smile app review September 2019

The UK’s first digital bank, smile is known for its role in past technological innovations in banking. It now operates as a trading division of The Co-operative Bank, but its unique history ensures it’ll always remain a distinct entity. While it was on the cutting edge of banking in the late 90s, is it still today? We’ve had a look at the smile app to see how it measures up to its peers.

If you’re looking for the perfect mobile banking app suited to your needs, but you’re coming up short, have a look at our reviews that give you all the information you’ll need to make the best choice. Here, you’ll find rundowns of mobile banking apps by the likes of Barclays Bank, Halifax, Lloyds Bank, NatWest, RBS, Nationwide, Santander, first direct and HSBC.

What is the smile app?

The smile app is an app for smile customers, allowing them to quickly and easily check their balance and to manage their money wherever they are in the world. It also boasts a fair few extra features.

How does the smile app work?

In order to set up the smile mobile banking app, you’ll need to register with smile online banking. If you’re not already registered, you can be do this through the app itself. Once you’ve registered with online banking, you can log in to your smile account in the app. You’ll then be able to see balances and transactions for each account. You can also do the following:

How do I apply for a current or savings account with smile?

The easiest way to apply to open a new account with smile is online. Go to the smile website to open a sole or joint account, open a second account or switch your existing account to smile.

Saving with the smile app

Aside from the option to manage your savings account alongside your current account, and also set up standing orders, there’s no budgeting tool built in to the smile app. While some apps, such as Starling or Barclays Bank for example, allow you to see a categorised “breakdown” of your spending, the smile app has no such feature.

smile fees and limits

• As with pretty much all other banks, if you take out an overdraft with smile, you’ll incur fees and interest charges.
• You’ll also incur fees for debit card payments in a foreign currency, cash withdrawal in a foreign currency while outside the UK, sending money outside of the UK and transferring money within the UK via CHAPS.

Is smile safe?

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) is an independent statutory fund set up to safeguard consumer finances in the event of a bank being unable to meet its payment demands. The Co-operative Bank, and therefore smile, has full FSCS protection, which provides compensation for the loss of up to £85,000 – as is the standard for UK bank accounts.

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Pros and cons of the smile app

Frequently asked questions

• Can I only use the smile app with smile current and savings accounts?

  Yes, the smile mobile banking app is specifically for smile customers. If you’re looking for banking apps that cater for customers with multiple banks, check out our app reviews.

• How long does transferring money take?

  Transferring money from account to account should only take a very short time – your money will usually be transferred immediately. However, this may take longer in some cases.

• I lost my phone, how do I deregister it?

  If you lose your iPhone, you should go into your iCloud account or into the Find my iPhone app, and once there put your device into lost mode. This will prevent any use from the device.

• Can I use the smile app abroad?

  Yes, you can use the smile mobile banking app abroad. However, remember that overseas charges may apply.

• Can I use the smile mobile banking app to make a one-off payment?

  Yes, you can. To make a one-off payment, do the following:

  1. Choose the account you want to make a payment from, then tap “Make a payment or transfer”.
  2. Then, tap “Make a one-off payment”. As this is a one-off payment, the recipient’s details won’t be saved in your recipient list.

  You can make as many payments of this kind as you like, up to a total of £250 within a 24-hour period.

• What should I do if I'm having technical difficulties with the app?

  If you’re having issues with the app, you can contact the smile technical team by phone on +44(0)3457 212 212.

  Bear in mind that if you enter your security credentials incorrectly too many times, your access to the app will be blocked for 24 hours, so you’ll have to wait if this happens.

  If you enter your mobile passcode incorrectly too many times, you can reset it by tapping “Forgotten passcode”, which is on the app’s login page.

• How are Google Pay refunds processed?

  Google Pay refunds work in a very similar way to most other requests. Refunds, returns, cancellations and voided transactions can be reimbursed by your merchant as they would be with any other request. However, bear in mind that you may need to provide the last four digits of your Google Pay card.

Oli Collins

Oli is a writer for Finder UK. He writes guides, features and news about a range of topics, including banking, credit cards, mortgages and personal loans. He studies English Literature at the University of Sussex, and in his spare time enjoys cycling and playing the guitar, though not necessarily at the same time.