TF Bank — Mastercard Gold
TF Bank AB · Mastercard
The TF Bank Mastercard Gold is a zero-fee credit card from the Swedish bank TF Bank AB (operating in Italy under EU freedom-of-services passporting), on the Mastercard network. Its rare strength is the combination of no annual fee and 0% foreign-exchange fee: it is the direct twin of Advanzia's Carta YOU. It works as a charge card with up to 55 interest-free days, but if you don't repay the full statement the revolving line kicks in at 21% APR / 23.10% APR-equivalent, among the most expensive on the market. It includes complimentary travel insurance.
Data & conditions
| Network | Mastercard |
|---|---|
| Card type | Revolving credit |
| Backing | Unsecured |
| APR | 23.1% |
| Credit limit | €5,000 |
| Issuing bank | TF Bank AB |
| Issuance fee | Free |
| Annual fee | Free |
| ATM withdrawal | not declared |
| FX markup | 0% |
| Cashback | Not disclosed |
| Contactless | Yes |
| KYC | Full |
| Privacy | 2/10 |
| Supported countries | EEA · 1+ countries |
| Funding / solidity | Banca svedese quotata al Nasdaq Stockholm · carta di credito a canone zero e FX 0% |
| Regulator | Finansinspektionen (Svezia) · Banca d'Italia per la libera prestazione in IT |
| Segment | B2C |
| Funding / solidity | Swedish bank listed on Nasdaq Stockholm · zero-fee, FX-0% credit card |
| MiCA / License status | Banca (TF Bank AB, autorizzata da Finansinspektionen, Svezia; opera in Italia in libera prestazione di servizi) Bank supervised by Finansinspektionen (SE), operating in Italy under freedom of services |
Plans & pricing
Strengths
- Zero annual fee and no issuance or shipping cost, forever
- Zero foreign-exchange fee (FX 0%): ideal for spending and purchases in foreign currency, like Carta YOU
- Up to 55 interest-free days if you repay the full statement
- Complimentary travel insurance (cancellation up to €3,000, baggage up to €2,500, accident)
- No notable sovereignty advantage documented.
Weaknesses
- Very expensive revolving: per the SECCI, 24.95% APR / 28.01% APRC on purchases (the promo page states 21% / 23.10%) and 26.45% APR / 29.90% APRC on withdrawals
- Costly cash withdrawals: €3.90 per transaction plus interest charged from day one
- Minimum repayment 3% of the used credit (minimum €30): the residual balance generates high interest
- No cashback or points programme; credit limit set individually (up to €5,000)
- Traditional credit card: not self-custody — the account requires full KYC, a credit check, and can be closed or reported to credit bureaus by the issuer.
- Full KYC required: verified identity, zero pseudonymity.
- Funds can be frozen at the platform’s discretion.
- Subject to regulation (Bank supervised by Finansinspektionen (SE), operating in Italy under freedom of services): reporting to authorities and freezes on order.
- FATF-aligned jurisdiction: strong cooperation with authorities.
Verdict
For the disciplined spender — someone who repays the full statement every month — it is one of the best value-for-money cards in Italy: zero fee and, above all, 0% currency conversion, exactly the profile we reward. It earns 3.9 and tier A. The big risk is the revolving: anyone who doesn't repay in full pays a 23.10% APR-equivalent, among the highest on the market, and withdrawals (€3.90 plus interest from day one) should be avoided. Used as a charge card it is excellent; used on instalments it gets expensive fast.
A credit card is a credit line, not custody of funds: there is neither self-custody nor a user balance here. It remains a fully tracked and censorable instrument — full KYC, a bank issuer (TF Bank AB) that profiles transactions and can suspend the line at its discretion. On the sovereignty lens it is the opposite of trustless tools: no anonymity, no censorship resistance.
Promp's editorial rating based on real fees and net annual cost. Promp reviews third-party products independently.
"Sovereignty" rating: score computed on privacy/anonymity (30%), fund control (20%), censorship resistance (20%), trustless/auditability (20%) and costs (10%). Same data, different weights.
Reputation
What happened to people who used TF Bank — Mastercard Gold, and what users say. External signals: they do not feed the promp.it rating.
Incidents & regulatory actions
History not verifiedWe have not yet completed the incident search for this service: no entries here does not mean no events.
Public reviews
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Google Play ↗
4.1/5
3,868 reviews
⚠️ This figure is also from the GERMAN market: the listing was read with gl=DE, because with gl=IT the same page exposes no rating at all — consistent with the app not being distributed in Italy. Exact count from the structured data. Notable gap versus iOS (4.12 against 3.72) for the same app.
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App Store ↗
3.7/5
3,563 reviews
⚠️ Rating from the GERMAN store: the «TF Bank Mobile» app is not published on the Italian App Store (nor on the Swedish, Finnish or Norwegian ones), so the score does NOT come from Italian customers. It is the group's only digital channel. The developer account is currently listed as «Avarda Bank AB», a TF Bank group company, while the app name and bundle id remain TF Bank's.
Weighted average across 2 public review platforms (7,431 reviews in total), weighted by volume. This is not our rating: it is those platforms’ average.
FAQ
How much does the TF Bank Mastercard Gold cost?
The annual fee is €0 and there are no issuance or shipping costs. You pay interest only if you choose the revolving option (21% APR / 23.10% APR-equivalent) instead of repaying the full statement by the due date.
Is it good for spending in foreign currency?
Yes: the foreign-exchange fee is 0%, like Advanzia's Carta YOU. Watch out for cash withdrawals, however, which cost €3.90 per transaction plus interest charged from day one.
Sources
- Official service page Card issuance fee · ATM limits · Contro it Data verified on Jul 22, 2026
Update history
- Rates aligned to the SECCI available on the site: 24.95% APR / 28.01% APRC on purchases and 26.45% APR / 29.90% APRC on withdrawals — the promo page states 21% / 23.10% instead. Confirmed the flat €3.90 per withdrawal with same-day interest and no grace period.