Tide aims to give business owners their time back, by simplifying expenses.
Tide is a fintech app looking to make waves in the growing field of challenger banking. Rather than offering accounts for everyday spending, Tide specialises in business current accounts, providing a specialised service to help businesses grow. With its unique approach Tide has gained a lot of positive attention from technology and consumer critics.
What is Tide?
Tide offers business current accounts to small businesses and freelancers, hoping to relieve them of some of the financial stress that comes with a growing company. Tide’s business accounts come with a number of features that address some of the most stressful aspects of working for yourself, and offer all of this for free.
An alternative to Tide business account
Revolut for Business
- Business accounts made easy
- Make international payments quickly
- Get prepaid corporate cards
- Don't worry about the hidden fees
- Cutting edge multi-currency current accounts
How does Tide work?
Like many other fintech apps, the majority of Tide’s features are found on your smartphone. The card you’re sent in the post is the only physical aspect of your Tide account.
The Tide app offers a number of resources to help freelancers nurture their businesses and organises them into a series of easily accessible pages.
The app at its core is simple and streamlined, with some more advanced and decorative features present to help exaggerate its convenience. The pages of features include:
- Accounts: The introductory screen for your Tide app. Here your paired accounts are featured, along with their balances, card details and a description of their uses.
- Easy accounting: Each card has a record of its transactions. File these transactions under a selection of different categories, e.g. travel, insurance, health, food.
- Invoice: Manage invoices, see a description of the job and its pricing, see which invoices are active or paid and create new invoices. Invoices can be issued in minutes.
- Pay: With the virtual card you are issued immediately upon registration you can pay using contactless. Once you have a physical card this feature is used to authorise your payments.
- Help: Issue enquiries and requests to the Tide team. This page also displays several questions frequently asked by users.
- More: Manage your personal and security details and learn about more Tide services including accountancy software, direct debits and customisable invoice templates.
- Credit: Tide offers up to £1,500 as a loan, helping you in those moments when your company needs a small injection of cash.
Tide also offers credit cards, allowing you to borrow a bit extra at competitive rates. As mentioned above, Tide also aim to offer savings accounts too.
Using Tide abroad
Your Tide account has the same fees whether you use it in the UK or abroad. This means that any transactions or withdrawals you make while you’re overseas will only be subject to exchange rates, no extra charges. The only international hurdle you will face will come from transfers, which as of yet have not been implemented.
Tide fees and limits
One of Tide’s other big selling points is its competitive, and at points non-existent, fees. The main charges come in the form of:
- A 20p charge on all transfers in or out of your Tide account. Tide-to-Tide transfers cost nothing.
- ATM withdrawals also cost £1.
- Post Office deposits come with a fee of £1. PayPoint deposits are charged for 3% of the transaction value.
- Card transactions cost nothing.
- International fees are exactly the same but with the currency exchange rate on top.
Is Tide safe?
Unlike some of the other fintech current accounts, Tide doesn’t lend, invest or move your money around, meaning its always accessible and always yours. Not only do you have to authenticate your account using a password, you also have to authorise all payments through your phone.
Tide also request a selfie every time you long onto a new device to make sure it’s actually you.
Pros and cons of Tide
Pros
- Recommended by a number of consumer advice services.
- Pair your other bank cards to the app and see their balance, details and a spending record for each one.
- Sort your transactions into a number of categories.
- Competitive fees and charges.
- Connect your account with external accounting technology.
- Invoice directly from your Tide app.
- Safe and secure.
- Registered with the FCA and PRA.
Cons
- No international money transfers.
- App can be clunky on certain phones.
- Lack of face-to-face contact can turn people away from mobile banking.
- No personal current accounts.
- A traditional bank account is still necessary for many of your financial needs.
The verdict
Tide is a great asset, its utility belt of tools helps you nurture the growth of your business and manage your finances, all while being free to download and with only a small collection of fees and charges.
Compare Tide against its competitors
FAQs
N26
What is it?
App-based bank account that can be used on the go in any EU country. All about the ease of sending and saving money.
Revolut (Standard)
What is it?
App-based current account with loads of extra features. (e.g. Real time transactions, payment categorisation, save spare change, free international money transfers, buy cryptocurrency)
Starling
What is it?
Everything you get from a current account, but with new features for mobile living. (E.g. Goals for saving, spending catgorisation, interest on your balances)
Monese (Starter)
What is it?
A multi-currency mobile banking app that aims to be ‘built around you’. Use it to open a fully functional current account instantly, straight from your phone, all supported by a feature-rich mobile app
Hi!
I’m a Sole trader and need an account like Tide for small day-to-day transactions. I also need to be able to transfer to/from my Santander current account and all with low fees and allow iZettle payment receipts. Can you advise, please?
Hi Barry,
Thanks for getting in touch with Finder. I hope all is well with you. :)
The Tide app allows you to do money transfers from your account to another bank account and vice versa. For this reason, moving funds to and fro Santander current account could be possible with Tide.
Regarding, iZettle payment receipts, while Tide mentioned they simplify issuing and recording receipts, I can’t find specific mention of iZettle on their website. Best is to directly ask Tide’s customer support to learn more about the app.
I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.
Have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Joshua
Does the app allow me to add files such as photos of receipt or paper invoice?
Hi Paul,
Thanks for getting in touch with Finder. I hope all is well with you. :)
Yes, the Tide app allows you to add files like photos of receipts and documents. You can add files by visiting the particular transaction in the app, or by ‘sharing’ a file in your phone storage with Tide.
I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.
Have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Joshua
Is a tide account suitable for receiving credit card payments?
Hi Steve,
Thanks for getting in touch with finder. I hope all is well with you. :)
At the time of this writing, it is not possible to receive credit card payments through your tide account.
I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.
Have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Joshua