So 2025 marks Monzo’s 10th anniversary:
The 18th February to be precise.
@AlanDoe and Monzonauts - any celebration plans?
Community folk - let’s share memories and discuss what celebrations should be. I’d be especially keen to hear about a) when you first heard of Monzo; b) how you got your first card; c) did you crowdfund; d) where the investors and community 10 year party should be held!
Now this is an excellent idea!
Special edition black and hot coral, Monzo logo in outline form, “X” or “Ten Years of Monzo” in the corner. Lovely.
I’d pay a tenner.
Must have been autumn 2016 I first heard of Monzo. Two younger relatives had one for fee free foreign spending, so I got one and used it for all spending.
I’ve been through stages with Monzo. I didn’t want a bank account, I wanted a prepaid card and resented the change.
I’ve used it as a bank account for a while, but I’m pretty much using it as a small spend card and cash withdrawal card these days.
I first heard about this bank called ‘Mondo’ through a YouTube channel. At the time, I was happy with NatWest, but I kept an eye on how things were going with Mondo. I think I remember them releasing something in 2016 (or maybe it was 2017?) asking for suggestions for a new name because of a legal challenge to ‘Mondo’.
I signed up for Monzo in 2018 when there were about 900,000 users. I didn’t fully switch until 2023 and haven’t used another bank since, as the app has everything I need and has helped me a ton.
A guy in the office who’d already “sold” it to others told me about it circa 2018.
Opened an account, also got Starling around the same time but stuck with Monzo. Went all in, then started to outgrow the account and moved back to initially NatWest then HSBC.
Things that stand out:
I still have an account and maybe one day I’ll come back.
I remember joining the waitlist for the beta. I can’t remember the specifics but I found a way to jump the queue and so managed to get the 3,231st account.
Mondo. 2016.
Can’t recall how I learned about Mondo.
But community meet ups were great. I remember chatting to Tom briefly and just thinking this was the future.
The app was simple but really well designed at the time.
I remember only ever topping up my account by £100 at a time.
Then current account launched. Main memory is having to go to Monzo HQ to physically pick up my current account debit card.
I think Monzo was by far the best concept for a bank at the time. They have their moments now but I ultimately have either outgrown them or they have moved in a different direction to me.
My account was within the first 50,000. It was a shame that they didn’t restore the customer number upon re-joining years later. It would have been a nice touch.
a) when you first heard of Monzo;
Online, after searching for alternatives to the Supercard by Travelex, which was abandoned (unsurprisingly) in early 2016. Now THAT was a cheap and functional travel card! I came across the Monzo prepaid card and applied when there were 225K users. Used it as a prepaid card before it became a full bank account in June 2017 & joined the community a few months later. Then got a Joint account when it launched in September 2018
b) how you got your first card;
Via Royal Mail, after signing up in-app
c) did you crowdfund;
Yeah baby. Glad I did. It was quite the gamble then but I had confidence in the at-the-time leadership. Got a bit nervous when TomB moved aside but it worked out better in the long run
d) where the investors and community 10 year party should be held!
In the field 1 mile from my house which, according to Waze, is the exact centre of Great Britain - so just as easy/hard for everyone to get there.
A true visionary. Also a very nice person (having met her a couple of times).
A minimalist Monzo app might bring me back. It’s too cluttered these days.
This is something I keep reading on here from various people, almost word for word.
This is something Monzo needs to look at in my opinion. They could well become a victim of their own success otherwise. If people are using Monzo to get a handle on their finances, and then moving on to a “proper bank”.
They need to be positioned as a bank for all stages in life. I thought the launch of investments, pensions and other products might achieve this but clearly it’s just not enough yet.
No idea what the celebration plans are for it, but I can’t wait to find out!
Joined Monzo (as a customer) in May 2017 in advance of a weekend trip to Berlin. Thank god I did as it was the only card I could get to work when I got there so I wasn’t left stranded at the airport. I crowdfunded, but only 1 share, just to be part of it 
by that time I was already working at Monzo, and I celebrate my 6th anniversary the week after next!
Anniversary celebrations all round!
Does Monzo mark years of service at all? Other than the amazing paid career break perk!
10 year anniversary debit cards for the community?
Now this, this would be good. I nice matte black card 
1p for everyone 
I think an alternative to Supercard is what got me in in the first place too. I’ve just dug out my welcome email, which is from June 2017 (and Monzo-branded but sent from ‘hello@getmondo.co.uk’).
I initially used it as a fee-free travel card, though there were so many nice user-friendly features in the app over and above my existing current account (BoS) that I moved my salary over at the end of 2018, and it’s stayed there since.
It feels a bit like Monzo has been an R&D deparment for every other bank, and pretty much every innovation has been nicked and is now everywhere - though others’ implementation hasn’t necessarily been quite so slick. And I get what people say about having outgrown the app, but I don’t feel like I’ve reached that stage yet - happy to keep it as my daily driver.
Now that, that is what I’m talking about!! Come on Monzo, please make a 10year limited edition card for all of us
Ten years. Wow.
a) when I was researching travel prepaid cards in 2016.
b) the postie.
c) yes and very glad I did. The excitement at the time was fun.
d) get that coral bus from marketing campaign and tour the UK, dishing out plushies.
I would do the same
Signed up earlier this year to add to my card collection. Though I heard of monzo long long before.
I don’t remember what shipping company
Nope and even if I had the chance, I wouldn’t have.
Monzo HQ or somewhere in the North. No inbetween 
