+1 here.
We were declined a few months ago. Both had personal accounts for many years, excellent credit histories, large deposits and savings. So we voted with our feet and have Starling personal and joint accounts now. Considering whether to keep our Monzo personal accounts.
Definitely not the plan to drop joint accounts!
I know, but lenders can’t see what searches are!
They only see a recent hard search, which could be for anything, and don’t know why it was done. As I said, if they were already marginal applications in terms of risk profile, it’s likely to push them over the edge.
You’re right in that lenders can’t see specifically what you are applying for when a hard search is completed but all hard searches are only ran when you submit a credit application, even if you apply for a current account it’s still counted as a credit application because it has an optional credit facility. (E.G when you apply Equifax/TransUnion/Experian reports “Mr/Mrs X has had 5 credit applications this month with x being denied”)
So perhaps you have applied for multiple bank accounts recently or have had other searches ran recently which has led to your application being denied?
I was under the impression that lenders cannot see the outcome of a hard search; just that one was done.
Why are we assuming Monzo commits to a hard search for a Joint account? Do we know that happens? You can’t get an overdraft or go very overdrawn (if at all if Monzo wants to decline DDs) and both parties are already verified. Sole accounts don’t get a hard search unless there’s an overdraft application.
This all confuses me as I always (naively) assumed that I could get a joint account if I needed one.
Though seeing as I’ve been with my husband for 17 years and never needed a joint account I probably shouldn’t worry 
I’m not assuming Monzo do a hard search, I am assuming they do a soft search which gives them information about your recent hard searches!
The problem with this sort of thing is you only hear the people complaining they can’t get an account. Nobody joins to say “I tried to open an account and they gave it to me. Cya”
I’ve had Monzo for years, my partner opened her account and the next day the joint account. So it is easy for some people.
Monzo have obviously changed a criteria, for what reason and what it is, nobody knows, but there’s been a handful of complaints, which have slowed recently, so it’s not going to be something major that impacts lots of people.
I think the issue for me is that the criteria seems arbitrary and I’m not 100% sure they have a consistent policy.
I can think of a handful of people I know with terrible credit history, defaults and lots of moving (which is common in London) who have zero issue opening a Monzo account, indeed Monzo did pushing of their ease when it comes to the homeless, foreign students, refugees etc etc and then others who have none of the above who are declined one.
It just doesn’t add up to me that there is a fair criteria. If it’s down to credit history, plenty should be declined who aren’t. So it can’t be that.
If it’s a “well you had an account which closed so we block re-opening” then fine, but that’s also not true since others have been able to. So it can’t be that.
If it’s a legal matter and they just can’t discuss why they cannot open you an account then this is the most plausible reason for silence but just in my own situation I absolutely know that can’t be true or frankly I wouldn’t have my job in the police now if I was in any way under suspicion of fraud to the point of being able to be declined for a Monzo account. So it can’t be that.
I had a lengthy number of years with Monzo, from the Mondo days of community meet-ups to having to physically collect your debit card (with a beer or two!) and spent years putting salary into the account, having premium accounts with zero issues on the account side.
Plus the fact that I’ve opened accounts perfectly fine since then, indeed Amex (who have traditionally been a little stricter with who they lend to) have reduced my interest rate and increased my available credit limit.
I perfectly accept Monzo can decide for whatever reason and that’s why I haven’t pursued anything further (but I enjoy this community so I’m still lurking) but I can’t take it seriously this idea that there is some kind of criteria.
There’s got to be, otherwise they wouldn’t turn perfectly good business down!
We just don’t know what it is.
That was several years ago. More recently they’ve pulled back, in my observation. I think that happened when the FCA told Monzo they had to improve their KYC checks (late 2019/early 2020?). There was a spate of people starting topics here along the lines of “I’m an international student/moving to the UK and Monzo have declined my application”.
I believe the forum detectives at the time concluded that it appeared Monzo were being stricter on address (and address history) checks, which would also affect homeless people applying for an account. Though there was some kind of project with the Big Issue at one point, I believe.
I think what has happened, to an extent, is that Monzo’s aspirations to help the unbanked have come crashing up against the reality that there are structural reasons many of these people are unbanked, and this ties Monzo’s hands with regards to how far they are able to go.
(As for the joint account issues, I’ve no idea what’s happening there. Some kind of undivinable edge case thing, or colossal bad luck that aggregate of the checks falls just the wrong side of the line.)
I suppose I can only refer up to my previous post, they are turning down perfectly good business.
I agree with you here, I suppose the main point there is that it was a “plus point” of Monzo, indeed I’ve been told by Monzo recently that credit history shouldn’t be a barrier to opening an account.
I don’t think that Monzo offer credit on joint accounts, do they? So credit worthiness shouldn’t really be the criteria.
To a point, yes, although there is always the small risk of an offline transaction pushing an account into unauthorised overdraft which could result in use of credit - all current accounts are effectively credit products.
I’ve come to the same conclusion reading about people’s experiences here. I haven’t applied for one myself though.
With respect (and I know this isn’t to do with you) Monzo might as well.
No overdrafts, no Flex, no Plus, no Premium, so no way of making a large contribution to break even. Then lots (and lots) of anecdotal tales of folk being rejected when they both have personal accounts in good standing.
Time for kill or cure, methinks.
I don’t think it means they should kill them. They are still pretty useful as a secondary ‘pay your bills’ account, which is how I guess the majority of Monzo’s user base would use them.
No no no! They’re still making in interchange fees if I use my card. Still keeping me as a customer overall.
But not all accounts need all of those things. I want Plus (just the export really) as much as anyone, but it isn’t a deal breaker.
I would also challenge “lots (and lots)” because I bet it’s barely double figures? And surely you’ve spent enough time on here to know everyone has an account in good standing? Nobody ever does anything wrong!
I mean I’d really prefer cure over kill, but can anyone put hand on heart and say Monzo’s heart is really in it?
No, probably not. And they could have added more by now.
But I don’t need Premium/Plus/Flex/Overdraft for it to function perfectly well as a joint account. If I went to Lloyds for a joint account for example, I’d gain an overdraft (If they accepted us) but I’d lose other functionality that I prefer with Monzo.