Refer a Friend
terms and conditions
Refer a Friend
terms and conditions
Effective from: 2nd March 2026
Introduction and key words
These terms are for Starling’s Refer a Friend scheme. In these terms we’ll use a number of different important words, so to help you understand them, we’ve included the definitions at the start.
Referral scheme: the name of the Refer a Friend scheme.
Referrer: a Starling account customer who invites another person to open a Starling account.
Referee: the person who is invited to apply to open a Starling account by the referrer.
Reward: £25 that both the referee and referrer receive if a referral is successful.
Account: a Starling personal current account. This doesn’t include Starling joint, business, teen, savings or any currency accounts. It also doesn’t include any regular Spending Spaces.
You or your: the referrer or referee.
We, our, or us: Starling Bank Limited, company number 09092149 registered at 5th Floor London Fruit And Wool Exchange, 1 Duval Square, London, United Kingdom, E1 6PW.
As part of the referral scheme, a referrer can invite a referee to open a Starling account. If both the referrer and referee successfully meet the eligibility criteria, both customers will receive the reward.
By taking part in the referral scheme, both the referrer and the referee agree to these terms.
The referrer accepts them when they make a referral. The referee accepts them when they accept the referral invite, and apply for a Starling account.
Referrer eligibility
To successfully refer someone and receive the reward you must:
be aged 18 or over
be an existing Starling customer with an open account
have a unique referral code available in the Starling app
not have any restrictions applied to your account
If your account is closed by you or us, your referral code will stop working, and you won’t receive the reward. If a referee used your referral code before your account was closed, they’ll still receive the reward as long as they meet the referee eligibility requirements.
Your referral code is limited to 10 referrals. This means you can only earn up to £250 through this referral scheme.
If we pause or end the referral scheme, your referral link will stop working, but we’ll process any referrals that are already in progress, and provide rewards for referrers and referees who are eligible.
Referee eligibility
To successfully be referred by someone else, and receive the reward, you must:
be aged 18 or over
have a referral code from an eligible referrer
be a new Starling customer who has never had any account with us before (including a business account)
successfully open an account with us as a direct result of being referred
Exclusions
The referral scheme only applies to the first account a referee opens. If they open more than one account (including any other type of Starling current or savings account), they won’t qualify for the referral reward for those additional accounts.
The reward
For each successful referral, both the referrer and the referee will receive the reward. The right to the reward can’t be transferred, or exchanged for any other kind of benefit.
Even if a referee is referred to Starling multiple times by different people, they can only enter one referral code during their account application, and only the owner of that referral code will get the reward.
What qualifies as a successful referral
For a referral to be successful, the referee must:
complete the account application, including any requests for extra information
enter a valid referral code when asked during the account application
be approved for their account
complete their account setup
make at least one payment from their Starling account within 30 days of opening it
There is no minimum spend and the payment can be made using a virtual card or debit card stored in a mobile wallet, or a physical debit card linked to the newly opened account. The payment must also be a qualifying purchase and fully processed.
The type of payments that won’t count towards a successful referral are:
refunds or cancelled payments
buying foreign currency
gambling and betting payments
transfers to other bank accounts, including other Starling accounts
buying or topping up e-money, like a digital, pre-paid alternative to cash
standing orders or Direct Debits
How you’ll receive the reward
When a referral is successful, the reward will be added to a Space in both the referrer’s and referee’s account. We’ll create the Space for you, and the money will be added to it within 7 days of the referee making a successful payment from their account.
If the money hasn’t been added to a Space in your account after 7 days, you should contact us.
Spaces are like pots of money in your account where you can keep money separate from your main balance. However, the money you have in your total account balance will be made up of the money in the main balance and money you have in any Spaces – including the new Space created by us. You can move money between your main account balance and your Spaces anytime you like. You can learn more about Spaces in your account terms and here.
General terms
If we pause or end the referral scheme, all referral codes will be deactivated. If a referee has a referral code they haven’t used, they won’t be able to use it after this time.
Referrers and referees won’t be able to track if a code has been used. We’ll tell you in the app if and when a referral is successful.
Starling can:
change the reward amount at any time – we’ll give the previous reward amount for any referrals that are already in progress when we change the reward amount
pause, change, or end the referral scheme at any time without giving you advance warning
refuse to pay you the reward if you break these terms or any other terms related to your account, if your account has been restricted, if we’re not legally allowed to, if there’s a technical problem, or if we think you’re committing fraud or abuse
update these terms from time to time – any updates we make will be available in the Starling app and on our website, and will be effective from the date shown above
Our decision is final on anything related to the referral scheme, including referrer and referee eligibility, and what qualifies as a successful referral.
You must not ‘game’ the referral scheme, for example, pay for advertising to promote your referral code.
As permitted by law, Starling won’t be responsible or liable to compensate a referrer or referee for any loss or damage (including money) that arises as a result of the referral, participation in the referral scheme or in any other way connected with the referral scheme. This doesn’t apply if the loss or damage is caused by our negligence. Your statutory rights are not affected.
If the reward results in any personal tax liability for you, Starling can’t give you personal tax advice, and it’s your responsibility to pay any taxes that may be due. If you are unsure please get independent tax advice.
These terms are only between us and people who take part in the referral scheme. Other people or organisations may not use the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce these terms.
These terms are governed by English law. Any disagreements or disputes about these terms, or the referral scheme will be handled exclusively in the English courts.