Tell us what you think of this provider.
Best bank I’ve ever been with
I love Starling bank for its ease of use, swiftness of transactions, the instantaneous info it sends to my phone for money payments going in or out of my account and the clear way everything is set out. It really is a pleasure to belong to Starling bank.
Best bank
Easy to use app. Customer service quick and helpful if ever needed.
Easy banking
Easy to access whenever needed. Txt when money paid in or outout so keeping watch on spurious a/c activity.
Easy to organise your money.
Intuitive App easy to use and easy to organise your money
On the odd occasion I have called customer service it was quick to get through and answered my question well.
Excellent banking and customer service
Excellent banking including a good euro exchange rate. If you need it customer service is helpful and easy to contact.
Great bank
Super app, like the ability to classify spending. The sterling account is very easy to use and gives a little interest, but I use the Euro account extensively in France and Spain. Great to have it on the same card, no ATM or usage charges. I load Euros when the rate is good. The admin fee for exchange is buttons and the exchange rates are always excellent.
Great bank
After banking with a ‘traditional’bank for many years my son persuaded me to try one of the new types of banks. I admit I was quite nervous about using a bank that had no face to face service but Starling have changed my point of view completely! Easy to use, love the saving spaces and when I did have an issue, the online chat facility was brilliant. Highly recommended.
Banking Review
Starling bank account is used on a monthly basis as a spending pot, but also Includes Spaces for budgeting on Water, Electricity, TV licence and Meals Out. Auto transfers on selected dates & what’s leftover is mine to enjoy 😊
Best Bank
Great bank, I have been banking for over fifty years and Starling are way ahead of the rest. Easy to get things done.
Brilliant Bank
Starling bank is brilliant, it’s an easy to use app. Someone is always on the end of the phone to help, which is important to me as I travel between Greece and my home in the UK quite often. Best international exchange rate transfers to Euros.
Very happy
The app is very easy to navigate. Everything is straightforward. I’ve had absolutely no issues paying with my card, whether in the UK or abroad.
Simple to convert card to pay in either pounds or euros. Highly recommend for safe easy Banking!
Simple banking
Starling make baking easier. Always helpful should you need to speak to someone. Banking app eat to navigate and making payments is a breeze. Spending abroad is carefree and fee free.
Holiday
Great to use abroad safer than carrying a large amount of cash no charges and you get the best rate at the time And you get your amount in euros and in pounds instantly when using the starling app
Best service
I am very happy with the ease of using this bank and recommend it to all my family and friends.
Overall very efficient, modern IT system not built in the 1970s
Overall very efficient, modern IT system not built in the 1970s.
Staff are very knowledgeable and friendly.
Only niggle is you don’t get a free overdraft of say £250 as you do with FirstDirect and others.
A great bank
Since I’ve been with Starling I’ve done all normal banking without any problems whatsoever so glad I switched I’d recommend them absolutely,
Superb App and Excellent Service
Main bank for us all in the family. Excellent service and the app is so straightforward; all banking tasks completed instantly.
Highly recommended
Brilliant
My daughter suggested that I have a Starling account. Have found it excellent and easy to use.
Starling Bank
Being wary of online banking, I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of using the Starling bank app. Love the saving spaces too making budgeting much better than having to find a chunk of money for certain bills I.e. car insurance etc: I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Starling.
Banking
Excellent bank
Starling Bank: A UK digital bank with modern features and competitive savings
Provider: Starling Bank
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.
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
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Pricing & Interest Rates
(4)
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Products & Features
(4)
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App & Website
(5)
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Safety & Reliability
(4.5)
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Customer Experience
(4.5)
Overall
4.4
Starling’s cash ISA may be convenient but you can get better rates elsewhere
Starling Bank’s Cash ISA currently only pays 2.5% AER, which is over 1% below the Bank of England base rate. If you are looking for better returns on your savings we’ve put together a list of Starling Cash ISA alternatives. Important note: Cash ISAs are generally a good way to tuck money away in the
Starling Bank Easy Saver account launches paying a competitive 4% interest
Starling Bank has introduced a new Easy Saver account to its platform, aimed at providing a simple and seamless saving experience for its customers. The new Easy Saver account offers an interest rate of 4% AER on balances up to £1 million, with daily interest calculations and monthly payouts, which is very competitive with savings
Anne Boden, Starling Bank CEO on how they offer some of the best international money transfer exchange rates in the market
About four years ago I set up a currency transfer service (it was called Berry FX if you must know). Because more years ago than that I used to be a prime broker for client-facing foreign exchange services. We used to convert some (relatively speaking) large amounts and deliver around £20m Euros, USD, Danish Krone etc.