I suspect it’s a combination of existing stock, the need to stop and focus effort to change, and the fact that they fear they’ll be mass cards “losses”.
If you’ve got 7m (???) customers, if each replacement card costs £3 and if 10% of customers fancy an upgrade then that’s 700,000 * 3 = £2.1m. Pretty big financial risk there.
This is an interesting point. But probably reinforces my instinct that replacement costs might be high. This quote is a few years old, but gives some context as to why charges were introduced:
Emphasis mine.
I suppose the measures Monzo has put in place will make it more difficult to cause cost spikes like the one I mentioned above. And I do think that an unembossed hot coral card is inevitable (see the US). But I think it’s still probably a combination of bandwidth (there’s no need to do it) and cost (until unembossed is cheaper there’s no commercial incentive).
Would be nice though.
(Personally, I’d like to see a range of card designs available for Plus/Premium to pick from. With maybe physical cards for spend from pots etc).
It’s in no way Hot Coral though. More like Neon Orange.
Compare my first Beta Mondo card to today’s version. The way it’s so far away from the original is pretty grim.
So glad Mastercard changed their logo. Looks so much better than that older one.
That old Mondo card can only be described as Salmon coloured.
The new ones are definitely Hot Coral, it’s a Pantone colour and the new cards seem very very close to Pantone’s website (https://www.pantone.com/uk/en/color-finder/17-1656-TCX). I imagine compared to an actual Pantone chip of the appropriate texture and material etc they’d be the exact right colour, but screens aren’t particularly colour accurate.
I didn’t realise that it was an official Pantone colour, I thought it was Monzo marketing that came up with that.
I’m very much of the mindset the embossed cards need to go and put them on the back too while your at it.
I just got a new wallet in fossil today and using starling and child and co cards it slides nice in and out. But monzo is a pain with the raised and I take the white off them within a week of having a new card.
Also I swear we are at like 90% of all banks removing them and placing them on rear with a solid 40% gone vertical.
Has anyone done a monzo vertical mock up by any chance?
I’m sure I’ve seen one on here somewhere…
I agree but I can’t see non embossed cards as a default happening. Since it’s one of the “benefits” of plus.
My issues are the use joint account more than my personal. Plus does not apply to both.
Then you have the fact I think the things I would want from plus such as the non raised card and viewing accounts from other banks, are free everywhere else. Was a little shocked when open banking took off and monzo turns around and pay walls it. I don’t need premium due to my work insuring everything I could ever need and plus is not a good offering imho.
You’re paying for a far better experience. They are not equals elsewhere.
That’s true, but it’s semantics. They’re essentially saying want a non embossed card, well it’ll cost you…
Yes, a hugely non realised point. It’s true that you can get open banking elsewhere for free, but the level of budgeting you get with Monzo is superior.
Still free for US users though
They could do non-embossed for any new accounts or expiring cards for existing accounts.
I know it would be less efficient but possibly cheaper than a mass change in one go.
I was about to say this, to avoid everyone losing their card if they made sure they had enough stock to last a while, send an embossed card for “losses” (even if legitimate obviously), and only get the new design at natural renewal time, it’d nip that in the bud. Some people may try it but once word got out, or if they made it clear that would happen, should stop it. Just depends on sufficient stock of embossed cards to last a while.
I just came across these on the US Amex website and it’s made me think that the UK Platinum Cashback card could do with a facelift…
That bottom left one is very nice.
Saw this company calling their cards coral, not quite the same colour as Monzo.
In the FAQs
Why is the Sequin Rewards Card coral-colored?
As a Sequin community, we questioned why most cards are black and blue - short answer: they represent the patriarchy and who the financial system was designed for. We came upon coral, as an inclusive shade that looks good on every skin tone - instead representing diversity and inclusivity.
https://www.sequincard.com/
I couldn’t have put it better.
