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Italy’s €200 spa voucher website crashes on first day due to number of claims

Italy on Monday began offering spa vouchers to every adult in the country, but the booking website was unable to cope amid high demand and widespread confusion about the claim process.

Published: 9 November 2021 10:30 CET
A woman relaxes in a jacuzzi at a spa.
Italy's new 'spa bonus' is intended to give the hard-hit tourism and wellness sectors a boost. Photo: JEAN PIERRE MULLER/AFP

Online applications opened on Monday November 8th for Italy’s much-anticipated bonus terme, or spa bonus, which promises up to €200 euros off the cost of spa treatments for every adult resident in the country.

But the launch “got off to a bad start” according to Italian consumer watchdog Codacons, as the booking website struggled to cope with the amount of requests made. The site was taken offline on Monday morning after just a few hours.

The platform’s operator Invitalia said in a statement that the site was suspended “for technical reasons, due to the high number of accesses registered since it began operation”.

The website was in fact intended for spa operators to claim the bonus on behalf of their customers – rather than for claims to be made directly by the public.

READ MORE: Italy’s spa bonus: How you can claim €200 towards a relaxing break

Anyone hoping to claim the spa bonus should book directly with one of the spa facilities listed on the Invitalia website. The spa will then apply for the discount via the website on behalf of the customer.

But widespread confusion about the booking process appears to have meant the website received more requests than it could handle, according to reports in Italian media.

Invitalia said spa facilities will be able to submit requests via the portal again from 12 noon on Tuesday.

The incentive, launched by the government in order to boost Italy’s leisure sector amid the economic downturn, covers up to 100 percent of any spa service up to a maximum of €200 per person.

Everyone who is  legally resident in Italy and over the age of 18 is entitled to claim the bonus, regardless of income.

The government has allocated a total of €53 million to this scheme and the bonus will be available until this fund runs out.

This incentive is the latest among dozens of tax ‘bonuses’ and rebates made available by the government for purchasing anything from an electric car or new TV to a first home in Italy.

A list of participating spas can be found on both the Economic Development Ministry’s website and the booking agency site Invitalia.

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MONEY

The verdict: What are the best banks for foreigners in Italy?

Picking the right banking option in Italy can be hard, but The Local's readers have shared their experiences and advice to give you a head start.

Published: 14 February 2024 14:01 CET
Updated: 21 February 2024 10:42 CET
The verdict: What are the best banks for foreigners in Italy?

If you’re planning on moving to Italy, opening a bank account will be one of the very first things you’ll have to do in the country.

Overseas accounts (especially those from outside the eurozone) are unlikely to cut it for everyday tasks like paying bills and taxes, receiving an Italian salary and taking out insurance as many Italian authorities require an account with an Italian IBAN number for these purposes.

Italy has a large number of banks to choose from, ranging from traditional Italian institutions to international banks to a host of online-only operators that have grown in popularity in recent years.

But Italian-only online information, confusing paperwork and a swarm of different offers can make it hard to find the right option, which is why we asked readers of The Local to share some of their best insider tips in a recent survey.

Traditional v online banking

If you’re looking to open an account in Italy, one of the very first decisions you’ll be faced with will be whether to opt for a traditional institution or a digital banking platform. 

Overall, around four in ten respondents indicated an online banking platform as the best option for foreigners in the country, with many pointing to low account fees, advantageous currency exchange rates and a far greater degree of flexibility compared to traditional institutions. 

READ ALSO: Which documents do I need to open an Italian bank account?

The majority of respondents however selected a traditional Italian bank as the best option, citing greater levels of trust in traditional institutions, the advantage of dealing with people face to face and, in some cases, the availability of specific services and information for foreign nationals. 

Traditional banks

Italy’s biggest private bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, was recommended by multiple readers as the best option for foreign nationals in the country.

Intesa San Carlo, Italy

People walk past the headquarters of Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo in Turin’s Piazza San Carlo in January 2017. Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP

Iain Gosling, a UK national living in Pisa, Tuscany, highlighted the quality of their online services, saying: “The app is easy to use and it translates into English automatically. Online banking is easy. We maintain bank accounts in the UK and send funds to ISP, no problem.”

Another British national living in Pisa focused on the advantages of dealing with Italy’s largest bank, saying that “a lot of operations are done through ISP so the transaction fee is low” and the large number of branches across Italy makes it easy to “open an account quickly in person.”

Laura, a US-Italian citizen living in Ascoli Piceno, Marche, praised Intesa Sanpaolo for their customer service, saying staff were “patient and understanding” following a bad experience with another bank.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about opening a bank account in Italy

Besides Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit was also mentioned on multiple occasions within the survey, though opinions on Italy’s second-largest bank were mixed.

Stewart, an Australian national living in Umbria, said they “never had any problem paying bills or making transfers” even when out of the country, and the bank has “a pretty good website, including an English-language (sort of) option”.

But other readers had rather different experiences. Laura, from Ascoli Piceno, said her experience with UniCredit was “a nightmare” as “they couldn’t open the account correctly” and trying to solve the issue was “humiliating and impossible”. 

Cindy in Orte, Lazio, mentioned that UniCredit “arbitrarily raised checking account rates for foreigners who are not residents from 20€ annual to 120€ annual”, whilst another reader reported that “it took someone I know three months to open an account”.

Finally, two readers recommended BancoPosta – a branch of Italy’s Post Office offering basic financial services – based on low fees, presence in all major Italian towns, and easy sign-up procedures.

Online banking and transfer platforms

Wise (formerly TransferWise) was by far the most highly recommended digital platform within our survey.

A British reader in Tuscany hailed it for its “speedy transfers, good exchange rates, and prompt problem resolution”, highlighting the contrast with “slow, expensive and paper intensive” traditional banks.

Revolut

A close-up detail of a card from digital bank Revolut. Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP

Jenny Lantschner, a British-Italian national in Lucca, also pointed out Wise services’ speed, saying that it’s “very easy to use on a smartphone and will send funds within minutes”.

Besides Wise, several readers recommended Italian online bank Fineco, which they praised for easy account-opening procedures, efficient online operations and low fees. 

Lithuania-based Revolut was also recommended by some readers on the basis of “low cost, convenience, and near spot-market rates for currency exchange”, though others mentioned having problems with money transfers. 

For instance, Bob, an American national in Siracusa, Sicily said that “English, American, and Italian banks all refused to fund” his account.

Finally, Steve in Lombardy advised against opening accounts with Germany-based N26 as they “have been closing accounts in Italy and not giving back the money to customers”.

Though N26 is an active digital bank in Italy, it has been operating in a limited capacity for nearly two years following on-site inspections in late 2021 that revealed shortcomings in terms of security legislation and weaknesses in anti-laundering measures. 

Readers of The Local have recently reported having their accounts shut and being locked out of their funds for no apparent reason.

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