Considering moving from Barclays to Starling for current account

400ixl

Have used Starling for a number of years now. Great bank and they have some really useful features. One of them is with DD / SO's, you can move money into a bucket and then have specific DD / SO's come out of that bucket. Great for budgeting.

Ran it alongside my First Direct account which for years was the top recommended account on customer satisfaction. Still have the FD account, but pretty much everything has now switched to Starling which says a lot.

steven141

I’ve never used Starling Bank before, if you already have other accounts with different banks it may be worth opening an account and seeing how you get on, then if you don’t like it you can close it. 

If you prefer a more traditional bank with a good app then any of the Lloyds Banking Group banks are good (Lloyds Bank, Bank of Scotland & Halifax). The Club Lloyds account is pretty decent if you meet the criteria and you get access to a linked 6.25% regular saver and also a 5.25% regular saver as well. 

overspender22

IMO starling makes banking effortless. You can have all your bills come out of a specific space. Chuck the money in, always leave a float in there and you know your bills are covered. Then spend from the main account or other spaces with virtual cards if that helps you. 

It’s the only bank I would never ever close or switch out. Of course higher interest elsewhere for things like an emergency fund etc. but for day to day banking and paying bills, it’s been wonderful. 

IanManc

EarthBoy said:

CrickJon said:

Shakin_Steve said:

CrickJon said:

I’m happy to move to online. I can’t remember the last time I went into a branch of Barclays. I just think the app for Starling has a lot more to offer than Barclays. Maybe it’s time I ditched them for a more modern bank.

If you only have the one bank account, you should heed the advice above from @surreysaver

The thing is, I want to use a Switch so all direct debits etc go with it. Doesn’t that automatically mean it will close it?

That said, I do have other accounts with Barclays, including a Rainy Day saver which I assume they will want me to close if I’ve moved my current account away from them?

You need Blue Rewards to have the Rainy Day Saver, so you'd need to keep a current account and pay at least £800 into it each month. You'd also need two direct debits to pay out each month or the fee wouldn't be waived.

You don't need Blue Rewards to open a Rainy Day saver if you're a Premier customer:

"To open a Rainy Day Saver account, you need to be a member of Barclays Blue Rewards or a Premier Banking customer."

https://www.barclays.co.uk/alpha/savings/rainy-day-saver/?adobe_mc_sdid=SDID=4AC145339F58DF9E-47CD6B2C34A0A485|MCORGID=14CF22CE52782FEA0A490D4D@AdobeOrg|TS=1714987209&adobe_mc_ref=https://www.google.com/

Ponchos

CrickJon said:

I've been with Barclays for 40 years and thinking it's time for a change. I only really use Barclays for our joint current account and it usually has about £5k floating around in it. I've done research and for a start I'd get some interest on this balance rather than nothing.

I'm just a little nervous. Any positive or negative experiences with Starling anyone?

I've been with Starling for nearly 6 years now and I've been very happy with them. From what I remember about actually opening the account it was very quick and easy and done in app, there is a photo and/or video verification process that doesn't take too long. The app itself it very easy to use and navigate, and payments are instant (for example I'm currently using TSB for the monthyl rewards and payments appear as "pending" for a couple of days before they're marked as cleared, despite the money for the transaction being deducted from my account). 

The experience that stands out the most was when I was travelling and lost my card in Bali. I went in the app and turned off my card so no one else could use it, then contacted the live chat and explained the situation. They were very helpful, cancelled the card straight away, and sent me a new card (this would have been free if I was in the UK but as i was overseas it cost £60, which is didn't mind due to my own mistake). I spoke with live chat on the Friday and I had my new card in my hand the following Thursday, and it would have been even sooner if there wasn't a weekend in the way, so I was very happy with this, what could have been a terrible situation became a lot easier.

Other perks of Starling besides the ease of the app and helpfulness of support: 3.25% interest on up to £5000 (of course there are higher interest rates out there but those are usually savings accounts, not sure if there are any like this on current accounts that don't disappear after a year); attached 1 year fixed rate saver (not the highest rate but depends on what you might want), a great exchange rate and zero fees when withdrawing cash abroad (from Starling, the bank's ATM may well still charge you); a Euros account should you want one; saving spaces should you want to separate money to save for something.

Others may comment on some of these features more, but I have only had good expereiwnces with Starling, and even though lately I have been doing bank switching incentives, I have kept my Starling account as it's probably the best I've had. Also, I did the Barclays switch bonus at the end of last year and the app and customer service are both terrible, Starling are way better!

If you are unsure about it as a bank, maybe open an account and put in £100 and use it for small spends for a week and see how you get along. There is an account switch option if you decide to go ahead and switch to them, this doesn't have to be done at sign up, it can be done anytime.

Hope this all helps!

wmb194

Ponchos said:

CrickJon said:

I've been with Barclays for 40 years and thinking it's time for a change. I only really use Barclays for our joint current account and it usually has about £5k floating around in it. I've done research and for a start I'd get some interest on this balance rather than nothing.

I'm just a little nervous. Any positive or negative experiences with Starling anyone?

Other perks of Starling besides the ease of the app and helpfulness of support: 3.25% interest on up to £5000 (of course there are higher interest rates out there but those are usually savings accounts, not sure if there are any like this on current accounts that don't disappear after a year)

Kroo, 4.35% on your entire balance, no time limit.

https://kroo.com/

Ponchos

wmb194 said:

Ponchos said:

CrickJon said:

I've been with Barclays for 40 years and thinking it's time for a change. I only really use Barclays for our joint current account and it usually has about £5k floating around in it. I've done research and for a start I'd get some interest on this balance rather than nothing.

I'm just a little nervous. Any positive or negative experiences with Starling anyone?

Other perks of Starling besides the ease of the app and helpfulness of support: 3.25% interest on up to £5000 (of course there are higher interest rates out there but those are usually savings accounts, not sure if there are any like this on current accounts that don't disappear after a year)

Kroo, 4.35% on your entire balance, no time limit.

https://kroo.com/

Yeah I've seen Kroo, obviously a better rate and no upper limit, though I've heard mixed things about the app and the bank itself. It may well be excellent, I just haven't had experience with Kroo and have with Starling.

wmb194

Ponchos said:

wmb194 said:

Ponchos said:

CrickJon said:

I've been with Barclays for 40 years and thinking it's time for a change. I only really use Barclays for our joint current account and it usually has about £5k floating around in it. I've done research and for a start I'd get some interest on this balance rather than nothing.

I'm just a little nervous. Any positive or negative experiences with Starling anyone?

Other perks of Starling besides the ease of the app and helpfulness of support: 3.25% interest on up to £5000 (of course there are higher interest rates out there but those are usually savings accounts, not sure if there are any like this on current accounts that don't disappear after a year)

Kroo, 4.35% on your entire balance, no time limit.

https://kroo.com/

Yeah I've seen Kroo, obviously a better rate and no upper limit, though I've heard mixed things about the app and the bank itself. It may well be excellent, I just haven't had experience with Kroo and have with Starling.

How good it is is a separate issue but if you want a current account that pays a reasonable interest rate on a large balance this is its USP.  The app doesn't look much different to Starling's and also offers pots. Amongst many, I have accounts with Starling and Kroo but ultimately I prefer Lloyds.

CrickJon

Ponchos said:

CrickJon said:

I've been with Barclays for 40 years and thinking it's time for a change. I only really use Barclays for our joint current account and it usually has about £5k floating around in it. I've done research and for a start I'd get some interest on this balance rather than nothing.

I'm just a little nervous. Any positive or negative experiences with Starling anyone?

I've been with Starling for nearly 6 years now and I've been very happy with them. From what I remember about actually opening the account it was very quick and easy and done in app, there is a photo and/or video verification process that doesn't take too long. The app itself it very easy to use and navigate, and payments are instant (for example I'm currently using TSB for the monthyl rewards and payments appear as "pending" for a couple of days before they're marked as cleared, despite the money for the transaction being deducted from my account). 

The experience that stands out the most was when I was travelling and lost my card in Bali. I went in the app and turned off my card so no one else could use it, then contacted the live chat and explained the situation. They were very helpful, cancelled the card straight away, and sent me a new card (this would have been free if I was in the UK but as i was overseas it cost £60, which is didn't mind due to my own mistake). I spoke with live chat on the Friday and I had my new card in my hand the following Thursday, and it would have been even sooner if there wasn't a weekend in the way, so I was very happy with this, what could have been a terrible situation became a lot easier.

Other perks of Starling besides the ease of the app and helpfulness of support: 3.25% interest on up to £5000 (of course there are higher interest rates out there but those are usually savings accounts, not sure if there are any like this on current accounts that don't disappear after a year); attached 1 year fixed rate saver (not the highest rate but depends on what you might want), a great exchange rate and zero fees when withdrawing cash abroad (from Starling, the bank's ATM may well still charge you); a Euros account should you want one; saving spaces should you want to separate money to save for something.

Others may comment on some of these features more, but I have only had good expereiwnces with Starling, and even though lately I have been doing bank switching incentives, I have kept my Starling account as it's probably the best I've had. Also, I did the Barclays switch bonus at the end of last year and the app and customer service are both terrible, Starling are way better!

If you are unsure about it as a bank, maybe open an account and put in £100 and use it for small spends for a week and see how you get along. There is an account switch option if you decide to go ahead and switch to them, this doesn't have to be done at sign up, it can be done anytime.

Hope this all helps!

I really appreciate you taking the time to share this, thank you. Myself and the wife opened accounts this morning. Well, hers was opened within an hour despite having to redo her video. We submitted at the exact same time yet I'm still waiting for confirmation.

CrickJon

Well, my application has been rejected by Starling. No idea why, no explanation. I've never had that before, my credit rating is 999.

Do they get any kind of visibility on accounts I have opened at other banks recently to take advantage of switching?

Would Monzo come to the same conclusion, or is it worth trying?