BBVA Offers €240 Bonus, But 'Plan Conecta' Slogan Confuses Internet Access

BBVA Offers €240 Bonus, But 'Plan Conecta' Slogan Confuses Internet Access

A plan promising €240 for direct deposit and a slogan that, at first glance, seems to include free internet access. BBVA's campaign, named Plan Conecta, launched with this ambiguity: one branch claimed there is no such connection, while customer service admitted not knowing and promised to check. The promotion, however, is reserved for new clients.

The misunderstanding is significant. The plan name and advertising claim push users to think of a package including network access; the fine print, instead, points to something far more mundane: managing the account online with the provider of their choice. The gap between these interpretations is the difference between a gift and a statement that the account is managed online.

€240 and Uncomfortable Fine Print

The actual conditions of Plan Conecta revealed during discussions are less generous than the campaign headline suggests. To receive the €240, two alternative requirements must be met: direct deposit of salary or €600 monthly income. In return, the bank waives maintenance fees, debit card fees, and transfer charges. However, the incentive does not apply to existing customers: only new sign-ups qualify.

This creates friction. Long-standing clients see the bank reserving rewards for newcomers while they continue to pay applicable fees. This complaint is repeated with irony in many messages: old customers are offered little more than a greeting. It is not new to the sector, but each acquisition campaign brings it back to the forefront.

The second issue is operational. Accounts eligible for the €240 require consistency: twelve months of €600 income, according to the interpretation discussed. Here begins the maze of dates. Calendar month? From sign-up? Is depositing on the 3rd one month and the 15th the next acceptable? Experience suggests there is no fixed published rule, so users create their own schedules to avoid non-compliance.

The €20 Payment That Doesn't Always Arrive

The plan is structured in partial payments, starting with a €20 credit arriving shortly after activation, even before any deposits are made. Thereafter, the mechanism repeats monthly: deposit, withdraw, and wait for the credit. Several accounts agree that payment usually arrives one day after the first monthly transfer. Others, however, were surprised to find the credit missing.

The official explanation provided is that there is no fixed day: it can be any day of the month. Translated: if it doesn't arrive by the 15th, it might come by the 30th. This response does not reassure those who had internalized a routine and fuels suspicion that payment punctuality depends on factors outside the client's control. Questions about the entity's liquidity arise naturally, half-jokingly, as delays accumulate.

The Slogan Contradiction: Connection or Just Online Banking?

The core issue lies in the name. Plan Conecta and its claims invite readers to believe the bank gives away internet access along with the salary bonus. The version relayed from a branch is much more modest: it refers to the ability to view the account online for free with the provider each client prefers. In other words, business as usual, dressed up with a name that sounds like something else.

Accusations of misleading advertising then appear naturally. Saying "online operations" is not the same as suggesting free connectivity; the difference is not subtle, it is fundamental. Meanwhile, the entity left the answer hanging: headquarters promised to check and confirm the information, without clarification closing the matter.

Stuck Sign-ups and Fading Promotion

The contracting process did not help either. Errors completing forms are common, and submitting ID documents via the web becomes a bottleneck for some applicants, who cannot access their newly peine accounts while others complete the process smoothly. System saturation adds to the problem.

As weeks passed, the promotion disappeared from the entity's website, leaving doubts about renewal unanswered. Latecomers found the door closed. Meanwhile, discussion shifted to other fronts: competitor mortgage terms, antiestéticars of haircuts on deposits over €100,000, and general distrust toward entities giving away money to attract liabilities. Ultimately, Plan Conecta delivered less connection than promised and raised more questions than it answered.