Main features of the savings account
Discover all the details about your savings account.
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If you want to put money aside, this category B* regulated savings account with a maximum balance of €250,000 is a straightforward way to do it.
* Category B: account subject to a maximum balance.
Saving is a good idea to help you deal with unexpected events, or to treat yourself. Your savings are available at any time when you need them.
Opening your savings account online is very easy. You just need to confirm your identity, fill in a few details and sign your agreement electronically. Provided there isn’t already a BNP Paribas Fortis or Hello bank! savings account of the same type with the same holder or joint holders, your account will be opened immediately.
You can find more general information about regulated savings accounts via the following link: www.bnpparibasfortis.be/info-epargne.
Main features of the savings account
Discover all the details about your savings account.
Choose when you want to deposit money
With the savings account, you can save as you wish, with complete flexibility, up to a maximum of €250,000. You can make regular deposits, for example through automatic savings, or one-off deposits of varying amounts, depending on your income. You’re in charge.
Balance capped at €250,000
The balance of the savings account is capped at €250,000. If your account exceeds that limit, the excess amount is transferred to a deposit account – either one that already exists or one that’s opened for this purpose – which has the same characteristics in terms of holders, powers and management arrangements. The deposit account is a non-regulated savings account that offers the same flexibility as your savings account. It’s intended to hold cash on a short- to medium-term basis until you reallocate it.
Learn more about the deposit account
Your savings are always available
You can withdraw money and make transfers to another BNP Paribas Fortis account in your name at any time. You can also use your balance to buy securities.
One account per holder/set of joint holders
You can only open a new savings account if there is no existing BNP Paribas Fortis or Hello bank! savings account of the same type with the same holder or joint holders.
Good to know: it’s possible to open a savings account AND a Plus savings account with the same holder or joint holders.
The interest rate of the savings account consists of a basic rate and a loyalty bonus. Currently, the basic rate is set at 0.50% and the loyalty bonus at 0.25% (gross annual percentages).
These percentages may vary depending on market conditions. We will inform you of any changes via the first account statement following the change in question. A savings account can never have a negative balance, so you will never pay debit interest.
Basic rate
The basic rate is the rate you receive for each amount you deposit into your savings account. Your money earns interest every day it’s in your account (at the latest from the next calendar day after the deposit). You receive your basic-rate interest on 1 January of each year (or when your account is closed).
Loyalty bonus
You receive a loyalty bonus on each deposit that remains in your savings account for 12 consecutive months. Any loyalty bonuses you receive also earn interest. The loyalty bonus is paid on the first day following the end of the quarter in which it vested (1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October or when the account is closed).
The loyalty bonus may fluctuate, but is guaranteed for the entire vesting period. To give a practical example, if you deposit €100 into your savings account on 10 January 2025, then 12 months later, on 11 January 2026, you will receive the loyalty bonus that was applicable on 10 January 2025, whether or not the loyalty bonus has been changed in the meantime.
There are no opening, closing or management fees on the savings account, although some postage fees may apply. If the balance of the Plus savings account is less than €25 and no withdrawals or deposits have been made for 10 years, a fee of €2.50 will be charged each year. This will only happen if the account holder is 24 years old or older and has no other accounts with BNP Paribas Fortis.
The bank does not deduct any withholding tax from the interest on your regulated savings account, provided that the interest doesn’t exceed the annual tax-free amount of €1,050 (for interest income in 2025). For a savings account opened in the name of two married/cohabiting individuals, the bank doesn’t deduct any withholding tax, provided that the interest does not exceed twice that amount, i.e. €2,100 (for interest income in 2025).
If you’re resident in Belgium for tax purposes, you must check each year the total amount of interest you receive on regulated savings accounts based on your assets/marital regime (as well as accounts legally controlled by you on behalf of children under 18) and from which banks have not deducted any withholding tax. If that total exceeds the annual tax-free amount of €1,050 per taxpayer (assuming tax residence for the entire income year), you must declare the amount of interest above that level in your personal income tax return. The non-exempt portion of your interest is subject to a 15% withholding tax.
If the bank becomes insolvent or shows a risk of insolvency, the saver could see the portion of their savings exceeding €100,000 – the amount protected under the deposit protection mechanism – reduced or converted into shares (through a "bail-in").
A sustained rise in prices could reduce the real value of the money in your account.
Do you want to know more about the savings account? We recommend that you read the "Key information for savers" document before opening one.
The savings account is a regulated savings account under Belgian law, marketed by BNP Paribas Fortis, belonging to category B (accounts subject to a maximum balance) according to the new classification defined by the Belgian federal government and the banking sector.
AG Insurance SA/nv – 53 Boulevard Emile Jacqmain, B-1000 Brussels – RPM/RPR Brussels – VAT BE 0404.494.849 – http://www.aginsurance.be/. Accredited insurance company licenced under code number 0079, under the supervision of the National Bank of Belgium, 14 Boulevard de Berlaimont, B-1000 Brussels.
BNP Paribas Fortis SA/nv – 3 Montagne du Parc, B-1000 Brussels – RPM/RPR Brussels – VAT BE 0403.199.702, registered with the FSMA, 12-14 Rue du Congrès, B-1000 Brussels, under code number 025879 and acting as a contractually appointed insurance agent on behalf of AG Insurance SA/nv. BNP Paribas Fortis SA/nv holds a stake of more than 10% in AG Insurance SA/nv.
Complaints
Any complaint about our products or services should be sent by post to BNP Paribas Fortis SA – Complaints Department– Montagne du Parc 3, 1000 Brussels or by email to gestiondesplaintes@bnpparibasfortis.com.
If you’re not happy with the proposed solution, you can send your complaint by post to Ombudsfin – Financial Services Mediation Service - North Gate II, Blvd du Roi Albert II 8 (Bte 2), 1000 Brussels or by email to ombudsman@ombudsfin.be.
INSURANCE
Imagine if the unthinkable happens and you die as a result of an accident. With this option, your loved ones will receive a payout equal to the credit balance of your current account the day before the accident.
Savings account insurance is a collective insurance policy, governed by Belgian law and renewable annually, taken out by BNP Paribas Fortis with AG, which you can join for a premium of €4.25 per year and per account.
Cover begins on the membership date if that is the same as the account opening date. If membership starts after the account opening date, cover begins on the date on which the first contribution (premium) is paid or collected.
Membership is optional and ends automatically, for example, in the event of early termination (free of charge) by you, closure of the insured account or termination of the collective policy.
Savings account insurance guarantees that your beneficiaries receive a payout equal to the credit balance of the insured account on the day before the accident that caused the death of the account holder(s).
Main risks covered:
Main exclusions:
These lists are not exhaustive.
Read the product information document before taking out savings account insurance. The exact scope of the cover is stated in the standard terms and conditions. You can also request these documents free of charge in branch or by phone from the Easy Banking Centre (02 762 90 00).
Any concerns?
Complaints can be sent to BNP Paribas Fortis SA, Complaints Department, Montagne du Parc 3, 1000 Brussels, or via the online form or to AG Insurance SA, Complaints Department, bd É. Jacqmain 53, 1000 Brussels, by phone on 02 664 02 00 or by email to customercomplaints@aginsurance.be.
If you’re not happy with the solution proposed by BNP Paribas Fortis or AG, you can send your complaint to the Insurance Ombudsman by email to info@ombudsman-insurance.be, by post to Square de Meeûs 35, 1000 Brussels, or via their website (www.ombudsman-insurance.be).
Confirm your identity
Fill in a few details
Sign your agreement online
When you transfer an amount from a regulated savings account directly to another regulated savings account, the transferred amount immediately attracts interest at the basic rate of the savings account into which you deposit the money.
But did you know that any loyalty bonuses that are still vesting in relation to the transferred amount will continue to vest if the following conditions are met?
If all these conditions are met, the vesting period of any loyalty bonus that’s still vesting will be transferred to the new savings account and will continue at the rate offered on the latter account for the remainder of the vesting period. At the end of the 12-month vesting period, the loyalty bonus will be calculated based on the loyalty bonus rates of the original savings account and the destination savings account, in proportion to the amount of time the money stayed in each of the two accounts.
If any of the above conditions is not met or if the transfer passes through a current account, the loyalty bonus in progress will be lost. A new 12-month vesting period will start on the date of the deposit.
Save every time you make a debit card payment or bank transfer. Easy Save rounds up the amount paid to the nearest euro and deposits the difference into your savings account.
Put aside a fixed amount or the credit balance in your current account at a given time each month using a standing order. A good solution for regular savings!
Find out more and apply
AG's PLCI is a branch 21 insurance-based savings plan that’s an ideal base for every self-employed person’s pension plan, whether they run a company or not. You can also choose a Social PLCI, to better protect yourself and enjoy greater tax benefits.
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