12 tips to optimise your Revolut account

1. Turn on real-time notifications

Notifications are your first line of defence against fraud and your best budgeting tool. Every transaction appears instantly on your screen: an unrecognised payment becomes visible immediately, long before you would think of checking your statement.

To turn them on: Settings → Notifications → Transactions. Always enable:

• Every payment made, even small amounts, which are often used to test a stolen card
• Security alerts: login attempts, changes to sensitive settings
• Rate changes: useful if you exchange currencies regularly
• Low balance: so you never come up short at the checkout

An alert user who receives an unexpected notification can freeze their card in under 10 seconds from the app, even before understanding what has happened. This responsiveness is one of Revolut's great strengths over traditional banks, where a monthly statement is often the only alert.

2. Create virtual cards for online purchases

This is probably Revolut's most under-used feature, even though it offers considerable protection. A virtual card is a card number separate from your physical card, usable exclusively online. It can be deleted or frozen at any time without affecting your main account.

The recommended digital hygiene principle: one virtual card per service or per category. In practice:

• A "Netflix" card with a limit of €20/month: Netflix can never charge more
• An "Amazon" card for all your purchases on the platform
• A "Free trials" card for freemium subscriptions, to be deleted after the trial
• A disposable card for a one-off purchase on an unfamiliar site

If a site is compromised and your card details are stolen, fraudsters end up with a number that is useless against your main account. They can only charge the virtual card in question, which is capped and instantly revocable. To go deeper into this feature, see our complete guide to Revolut virtual cards.

3. Set spending limits per card

Revolut lets you set a spending limit for each card, physical or virtual. It is a dual-purpose control: it protects against fraud and helps you keep your budget under control by category.

Setup: Cards → select the card → Limits → Spending limit. You can set a daily, weekly or monthly amount.

Concrete use cases:

• Netflix subscription: limit of €18/month, impossible to be overcharged if the service changes its price
• Child's or shared card: limit of €50/week to keep spending in check
• Travel: a daily limit suited to your travel budget
• Video games / in-app purchases: a monthly limit to avoid things getting out of hand

The limit can be changed instantly from the app. If you exceptionally need to go over it, raise it for the duration of the transaction and then put it back.

4. Set up savings Vaults

Vaults are savings "pockets" kept separate from your main balance. Money placed in a Vault cannot be spent with your card, which creates a healthy psychological barrier between you and your savings.

Two particularly useful features:

Automatic rounding (Round-Up): on every payment, Revolut rounds up to the next euro and moves the difference into a Vault of your choice. A coffee at €2.70 triggers an automatic transfer of €0.30. Over hundreds of transactions a month, that adds up to an invisible but real savings effort.

Scheduled deposits: set up an automatic transfer to your Vaults on a fixed date (the 1st of the month, for example). Saving then becomes a priority expense rather than whatever is left at the end of the month.

Depending on your plan, your Vaults can earn interest. Paid plans add a boost to the base rate: +0.5% for Premium, +1% for Metal and +1.25% for Ultra. See our plan comparison for the current conditions per plan.

5. Optimise currency exchange abroad

Currency exchange is where Revolut performs best against traditional banks. But there are rules to know to get the most out of it.

Absolute rule number 1: always pay in the local currency. When a payment terminal offers to charge you "in euros" abroad, always refuse. This mechanism, called Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), applies a dreadful exchange rate (often a 3 to 5% mark-up) for the benefit of the merchant or its bank, not yours.

Rule number 2: know your plan's exchange allowance. The Standard plan includes €1,000/month of fee-free exchange, beyond which a 0.5% commission applies. Plus raises this to €3,000/month (then 0.5%). Premium, Metal and Ultra offer unlimited exchange at the interbank rate.

Rule number 3: avoid exchanging at the weekend on Standard and Plus. From Friday 5 pm to Sunday 6 pm (New York time), the currency markets are closed: Revolut applies a mark-up of 1% on Standard and 0.5% on Plus. Premium, Metal and Ultra are not subject to it. If you are on the free plan or Plus, do your exchanges on weekdays.

For a complete guide to using Revolut when travelling, see our article Revolut abroad.

6. Use categories and budgets

Revolut automatically categorises your spending (restaurants, transport, shopping, etc.) and lets you set monthly budgets per category. It is a built-in personal finance tool, with no need to export your data to a third-party app.

Setup: Analytics → Budget. For each category, set a monthly ceiling. A progress bar shows you in real time where you stand. A notification can alert you when you reach 80% of your budget.

Tips for using it:

• Spend 10 minutes a month recategorising misfiled expenses: the algorithm improves over time
• Create custom categories for your specific spending areas (creative hobbies, sport, etc.)
• Self-employed: separating professional from personal expenses is made easier by tags and categories
• Analyse quarterly trends rather than monthly ones to smooth out seasonal variations

7. Use instant card freeze and unfreeze

Being able to freeze and unfreeze your card in two taps is one of Revolut's most practical security features, and often overlooked. The principle: freeze your card after each significant use, or systematically whenever you are not using it.

Procedure: Cards → select the card → Freeze card. The card is immediately unusable for new transactions. Recurring payments already authorised continue to work according to the settings you have chosen.

Practical use cases:

• When travelling: unfreeze only when you pay, then freeze again. A pickpocket who steals your card cannot use it.
• When in doubt: "do I still have my card?" → freeze first, look afterwards. If you find it, unfreeze.
• Children: freeze a minor's card between planned uses

8. Turn on strong and biometric authentication

The security of a Revolut account rests on several layers that you control. Check that all of them are enabled:

• Biometrics (Face ID or fingerprint) to open the app: Settings → Security → Biometrics
• Confirmation PIN for large transfers
• Two-factor authentication (2FA), enabled by default: never disable it
• Identity verification for sensitive operations (changing your phone number, etc.)

If your phone is stolen, act in this order: (1) log in to revolut.com from another device, (2) go to Settings → Devices → revoke access for the stolen device, (3) contact support to block the account if necessary. The thief cannot access your account without biometrics or your PIN, but blocking the device remains the priority.

9. Manage your subscriptions through Revolut

The Subscriptions tab in Revolut automatically lists all the recurring payments detected on your account. It is an instant financial audit of your monthly commitments.

Access: Account → Subscriptions. Revolut detects recurring payment patterns and groups them together. For each subscription:

• See the exact amount and payment date
• Spot duplicates or forgotten services
• Attach each subscription to a dedicated virtual card for total control

The combination "one virtual card per subscription + exact limit + notifications" is the ideal setup: you are notified of every charge, the amount cannot exceed what you have set, and you can cut off a subscription instantly by deleting the card, without going through the service's customer support.

10. Take advantage of the investment features

Revolut builds investment features directly into the app, accessible to all users. It is not a leading investment platform, but to get started or diversify simply:

• Fractional shares: buy fractions of shares in major companies from €1. Useful for gaining exposure to stocks like Amazon or Google without spending several thousand euros.
• ETFs: some ETFs are available directly in the app for simple diversification
• Cryptocurrencies: buy and sell Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptos directly from your account
• Precious metals: exposure to gold and silver in a few taps

This information is provided for informational purposes only. All investment carries risk. Revolut is not a financial adviser. Consult a professional before investing.

11. Use the joint account wisely

The Revolut joint account is an account separate from your personal account, shared with another person. It has its own IBAN, its own cards and a shared spending history visible to both members.

It is particularly well suited to couples and flatmates for managing shared expenses (rent, groceries, holidays) without mixing up personal finances. Each member keeps their personal account intact, and the joint account is used solely for shared costs.

To learn all about setting it up, managing it and best practices, see our complete guide to the Revolut joint account.

12. Review your plan once a year

The way you use Revolut changes. When you opened your account, you may have travelled little, not yet been in a relationship, and not used the investment features. A year later, things are different.

An annual review of your plan lets you check:

• Do you regularly exceed the exchange or ATM withdrawal allowances?
• Do you use the travel insurance included in the paid plans?
• Do the RevPoints and the perks of the higher plan (insurance, eSIM, partner subscriptions) make up for its monthly cost?
• Conversely, are you paying for a Premium plan of which you use only 20% of the features?

To work out precisely whether an upgrade or a downgrade pays off in your situation, use our Revolut profitability simulator. As a rule, a paid plan reaches break-even from 2 to 3 trips a year or heavy use of currency exchange.