There have been several redesigns of the Monzo card but I have a different spin… don’t send a card to everyone.
Several people I know who have Monzo, including myself, use Monzo for transactions only using Apple Pay/Google Pay. My idea is to add an opt in process for physical cards, cutting cost for Monzo’s production of them.
For example, in the sign up you have a “do you need a physical card?” Option and if so it triggers the order for a card as normal, if not you just go in app ad use the “Add to Digital Wallet” option.
This may seem a crazy idea to most of you but I thought I would put it out there. It has some positives such as making you think before spending, limits your total spend ability per transaction etc.
Going forward if Digital Wallet Payment limits are scrapped across the board - this could actually alleviate the need for a card other than for ATMs - so if you are unlikely to pay in via Paypoint or take out cash via an ATM then you wouldn’t need a card… DD’s don’t need a card, Salary Payment doesn’t need a card, Standing Order doesn’t need a card… and show numbers in app now means online purchases doesn’t need a card.
Crazy concept I know… thoughts?
Edit: As a side note, Monzo could always offer cash withdrawals via ATM to cardless people with a deal to provide something along the lines of NatWest’s “Get Cash” in the app where you use a unique one-time code to withdraw cash from an ATM in an emergency.
I think your idea is smashing, but perhaps a little premature. People out there are still using physical cash.
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Anarchist
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There’s that. And there’s online purchases, I need card number, expiry date and CVV for these. There’s travel to countries where Apple/Android Pay isn’t available.
Lots of reasons to have a card, really, at the moment. The future is a different country, though.
Good points, but this info is stuff that could be digitised in app and revealed the same way as the card number - I know its a crazy concept but thought it might stir a discussion. Hadn’t thought about travel if I am honest…
This stemmed from me thinking about how much plastic must go to landfill from lost and found, and cancelled cards (because a lot of people don’t think to confidentially dispose) - if they were digitised it could make a difference to plastic in landfill, even if only small - Monzo could lead (another) revolution!
With Mastercard and Visa now requiring that retailers support high value contactless, contactless/QR code ATMs soon becoming a thing in the UK, and the tokenisation of online payments, I can see the physical card quickly becoming less and less relevant for most people until we make it an option.
I have some very long thoughts on how long card payments as we know them has left that would probably make a good series on a personal blog.
Love the idea of no physical card in future, though that time probably isn’t here yet for most people.
Would be great to see Monzo try to tackle payments themselves in the long term. There’s a duopoly waiting to be disrupted there IMO and a large bank is ideally positioned to do so - providing accounts for both merchants and customers.
For example, if Monzo offered merchants accounts using a point of sale app that used the card networks for cards as usual, but allowed Monzo customers to pay direct, saving the merchant fees and giving a faster transaction with full itemised receipts, it’d be good for everyone (including Monzo).
This sort of thing is where I got the idea mentioned in my edit on the first post… the emergency bit it how NatWest use it, but with a decent contract it could be feasible as a general cash withdrawal feature!
I’d personally still want a physical card, but definitely support the idea of an opt-in/out system to reduce costs and production.
I can imagine a lot of people would choose the digital option.
I rarely use my card anymore, since Monzo added Google Pay compatibility my Hot Coral card sits in my wallet more often than not
Which is a shame because my phone, though very nice, isn’t an eyecatching neon colour (Note to self: Suggest that Monzo should start selling HotCoral phone cases )
In theory, I would go for the ‘digital only’ offering but then I wouldn’t be able to Pay@Pump for my petrol or use chip and pin at B&Q It’s really close to being possible (98% of my transactions are contactless via my phone or online with my card number) but the world isn’t quite ready for a bank without a card IMO
That doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to a world that is ready though
I guess it’s top secret - but I imagine Apple and Google have a %age or a per-transaction fee when transactions go through them? So is there a break-even point when making and posting a physical card and having people use it is better for Monzo than suggesting people put everything through mobile payments?
Are they? Have they told all the major supermarkets this? As far as my experience shows me, Morrisons is the only supermarket that allows Apple Pay over £30. In fact, I never feel confident that any place I shop will allow contactless (Apple Pay etc) transactions over £30.
& 
and for unmanned fuel stations without contactless 
(Note to self: Suggest that Monzo should start selling HotCoral 
phone cases 
)
It’s really close to being possible (98% of my transactions are contactless via my phone or online with my card number) but the world isn’t quite ready for a bank without a card IMO 
