I have both Monzo and Starling cards and have followed both from the early days. Starling is always ahead - first to get a banking licence, first to get current accounts, first to get Android Pay, only one so far to have Apple Pay payments and Apple Pay current a/c top-up, only one to integrate with Yolt.
So if I were an unfeeling AI robot I should choose Starling, so why do I always favour and always champion Monzo?
The answer is:
they feel less corporate
they act less corporate
they have outstanding customer service (although Starlingās is very good too)
they explain everything (the need to introduce overseas ATM fees and their engagement with their customers was a masterclass in customer interaction)
So whilst Iām left feeling a little frustrated I canāt yet use Monzo with Apple Pay, canāt do in-app top-ups via Apple Pay, doesnāt integrate with Yolt, Iām STILL sticking with Monzo.
And thatās the power of fostering genuine loyalty and genuinely caring about your customers.
We donāt believe in being first simply for the sake of it. We believe in doing things the right way for us and our community. All of us who work here could tell you about many āshortcutsā we could have taken to launch this first, or that first - but why not spend the time doing it the right way?
Ultimately we want our app to be delightful. Every part of the experience should bring you some kind of joy - not just in comparison with other challenger banks , or even banks in general - but in comparison with the best apps and services out there, from anyone!
Whether itās something as seemingly simple as sending money to a friend, or talking to customer service, or even simply checking your balance - we think you ought to have a warm fuzzy feeling from it
I imagine that the cynical folks out there might read this and scoff - and thatās fine. Some people are perfectly fine to have detachment from their financial services, but we think itās better to be inclusive. Itās what has driven us this far, and I personally think that weāve been able to grow such an awesome community because people can see that we actually mean this
We arenāt trying to build something better just because technology exists - tech is just a means to an end. We are trying to build something better because we genuinely believe we can do something amazing and reach a billion people to improve everyoneās lives!
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Anarchist
(Press āHelpā search āContact usā or email help@monzo.com or call 0800 802 1281)
8
A sentiment all tech companies would do well to bear in mind - donāt leave UX to engineers
It tries harder to get logos and locations of where transactions occur, even if these are sometimes incorrect.
The most important one for me is being able to search! Without that, Iād rather go back to a legacy bank account that has a website and I can ctrl+f to try and find a transaction. I didnāt really consider it until I switched to Starling but it is incredibly frustrating.
Leaving home without my wallet or Monzo debit card in pocket is the only reason Iāve needed Apple Pay. To me itās useful as a fall-back, and the only time I use my legacy debit card.
Apple Pay doesnāt have the Ā£30 limit, and is in theory unlimited (if the terminal has been updated) as it is more secure. If not, Apple Pay works the same as the upto Ā£30 contactless.
Your card details are never shared by Apple when you use Apple Pay, so is actually a safer, more private way to pay.
Is safer because it requires fingerprint/face identification to activate it.
convenience! I love apple pay and use it whenever I can for small payments, and sometimes for larger (where permitted ie apple, M&S etc). I have an apple watch so a trip to get a coffee at work just needs a quick tap of the wristā¦
As far as I am aware Apple Pay is my only option thay does not exchange either my personal data , nor the details of my bank in order to transact a payment. Also it ājust wortksā it is fast and it is easy. I have had Apple devices for a decade, recently Apple seems to have entered a secod childhood. Itās software and interface is mostly about trivial and ideotic, not to mention childish stuff.The moment I think Apple is just another Android I will destroy the phone and looose my most trusted device. But thatās my choice, since in the meantime I have paid a lot to be a part of the ecosystem, including my daughters, whom I want to protect.Apple is going after stupid āstyleisticā detai and looosing its reputation for integrity. It is akso seeking to make a finacial killing. Shame! I also have an Android phone but I trust it much less. What a pity we are living in an era wheretech is just a loadf of crap!
Itās faster (since you can use contactless for a purchase of any amount).
Itās more private than a contact chip transaction (like any contactless, your name isnāt sent to the merchantā¦ But now you can have that privacy for transactions over Ā£30).
Apple Pay is more secure as your 16-digit PAN is tokenised so your real
card number never passes through the payment network. Itās also convenient,
I never forget my phone but may forget my wallet. And as others have said
for some retailers such as M&S and Waitrose, thereās no Ā£30 limit.
Iām in the same boat, however a big one for me is also the User Interface, starling just isnāt friendly to me. Where as Monzo has a friendly, welcoming, easy to use feel.
I mean, Iām a customer with both, but for me, a pre-paid card with little integration is really not that interesting. I am still a customer, I want to see how things will change.
They are both instant real-time platforms. They are both easy to access. But with Starling, I can pay with AndroidPay easily, and I can have my salary directed to that account, which helped me drop HSBC once and for all.
I want quick, fast, reliable digital integrations. I want a secure platform that will minimise my need for admin. At the moment, I canāt have that with Monzo. On top of that, I go to Italy twice a year and in the winter I go to the alps and I usually need more than 200EUR. And, as much as itās fine the way Monzo got to spread the ATM costs, I am still able to have it for 0 with Starling.
Soā¦ all and allā¦ right now Starling is doing the job and Monzo is just cool. Itās nice to be able to showcase the colourful card around, but itās still way behind.
