Quasi cash: why topping up Revolut by card costs you 1% or more

If you top up Revolut, N26 or Wise with a card from a Slovenian bank, the bank can charge you between 1% and 5% of the amount. The fee is called quasi cash. Most people only find out about it when they see it on their statement. Avoiding it is simple: send the money by SEPA transfer, not by card.

Below we explain what quasi cash is, what it costs at each bank and when it is charged.

We checked the figures in the banks’ price lists and explanations and in media reports on 11 October 2026. Price lists change, so check your bank’s before a larger transfer.

What quasi cash is

Quasi cash transactions are card payments that the card schemes do not treat as an ordinary purchase of goods or services, because what you buy is almost the same as cash. Typical examples:

• topping up a Revolut, N26, Wise or other neobank account by card,
• topping up e-wallets such as PayPal, Skrill or Paysafe,
• buying crypto,
• betting, lottery tickets and online casinos,
• buying foreign cash or travellers’ cheques.

The bank recognises the transaction by the MCC code (Merchant Category Code), a four-digit business category code the merchant sends. OTP banka, for example, charges the fee on codes 4829 (money transfer), 6051 (quasi cash), 7801, 7802, 7995 (gambling and betting) and 9406 (state lotteries). From 1 October 2026 it added codes 6012, 6211 and 6540, which also cover payments to financial institutions, brokers and prepaid card top-ups.

The core problem is that you don’t see this code when you pay. It is set by the merchant’s bank, not yours, so you often can’t know in advance whether the fee will apply.

What quasi cash costs at Slovenian banks

At OTP the fee applies to debit, prepaid and deferred-payment cards, at NLB to debit cards as well. Addiko only charges it on Mastercard credit and instalment cards, not on its debit card.

According to the latest information, Delavska hranilnica, Gorenjska banka, UniCredit and Intesa Sanpaolo do not have this fee in their price lists, but that can change quickly: OTP too only introduced it on 1 January 2026, and on 1 October 2026 it widened the range of transactions it charges.

In euros:

On small amounts the minimum bites. A €15 top-up at OTP costs €1, which is almost 7%.

Maja moves €1,000 of her salary to Revolut every month. This is what it costs her per year by card or by SEPA transfer:

In basic packages a transfer costs €0.42 at OTP and €0.40 at NLB. Unlimited electronic payments come with OTP Paket Komplet (€6 a month), Paket Ekstra (€9.99) and Paket Premium (€16.49) and with NLB Paket Premium (€16.99).

At both banks the gap between card and transfer is more than €100 a year.

When quasi cash is charged and when it isn’t

The fee is charged when you:

• top up Revolut, N26 or Wise in their app with a Slovenian bank card,
• pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay linked to that card,
• pay for crypto, betting or an e-wallet top-up by card.

There is no fee when you:

• send money by SEPA transfer from your online or mobile bank to the IBAN of your neobank account,
• set up a standing order,
• play at Loterija Slovenije or Športna loterija (exempt at OTP and NLB; OTP also exempts HIT).

The fee does not depend on your package. Even with OTP Paket Premium (€16.49 a month) or NLB Paket Premium (€16.99 a month) and unlimited electronic payments, a card top-up still costs 1% at OTP and 1.5% at NLB.

Watch out for less obvious cases too. In July 2026 the Slovenian consumer association ZPS described a consumer who topped up an Urbana city card with €2 using a Petrol Pay Loyalty card. Petrol, which issues the card, has a €2 minimum quasi cash fee, so the top-up cost €4. So it is not only banks that charge it, other card issuers do too.

How to top up Revolut without a fee

Use an ordinary SEPA transfer instead of a card. The same goes for N26, Wise and other neobanks:

1. In the neobank app, find your account details (IBAN). At Revolut they are under the option to add money by bank transfer.
2. Open the mobile or online bank of your Slovenian bank and start a new payment.
3. Enter the IBAN, the recipient’s name (your own) and the amount.
4. Confirm.

Since October 2025 banks in the euro area have had to offer instant payments that may not cost more than a regular transfer. The money therefore usually lands in your neobank account within seconds. Speed is no longer a reason to use a card.

Two more tips:

• Save the neobank IBAN as a template so you don’t have to look it up every time.
• If you top up regularly, set up a standing order for the day your salary arrives. In basic packages a standing order costs more than a single transfer (OTP €1.13, NLB €1.10), while the more expensive packages include it.

The transfer price depends on your package. In basic packages an electronic payment costs €0.42 at OTP and €0.40 at NLB, while the more expensive packages at both banks include unlimited electronic payments. If you move money to a neobank often, check whether your package still suits you. Package prices and included payments for every bank are in the bank account comparison.

Why banks charge quasi cash

OTP banka says these transactions involve higher costs and stronger anti-money-laundering checks. NLB stresses that the fee does not conflict with current law, and Addiko says it will change the practice if Banka Slovenije decides otherwise. All three add that they have no influence over the merchant’s MCC code.

ZPS is critical of the fee. It points out that consumers can’t know in advance whether a transaction will be classified as quasi cash, and that the fee can equal or exceed the amount itself. In its view this raises the question of an unfair contract term. Banka Slovenije has not yet published a final position, and ZPS has been waiting for one for about two years.

What to do if you’ve already been charged

• Send your bank a written complaint and ask which MCC code the transaction was classified under.
• Keep the statement and the transaction receipt.
• If the answer isn’t satisfactory, you can turn to Banka Slovenije and ZPS.

In short

Quasi cash is a fee on card top-ups of neobanks, e-wallets, crypto and betting: 1% at OTP, 1.5% at NLB and 5% on Addiko credit cards. A SEPA transfer avoids it and, thanks to instant payments, is just as fast.

To see which neobank pays the most interest on the money you move there, check the neobank comparison and the article Neobanks in Slovenia.