I’m a long-time Monzo user and generally value the service, but I want to highlight a concerning practice. I was recently auto-enrolled in a 7-day Monzo Extra trial without my explicit authorisation.
To be fair, Monzo’s email clarifies that the trial is free and will cancel automatically after 7 days without charging me or requiring any manual action. While this minimises financial risk, the core issue remains the lack of consent.
In the UK’s regulated financial sector, ‘opt-in’ should be the standard. Enrolling customers in trials they didn’t ask for — even if they auto-cancel — is a ‘dark pattern’ that breaches the trust between a bank and its users. I have logged a formal complaint and hope Monzo reverts to more transparent, consent-based marketing.
Partner had this yesterday. It’s a free 7 day trial enrolled automatically, ends automatically, costs you zero, you don’t have to do anything, nothing changes for you account level, you can opt out under the Extras settings.
You don’t have to use any of the benefits attached, just either opt out or ignore the Extras tab until next Sunday.
I appreciate that the trial is free and cancels automatically. However, the issue isn’t the cost—it’s the principle of consent.
In the UK’s regulated financial sector, trust is built on explicit opt-in authorisation, not on a bank making assumptions because they ‘think a customer would like it’. Monzo has already confirmed in writing that this was an unauthorised enrollment.
My formal complaint (Ref: 1196251) is being investigated to ensure that customer consent remains the priority, regardless of whether a trial is free or not. It’s a matter of transparency, which is a core expectation for any bank.”
I’m not sure why you would make that claim. As I stated, Monzo sent me an email explicitly admitting that they auto-enrolled me because they ‘thought I would like it’. The bank itself has confirmed this, which is precisely why my formal complaint (Ref: 1196251) is currently being investigated. It’s a documented fact, not an opinion.
Makes you wonder how many of their paid customers are on it because they may “like it” not because they want to be on it. They should have given warning and allowed people to opt out before doing it really
Under the FCA’s Consumer Duty, ‘financial loss’ isn’t the only metric for a complaint. Banks have a regulatory requirement to avoid ‘foreseeable harm’ and ‘avoid putting undue effort on the customer’. Forcing a user to spend time investigating, navigating menus, and managing an unauthorised product is a clear ‘distress and inconvenience’ breach.
–Exactly. It raises significant questions about transparency and how subscription metrics are being managed if ‘likes’ are being substituted for explicit consent.
It’s not ‘drama’ to expect a regulated UK bank to respect the basic principle of authorisation. If we normalise unauthorised changes to our accounts today, we move the goalposts for what they can do tomorrow.
Ultimately, Monzo has already admitted in writing that this was an unauthorised enrollment. The bank’s own compliance standards agree this shouldn’t have happened, which is why Formal Complaint Ref: 1196251 is now being investigated. I’ll be happy to share the final outcome here once the investigation is closed.
You and I measure distress on very different levels. Financial loss/failure to provide a service are two of the triggers, the distress and inconvenience is questionable.
Was it inconvenient to read the email? It was more inconvenient for you to write this spew here than it was to just follow your complaint through the appropriate channels.
I’d be surprised if they offered you a menial £10 to bore off tbh.
You didn’t mention if you had your marketing turned off before this came along?
The standard for what constitutes a valid complaint isn’t set by forum users; it’s set by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority).
Under the Consumer Duty, banks have a ‘duty of care’ to act in good faith. Enrolling a customer in a product without their consent is a failure of that duty.
The ‘inconvenience’ is having to spend time investigating and correcting a choice the bank made on my behalf without authorisation.
Whether the compensation is ‘menial’ or not is irrelevant-the admission of fault is what matters.
Monzo has already confirmed in writing that they signed me up without my permission. That is a documented breach of their own standards.
Since the formal investigation (Ref: 1196251) is now underway, lil leave the debate here and let the bank’s actual Compliance Team handle it. The facts speak for themselves.
it’s a free trial, without any terms or conditions attached, the regulator allows them to do this.