I prefer Starling over Chase and Monzo.
Starling just won’t let me back.
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Starling app is quite clear and doesn’t have as complicated and busy setup as Monzo.
I can’t comment on Chase, as ironically, they won’t let people rejoin either, but for different reasons.
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In my opinion, Starling was best out of these.
Monzo feels like a child’s bank - I’m in my 30s, not interested in emojis in my notifications or bright cards. The app is cluttered, and have to pay for things that are free with starling.
Chase - prefer the app over Monzo. Doesn’t have payment links like Monzo or Starling. No cheque deposits or cash deposits etc.
I tried rejoining starling with a new mobile number and email but they spotted it. Will have to wait and see if they ever allow us back.
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If you don’t mind me asking, if you prefer Starling why did you close your account in the past?
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For me, my debit card even when replaced, kept sending 000s of notifications weekly of failed fraudulent activity and it became too frustrating to have as my day to day, so having asked them to stop it and they couldn’t, I closed my account.
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I had Starling before I tried the others. Switched it out thinking if I didn’t like it I could always rejoin later on.
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Even Starling, which hasn’t made huge changes like you could say Monzo or Revolut has, have still been quietly launching things - like free virtual cards (Monzo you have to pay for that) so it’s not unusual for someone to leave, then see their old bank launch something and then decide they’d like to go back. Or for them to move to a new bank, then that new bank does something like relaunches their what used to be a simple app into a confusing, jumbled mess (cough Monzo) and they regret leaving in the first place.
I’ve very specifically gone and closed my Algbra, Zero and Zopa accounts because it was getting ridiculous how many current accounts I had laying around, but if any of them make a successful, innovative commercial product (Zopa maybe) I’ll regret it.
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Starling’s app is very good, functional and works.
…but that’s kinda it. They don’t really offer anything else, at least for the personal account anyway, no packaged/premium product, no credit card etc. just a vanilla bank account with some nice app features. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with that, but the app feels mostly the same as it did 5 years ago. It kinda just feels like Starling hit a ceiling and have been coasting ever since.
Maybe the innovation is all happening where the actual money is, business banking and their engine thing - but I don’t know much about that.
Monzo is ahead in this department with the cashback offers, flex credit, insurance, investments and tiered packages etc but I agree that the product is aimed at a younger crowd, especially the plans. If I was in my 20s it would be a no brainer but I’m the wrong side of 35 
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Am I right that Starling don’t offer joint account savings spaces? That’s a big deal-breaker for me to ever consider moving across our finances fully.
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Starling do have spaces on joint accounts. It’s overdrafts they don’t offer on joint accounts
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If Starling starts innovating then I may go back to them.
Currently I’ve been using first direct, it’s quite minimal but for the most part gives you all the salient information you need.
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Sorry perhaps I worded my question wrong… the ‘easy saver’ and the ‘fixed saver’ spaces can’t be joint, is my understanding? So we could quite happily have lots of joint spaces, but they aren’t interest bearing.
We currently have a joint savings pot with Monzo earning interest (alongside many standard joint pots) but I don’t think Starling have an equivalent.
Yeah - for Starling they’ve definitely emphasis the joint account to be used for settling joint bills etc. rather than a ‘full’ joint account so the one thing missing is the interest paying Savings Accounts.
So, the Easy Saver (and Fixed Saver, if you’re some sort of crazy person) are both tied to the Personal Current Account. Although, as you’d both need a Personal Current Account to setup the Joint Account, you’d both be able to setup(*) your own Easy Saver Spaces anyway
(* - depending on how Starling is doing with the whole monitoring of new account openings and if they’d let you have an Easy Saver or not which may or may not be a decision based on your personal circumstances or maybe blocked by Starling and the FCA).
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What else do you need the app to do?
Tbh, I wouldn’t want my banking app changing all the time - not as a “mature” bank.
In terms of apps and their functionality/ease of use:
Starling>Chase>Revolut>>>Monzo
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But what about loans, credit cards, the ability to charge your overdraft. Starling don’t over loans anymore and still don’t have a credit card. They also will not allow people to increase or add an overdraft.
I prefer stable banking apps and I really do like Starling but I also like to build a financial relationship with my bank, so if I need to borrow money etc I can. I can’t do that currently with Starling.
I’ll feel more comfortable once they open their doors properly again, allow people to rejoin etc.
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I have an RBS account and they are constantly adding new features to their app/account (with slightly annoying “new feature” pop-ups on launch) so even the mature banks are adding functionality and features well ahead of Starling. FWIW I always liked Starling (and their app) but as soon as they changed to only allowing one interest-earning Space I moved my daily banking elsewhere.
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Monzo (by a far)->Starling->Chase (dont have rev since its sans banking license)
I dont want things changing every week but I dont want stagnant as well and I feel Starling is stagnant now.
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Sigh, what about more products than AI.
Everyone and their dog seems obsessed by AI but I’m not sure that many people are actually that focused on it.
For me personally, while it’s good to finally see some innovation, it feels the wrong kind
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Just noticed, SB do widgets, don’t know if this is new
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