Carta You review. Everything (almost) right: it's free for life, has growing overdraft, zero fees, and travel insurance

A little over a month later since I applied for and received my You card I must say that on balance I am more than satisfied with the product .

What cartaYou offers

The proposal is really aggressive and, above all, looks like an ideal travel companion, given the characteristics of the services offered. It is a payment instrument that relies on the existing checking account and, if used in balance, it costs the cardholder nothing. Since it is the Mastercard circuit, it can be used wherever credit cards are accepted as a means of payment. This is not just a Mastercard, but it is a Gold product, which therefore opens up an additional set of benefits.

The features of this card also include the possibility of being used to purchase cryptocurrencies: in this case, a monthly interest of 1.75% is charged. Full details on costs are available here.

The card is totally free (no fee or charges on withdrawals) and has two ways of reimbursement: balance and fractional deferred. In the second case, however, interest is triggered, and we are absolutely against this mode of use; we remind all our readers to pay off the due amount every month. In addition, the cartaYou can be conveniently managed from the downloadable app on smartphones.

Small initial problems

No problems in the paper application. It is a simple form, it is filled out in 30 seconds from the cell phone and no documents need to be attached, in fact this request leads to a pre-selection by the bank, which is Luxembourg-based and also operates in Holland, Austria, France and Spain .

Once you receive the pre-approval link, however, I had trouble passing operator verification, the reason being that the number of operators was probably not able to handle the pace of the many applicants. After a series of attempts, I managed to talk to the operator and complete the application. I received the card after not even a week, downloaded the APP and immediately started using it.

Approved card and overdraft

Being a traditional credit card is assigned an overdraft which, as also mentioned by many readers who have been using this card for a few months, updates from month to month based on how it is used. In my case I was notified of an initial overdraft of €1,000. Other readers said they received a lower limit soon raised as the months went by to over 2,000

Apple Pay and App

Once activated, the card immediately went into my digital wallet, companion perfect for use when my American Express cards are not accepted, which fortunately is happening less and less often. Of course, I also installed the official Advanzia app that allows you to check all aspects of the card and, in case of loss, block it with one click.

Why it is an interesting product for travelers

This card has some interesting functions related to payments outside the euro area: the exchange rate applied Is not charged any fees and this results in savings compared to what other credit cards offer. Being from the Mastercard circuit you have the Guarantee of having a product that is accepted anywhere in the world And at no additional cost.

In addition to this, the card offers insurance coverage at no additional cost. It's basic, but it's better than nothing especially if you remember that we are talking about a card that costs absolutely nothing and is therefore a great tool for those who do not yet have credit cards that offer more comprehensive travel insurance.

How travel insurance works

The coverage under Section 1 "Travel Accident." of coverage is provided to you and your wife or cohabiting partner (living permanently at the same address) and dependent children traveling with you on the same trip, and to be entitled to the guarantees under this insurance:

• in connection with the coverage under Section 1 "Accidents While Traveling" you and your wife, or cohabiting partner, must be less than 75 years of age on the date insurance coverage is granted and at the beginning of each trip; and
• in relation to the cover under Section 1 "Accidents while travelling" tu you must have used the insured card to pay at least 50% of the total travel and living expenses during a trip. Travel by private vehicle is covered if at least 50% of the total living expenses are paid with the insured card before departure from your country of residence. Travel is also insured Within your country of residence if at least 1 night's stay has been booked and paid for With the insured card. The trip must be booked and completed during the coverage period. The trip must not exceed 90 days. If the trip lasts longer than 90 days, no part of the trip is insured beyond the first 90 days.

In conclusion

Of course I struggled a little bit to complete the registration, but I can't help but keep In view of the fact that it is a company that has just started in the Italian market And offering a serious product: a free Gold Mastercard for life with so many useful little benefits when my American Express are not accepted.