novobanco

If you’re interested in having nightmares day after day, having your money sequestered for months, being asked to send the same document over and over and over again. This is the bank for you. They closed hundreds of accounts without explanation. No matter how many documents you sent they always wanted more. I had to fly to Lisbon to resolve my problems. In short, I wouldn’t even call this working bank.

It’s a good app in general

So, as you’ll see, it’s not a loved app. I’ve been with Novo Banco for 2.5 years now and while generally speaking, Novo Banco is a fine bank that supports expats, this app can be infuriating. I’ve had several issues over the years but the latest is incredibly frustrating. It turns out, ALL banking with Novo Banco requires you to use this app, if it stops working, so does your ability to transfer money. They have no online work-around if that app glitches - which it does on occasion. The customer support rep just acknowledged that it’s an issue and they have no ability to override a glitchy app, even after you verify your identity - everything must go through the app. They acknowledge that iPhone’s (only the majority of cell phones worldwide) can sometimes cause them an issue. Heads up for expats using Novo. When signing up initially - make sure you only give a Portuguese cell phone number as part of your identity. A North American number will not receive SMS texts with codes for verification down the road and you’re in for trouble - if not immediately, it will come later. The app does not have an English option - such an easy developer fix, kind of inexcusable in 2023 given how many clients around the world speak English. It’s why Spanish is offered for every service in the U.S. as an option. That Novo Banco has no online workaround for when things wrong - well, be prepared. The only way I can transfer money at the moment is in person at the branch and for new expats - well, that means hours at the bank. Banking is a very different process here than North America - it’s personal service (lovely) but sloooooooow. Banks are the hub for so many services here, especially health, home and auto insurance as well as ‘banking’ - they don’t use tellers. Come in, have a seat (would you like coffee?) aaaand wait. Anyway, it’s a glitchy app but if you use Novo Banco, you have no choice. P.S. Love the customer support response here that mistakenly replied with ‘Good Riddance’ instead of ‘Good Day’. Perfect. 😂