Starling Bank review

Starling Bank: award-winning banking on your mobile

• No monthly fees or fees overseas
• Apply in minutes, direct from the app
• Award-winning current account

Go to site

What is Starling Bank?

Starling Bank offers a full UK current account that can be opened and managed directly from the app. It aims to make banking easier and more customer-centric and make your finances accessible to you wherever you are.

When you sign up, you get a current account, a debit card and an app that’s all about helping you understand where your money goes, budget and save.

How to start using Starling

1. Download the app
2. Create an account by providing your name, date of birth, email address and home address
3. Verify your identity through the app using a selfie video and photo of your ID
4. Wait to be approved (this usually only takes a few minutes)
5. Once approved you can link the account to Apple Pay or your Google Wallet, to start spending immediately
6. Receive your physical Mastercard debit card in the post within 3-5 days
7. Link this card to the app and start spending with it

How does Starling Bank work?

The app focuses on the necessities, with a minimalist design covering key information. Tabs allow you to access other features including:

• Payments. Just as with any payment system, there’s a feature for transferring your current standing orders from your old bank.
• Add money. For anyone who joined after August 2018, there is no limit to how much you can pay in. You can add as much as you like using “Faster Payments” and online banking.
• Spending. Get a record of your transactions, categorised to let you know what you’re spending your money on, which gives you an idea on where you can save.

Other key features include:

• Goals. This is basically a digital piggy bank. You set your goal and then squirrel cash away either manually or automatically, encouraging you to save more.
• Card. Starling sends you a physical bank card (a Mastercard debit card) when you sign up. From the app, you can activate the card, let Starling know if you’re travelling abroad and manually deactivate it if it gets lost or stolen. The debit card itself does all you would expect, from making payments to allowing you to withdraw cash from ATMs. The Starling debit card is also the first Mastercard in the UK to be made from recycled plastic (rPVC).
• Overdraft/loan facility. Eligible account holders can be given an overdraft facility, or a fixed-rate Starling loan.
• Marketplace. Starling’s partnerships with third-party financial technology companies offer ways to compare insurance, pensions and mortgages.
• Physical cash loads. Although there are no Starling bank branches, you can load cash into your account for free at Post Office branches in the UK.

Also worth noting is that as of October 2020, Starling’s personal account customers can manage their accounts through online banking, in addition to their Starling mobile app. This capability was previously limited to the bank’s business accounts, but Starling says that in response to customer demand, personal account holders can now also access their finances through a desktop as well as a smartphone.

Is Starling any good compared to other challenger banks?

Starling is definitely one of the best challenger banks out there. The app is quite elegant and streamlined, the lack of fees makes it great for travelling and it’s a fully licensed bank, so your money is as safe as with a traditional high-street bank.

However, the most popular banking challengers – Starling, Revolut, Monzo – are quite similar to each other and all offer a solid service. Compared to Starling, the Monzo app is a bit more fun, while Revolut is more about using different currencies at the same time. Learn more about alternatives to Starling.

If you’re undecided between two of them, applying for an account is really quick and easy, so you could even try both out for a while and then pick the one that works best for you.

In a boost to its green credentials, in October 2020 Starling announced that it would be planting a tree for every successful new personal or business customer referral. The bank followed this up in March 2021 with the introduction of the UK’s first recycled Mastercard debit card. Made from 75% recycled plastic (rPVC), the material is sourced from EU industrial waste from the printing and packaging industries. Only 25% of the card is made up of unavoidable non-recycled elements, including the card’s chip and magstripe. Existing customers will receive the recycled debit card when their current one expires and new customers will be issued the card upon joining the bank.

Can I travel with the card?

Yes, you can, and using your Starling debit card abroad should be a much less painful experience than with a traditional bank.

Thanks to Starling’s mobile nature, it is much easier to keep track of your budget while on the road. Also, charges for spending abroad or withdrawing cash at an ATM aren’t an issue since using your Starling Bank card overseas doesn’t incur extra fees.

When you pay in a foreign currency with your Starling, money will be converted at the Mastercard exchange rate. And when you withdraw money from an ATM abroad, Starling won’t charge you for doing so.

How does the app look?

Pay easily using Nearby Payments

Send and receive money from other Starling app users who are nearby. No phone or bank account number needed

Get instant notifications

No matter if you have a personal, business or joint account, get notifications right after you spend or receive money

Set your Goals

Visualise what you're saving for and get it faster

Take full control of your card

Block any kind of payments and freeze your card if you think it's lost or stolen

‹ ›

Starling Bank overdraft, fees and limits

Starling offers an arranged overdraft option. Interest is calculated daily and charged at 15%, 25% or 35% EAR (variable) based on the customer’s credit score. There are no additional charges for unarranged overdrafts.

Starling’s fees are competitive:

• Current account and transactions. Starling doesn’t charge you for basic transactions and banking services. There’s no monthly account fee, and card payments and ATM withdrawals come for free both in the UK and abroad.
• International money transfers. Starling charges a fee for sending money abroad, which depends on the receiver’s country and the amount of money transferred.
• Cash loads. Depositing and withdrawing cash for personal current account holders is free at your local Post Office.

Starling Bank’s interest rate

Starling Bank pays 0.05% on up to £85,000.

This is relatively uncommon among banking challengers. Revolut, for example, pays no interest at all; and with Monzo, you only get interest if you open a savings account with one of Monzo’s partners.

However, if a considerable interest rate on your balance is what you’re looking for, you may be better off with a traditional bank – some traditional current accounts offer up to 2% on balances up to a set amount.

Starling Bank’s euro accounts

If you have a Starling personal account, you can also open a euro account alongside it for free. But a change to the interest rate on some high-value euro accounts came into effect in November 2020. A negative interest rate of -0.5% applies to any amount over €50,000, which means account holders with a balance over that threshold will essentially be charged 0.5% for keeping that portion of their money on deposit.

What is the Starling Kite debit card for kids?

Starling Kite is a prepaid debit card for kids that launched in September 2020, and is designed for children aged 6-16. It costs £2 per month and is linked to the parent’s personal (or joint) Starling account.

The card has the child’s name printed on it, and they can use it to spend online, in-store and to withdraw cash from ATMs (up to a maximum of £100). If the Kite debit card is lost or stolen, it can be locked from the adult’s Starling account.

Parents can also use their Starling banking app to allocate funds (such as pocket money) to their kid’s account and then monitor their spending. Parents receive notifications whenever their child spends money, and parental controls within the app mean that they can limit specific functions such as online payments and ATM withdrawals, or set a daily transaction limit.

There are no fees for using the card abroad, which is a big plus. The main downside with this prepaid kids’ card vs others is that there’s no app for the child.

Learn more about this new kids’ debit card in our Starling Kite review.

Starling customer reviews

In our 2021 Banking Customer Satisfaction Awards, Starling received 4.5 out of 5 stars from customers in our survey, and 79% of its users said they would recommend the brand. Its current account holders particularly praised the app’s tools and ease of use. Here’s what some of those Starling customers had to say in our survey:

“Excellent app and great customer service”

“They are innovative and I’ve never had any problems with them”

“Great app, great service and free”

“Very quick and easy set-up”

Starling Bank also has an average score of 4.9 out of 5 stars in the App Store, from almost 200,000 reviews. Over on the Google Play Store, it has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars, based on reviews from 49,000 Android app users (March 2021).

Pros and cons of Starling Bank

Our verdict

Some of us at Finder have had Starling for a while and we’re all quite impressed. The app looks a bit more serious than Revolut‘s or Monzo‘s, but is user-friendly and efficient. Starling is also constantly expanding its range of features.

Starling is especially competitive for travelling abroad – as well as not charging any fees for foreign card payments, there are also no charges for taking money out of ATMs. And you can withdraw up to £300 worth of foreign currency a day.

All in all, Starling a great bank for people who want a solid current account that comes with practically no fees and an excellent mobile experience. Get started by downloading the app.

Frequently asked questions

• How does Starling make money?

  Starling Bank has four revenue streams that function much like those of a traditional bank:

  • Net interest income. Starling Banks uses customer deposits to lend to other customers as overdrafts and loans.
  • Treasury income. Surplus deposits are held by the Bank of England, and Starling gets small returns via interest.
  • Interchange income. Starling takes a fee from every card transaction made – the interchange fee.
  • Fees and commissions. Traditional banks upsell and advertise additional services that they can provide, generating more income. As Starling Bank only offers their current account, they make money through partnerships with other fintechs, getting a commission on every referral.

• How do I put money into my account if there aren't any physical bank branches?

  You can add money to your Starling personal account by doing any of the following:

  • Bank transfer directly from another bank account to your Starling personal account.
  • Cash deposit at any Post Office branch.
  • Choose to transfer your salary or bank balance and set up direct debits and any other regular payments by making Starling your main bank account.

• How easy is it to top up?

  Simple. Pay in cash manually or transfer funds from another account. Alternatively, you can use the “Switch” option to make your Starling account your main account.

• I'm planning on using a Starling card for my travels. How much will it cost me to get a replacement card if I lose mine while abroad?

  You will need to pay £60 for a replacement card, as the delivery process is currently highly manual. It may take a few days to a few weeks depending on your location. For more specific information on this process, please contact Starling Bank directly.

• How much will it cost me to withdraw from an ATM in another country?

  While Starling does not impose any withdrawal charges on customers, ATM providers in your country of destination may charge their own fee. The cost of withdrawing from ATMs differs in different countries and locations.

• How much money can I take out from an ATM?

  You can make up to six withdrawals per day, with a maximum daily limit of £300.

• Can I open a Starling bank account if I live outside the UK?

  Starling bank accounts are only available to those whose current address is in the UK. You can be any nationality as long as you live in the UK.

• Do I need the Starling app to access my account?

  Yes, you need to download the app on either an Android or iOS device.

• Do I need a main account to link my Starling account to or can I use Starling as my main bank?

  A Starling personal bank account is a fully functioning current account that comes with a Mastercard debit card, so you can 100% use it as your main bank.

• Does Starling Bank offer a credit card?

  Starling Bank has announced plans to launch a credit card, but there are none available at this time.