[FI] Standard Plan user for around a year, Metal Plan user for a month
I started looking at better payment cards but did not want or need a credit card, so I turned my attention to premium debit cards, mainly offered by neobanks such as Klarna and Revolut.
After combing through and comparing the perks and platforms offered by these neobanks, I settled on Revolut and its Metal Plan. What made me choose it over the others was the combination of included subscriptions (mainly the Financial Times and Chess.com, but later also Perplexity, NordVPN, and Freeletics, all of which were new to me) as well as the familiar UI I already knew from the Standard plan. Klarna’s UI was familiar to me as well, by the way.
Revolut’s UI is among the best out there. It looks and feels pleasant, and for me, it is the most enjoyable of all the available options. The additional perks, such as travel, luggage, and purchase insurance, as well as the e-sim, are nice, but not enough on their own to replace my dedicated travel insurance. They do not cover domestic travel, and the coverage period and data allowance are not long enough (only 30 days and 3 GB). Although the Ultra Plan’s coverage would extend to 90 days, it still would not address the domestic coverage gap. Considering the threefold increase in price and the relatively limited additional value for my needs, the higher price is nowhere close to being justified. Lounge access would be nice, of course if the lounges themselves actually had space...
After subscribing, the pleasant experience continued with the physical Metal debit card, which was delivered in a very nice package. It reminded me of the packaging and pamphlets I received with my (now-infamous) Beats headphones years ago. Unfortunately, the experience does not only remind me of how pleasing the product is to the eye and touch; it also reminds me of how both products present themselves as premium without fully delivering on that promise when it comes to usability.
I have been collecting Revpoints through purchases as well as through the partner store. I made a few bookings but did not receive the extra points promised through the partner store. I asked the AI assistant, which confirmed that I should be receiving the points, but also that they have also been missing for several days now. I then provided all the additional information the AI requested, and we agreed that I should be connected to a real customer service representative rather than continue with the AI assistant. So far, everything had been going well.
However, even after 7 hours and multiple inquiries to the AI to ensure that I am still in the line, I have yet to be connected to a human or receive any progress toward resolving the issue. I think it is clear that, when it comes to banking, customer service should be available and accessible. Per the AI's words also:
“As a Metal plan member, you have Priority Support! This means your chat is automatically routed to the front of the queue ahead of standard users.
While the exact wait time can vary depending on how busy it is right now, Priority Support ensures an agent will be with you as quickly as possible. They should be joining the chat very shortly!”
Revolut agrees with this in principle, but in this single case, it does not appear to be living up to its own promises, even with priority.
It does not matter how nice the packaging is, if the core service that is supposed to hold everything together does not function.
Other than this, and the fact that my physical Metal debit card is missing the custom engraving I ordered, even though it appears on the digital card (minor issue), I do not have any other complaints.
Subscriptions and perks: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
UI: usability and user experience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Customer support: ⭐⭐
Weight average of the complete experience: ⭐⭐⭐
The Metal Plan by Revolut is a good offer for me, but for it to be solely the only or main banking provider for me, it still needs to look at traditional banking, and at their customer service.