeze the card right from the app.

Recognize phishing before it reaches you

Any message asking you to click a link, confirm something urgently, or call a number back should raise a flag. bunq only ever reaches out through the in-app chat, never by phone, never by email. That means you can always be certain you're talking to bunq, because you're the one reaching out. If someone contacts you claiming to be bunq, it isn't us. Common phishing formats tend to repeat the same tricks, so once you've seen a couple, the rest get easier to spot.

What bunq handles automatically

bunq users are 95% less likely to fall victim to fraud than customers of the global industry benchmark, and most of that comes down to what's already running in the background.

Safety Shield picks up on unusual activity and steps in to protect your account while it's reviewed. Name mismatch alerts flag it when an account holder's name doesn't match the IBAN, before the payment goes through.

The security overview goes through everything running on your account in more detail.

If something goes wrong

Change your security code in the app right away. That ends every active session at once. Freeze your card, then report what happened to bunq. The faster you move, the more options there are.

If you'd rather talk to someone, Finn is there the moment you need it, any time of day or night, with no wait and no hold music. 84% of questions get answered on the spot. For anything more complex, Finn routes you straight to a Guide who has the context and time to focus on what actually needs a human. Nine out of ten cases get resolved on the first interaction, and from the moment you reach out to the moment it's sorted, the average is 4.5 hours from start to finish.

The habits in this guide take minutes to set up. Once they're in place, a leaked password can't get past 2FA, a stolen card can only do so much, and a phishing email is much harder to fall for. Safe online banking stops being something you have to think about.