You won’t need to visit a branch, print anything off or sign your name in black biro. Everything can be done in the app with a few details, a selfie video and a photo of your passport or driving licence - all before you’ve finished your cup of tea.
Easy to use
Tafadzwa Chipinge joined Starling last year, after a friend recommended the personal account. “For my everyday banking, Starling is my go-to,” she says. To help her save, she uses Spaces, where you can ring-fence money from your everyday account, and Round Ups, a feature designed to put savings on autopilot. For example, if you spend £1.70, the payment is automatically rounded up and 30p is added to a dedicated saving Space.
“When my salary comes into my Starling account, I put most of it into Spaces and then I take out money as and when I need it. I also use Round Ups - I like how user-friendly it is,” says Tafadzwa, 23.
“I really like the way the home screen breaks down what you’ve spent in a day and how easy it is to get a PIN reminder in the app,” she says. “I also liked the fact that I could add my Starling card to Apple Pay before the physical card even arrived, which didn’t take long. I could start using Starling straight away, without waiting for my card to arrive in the post.”
As a sales specialist at Apple, digital-first products like Starling are always her preferred choice. “When I used a high street bank account as my main one, it was sometimes tricky trying to get to a branch if there wasn’t one nearby,” she says. “The fact that Starling is totally digital is perfect. It’s how everything else is for me.”
No hidden fees
“There’s no contest - Starling is by far the best product, and often the cheapest,” says entrepreneur Claud Williams. He’s been a personal customer since we launched in 2017. He also has a Starling business account for his personal development brand Dream Nation.
Alongside running training and mentoring through Dream Nation, Claud also manages the business incubator for entrepreneurs at Birkbeck University and sits on the board of the Camden & Islington NHS Trust.
“I was so tired of being charged fees for my business banking. I felt like I was being charged for everything,” he says. There are no monthly fees for our standard UK business account.
“With Starling, the only fee I pay is for the Toolkit,” Claud says. Our Business Toolkit, which helps you manage bookkeeping, invoicing and VAT submission, is an additional option for business customers, priced at £7 per month.
“As an entrepreneur, your salary can be unpredictable,” says Claud, 30. “On more than one occasion, the overdraft and loan features of the personal account have been gamechangers. The repayments are super transparent and easy to keep a track of. It’s incredible to have that safety net with a brand I trust that has fair prices and outstanding Customer Service.”
When it comes to overdrafts and loans, Team Starling is committed to being open and fair. We don’t charge you if you accidentally go over your limit or dip into an unarranged overdraft and we make interest rates as simple and clear as possible.
24/7 human support
Cheryl Lewis, who runs a copywriting business with her husband, switched her personal banking to Starling last year. “I heard about Starling when it first launched and I remember being very interested in the idea of a new app-based bank without branches. I’m autistic and conversations by phone or in person have always been a challenge,” she says. “Starling immediately caught my attention because it sounded like a bank that would do things differently and not require face-to-face interaction.”
Starling customers can contact us by sending a message through the in-app chat, or by phone or email. “I’ve only needed to contact Customer Service once so far, but I couldn’t believe how quickly they responded to help me, even at 10pm on a Saturday! Starling was fast, efficient and professional,” she says.
“Since I’ve been using my Starling account, everything’s just felt easier,” she says. “I was very pleased to hear about Starling Kite - my daughter’s 6th birthday isn’t far away, and she’ll be getting her own Starling Kite card.” Starling Kite is a debit card for young people, aged 6-16, charged at £2 per month.
“With Starling, I can do everything online or through the app. I love having different Spaces for budgeting and being able to set these up quickly and move money around,” she says. “The app is user-friendly and always works, so I’m always in control of my money.”
If you also love Starling, why not refer a friend? It only takes minutes to apply for a Starling account and when they follow your referral link and join us, we’ll plant a tree to say thank you.
