N26 joins Revolut in disrupting the telecommunications market
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Operating on Vodafone's 5G network, N26's mobile plan entails the issuance of an eSIM that can be activated directly in-app.
All plans come with unlimited national calls and text messages, as well as free EU and EEA roaming. Data bundles range from €13.99 per month for 10 gigabits of data to €34.99 for 100GB.
On top of their choice of data bundle, N26 SIM customers can also choose between porting in an existing phone number, or getting a new number provided by N26. Customers will also have the ability to cancel their plan with a month's notice, doing away with long fixed-term contracts and binding commitments.
Valentin Stalf, founder and CEO of N26, says: 'With N26 SIM, we'll offer flexible and affordable mobile plans that can be activated straight in our app with just a few taps. Together with our network operator Vodafone, our customers can be connected through one of the best mobile networks in Germany, setting new standards in the telecommunications sector.'
N26's entry into the telecommunications market comes on the heels of Revolut's mobile plan offer, opening up an additional revenue stream beyond banking.
Revolut's new Mobile Plans will offer unlimited texts, calls and domestic data, with a generous 20GB EU and US data roaming and no fixed contract commitment.
Set to launch first in the UK and Germany with more markets to follow, Revolut users can join a waitlist to be the first to access and be eligible for an introductory monthly rate of £12.50 a month.
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'That is likely to rise to €2.50 per bag in October,' says a Ryanair spokesman. 'We are determined to eliminate the scourge of oversized bags which delays our boarding process and annoys the 99.9 per cent of passengers who comply with the rules.' It certainly isn't the first time that Ryanair's 'incentives' have come under the spotlight. It's been known since the mid-2010s that cabin crew were being paid a commission on any on-board sales – including alcohol and scratch-cards – to help the airline make more money. There were also suggestions at the time that staff with lower sales figures were being given less choice over their roster – something that the airline denies. An American invention Like many things in the budget airline world, the practice was pioneered by American carriers, who have become notorious for badgering their passengers to sign up to airline credit cards. According to one Spirit staffer, cabin crew can receive as much as $70 when a customer successfully takes out one of their cards. Either way, these incentives have now become an essential part of the deal when working for low-cost carriers and charter airlines in particular. 'When I worked as cabin crew for a major charter airline, around 40 per cent of my earnings was made up of on-board sales commissions,' says Charlotte Crocker, a former flight attendant who now provides training to cabin crew. 'We would sell duty-free products, headsets, food, drinks and anything else that was available. We weren't put under a huge amount of pressure from the airline, but they would offer extra bonuses – like a pair of designer sunglasses or something similar – to the best sellers.' As for the current incentives, Ryanair pays 10 per cent on all in-flight sales, as does its competitor Wizz Air. 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