That’s fair, but then people should plan better 
I think if you came from the prepaid card it was just how you topped up, why change?
I use Monzo as a prepaid and topping up by Apple Pay saves about 2 seconds, so I don’t bother. I can see why people do it though, if it’s just a spending account for them.
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As the original question has been answered, I won’t feel too bad for feeding the resulting conversation about “topping up”…
Clearly 2 sides here. If you are a staunch Monzo supporter, you will go out of your way to support the company (and why not) - This includes doing what you can to save them money on bank fees (I’ve seen this pop up numerous times in different threads).
The other side is the people who simply want an easy/better banking experience - Clearly a lot of people DON’T pay their salary into their Monzo account, so there is a certain amount of money movement which is required. Sure - If you plan ahead, it’s relatively pain free to sort out, but if you happened to be in need to sort something out asap (night out… declined funds etc), I personally wouldn’t be worrying about the costs to the bank I was using.
Especially when the bank wasn’t giving me anything more than other banks… (but that is a different conversation for another thread!)
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i think the difference is Monzo , Starling , aren’t trying to be “banks” - cant really talk for Starling , but the Monzo teams outlook I think is to provide different ways for people to manage their financial lives, by taking more informed decisions about their actual financial choices on how they spend their money, users can take more informed choices for their financial well being . Eventually offering savings by partnership, Utility bills , Insurances …etc etc .
To get to that position where they can benefit your financial life they have to be viable as a business, otherwise it all stops for Monzo and their customers, to say debit card transfers cost Monzo more money than bank transfers is just being open and asking the customer to think before they do something, thats all.
Sure, if its convenient to top up by debit card because its an emergency, Monzo (at the moment 
) won’t stop you, what they are saying is, if at all possible , its cheaper for us to do it this way - why wouldn’t you ? , unless you want to see the business fail and the service that , personally I find very useful, cease
we, being users of Monzo , Starling - apparently all want a better banking experience, but do we mind the inconvenience of trying to “top up” by bank transfer …hmmmm
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Oh, don’t get me wrong - I wasn’t saying topping up via bank transfer is a hassle. I’ve grown to learn to add myself as a payee on all banking apps to allow quick and easy transfer of money.
I’ve never actually topped up a card via a debit card, so I couldn’t tell you how much it differs!
I also don’t think that asking customer to avoid topping up via debit card is a bad idea - Transparency is what makes so many people appreciate what Monzo is doing.
But I’m not sure Monzo has the unique position it once had in the fintech world.
You see other banks developing apps/partnerships and producing analysis tools for your money.
They aren’t a million miles away from Monzo, and despite how much of a fan you are, there will get to a point for many people who aren’t seeing any benefit to using the product.
Of course… Monzo could also take a lead out in front, and pioneer this new banking chapter even further!
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I agree , I used to top up by debit card every time - I didn’t know it cost Monzo more money than a bank transfer , I didn’t know ATM fx cost Monzo money , similar stories on the Starling forum of limits to transactions - but having been told, I will change my habits, because it doesnt make a lot of difference to me personally how my money reaches my account , in an emergency I will still top up by debit card.
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