- Experts highlight Starling Bank as a strong digital banking option, noting its fee-free banking, competitive savings rates, and an excellent app. While the bank has faced regulatory fines, it remains stable and fully FSCS-protected, making it a reliable choice for personal and business accounts, particularly for those comfortable with app-based banking.
- Across 415 user reviews on Good Money Guide, averaging 4.8/5, customers frequently commend the app’s user-friendliness, real-time transaction notifications, and efficient customer service. Many users appreciate the lack of fees for foreign transactions and the ease of managing savings through the app. However, some express frustration with customer service during complex issues and the absence of physical branches.
Starling Bank Expert rating
Our expert rating is the average of the areas listed here, each scored out of 5 by our team.Our experts have rated Starling Bank across five key areas of our review framework.
- Pricing & Interest Rates4.0
- Products & Features4.0
- App & Website5.0
- Safety & Reliability4.5
- Customer Experience4.5
Pros
- Excellent mobile banking app
- No monthly account fees
- Strong savings interest rates
- Instant spending notifications
- FSCS protected up to £85k
Cons
- No physical bank branches
- Lost current account interest
- Past FCA regulatory fine
- Limited cash deposit options
- No Starling credit card
See full expert review
Our verdict
Starling Bank is a UK digital challenger bank offering personal, joint, euro and business accounts. It has no monthly fees, FSCS protection on deposits up to £85,000, and is regulated by the FCA and PRA. Starling is based in London, with its registered Starling Bank address at 2 Finsbury Avenue, London, EC2M 2PP.
Is Starling Bank good?
For most users, yes. Starling Bank offers fee-free banking, competitive savings rates, and an excellent app. Is Starling going bust? No — despite regulatory fines, it remains stable, FSCS-protected, and growing. It’s one of the strongest digital options for personal and business accounts, as long as you are comfortable with app-based banking and don’t need branches.
Pricing & Interest Rates
Starling Bank has built its reputation on transparent pricing and competitive interest rates. Its Easy Saver account currently pays interest on 12-month terms. It has removed interest on standard current accounts from February 2025, reducing returns for customers holding large balances.
There are no monthly account fees, and Starling does not charge extra for spending abroad, using Mastercard’s exchange rate for foreign card payments and ATM withdrawals. These features make it attractive for both domestic and overseas use.
Products & Features
Starling Bank offers a full range of current and savings accounts, plus business and euro accounts. It has budgeting tools like Spaces for ring-fencing money, Bills Manager for setting aside funds, instant transaction notifications, and strong card controls.
Business customers can connect accounting software through the Starling Marketplace and access free UK payments and integrated spending insights.
There is no Starling Bank credit card yet, but its core products are broad and well integrated, giving users strong day-to-day banking functionality.
App & Website
The Starling Bank app is one of the strongest in UK banking. It has a clean design, reliable performance, and highly rated features like cheque imaging, instant alerts, spending categories, savings goals, and card freezing.
The app and online banking platform are regularly updated, and customer reviews praise their stability and ease of use. Starling Bank login is secure and fast, and you can open or close accounts entirely through the app without needing branches.
But website bank account access is limited.
Safety & Reliability
Starling is a licensed UK bank with full FSCS protection and robust security tools like biometric login, fraud monitoring and instant card controls. It has faced scrutiny, with the FCA fining it £29 million in 2024 for “shockingly lax” anti-money laundering controls, which has raised questions about Starling Bank financial struggles and governance, though it remains solvent and operational.
The bank has since pledged to improve compliance systems. While these failings dented its reputation, Starling Bank is safe overall, and is Starling a UK bank? Yes, it is fully regulated and headquartered in London.
Customer Experience
Customer reviews are generally positive, praising fast account opening, helpful in-app chat support, and the absence of fees. Users say it is intuitive to use day-to-day and Starling Bank abroad works well, with no extra charges for foreign spending or ATM withdrawals.
Cash deposits are possible at Post Office branches using a Starling Bank sort code and account number, which answers common questions like how to pay cash into Starling Bank or how to put cash into Starling Bank.
There are occasional complaints about delays resolving complex fraud or disputes, but these are relatively rare.
Starling Bank Customer reviews
Customer ratings come from reviews left on this site. Every review is read and approved before it is published.Based on 415 reviews
- Excellent92%
- Very good4%
- Basic0%
- Poor0%
- Bad3%
Read customer reviews
Foreign travel ATMs
So we travel round the world and Starling is consistently the best for drawing cash from ATMs around the world, South America, India, Asia and now do reasonable savings spaces too. Albeit I use a building society for my main banking Starling do a great job in the fair few months I spend outside the UK
Efficient
A current account switch
Easy
Easy internet usage never any issues
Efficiency
Clear communications and very comprehensive app
Great
Great interface, up to date account information. All payments in or out are displayed in real time. All DD payments are notified a day in advance.
Reliable
Move money around easily. Separates saving areas. Always there.
Brilliant
Always keeps me up to date with spending any potential pressures on my account. Easy to use app with all the info I need and very helpful staff if I need to call
Super easy to use
I think the Starling app is brilliant and so easy to use. I think the notifications about what money is coming out when, and the breakdowns of outgoings, and incomings are so useful and well designed. I also appreciate the levels of security when making transfers too, and the ease with using my card abroad. When I had my wallet stolen and the physical card was gone, it was so helpful to be able to use the app to get a digital card straightaway so I could still make the purchases I needed.
Excellent!
The app is great – easy to use, the support is great and the ethics are excellent
Very poor for travelling
- Ease of use
- Value for money
- Customer service
I bound this account to bot Alipay and Wechat pay for travelling in China. The first attempt to make a payment was denied for unusual behaviour, ok I can understand this but it does claim that you do not need to inform them you’re travelling. I contacted support and was told this would now be sorted after unlocking the card in the app. It did occur again and this time was told there was not away to avoid these security checks and I just need to open the app and accept the payment. That’s not really that convenient when you either in a rush or more to the point, the dozens of people behind are in a rush. I could not seriously recommend this card for a seamless experience
Efficient
It’s very quick, effective even customer service works properly
Easy to use and handy savings account
The app is easy with useful sections to budget for your monthly outgoings. I have just opened a joint account with Starling with my husband for bill paying now I am approaching retirement.
Innovative
Starling Bank offers great products, along with helpful features and functionality within the app interface to support business banking for small businesses.
Excellence
Simple banking. Easy apps. Lots of options clear communication
Sincere
Provides a very good service, very good communications, would highly recommend
Great
A brilliant app interface that is easy to navigate. Real time money in or out notifications.
Easy to use and communicate with
Quick accurate replies to any banking questions
Avoid Starling Bank
Avoid Starling Bank they don’t let you use your own money by stopping you transferring it between your own accounts and also returned a £20 direct debit when I had about £350 in my account, this resulted in me getting a £25 charge and it will impact my credit file. Their customer services are useless, I’ve been with the bank for years, but it looks like its time to move on !!!!
Horrible rip off nicked my money
Stay away took all my money left with no food for the kids
Closed account, kept money
Sadly, after a great experience with Starling at the beginning it is clear that they have got too big.
They don’t even try to know their customers or understand their business.
My account was placed on review and then closed. No reason given but that is their right so I dont really have a problem with it. What I do have a problem with is:
Total lack or empathy
Total lack of transparency
No attempts to communicate with the customer. Everything is done through the app and Customer Support. Unfortunately all they can do is escalate to a backroom team tou never hear from.
Make promises they can not keep or choose not to. At the moment they are holding 150k ..they told me it was sent back, then is wasn’t, then it will be soon. .. but I still don’t have it.
I would advise any SME to avoid this bank at all costs..plenty of alternatives out there
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