Mobile banking service which allows to top up account by card?

straw_toro

Hello,
I'm looking for a mobile banking service (e.g. Monzo, Starling, Revolut, Monese...) that allows you to top up your account paying with debit/credit card. I know Revolut does, but I'm having problems trying to do it with my card. Monzo did it in the past but they removed the option.
Thanks.

18cc

If you hit a brick wall and a definitely want that functionality but can't find it then a workaround might be to top up a PayPal account with your debit card which I believe you can do and then just simply withdraw that cash to your bank account n

Not sure how long that would work for - maybe PayPal wouldn't like it but I don't know

[Deleted User]

Are you looking for a pre-paid card? Or a travel version thereof?

straw_toro

!!! wrote: »

Are you looking for a pre-paid card? Or a travel version thereof?

Pre-paid card will be enough, it doesn't need to have a bank account assigned. I'll tell you my use case: This is for my girlfriend, she doesn't have incomes in UK so she needs to transfer money from her Spanish bank account to a UK one. She has a Spanish debit card which allows her to pay in pounds without commision, however this card is not contactless. So the idea would be to have one of these mobile banking apps/pre-paid cards, and she would top up with the Spanish card.
Until now she is using Transferswise to transfer money from Spain to UK, but the transfer takes 1-2 days so we are looking for something quicker

straw_toro

18cc wrote: »

If you hit a brick wall and a definitely want that functionality but can't find it then a workaround might be to top up a PayPal account with your debit card which I believe you can do and then just simply withdraw that cash to your bank account n

Not sure how long that would work for - maybe PayPal wouldn't like it but I don't know

It might work, I'll take a look at it, thanks! :money:

colsten

straw_toro wrote: »

Until now she is using Transferswise to transfer money from Spain to UK, but the transfer takes 1-2 days so we are looking for something quicker

Does your girlfriend have a fully verified Transferwise Borderless account? Transfers with that should be almost instant, unless there is something special about loading it from a Spanish bank account. Accounts not fully verified can experience delays.

straw_toro

colsten wrote: »

Does your girlfriend have a fully verified Transferwise Borderless account? Transfers with that should be almost instant, unless there is something special about loading it from a Spanish bank account. Accounts not fully verified can experience delays.

Thanks, I didn't now about the Borderless account. Unfortunately for most Spanish banks the bank payments takes 1-2 days, you can have the option of immediate money transfer but it's not free.
Also I saw that Borderless account has a conversion fee:
"Only pay a small conversion fee when you convert your money — typically between 0.35% and 2%"

eDicky

Her debit card can be used to add euros to a Revolut account, they can then be exchanged to pounds or spent as pounds directly with the contactless Revolut card.

A Starling Bank account can be topped up by debit card, limited to £250/day, but I don't know if a Spanish euro debit card will work, you can ask them after opening the account on your phone.

I would avoid the complications and exchange rates involved in using PayPal for this.

colsten

straw_toro wrote: »

Thanks, I didn't now about the Borderless account. Unfortunately for most Spanish banks the bank payments takes 1-2 days, you can have the option of immediate money transfer but it's not free.
Also I saw that Borderless account has a conversion fee:
"Only pay a small conversion fee when you convert your money — typically between 0.35% and 2%"

Even with the fees, which are minute, a Borderless account is one of the cheapest ways of changing Euros into GBP. Revolut might be a tiny tad cheaper still but I personally dislike them for a variety of reasons - one of them being that they keep pestering me to upgrade my account to one with a monthly fee.

The 1-2 days delay for loading money appears to be a problem at the Spanish end. Only two options I can see your girlfriend has is that she either pays for instant loading, or budgets ahead a bit better. She'll have money sitting idle somewhere - either in Spain or in the UK. It seems sensible to have it sitting idle at the point she needs most urgent access to, which appears to be the UK.

straw_toro

Thanks everybody for the answers, they are very useful. Right now she's having some problems trying to top up the Revolut account with her spanish card, might be an issue with the Spanish bank blocking this movements. I'll check Starling and the Paypal option. Thanks!