Starling review - Overall score: 4.7

Starling is a digital bank established in 2014. It is currently focusing on the UK with a full banking license. It has both Personal and Business accounts available in GBP and EUR.

Starling is a great option if you live in the UK. It could easily replace your old bank. Also ideal for UK-based travelers.

Pros

• Has a banking license (deposit guarantee, direct debits and standing orders) so all eligible deposits are protected for up to £85,000 by the FSCS

• Fast account opening, your account is ready within in minutes

• 24/7 customer support via phone, email, and chat channels
   

Cons

• Only available to UK residents currently

Account opening and maintenance fee

At Starling, account opening is free and maintaining your account is also free, with no monthly cost.

Card fees

Getting a Starling bank card, including delivery, is also free.

ATM fees

When abroad, Starling bank does not charge you for card payments or for any ATM withdrawal, not even at foreign ATMs. However, the Mastercard exchange rates will apply to foreign withdrawals and you may also be charged by the local ATM provider.

Transfer fee & Currency exchange

Transferring money in the same currency as your Starling account is free. International transfers have a 0.4% transfer fee when converting EUR to GBP and vice versa.

In addition to the above transfer fee, Starling Bank also charges a delivery fee of £5.50 to cover their costs for International Transfers.

Top-up fee

Starling does not charge a fee when you top up your account using another bank card.

*Local charges from foreign ATMs may be applied

Compare other digital banks

Applying for an account at Starling is super easy: it takes only a couple of minutes via your phone, and receiving your physical card also takes only a few days.

Starling countries

Starling is available only for UK residents.

Starling currencies

Starling is available in GBP and EUR too for both current and business account holders. You can securely send international money transfers to bank accounts in 38 countries worldwide.

Currencies in the app

Within the app, you have GBP and EUR available.

Top-up currencies

At Starling, you can top your account with both GBP and EUR.

Starling cards overview

Starling cards are available from Mastercard.

Starling Premium account benefits

Starling has no premium accounts.

Starling top-up methods

At Starling, you can use a lot of top-up methods:

• Bank transfer

• Cheques

• Cash

Cheque and cash deposits can be deposited at any Post Office in the UK. This service is free for all personal current account holders and you can deposit cheques up to £500 from your mobile.

Starling offers a wide range of features, just like your high street bank:

• You can see your spending categorized by the type of transaction (e.g. shopping, restaurants).

• You can send money to other Starling users instantly and for free with the "Nearby Payments" feature. You can also send a money request to another user, this feature is called "Settle Up".

• "Saving Spaces" are smart savings features that are also available. With this feature, you can save for the things you want. 

• Starling also offers a Round-Up feature where you can round up the amounts you actually spend and store the difference as savings.

• These savings can also be stored separately for easier overview and management.

• You can earn interest on your savings. Current account balances up to £85,000 receive 0.05% interest.

• Setting up or canceling direct debits is quick and easy with Starling.

• Flexible overdrafts are available.

• Joint accounts are available for Starling Bank current account holders.

• You can set up Apple Pay or Google Pay, as well as Samsung Pay, FitBit, and Garmin Pay.

• 3D Secure online payments.

•  You can use a budgeting tool, where you can view the transactions in categories. It helps you to see where you are spending the most.

Starling is available both on mobile and on a desktop platform. The latter is only available for Business Account holders. 

Also, you can use several other additional features:

• Personal loans

• Additional third-party financial products like Sole Trader Accounts, Overdrafts, Teen Account (for 16 and 17 year olds), and the ability to send money abroad

You can contact Starling via:

• Live chat: Available on the web. We experienced a 5-15 min wait time. The agents were helpful but couldn't solve our problem. 

• Phone: When we tested, we experienced a 5-10 min wait time. The system hung up three out of five times, as no agents picked up.

• Email: They answered within a day and the agents were helpful. 

We liked that the customer service is available 24/7.