Self-employed people have to keep track of their finances themselves. Depending on the industry and the number of invoices, this can quickly become confusing. A business account can help. It bundles all professional income and expenses and keeps them separate from your private checking account. There are also often helpful features and accounting software.
Tide is a digital financial platform that offers business accounts for the self-employed. The company was founded in London in 2015 and is headquartered in Luxembourg. According to the company, more than 1.5 million business customers worldwide now use the provider. Tide has also been available in Germany since spring 2024.
But is their offer worth it? How transparent are the costs and are there any special extras? We took a closer look at it.
Tide business account at a glance
Table of Contents
- Tide business account at a glance
- Advantages
- Disadvantages
- Account management at Tide
- Tide offers these cards with your business account
- Withdraw cash from the Tide business account
- Paying with the Tide card: fees at home and abroad
- Tide Business Account: Transfers
- Overdraft and credit options with the Tide business account
- Accounting, invoices & Co.: Additional services at Tide
- Experiences with the Tide app
- Tide deposit insurance
- More about business accounts
| Conditions | |
| Account management | 0 euros for the first business account, 1.99 euros per month for each additional one |
| Debit Mastercard | For free |
| Replacement card | For free |
| Virtual Time Card | For free |
| cash | In euros: 2 euros plus costs of the external institution In foreign currency: 2 euros + costs of the external institution + 1 percent of sales |
| Pay | In the European Economic Area or Switzerland: free of charge In other currencies: 1 percent of sales |
| Transfer | 0.20 euros (first five transfers per month are free) |
| Available | Not available |
| Tolerated overdraft | 10 percent |
| Statutory deposit protection | Up to 100,000 euros |
Source: Tide. Status: January 2026.
Advantages
- Free account management for your first business account
- Physical and virtual card available for free
- Clear list of prices and services
Disadvantages
- Multiple business accounts are subject to a fee
- No free cash withdrawals from ATMs
- Some critical app reviews
Tide business account in detail
Account management at Tide
It is possible to open an account at Tide and manage the account without a Schufa query Free for your first business account. If you need multiple accounts, you have to add one for each one 1.99 euros per month pay. Despite the company headquarters being abroad, customers receive a German IBAN. This simplifies payment transactions with German business partners and authorities. The bottom line is that the Tide business account works just like a normal German business account without any restrictions on SEPA payments.
Tide offers these cards with your business account
Customers can have one free physical debit Mastercard to use. But there is also a virtual option. Both variants are included in the offer. If the card is lost, the company will send out a replacement card – loudly List of prices and services at no extra charge.
Withdraw cash from the Tide business account
Cash withdrawals are also possible at Tide, but there is a fee at ATMs. Fall into euros two euros fees plus the costs of the external institution. An additional one percent of sales are added in a foreign currency. However, if you want to withdraw money at the supermarket checkout, you don’t have to pay anything – according to information on the website.
Paying with the Tide card: fees at home and abroad
Payment transactions are free within the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. However, outside of these countries or in foreign currencies, Tide charges one percent of sales as a fee.
Tide Business Account: Transfers
Tide offers its business customers five free SEPA transfers per month. Everything above that costs 0.20 euros per transfer. This puts the provider in the middle field. In our comparison of business accounts, banks charge between 0.10 and 0.40 euros for so-called paperless bookings.
However, if two Tide members send money to each other, the transfer will always remain free.
Overdraft and credit options with the Tide business account
Tide offers no classic overdraft facility However, there is the option of tolerated account overdrafts. This means: If the account slips into the red, the provider will tolerate it depending on the situation. However, ten percent interest per year is charged. For example, if you go into the red by 1,000 euros a month, you have to pay 8.22 euros in interest. This is calculated as follows:
1,000 x 10% = 100 euros (per year), calculated over a month: 100 euros / 365 days = 0.27 euros per day x 30 days = 8.22 euros (rounded).
Accounting, invoices & Co.: Additional services at Tide
Tide advertises smart tools as part of the business account. On the one hand, there is support with accounting and invoicing, and on the other hand, there is the option of daily money and company loans.
With accounting integration, customers can access their information via DATEV interface Simply send it to your tax advisor. Invoice management also simplifies the overview in the app. According to Tide, sent invoices can be tracked, managed or canceled. The company also currently offers 4.25 percent interest on a business current account.
The conditions for business loans are as follows:
- Interest rates from one percent
- Loan amount up to one million euros
- no loan origination fee
With the Loan calculator On the Tide website, customers can find out what is specifically possible for their company.
Experiences with the Tide app
Customers rate the Tide app in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store with 3.6 and 3.9 out of 5 stars, respectively. They particularly praise this clear design and the easy handling. But there is also criticism. Some users have difficulties with verification or are not satisfied with the support. Accessibility is good, but customer service is not helpful enough. The company responds quickly to both criticism and praise and tries to find solutions to problems.
Tide deposit insurance
Even though Tide is not a full bank, but a financial platform for the self-employed, the company offers Statutory deposit insurance up to 100,000 euros to. This is due to the Dutch bank Adyen, which provides the account. This means that customers’ assets are protected up to the above amount in the event of a bank failure.
Conclusion
The Tide business account can keep up with other providers and is suitable for self-employed people who predominantly process their payments online. The free account management, the German IBAN and the included smart accounting tools are positive features. The account is also suitable for ongoing payment transactions. However, cash plays a subordinate role.
When looking for a business account, self-employed people should know their priorities and compare several providers with each other. It is usually worth taking a look at the list of prices and services.
More about business accounts
date: 2026-02-12 21:31:00