Our Plans to Close the Monzo Prepaid Cards

Pretty sure it’s been very clear from the beginning that the prepaid was not going to live for ever and the ultimate goal was to offer a current account, the prepaid card being used to get to market quicker.

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You are obviously not a loyal customer lol. As so many people have stated, why not use exactly as before? What’s stopping you?! The fact it’s called a current account? So what?!

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I am so sorry that you find this frustrating @adella

The Monzo account is like the prepaid card you’ve been using, except it has even more great features :tada:

For instance, you’ll get:

  • Sort code and account number, so anybody can send you money, and you can receive your salary directly into your account :moneybag:
  • Faster Payments, so you can send a bank transfer to any other UK bank account with a sort code and account number - most payments arrive in seconds
  • Direct Debits, so you can pay regular bills like rent, utilities and phone contracts
  • Standing Orders, so you can set up regular payments out of your account for things like rent payments or ISAs
  • A Mastercard® debit card, so you can spend anywhere that accepts Mastercard around the world, with a direct connection in to Mastercard (built on our own in-house processor!)
  • FSCS protection, up to a total of £85,000 eligible funds
  • Pots, let you set money aside for anything you might be saving for :honey_pot:

In short, you can use your current account in exactly the same way as the prepaid, but you can also do a whole lot more :rocket:

The prepaid card was always a stepping stone to ensuring we can deliver the best current account possible.

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I use the Current Account just like I used the prepaid Card. Send myself a weekly wage which I spend using Monzo so that I budget accurately. It functions exactly the same as the prepaid card except I can transfer money off the card now - a positive!

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I’ve had this conversation quite a few times (online and offline). I really don’t understand why people actually see the current account as so fundamentally different… at the end of the day, all accounts (pre-paid or not) are a piece of plastic with ‘virtual’ money loaded onto them. How you use that piece of plastic is entirely up to you.

With the pre-pay, you can only use it in one particular way, and the fact that you get different options on a current account doesn’t change the fact that you can still choose how to use your plastic in the way that suits you.

As a case use example, Monzo is not my only bank account. I have my salary paid into a more traditional bank, and then I transfer a monthly ‘spending allowance’ (that’s how I see it) onto the Monzo card. That way I only spend what is available to spend.

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I’m echoing everyone’s sentiments, but isn’t it more useful to have options available to you? We all know banks go down for “maintenance” sometimes, even legacy ones, so having different cards and accounts for various functions are useful. Eg one for joint accs, another for savings, another for high interest, a spending card, etc. Is it the perceived lack of control over too many accs?

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Wow some people get a bit aggressive on here :joy: jeez let me have my opinion.
I personally see current account as a different to a prepaid card.
Example: unplanned overdraft fees not an issue with prepaid cards but an issue with current accounts.
My issue isn’t with the current account product. I just don’t want to be forced to upgrade to something I don’t need. That’s where my issue lies. All those wonderful new features I can get with a current account? I already have them with my three other current accounts. I just don’t see the benefit to me for upgrading.

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That is totally fair @adella - we do have a buffer of £20 free overdraft and we do not let users go into unplanned overdrafts either.

It is ultimately your choice and we obviously hope that you would prefer to use our product. We’ll be here :hugs:

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Unless you apply for an overdraft, you won’t go into unplanned overdraft with Monzo unless in exceptional circumstances - TfL being the main one, I think. There’s no difference between the CA and the pre-pay in that respect.

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Lots of people are chiming in here because we don’t like to see people leave Monzo due to what we think might be misconceptions - the current account can be used identically to the prepaid card, there aren’t any fees or other surprises compared to the old card, and it can be used absolutely identically if people really love the pre-pay/top-up usecase.

Lots of people are having the same “I don’t want to upgrade, I’m off” reaction and lots of Monzo fans are trying to understand why (because we don’t believe there’s any reason not to take 2 minutes to upgrade, to get a more reliable version of the same product) so that maybe the messaging/wording can be changed to not alarm people into leaving?

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Good news then. Just do nothing, I promise you nobody will force you to upgrade. Your existing arrangement will function for a few more weeks.

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I think some people might see pre-paid cards in a similar way to burner phones or vouchers. If you lose it, it’s gone. But its not a big deal because you’re not really financially tied to a pre-paid card. You can just let it go and you don’t have to tell anyone, no hassle, no effort at all.

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I think that’s it. The two options are seen as
Pre-pay = casual, burner style, can share it around, no worries, trendy new internet thing
Current account = more formal, possible hidden fees, maybe hits me with financial/tax obligations, got one of those already, bank manager wearing a suit

Except all of those “feelings” are bogus or not applicable in this case. The prepaid card was absolutely verified against one particular person and tied to them. If you somehow commit a crime with/near either card, the cops are still gonna be banging on your door. HMRC don’t care what kind of account you have, they just love paperwork either way. And the Monzo current account has no fees, obligations, overdrafts, etc. above the prepay.

I think this all boils down to a) being annoyed at being asked to take 2 mins to do something and getting a new card b) the “feeling” of “current account” vs “prepay”

(and maybe c) name being printed on new card, but I think that’s minimal people and believe you can ask for that to be changed)

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It’s entirely emotional :slight_smile:

The name 'current account’s makes people feel a particular way, especially if they’ve had poor experiences in the past. Both this thread and the other heated one aren’t based on logic; people have an emotional attachment to their finances and this drives the thoughts and expressions seen here today

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Yeah I think Monzo should remove the words C****** A****** from the blog post and all future comms and advertise it as the Monzo Card 2.0 - done!

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If I was 14, i might say it was cool, but I’m an adult.
OBVIOUSLY I don’t need to move everything!
Do you aim your accounts at children? I ask because of the way you choose to communicate with people.

hi adella, tom just moved your new thread into this one, could you read the postings above yours now and let us know if you’re happy to use the upgraded account in the same way as your old account? There’s no extra obligations, you can still use it as a top-up holiday card

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They are different, and I’m amazed they try to tell you they’re not!

Not very good for those with more than 35k.

You seem to have mistaken me for someone who works at Monzo.
I’m actually just someone who likes monzo and was trying to be helpful. I’ll leave you be.

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