Best Digital Bank UK (2026): Starling, Monzo, Revolut, Biscuit, Wise, Chase & Curve Compared
Seven UK digital banks compared fairly on fees, FX, sign-up bonuses and FSCS. No marketing spin — just what each one is actually good for.
Verified May 2026
(T&Cs apply)
Which digital bank should you open in the UK?
Short answer: it depends on what you actually want the account for. There is no single "best" digital bank in the UK — there are seven decent ones, each strong in a different area, and the honest move for most people is to open two or three and use them for what they do well.
This guide compares Starling, Monzo, Revolut, Biscuit (by Zopa), Wise, Chase and Curve on the things that actually matter day-to-day: monthly fees, foreign exchange, sign-up bonuses, FSCS protection and who they suit. Every account below is free to open. Where a referral link pays you a meaningful bonus, it is flagged. Where it does not, it is not.
What counts as a digital bank in the UK?
We use "digital bank" loosely to mean app-first, UK-accessible financial accounts without a high-street branch. That includes full banks with their own banking licence (Starling, Monzo, Zopa — which runs Biscuit), high-street banks with digital-only arms (Chase, owned by JPMorgan), e-money institutions that hold funds through partner banks (Revolut, Wise) and card wallets that sit on top of your existing cards (Curve).
The distinction matters for two reasons. First, FSCS protection (the UK's £85,000 deposit-guarantee scheme) only applies to fully-licensed banks. Second, e-money institutions can and do freeze accounts for compliance checks; full banks do too, but they are regulated more strictly on how quickly they must resolve it. Neither is a deal-breaker, but it is why we recommend a licensed bank for your main salary account and e-money providers for specific jobs (FX, travel, secondary spend).
How I picked these seven
Six of these — Monzo, Starling, Revolut, Biscuit, Wise and Curve — I have opened, used and hold active referral links for. Chase is included for completeness because it is now one of the UK's best-known digital accounts and a comparison guide that excludes it would be thin. Chase does not have a public referral programme we can offer, so we pass on no bonus — the entry is for comparison only.
High-street digital arms we have NOT included: NatWest's Kite (children only), HSBC's MyMoney (under-18s) and Barclays' Blue Rewards (tied to full Barclays account). These are products with narrow audiences. If none of the seven below suit, look there next.
Side-by-side comparison
| Bank | Sign-up bonus (via our link) | Monthly fee | FX fees | FSCS protected | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starling | £25 cash after one card payment in 30 days | £0 (standard account) | None — Mastercard rate | Yes, up to £85,000 | Main current account, joint accounts, honest defaults |
| Monzo | Mystery £20, £50 or £100 after any spend | £0 (standard); Plus £5/mo; Premium £15/mo | £0 up to £250/mo abroad, 3% thereafter (standard) | Yes, up to £85,000 | Budgeting pots, Trends tab, younger users |
| Revolut | Up to £50 (50/50 split — most other codes pay you nothing) | £0 (Standard); paid plans from £3.99/mo | £0 weekday; 1% weekend markup; 0.5–1% over plan limits | No — e-money via partner banks | Frequent travel, multi-currency, crypto curious |
| Biscuit (by Zopa) | £10 cash | £0 | N/A for current account; Zopa Smart Saver has no FX | Yes, up to £85,000 via Zopa Bank | 2% cashback on bill DDs, 7.1% Regular Saver, 4.75% Easy Access |
| Wise | Free debit card OR fee-free transfer up to £500 | £0 account fee; per-transfer fees apply | Real mid-market rate + ~0.4–0.6% conversion | No — e-money, funds safeguarded in regulated banks | International transfers, multi-currency balance, freelancers paid abroad |
| Chase (no referral) | N/A — no current public programme we hold | £0 | £0 — uses Visa rate | Yes, up to £85,000 (via JPMorgan Chase) | 1% everyday cashback (£15/mo cap), round-up saver, £1,500 qualifying monthly deposit |
| Curve | 1% cashback for 30 days (capped at £15 in Curve Cash) | £0 (Standard); paid tiers from £4.99/mo | £0 weekday up to plan limits; 1.5% weekend on Standard | No — it's a card wallet over your existing cards | Carrying fewer cards, Amex-at-Aldi trick, Go Back In Time |
Bonuses, fees and limits checked May 2026. Referral bonuses require the link on this site to qualify; terms reset periodically — see each provider's current T&Cs before opening.
Starling Bank — the sensible default
Starling is the one to open if you want a proper UK current account with no fees, no catches, and no cross-sell pressure. It has a full UK banking licence, FSCS protection, in-credit interest on current-account balances, and one of the best in-app budgeting tools on the market (Spaces, round-ups, bill manager). Card spending abroad uses the Mastercard rate with no added fee.
The one thing Starling is not trying to be is flashy. There are no mystery rewards, no crypto, no metal cards. That is the appeal — it behaves like a bank. With our referral code (YGLC43G) you get £25 cash after one card payment within 30 days, which is the simplest qualifying condition on this page.
Monzo — budgeting-first for everyday spending
Monzo is the biggest digital bank in the UK by customer count (10M+) and its current account is free and fully FSCS-protected. What you are really paying for, if you upgrade to Plus or Premium, is the Trends dashboard, category spending breakdowns and Pots that auto-save when you round up transactions.
Two caveats worth knowing up-front: its fee-free FX allowance is capped at £250/month on the standard plan, after which Monzo charges 3% — that is worse than Starling or Chase. And Monzo's referral pays a mystery amount between £20, £50 and £100, revealed only after you sign up and spend. Most recipients report £20, but £100 is possible.
Revolut — travel and multi-currency, with caveats
Revolut is the strongest of the seven for frequent travellers and anyone who holds multiple currencies. It supports 25+ currencies in-app, interbank FX rates on weekdays up to plan limits, and virtual cards for online security. Where it falls down is the customer-protection story: Revolut is an e-money institution, not a UK-licensed bank, so your funds are not FSCS-protected — they are safeguarded in segregated accounts at partner banks, which is a different and weaker protection.
Most public Revolut referral codes are one-sided — only the referrer gets paid. Our code splits the bonus 50/50, so you get up to £50 too. See our Revolut page for the current qualifying spend requirement, which Revolut changes periodically.
Biscuit by Zopa — savings and bill cashback
Biscuit is Zopa Bank's current account — the headline is 2% cashback on up to £125 of direct debits per month (so around £2.50/month if you route your council tax, broadband and utilities through it). Pair it with Zopa's Regular Saver (currently 7.10% AER on up to £300/month for 6 months, variable) and Smart Saver (up to 4.75% AER easy access if you deposit £500+/month, variable) and it becomes a credible savings hub alongside your main account.
Because Zopa holds a full UK banking licence, money in Biscuit is FSCS-protected up to £85,000. The £10 welcome bonus is one of the simplest qualifying flows in the industry. Treat Biscuit as a complement to Starling, Monzo or Chase — not a replacement for your main current account. Rates are variable and subject to T&Cs; check in-app before assuming.
Wise — international transfers done right
Wise (formerly TransferWise) is not really a current-account replacement — it is the account you open alongside one. Where it shines is moving money between currencies: transfers use the real mid-market exchange rate with a visible, percentage-based conversion fee (usually 0.4–0.6%) instead of the hidden spread most banks charge. For freelancers paid in USD or EUR, or anyone with family abroad, the savings over a year dwarf any sign-up bonus.
The referral gives you either a free debit card (worth about £7) or a fee-free transfer up to £500, whichever is more valuable for your situation. Wise is an e-money institution — balances are safeguarded in regulated banks, not FSCS-protected — so we would not use it as your main salary account.
Chase — 1% everyday cashback (no referral)
Chase is the UK digital arm of JPMorgan Chase. Its current account is free, FSCS-protected up to £85,000, and pays 1% cashback on everyday spending capped at £15/month — a genuinely useful default if you do not want to fiddle with category cards. It also has a strong "Round-Ups" savings feature: every purchase rounds up to the nearest pound, with the difference moved to a saver paying competitive interest.
To keep the 1% cashback after the introductory period, most users need to pay in £1,500+ per month and spend through the account — it is set up to reward main-account behaviour, not casual use. Chase does not run a public referral programme we can offer, so we pass on no bonus — it is included in this guide for comparison only.
Curve — one card to carry them all
Curve is the odd one out: it is not a bank at all, but a wallet card that lets you pay from any of your other cards through a single Mastercard. The value is optionality — tap once, choose which card backs it afterwards, and get protection (Go Back In Time) that lets you move a transaction from one card to another after the fact within 30 days.
The specific reason to add Curve to a stack: it accepts Amex and routes the payment to retailers that do not. It is the cleanest way to earn Amex rewards at Aldi, Lidl and anywhere else that refuses Amex directly. With our code you get 1% cashback on all spending for 30 days (capped at £15), which is enough to cover a month of coffees.
Why most people should open two or three, not one
The honest answer to "which digital bank?" is usually "more than one". Opening multiple accounts has no cost, no credit-score impact beyond a soft search at sign-up, and lets each provider do what it is best at.
A pragmatic default stack for most UK residents: Starling or Chase as your main current account (salary, direct debits, joint spending), Biscuit for savings (higher interest, bill cashback), and either Wise (if you deal with foreign currency) or Curve (if you already carry a reward credit card worth routing). That covers everyday banking, meaningful interest on idle cash, and whichever specific friction you run into most.
If you want to maximise sign-up bonuses, the six referral links on this page together pay around £100–£185 cumulative (Starling £25 + Monzo £20–£100 + Revolut up to £50 + Biscuit £10 + Wise card/transfer + Curve £15 cashback) — less than a single bank-switching bonus, but with zero switching risk and six accounts you can keep and use. Opening them across a month or two avoids any single-day credit-check spike.
For pairing the above with cashback cards and apps, see our UK Cashback Guide. For moving taxable savings into an ISA, see our Low-Cost ETF ISAs guide.
Quick picks by job
- Main current account (salary, bills, joint): Starling or Chase
- Budgeting and spend tracking: Monzo
- 1% everyday cashback without fiddling: Chase
- Frequent travel, multiple currencies: Revolut (weekday FX) or Wise (transfers)
- Getting paid in USD or EUR: Wise
- High-interest savings and bill cashback: Biscuit
- Squeezing rewards out of an Amex card: Curve
- If you will only open one: Starling (sensible) or Chase (1% cashback)
- If you will only open two: Starling + Biscuit
Can I open more than one UK digital bank account?
Yes. There is no legal or regulatory limit on how many current accounts a UK resident can hold, and most people who use digital banks seriously hold two or three. Each opening typically involves a soft credit check only (no impact on your credit file) except where you apply for an arranged overdraft, which triggers a hard search. Opening several accounts in a short window can trigger extra identity-verification steps with some providers, so spacing applications a week or two apart is sensible but not required.
Which of these digital banks are FSCS-protected?
Of the seven covered here, four hold full UK banking licences and are FSCS-protected up to £85,000 per person per banking group: Starling Bank, Monzo Bank, Zopa Bank (which runs Biscuit) and Chase (via JPMorgan Chase). Revolut, Wise and Curve are e-money institutions, not banks. Your money with them is safeguarded — held in segregated accounts at regulated banks — but safeguarding is a different and weaker protection than FSCS. In practice, this matters most for large balances. For a main salary account or savings above a few thousand pounds, stick to a fully-licensed bank.
Is Starling or Monzo better for everyday spending?
Starling is better if you want low-drama banking: no foreign-exchange cap, in-credit interest, and a current account that behaves like a bank should. Monzo is better if you get value from its budgeting features — Trends, Categories, Pots — and do not spend over £250/month abroad. Both are free, both are FSCS-protected, and there is no reason not to open both and use them for what each does well. In cash terms, our Starling referral (£25 after one card payment) pays more reliably than Monzo's mystery £20–£100 reward, most of which pays out at £20.
Are digital bank sign-up bonuses taxable in the UK?
Bank sign-up bonuses are generally treated as miscellaneous income by HMRC, not interest, which means they do not count towards your Personal Savings Allowance. Most people will not owe anything because the total is small — under £200 across the accounts on this page — and sits well inside the £1,000 trading and miscellaneous income allowance available to most taxpayers. Higher-rate taxpayers or anyone who already uses that allowance should keep a record and declare bonuses through Self Assessment if in doubt. This is general information and not tax advice; ask an accountant if your situation is unusual.
Is it safe to switch my main current account to a digital bank?
For Starling, Monzo and Chase, yes — all three are fully-licensed UK banks, FSCS-protected, and participate in the Current Account Switch Service (CASS), which guarantees your direct debits and standing orders move across in seven working days with no lost payments. Millions of UK customers have done exactly this with no material downside beyond the occasional outage. The pragmatic option if you are nervous is to open the digital bank first, run it for a month or two alongside your existing account, and only initiate the CASS switch once you are confident the app and support quality suit you.