The Professional Tariff Banking Awards by MoneyVox analyzes banking fees for professionals, highlighting challenges such as a lack of transparency and complex service structures. Professionals often face higher fees compared to individuals, with unclear pricing on services like account maintenance and overdrafts. The article reveals a ranking of cost-effective banks for professionals, emphasizing the advantages of online banks, which typically offer clearer, fixed-fee packages without transaction charges, unlike traditional banks.
Understanding the Banking Landscape for Professionals
Every year, the Professional Tariff Banking Awards by MoneyVox undertakes the challenging task of reviewing the brochures of over a hundred banks. This endeavor is far from easy, as professionals face significant hurdles including a lack of transparency, a wide array of services, and steep fees, making it difficult to compare offers effectively.
For individuals, comparing banking fees can already be a tedious process, but when it comes to professionals, the situation becomes even more complex due to à la carte services, bundled offers, and lengthy brochures. Unlike individuals, professionals are not protected by regulations designed to enhance transparency, such as the pricing information document. Consequently, they encounter non-standardized lines in brochures, differing titles across institutions, and convoluted service descriptions.
In this article, we will unveil the 2025 ranking of the most cost-effective banks for professionals, featuring BoursoBank, La Banque Postale, Crédit Agricole, and CCF.
The Challenge of Transparency in Banking Fees
The most significant obstacle faced by professionals is the lack of transparency regarding fees in traditional banks, particularly on crucial comparison metrics. For instance, the account maintenance fees at BNP Paribas are variable based on the amounts debited, making it impossible to ascertain a clear figure. Similarly, Crédit Agricole Ile-de-France lists a range (“from 69 to 108 euros per quarter”) without clarifying the factors influencing these management fees. LCL provides a price range that depends on the “complexity” of the account statement, while CIC only mentions a minimum fee of 34 euros per month. Understanding these management fees is essential, especially with à la carte pricing models like credit card subscriptions.
Furthermore, banks tend to be even more vague about their bundled service offers, collection solutions, and financing options, all critical components for business operations. Often, these brochures will read “contact your account manager,” “upon request,” or “based on personalized study,” indicating a pricing model that varies according to turnover, business type, and potential negotiation. Such practices make it increasingly difficult for professionals who wish to switch banks.
For example, banks like CIC and certain Crédit Mutuel branches may provide a “starting from” price for their packages without disclosing how this price is calculated or the criteria involved. On a more positive note, some banks like SG, CCF, and La Banque Postale are more forthcoming about their bundled service offerings, clearly detailing prices and package contents in their materials.
One area where traditional banks fall short is in their collection solutions, particularly regarding payment terminals for card transactions. While banks often claim to offer tailored solutions, they rarely provide pricing upfront, opting instead to have customers contact an advisor. Conversely, online banks usually disclose the purchase price and transaction commissions for their terminals. For instance, clients of Hello Bank Pro can acquire a terminal for 79 euros plus tax, with a 1.60% transaction fee, while Shine users benefit from a partnership with SumUp, allowing them to buy a terminal for just 29 euros plus tax and a 1.49% fee on transactions.
Disparities in Fees Between Professionals and Individuals
It is evident that professionals often bear higher charges for services than individuals, and these increased costs are not always justified. Take, for example, the client file update fee, which varies by institution. It is labeled as “administrative and legal file monitoring fees” at LBP, “administrative and legal file update” at CIC, and “opening and updating administrative file commission” at SG. This fee is intended to cover the bank’s costs for updating a client’s administrative file annually. However, it can range from 70 euros at La Banque Postale to 200 euros at CIC, imposing a significant financial burden on entrepreneurs, especially when minimal changes are required.
Overdraft fees also highlight this trend of increased charges for professionals at traditional banks. Professionals typically incur a transaction fee for debit operations regardless of their account balance. If they find themselves overdrawn, they will pay debit interest at rates that are seldom disclosed by physical banks. In addition, all banks impose an “overdraft fee,” typically around 0.08% per month, and some institutions add further fees. For example, CCF applies a minimum usage fee of 10 euros per quarter, while La Banque Postale has a non-usage fee without disclosing the amount. Such opaque practices complicate fee understanding and can lead to professionals facing multiple charges for an overdraft.
A striking conclusion is that, in traditional banks, professional fees are generally significantly higher than those applied to individuals for similar services. For instance, while account maintenance fees for individuals may not exceed 35 euros annually, professionals can face charges of 196 euros per year at La Banque Postale, 324 euros at SG (minimum), and at least 408 euros per year at CIC (not including micro-entrepreneurs). This presents a hefty financial burden for sole proprietors or small businesses with limited revenue.
Additionally, professionals incur transaction fees on their accounts, a percentage deducted from debit transactions regardless of their balance. Each payment made for expenses (rent, salaries, insurance, invoices, etc.) incurs a fee ranging from 0.05% to 0.30% monthly, according to our analysis of physical banks. Some institutions even apply minimum fees on a monthly or quarterly basis!
Professional clients are also responsible for paying subscriptions for remote banking services, which allow online or app-based access to manage their accounts—a privilege not typically required for individuals. For basic management tasks (transfers, checkbook orders, statements, issuing RIB, etc.), clients at LBP must pay 5.90 euros monthly, with some regional banks charging considerably more. Fortunately, some banks like CCF offer this service free for sole proprietors.
In contrast, online banks and specialized payment institutions present more favorable options for professionals. They offer packages with fixed monthly fees that encompass remote account management, account maintenance fees, at least one payment card, and routine operations, and the majority do not impose transaction fees. However, they often lack certain services that traditional banks provide, such as checks and cash handling.