Savings accounts (Cat. B)* from BNP Paribas Fortis

What interest do you receive?

The interest rate of the savings account consists of a basic rate and a loyalty bonus. Currently, the basic rate is set at 0.30% and the loyalty bonus at 0.20% (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.

How much does the savings account cost?

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.

What taxes do you pay?

The bank does not deduct any professional 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 professional 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 professional 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% professional withholding tax.

Risks associated with the savings account

• Risk of insolvency

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").

• Inflation risk

A sustained rise in prices could reduce the real value of the money in your account.

Want to know more?

Do you want to know more about the savings account? We recommend that you read the "Key information for savers" document before opening one.

• Key information for savers
• List of rates
• Savings account – Pre-contractual information
• Special terms and conditions of the savings account
• Deposit protection information sheet

Legal information

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 – https://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.

Savings account insurance from AG

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.

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 and exclusions

Main risks covered:

• Accidental death resulting from things like a fall, a traffic accident or drowning. In all cases, an external cause must be the origin of the accident that caused the death.
• Death resulting from an accident within two years of the accident’s occurrence.

Main exclusions:

• Death resulting from an internal medical cause, an intentional act by the beneficiary or at their instigation, suicide or attempted suicide, or a state of alcoholic intoxication.

These lists are not exhaustive.

Want to know more?

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).

Not yet a BNP Paribas Fortis customer?

No problem. You don’t need to have a payment account with BNP Paribas Fortis to open a savings account. Simply visit one of our branches or your local post office.

Don't lose your loyalty bonuses!

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?

• Direct transfer (without passing through a current account) between two regulated savings accounts held with BNP Paribas Fortis in the name of the same owner(s).
• Transferred amount of at least €500.
• The transfer does not result from a standing order.
• The owner(s) have not already made three of these transfers from the same savings account in the same calendar year.

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.