I wanted to give some feedback on the policy around reducing the allowances on Monzo accounts when money isn’t paid in every 35 days. It seems the current policy is that this and active direct debits are the only indicators used to identify whether, quote; “you use Monzo as more than a spending card”.
I find it very hard to understand how that narrow range of indicators helps you or your users. Job changes, periods of unemployment, sabbaticals, unpaid maternity leave, health issues, disability complications, the reasons for not paying money every 35 days is vast and no reflection of whether someone only uses Monzo as a spending card.
I understand the need to encourage users to not use it as a spending card, but here are a few other indicators that are applicable to me and if taken in to consideration would be far more beneficial to both Monzo and the user:
have been paying in large sums every 35 days for multiple years.
have and use a Monzo business account
completed the switch from another bank process which closed my old bank account and moved everything to Monzo
multiple active direct debits
multiple savings accounts with large sums of money (including a Monzo savings account)
a ‘Monzo investor’
a Monzo flex user
all of my monthly spends on my Monzo account
I have never used any of the card replacements or gone over the limits anyway, so there isn’t any return for Monzo in changing my limits, it is just making me feel like I am getting reduced service.
There isn’t any way for me to have been more deeply implemented in the Monzo eco system, it is my only bank. Yet after 35 days a notification comes up saying I should transfer in money to keep my allowances. What’s most baffling, is the app then lists all your competitor banks, which it seems if I was to go to them an open an account with them I could transfer some money back and forth every 35 days and keep the allowances anyway. But then you have pushed me in to the reach of your competitors who are going to start to try and entice me over there. I can’t see how this makes any sense for Monzo.
I would suggest reconsidering this policy, using a wider range of indicators to reflect what is trying to be achieved (to stop people using it as a spending card) and then based on those indicators establish longer leeway periods (90 days instead of 35 for those with other indications that they don’t use Monzo as a spending card for example).
In the meantime, I’m going to have to go open a Revolut account I guess, just so that I have somewhere to move money around from every 35 days. Let’s hope I don’t enjoy Revolut too much and get sucked in to their bank.
Monzo are aware there are lots of other factors, too many to list or account for. From their data research the rules setup will not impact the vast majority.
They ask that you simply message them and they can review and remove any restrictions from your account if necessary
Good to know for me personally, but not so much for others getting the notifications or for Monzo who risk losing customers.
A couple of other reasons payment might not be made in 35 days, self-employed people, people starting business… these are the kind people we want to keep. . When you also consider some of the reasons someone might not have regular income for a while, the last thing you would want during those times (uneployment, health, etc) is your bank saying hey, you know you haven’t got any money coming in right now and we will be the first to drop you like hot potato.
It seems that way, but I think it’s probably quite short sighted of Monzo. Would you want to lose someone who may have paid 100s of thousands a year in for multiple years because they took some time out to have a kid? Or to start a business that could bring significant revenue one day? 90 days instead of 35 under some circumstances demonstrates some loyalty to valued and valuable users, and loyalty begets loyalty .
Many banks adopt other approaches. ‘Hey customer, we see you’re not so active, we would love to hear some feedback to improve the experience and see if there is anything we can do to make Monzo the bank for you. Here is an incentive, or interest rate, or reminder of our benefits etc etc.‘
Basically, if you use Monzo as your main bank you get everything you expect. Otherwise you have two options:
Contribute to the costs.
Use your other account as that is clearly your main account.
As mentioned earlier. If you get this message and feel you already do enough, then they’ll gladly remove it for you. They could spend forever programming in all the edge cases you keep listing
So now that you haven’t hit the limit, you get charged 3% for taking out more than £250 in cash, but you won’t be doing that as you haven’t added any cash.
£5 per card replacement. N/A if it’s fraud, faulty etc.
I’m not going to comment on the specific criteria, but as a bank with millions of users, they can’t evaluate every single case one by one based on whatifery. They have to draw a line somewhere and risk alienating some people. A business can’t make everyone happy all the time.
That seems to be the current approach, I am supposed to write to them about my particular use case so they can evaluate the single use case?
90 days for users with X and X I suspect is not a technical or policy feat of engineering.
Just an idea. It would have at least made one very active user happy , avoided me opening an account with a competitor and avoided me transferring sums of money out of my Monzo accounts.
I’m not sure it’s so relevant, I was just trying to log some feedback and it related to benefits of feeling customer loyalty rather than me requesting higher limits. Also avoiding people opening accounts with competitor banks. I suspect not everyone will come to the forums.
Although on this particular use case I think I will probably try the Revolut option, I do a lot of receiving international currencies with Transfer Wise and looks like better rates than there and here.
edit: I mean just for the transfers, not moving banks away from Monzo
Can’t spend what you haven’t got anyway. And if you do have hundreds in there and still have bills to pay, transfer it out, then back in again. Problem solved.
I had 2-3 months at the start of the year where I paid in less £500 in each month, but I don’t think I got this notification. My rolling monthly average pay calculated over 4 or more months would have remained over £500, and my direct debits all remained active. So I wonder if they actually use some kind of rolling average (in spite of the wording in the help articles).
phildawson
(Sorry, I will have to escalate this.)
19
The whole loyalty to a brand died out years ago. Monzo doesn’t now need to show any loyalty to grow and gone are the early start up days.
The demographic of Monzo uses whatever works, could be this one week until something else trumps it next week. The idea of having only one bank account is long gone.
2 Likes
Anarchist
(Press ‘Help’ search ‘Contact us’ or email help@monzo.com or call 0800 802 1281)
20
I think you might be confusing Monzo with friends.
Monzo made a commercial decision, and as customers, our options are to live with it, or bank elsewhere. Monzo know this and care about individual customers as much as individual customers care about Monzo.
FWIW I received this recently as well, but I withdraw cash from a different account anyway, and don’t use the card; so I’m completely unaffected.
, avoided me opening an account with a competitor and avoided me transferring sums of money out of my Monzo accounts.