Monzo Credit Card - what and why!

The Big Poll :tm: is showing that a Monzo credit card is a firm favourite amongst the community.

Let’s use this thread to dive into the whats and the whys of that!

But first, let’s have a poll! :joy:


Generally, speaking why do you want a credit card?

  • Section 75 protection
  • The monthly interest free period (e.g. you have 30 days to pay)
  • For points or rewards
  • Because of 0% offers (on spending or balance transfers)
  • To buy things you couldn’t afford from your current account balance
  • Something else (tell us below)

0 voters

What do you use credit cards for?

  • Day to day purchases
  • Big or valuable items
  • Exceptional spending (like Christmas) that you’ll pay back over time
  • something else (tell us below)

0 voters

Why a Monzo credit card specifically?

I want…
  • Instant notifications
  • All my accounts in one app
  • I prefer my accounts to come from one bank
  • Prefer to use the Monzo app
  • I want a unified feed
  • To be able to categorise or add notes to spend
  • Merchant enrichment
  • Budgeting tools
  • Integration with the current account (e.g. spend on the credit card and move that amount from current account to a pot, then pay automatically from there)
  • an easy application process
  • to support Monzo
  • Monzo customer support
  • to hold a credit card with a company I trust
  • something else (tell us below)

0 voters

What does a Monzo credit card actually mean?

  • It must be a Monzo product, branded Monzo and from Monzo bank
  • It could be from another provider (like Amex or New Day) but the card should have the Monzo logo on - and work natively in the Monzo app
  • Brand is irrelevant - as long as it integrates natively in the app and gives me all the features
  • I don’t mind - it could be any of these options

0 voters

What are the three most important things for a Monzo credit card?

  • The Monzo in-app experience
  • The design of the card
  • The APR
  • 0% periods
  • No annual / monthly fees
  • Points or cash-back
  • Integration with the current account
  • Its position on ‘best-buy’ tables
  • Innovative features (like a line of credit that spans your overdraft and your credit card)

0 voters

If Monzo released a credit card tomorrow at 40% APR that worked natively in the app and with no 0% deals or cash back, would you apply?

  • Yes
  • No
  • Unsure (tell us why below)

0 voters

1 Like

Without wanting to start a war with anyone, the overdraft and loan offer tends to blow in the wind for acceptance. I’m just imagining the Monzo won’t give me a credit card posts.

10 Likes

Definitely worth an explore I think.

I think the reasons previously when it comes up are:

:one: “In Ecosystem” variant of a credit card - bringing the same transparency to Credit as Monzo does for current account.
:two: Bring Section 75 protections to a Monzo Product.
:three: Traditional “Credit offers” - cashback / points / etc - although I think this wouldn’t be that strong of an offering in a Monzo product.
:four: Better rates - like 0% purchases or other APR related benefits. (Though again I suspect Monzo wouldn’t be competitive)

I’m sure there are others, but mine is purely :one: - would love a credit account flavour of Monzo. I suspect however it’s only really profitable for Monzo if you have users who are actively paying interest.

5 Likes

Something I never do.

Pay In Full has been my mantra since my Natwest Access card in 1983.

Never paid a penny in interest.

My current cards offer cashback, 0% interest on purchases, and commission free spend abroad.

All different providers, obviously.

7 Likes

Yep same, my only active credit use is my AMEX, which was previously to collect cashback when work travelling.

Paid in full every month.

Although I think I would migrate to Monzo for a credit card even if it “wasn’t as good”, just to have everything in one place.

5 Likes

Was my main card last year. Earned £150 in cashback.

Might sound daft, but not bothering this year.

No £100 bonus and the faff of moving money into pot each day, so I know my spending, isn’t worth the £5pm similar spending this year would achieve.

No similar spend anyway as no foreign holidays to book and pay for in 2021. Still got Eurostar vouchers to use first before real cash :man_shrugging:

Just use my Monzo debit card now.

If over £100 then my Amazon credit card for s75

A Monzo credit card could replace the latter.

1 Like

Ditto. I use my Lloyds card for Section 75 protection and then pay it off. I’d be more than happy to have a Monzo card that offered nothing but a better app experience as currently my Lloyds one gives me zero benefits.

2 Likes

I don’t disagree with you, but nor do I understand the concept.

One of monzos biggest selling points is its instant notifications.

Credit cards, with their “up to 56 days interest free,” are almost the opposite.

I don’t envy anyone trying to reconcile those two concepts and integrate credit card transaction within the current account feed. I suspect credit cards will end up being a separate product like a loan or savings pot.

2 Likes

Could you explain this further? I can’t see why credit cards can’t have instant notifications (my credit card shows pending transactions in the app instantly).

5 Likes

Indeed, this is true, but there have been requests for the credit card transactions to be integrated into the main feed, “all your spending in one place” type thing, and budgeting that incorporates both credit and debit spending.

And I just can’t see how that could happen.

I can see that there would need to be a separate transaction feed for the credit card (and statements), but I can’t see how it’s not possible to also have an integrated feed.

I can also see Monzo not providing one at launch, and promising that it would be soon for some years afterwards.

7 Likes

Yeah I’m sure there’s some form of challenge to it, and I don’t neccesarily need a unified feed - I think the benefit would be things like instant notifications, a Monzo-card pot in my main account if I so chose, easy instant payments etc.

Though I suspect the Feed could work like it does for virtual cards with a small overlay.

I’m sure they would need their own “home” first and foremost where you can do all things Credit Card related, but for me the win is easy management of credit cards.

7 Likes

I think we might need a credit card poll… :soon: :bar_chart:

Edit: scroll up… :top:

7 Likes

It’s common with aggregators to provide a unified feed of all transactions and also provide the ability to view each account independently. I don’t think it poses any particularly significant challenge for either the user or the developer.

I do wish the aggregator I use (Emma) would provide an identifier on each transaction in the unified feed to identify which account the transaction belongs to, but that’s about my only criticism and would be easy to solve (e.g. via an overlay on the merchant icon). Emma just don’t do it because they think it would add clutter, I believe.

Also, I don’t really think a unified feed would be essential if Monzo were to offer a credit card. It would be more of a nice to have for me.

4 Likes

I’m 100% of the opinions you are getting right this moment

STOP THE COUNT

2 Likes

My next Monzo feature request is a Daily @Peter_G poll within the app.

9 Likes

One ‘feature’ I value that’s not mentioned in the polls is for credit card to use different card network to debit card.

So debit on Mastercard and credit card on VISA, or vice versa

5 Likes

:eyes:

Don’t get too excited but more votes on the poll would be very helpful! :wink:

20 Likes

If my credit limit it enough to cover a car rental deposit plus some more I would take it without additional benefits , but if it’s going to be a £500 limit jaja card sage then no.

2 Likes

That’s my something else in poll 1, as well as hotel deposit

3 Likes