*Hey! Thanks again for all the comments etc!* If this video was helpful and you do decide the Revolut card is for you please use this link to sign up (I will earn a small affiliate commission, which helps me to continue researching and making these videos): revolut.ngih.net/3r46v
Keep these card videos up and I think your subs will soar. There is no other UK based debit and credit card channels. Very professional and well edited too.
I watched your video last year whilst looking for a card to use on a year round the world trip. Went with Starling and can’t tell you how grateful I am for your video and advice. I’m half way through my trip now and would be lost without Starling. I’ve also been unlucky enough to lose my card. But Starlings customer service was amazing and I got a replacement sent out (for a fee). But compared to other traditional banks, Starling were so easy to communicate with. I’ve been using a 0% foreign fee Nationwide Credit Card for car hires and other things that a debit card can’t cover. And a BA Amex too to get some air miles. I’ll definitely be coming back to the UK and sticking with Starling though. Thanks again! Keep the good videos coming :)
Ryan Oates thanks a lot for coming back to me and letting me know! It’s great to hear my advice has helped people and that Starling has been just as great for others ☺️ did Starling send out your card abroad then? Glad you are enjoying your travels mate 😁
jamieroundtheworld Yeah. Cost £60. But I’ve saved more than that in terms of fees compared to most other debit cards. They sent it by signed tracked mail to me at a hotel a few weeks later. They were fantastic. And the fact that only I can activate the card through the app meant I wasn’t too stressed about someone getting hold of it and spending my money! Plus the app and notifications on spending are great. And I love the fact I can just lock the card if I think I’ve lost it or misplaced it!
I had a Starling account last year and was really pleased with it. Ended up closing it to get a switch bonus with Natwest about 3 months ago and have since opened up a Monzo account. There really isn't much between Starling and Monzo. I agree that it makes more sense for someone who doesn't have either to go with Starling for the added benefit of their interest on balances and no fee-free caps on overseas withdrawals. But I certainly wouldn't sweat it if someone already has Monzo. They're very, very similar. Excellent video as always.
Thanks for the support again and update! Really appreciate it! ☺️ Yeah my housemates have Monzos and there really isn't much between them. I have to say I do have an account I have switched a fair few times just to get the switch bonus too 😂 May as well!!
I can't decided which would be best to travel to Thailand with? I've been with mono for a while now and love it but this new info on starling is making me think twice. I just can't decide! :')
If you love Monzo then it is still fantastic for travel! Depends how much you plan on withdrawing whilst your away as obviously the free withdrawals is the main advantage of Starling. You could always download the Starling app and see if you prefer it - it is free after all :)
Hey Jamie! I like your video! It gives a clear overview per card! Please note that Bunq has a debit card that does allow 'blocking' your card. I think it's the only one though, so that's not a negative comment towards your video.
Thank you 😊 The video needs updating, which I would of done by now, until COVID-19 pretty much cancelled all travel - so I'm waiting until travel picks up a bit more before updating it 👍
What's the best UK card for me to apply for now. I'd like to use this card in the uk where I live and use it if I go away .. I'm British born live in London but trying to keep spending controlled .
As far as I'm aware there isn't really a limit - however as with all banks only up to £85,000 is protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if the bank was to go bust.
Brilliant video very informative and concise. I have a question though - is the starling account like a current account that has overseas use benefits? If I only use it for abroad and keep my regular highstreet bank account it will just sit stationary until I use it? Also do you have to keep some money in it to keep it open & finally in your experience/ knowledge are these cards accepted in all major department stores / boutiques e.g. In France (going for a shopping holiday)! Is there a maximum upper limit for spending without conversion fee rates?
Hey thanks for the comment, great questions! Yes it is exactly that - a fully working current account, and you can choose to use it how you like. I've only recently started using mine at home more often and had it sitting with about £10 in it for a year (I would only top it up when I went abroad), so there is no fee or need to use it regularly. The Starling card is a MasterCard so will work anywhere MasterCard is accepted (and I would assume pretty much all department stores etc will accept MasterCard!), however if you do have any trouble it has great in-app 24/7 support. On Starling there is no spending limits for free conversion, however it may block a large payment if the card is new and you haven't used it a lot - this is a security measure that all cards/banks do if they don't know your spending habits to keep your money safe. If that happened you could just go to the support and let them know its you and that you do want to allow some big purchases. If you are doing a lot of spending, then it may also be worth looking at a reward/travel credit card like the Tandem Cashback I discuss in my other video about Travel Credit Cards - this can be used abroad with no fees, but also gives you cash back on everything you buy. You can find out more in my video below: czcams.com/video/61Ytfkl52y0/video.html Hope that helps:)
Ow and once my card saw stopped in the UK for no reason at a Halifax ATM When I contacted them they said before I don't have my phone with me and the GPS on
One question - can you 'top-up' all these cards using your Amex? The reason STA Travel isn't bad is that you can top-up your STA Travel card using your Amex, because on Amex's system, this doesn't count as a withdrawal and instead acts like a debit transaction from Amex's point of view, so you can get the benefit of spending on holiday using Amex (hence collecting the points) via your pre-paid travel card of choice. Ironically, this is actually useful when not even travelling, because you can essentially borrow against your future income without interest by topping-up your STA Travel card using your Amex, and then withdrawing that cash at an ATM today (paying 2% or whatever of course), but that gives you access to cold hard cash from your Amex without actually putting your Amex into the card machine (which would of course cost you extortionate interest fees). Just a thought, and my question as to whether the other cards you mention here also have this feature, as this is the reason I use the STA Travel card?
Interesting point! Didn't think about that with the STA card. As far as I'm aware the main cards I speak of don't have this feature as they act more like banks that you transfer money into, rather than 'topping up'. My only concern with that method is the fees it would cost - loading with a credit card online is 3% with STA and then it charges £1.50-£2.25 to withdraw that money, which is surely costing more than you would be earning in AMEX points which are worth about 0.5% or 0.5p ? As I say I haven't looked into this so not sure entirely how it would work.
@@jamieroundtheworld So I've been doing this for several years, in the following steps: (1) Go to a STA Travel shop, and say you want to top up your STA Travel Card; (2) Top up your STA Card using their card machine, and the card I use to top my STA Travel Card is my Amex [they don't charge me more because I am using Amex vs a Debit Card; there's no additional fee]; (3) When doing this, all I do is insert my Amex into STA's card machine, like any normal purchase, and then this money gets loaded onto my STA Travel Card; (4) I then take this STA Travel Card to an ATM, and withdraw the cash I just put on it (albeit for a 2.5% or £2.50 transaction fee, can't remember what it is now); (5) I now have cold hard cash in my hands The benefit of this is two fold: (A) I managed to get access to cash today which I don't actually have yet, which I can either take to my bank and deposit into my current account so my Debit Card stays topped up, or I can just spend this cash now. (B) Because this counts as a 'transaction' from Amex's point of view, I actually earn Amex points on this. This is super helpful for me, because it means I can spend money today, without having to pay back the Amex total until a month from today, so essentially borrowing against my future income for a measly 2.5% transaction cost. I don't think any other travel card allows you to do this? Important to note that what I am describing here is very bad financial practice, as this is exactly how people get into the viscous credit card debt cycle; neither STA Travel nor Amex should allow this, but the stars align here with these two entities to make this type of mess actually very easy to execute, especially when you're local STA Travel shop and your Bank are right next door to each other!
Kate Desales ahh that’s annoying, I know Starling are currently working on euro accounts, so hopefully they will become available soon! But if you’re enjoying Revolut I don’t think there is too much difference
Yes! Only different is their payment systems rarely use chip and pin or contactless, so they will probably swipe it and get you to sign a receipt - which is a bit odd as a first time visitor from Europe as we're so use to chip and pin. Obviously that counts for any card though.
credit card to use charging when I take it out of the ATM and I don't go travelling so I don't know what to do and thinking about getting a credit card but I don't really know
@@jamieroundtheworld sorry mate I was I bit tried when sent about the credit cards and am thanking to go with the aqua credit card because I don't go travelling
Unfortunately I don't believe so yet, but they are releasing more and more stuff for Euro accounts throughout the year. But currently I believe you still need a UK Address to get an account.
Great info, thanks. I'm a UK resident, I plan on doing some travel through Europe and starling seems the way to go. However I have read bundles of poor reviews online from customers saying their accounts have been closed/frozen for no apparent reason and have then faced huge difficulties with customer service. Anyone have any personal experience/insight with this?
Hi. Just found this excellent channel and subscribed, wish there were more like this, not just funny cat videos.... Anyway, just wanted to ask of the three you recomend, which would be best for a three month trip to the Ukraine on business in your opinion. Thanks
Thanks a lot! Really appreciate the kind words. For me, Starling is the best - it has zero fees, gives you interest on balances and has a great app. It's the one I use personally!
Starling and Monzo are just like any other Debit card so yes they have full functionality with PayPal. I receive payments for my freelance work straight into my Starling account. Revolut I am fairly sure now have the same functionally and can be linked to your PayPal however I am not 100% sure.
Looking to go to Paris in September I am interested in starling however not sure which account to get personal current account or euro account? ideally I want a card I can use to spend and withdraw money out in Paris
DoyinLive hey I’m actually off to Paris next week myself with my Starling card! You will want the normal Starling Current account - you just transfer money into it and it will do all the conversions at shops and ATMs automatically for free anywhere in the world! 😊 the euro account is just for people that need to be paid in euros because they work there, or need to transfer a lot of money between euros and pounds. Let me know if you have any other questions - and I hope you have a great time if you go in September!
No, it is a registered bank so doesn’t share any details same as any other high street bank (unless of course you decide to install third party services like accounting software that you specifically allow your transactions to be shared with)
Because Curve is a bit different to a debit or prepaid account I have done a whole other video solely focussed on Curve - you can check it out here: czcams.com/video/xBv79XqhqFE/video.html
Yes! For the Starling, Monzo and Revolut it is stored in your account as pounds just like any other account anyway (unless on Revolut you choose to store it as euros, in which case it will just automatically convert it back to pounds when you make a UK withdrawal).
I’m going to the Netherlands for a year for studying (I’m from the UK) and was wondering what would be my best option? Apparently they use a lot of Maestro as opposed to the others
Hey that sounds great! Yes a lot of places don't accept foreign credit and debit cards in the Netherlands unfortunately - so the cards in this video may not be the best for spending an extended period there. If you are studying there you might be able to apply for some form of bank account locally in the Netherlands (depending on what you residency/address status would be) - it might be the best option and definitely worth investigating. If not the Transferwise Borderless account I briefly mention in this video could be a good option as it gives you bank details for Europe, making it easier to get paid and transfer money there. (however this is still a MasterCard and not Maestro as you say). transferwise.com/gb/borderless/ Apologies I can't be of much more help!
Jamie Brown. Was really hoping you do some more update videos on these type of cards... as you may or may not remember I did comment on here as I joined the Starling bank however been seeing some concerning reports lately of people complaining that they've had their accounts closed and not been able to get their money back and even more concerning not been given any notification of their accounts being closed for for what reason either....which concerns me as I've joined the Starling bank so far I've had no problems however I'm only using my starling bank at the moment for When I go abroad next year to Florida so in the meantime I'm only saving not really using it apart from trying it out by getting a cup of coffee sometime ago. So hoping I will not run into any problems as it's easier for me to save this way for spending over abroad as I refuse to use the post office money travel card as that was a complete rip-off and had nightmare with that card when I was abroad last year in Florida which pretty much every shop I went in would not allow me to use it or the transactions would be refused. So please could you do an update when you get around maybe look up about some of these complaints to see what is going on. As you are very knowledgeable about this. Thanks. 👍
Hello again! Thanks for the interest and letting me know! I usually do an updated video of these towards the end of the year to allow enough time for significant changes. I use Starling myself most of the time now and have never run into any issues. I haven't seen any of these reports of accounts being closed, and in any case Starling is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme so anything up to £85,000 in the account is protected by the government - do you have a link or anything so I can read into these reports??
@@jamieroundtheworld.. I found some of the complaints on the actual starling web page where customers have left there reviews. Also been looking up some alternative cards like monzo because when I go abroad want to be safe just in case I lose one card I've always got the other card to use as a backup so starling and monzo I was thinking to use abroad however I know starling is much better for use abroad than monzo. 👍 and as I was looking up with other cards seen some complaints on starling and even monzo I noticed a few complaints on accounts closed also about being unable to use their accounts due to problems with with the mobile app with monzo. So just wondering whether this was true, I like to make sure that my money is safe especially when using abroad. Anyway thanks for getting back to me and look forward to seeing your update videos in the future.
Starling bank is great I use it myself Can you do a video on how British people can get paid in different currencies abroad if they go work or invest there (houses) and then can spend them currencies
Great idea, I'll look into it! In the meantime I think TransferWise (mentioned at 7:32 ) is quite a good card for being paid in certain currencies as it gives you bank details for a number of different countries.
I'm so glad I came across this video been trying to find the best card to take with me to Florida Orlando I did have the post office 1 worst mistake I made. kept getting told it was good and safe to use when I had the thing couldn't even use it in Florida. most of the places I tried to use it wouldn't even accept it when I got back I cancelled it straight away and had to pay extra on top just to cancel.. now I got Thomas Cook trying to get me to have one of their cards when I looked it up it had a bad rating.. if anyone has used one of these cards can you please let me know and also if anyone's use the cards as mentioned on here and used in USA without any problems I would love to know.
Wolfy Dragon Really glad I can help you 😊 I’ve used Starling in the US and I know of many others who have commented or let me know they’ve used these cards with no problems! Even if you do have problems Starling and Monzo in particular have very good customer service which you can contact very quickly in the app if need be 👍
It comes with a couple of fees so isn't the best value: - International conversion fee of 1.4% - ATM transaction fee of £1 - Refund fee of £5 - Expired card admin fee of £2/month - Lost/stolen card replacement £5.99
Jamie Brown thanks mate. Last question could you recommend prepaid card for large atm cash withdrawals abroad the lowest fees. I like starling but its only £300 maximum. I use FairFX because it’s £800. I don’t think FairFX is bad just I’d like another card that’s slightly better. Because where I travel the actual atm itself charges it’s own supercharge of £5 per transaction. I alway use sterling card. I only use prepaid cards for cash withdrawals no purchase over the counter.
Hey, I'm heading off backpacking at the end of the year too and the two main cards I will be using is the Starling for getting out cash and day to day spending as it has no fees, and then the Tandem Cashback Credit Card to book accommodation and travel etc, as it has no foreign transaction fees and gives 0.5% cash back on all your spending. You can check it out in my video about Travel Credit Cards if you want to find out more: czcams.com/video/61Ytfkl52y0/video.html
J The interbank rate tends to be slightly better but there really isn’t much in it. And Revolut charge a slight markup on weekends which can make it worse than MasterCard rate so they are both very very similar.
Could you by any chance do a video explaining how it works with use abroad I have just joined the Starling bank and trying to find out how it works with use abroad so just a little bit confused can I exchange money to dollars to use or does it automatically change it for me when using ATM machine or using in some shop in the USA. Any info would be appreciated thanks..👍
Hey great question. It basically does it all for you! So you just use your Starling card as you would use it at home - in shops or withdraw money from an ATM - and it will automatically do the conversion for you with no fee using the up to date exchange rate at the time you make the transaction. With Starling you will get an instant notification on your phone and in the app telling you what you just spent and how much it was (in the local currency and in pounds so you can see exactly how much you spent). As I say in the video when the cashier/waiter/cash machine ask if you want to pay in dollars or pounds always pick dollars so Starling does the free conversion instead of the expensive conversion by the retailer. Also if you've never used a card in USA before just be aware their payments systems are mostly behind ours quite considerably - so they don't really have contactless, and a lot of the time also don't use chip and pin - meaning they will likely swipe your card and ask you to sign a receipt.
Jamie Brown was wondering this myself! glad to understand it now, better get myself signed up for one now! ill be going to the US next thursday! thank you for the videos, been a great help.
Wolfy Dragon been here for nearly 2 months now and the starling card has been faultless! works brilliantly and sends you a notification of the rate from £ to $! happily recommend to anyone
@@LUFCalex.. thanks man that's good to know off to Florida next year so had problems with post office money travel card never use that again so many charges even cost me to cancel the card as well. 👍
Hey, Starling should be great in Asia! I've heard from a few people who have used it whilst long term travelling there and had good feedback of how useful it was and their great customer service. I plan on using my Starling card in Asia next year :) Do you mean a travel credit card? You don't need to but might be good as a backup to have one! As I say in my video about travel credit cards they have some useful security features and can be quite handy if you need to unexpectedly pay for something but don't have the money in our account at that moment.
For the majority of these, you have to be either a UK or EU resident I'm afraid. I'm not sure how it works if you have moved here and what level of UK status you need to get one - but it's worth investigating. If you can get an account with a highstreet UK bank, then you should be able to get one with most of these. Sorry I can't be much more help!
I'm visiting Indonesia next year and will be taking my Starling card to use. Obviously bear in mind in these countries card machines are less prevalent so you will need to get out cash and keep some on you - which is why Starling is so good because it doesn't charge anything for cash withdrawals. However what you may find is that the local bank or cash machine will charge you a withdrawal fee - unfortunately there isn't much you can do about this and something you will just have to accept sometimes. I would also recommend getting a travel credit card as well if you can - these are good for booking accommodation and more expensive things because of Section 75 protection and being accepted as deposits. You can watch my video about the best travel credit cards below: czcams.com/video/61Ytfkl52y0/video.html
I would highly recommend taking cash. A lot of places don't accept card so it will make your life a lot easier. I found that you can get better exchange rates while you're out there, so I would also recommend changing up some yen in your home country but changing a bulk of your money in Japan
Hey! Funny you should ask! Curve recently contacted me to review their card so I will be testing it over the next month and do a full review sometime next month if I can :) Sorry it's not sooner!
I do - when I made this video at the beginning of 2019 I believe Monese's free account charged 2% for use abroad so it wasn't very practical as a travel card. Since July 2019 they have introduced new plans with a £2,000 fee-free allowance for overseas spending and £200 fee-free ATM withdrawals. Now that they do have that allowance I'll definitely be including Monese if I make an update video at the end of this year!
that's ok man wanted more up to date video as im travelling next week n26 really competing now I have a Monzo but waiting on my WeSwap card TUI Travel money card is ok but locks the rate in @@jamieroundtheworld
I just have the Virgin travel card so far. But the prepaid ones look pretty good, the only thing that put me off was that they are app based and my itunes store isn't UK since I only moved here a year and half ago so their apps aren't available like the big banks are
Ahh I see. If your want a prepaid card for travel maybe you could try one of the alternatives in this video - whilst they aren’t quite as good for everything, many of them don’t require an app?
If something sounds too good to be true it always is People just expect you to go to Europe that's how they get away with the false advertising Lots of people have the attitude if you go out of Europe your a weirdo
Sadapay (starling bank) is no good I won’t recommend any one to use sadapay card because they deduct extra bucks even after 10-15 days of using card on international payments. Fraud fintech company
Stay away from Revolut, I just closed my account with them, they dum, instead of them to allow you to activate your account with your ID before moving on, they will let you register and load money before asking for id, I loaded my id and they told me they can’t accept my id, I had to closed my account and ask for refund. Waste of time..
*Hi all! Thanks for all your kind comments and questions!* If anyone is interested I have just posted a full review of the Curve card - a single MasterCard and app that allows you to use all your cards in one, has cash back rewards and free overseas spending. Check it out below: czcams.com/video/xBv79XqhqFE/video.html
Hi Jamie, don’t know if this has changed since you made the video but I was recently in Doha and the hotel I was staying in accepted my Revolut card as a payment for damages like they would with a credit card, contrary to what you said at the end of the video
@@jackcunningham4322 More and more places do accept debit/prepaid cards as prepayment which is good! The only problem is you need to make sure you have enough money in your account to do this, as they will usually block that money off whilst you stay meaning you have less money to spend (which on a credit card isn't a problem because it is just credit so it isn't actually taking anything away from you if that makes sense).
Jamie Brown Great video Jamie ‘ As I’m 69 I’m trying hard to keep up with things like this ‘ so “ my question is ‘ is there a fee At the ATM machine when you withdraw cash 💰 abroad ‘ if so ‘ is there away around this! Thanks 🙏.
*Hey! Thanks again for all the comments etc!*
If this video was helpful and you do decide the Revolut card is for you please use this link to sign up (I will earn a small affiliate commission, which helps me to continue researching and making these videos):
revolut.ngih.net/3r46v
Are there an app android fo starling ?!
Keep these card videos up and I think your subs will soar. There is no other UK based debit and credit card channels. Very professional and well edited too.
YeCannyDaeThat thanks for the positive feedback mate! ☺️
Facts
I watched your video last year whilst looking for a card to use on a year round the world trip. Went with Starling and can’t tell you how grateful I am for your video and advice. I’m half way through my trip now and would be lost without Starling.
I’ve also been unlucky enough to lose my card. But Starlings customer service was amazing and I got a replacement sent out (for a fee). But compared to other traditional banks, Starling were so easy to communicate with.
I’ve been using a 0% foreign fee Nationwide Credit Card for car hires and other things that a debit card can’t cover. And a BA Amex too to get some air miles. I’ll definitely be coming back to the UK and sticking with Starling though.
Thanks again! Keep the good videos coming :)
Ryan Oates thanks a lot for coming back to me and letting me know! It’s great to hear my advice has helped people and that Starling has been just as great for others ☺️ did Starling send out your card abroad then?
Glad you are enjoying your travels mate 😁
jamieroundtheworld Yeah. Cost £60. But I’ve saved more than that in terms of fees compared to most other debit cards. They sent it by signed tracked mail to me at a hotel a few weeks later. They were fantastic. And the fact that only I can activate the card through the app meant I wasn’t too stressed about someone getting hold of it and spending my money!
Plus the app and notifications on spending are great. And I love the fact I can just lock the card if I think I’ve lost it or misplaced it!
Ryan Oates that sounds great, and yeah the features are ace in terms of security and feeling safe 👍
Please update this video for 2021.
Me watching with a cifas marker to my name 😂😂
😂😂😂 same bro did you find any solution?
@@ilyrianblood2674 revolut is brilliant
@@kishankerai3949 I know right but do they accept you if u have a cifas marker ??
Starling = Awesome!
Yousif Johny yep! 😁
Rejeted, becouse my credit ceck is low....
Stupid!!Credit check for Debit card...Never heard that,before!
Thank you so much for this! What a lovely breakdown took me a while to find a good video but I finally did! Thank you!!
No problem! Glad I could help! 😁
Me watching just trying to get my pc parts
👁👄👁
I have been using Monzo and now I want to apply for starling as well. Very curious bee here.
I had a Starling account last year and was really pleased with it. Ended up closing it to get a switch bonus with Natwest about 3 months ago and have since opened up a Monzo account.
There really isn't much between Starling and Monzo. I agree that it makes more sense for someone who doesn't have either to go with Starling for the added benefit of their interest on balances and no fee-free caps on overseas withdrawals. But I certainly wouldn't sweat it if someone already has Monzo. They're very, very similar.
Excellent video as always.
Thanks for the support again and update! Really appreciate it! ☺️ Yeah my housemates have Monzos and there really isn't much between them.
I have to say I do have an account I have switched a fair few times just to get the switch bonus too 😂 May as well!!
@@jamieroundtheworld And most importantly the mint colour vertical card from Starling looks cooler than the Coral colour Monzo card! ;)
Of course I find your channel AFTER buying the post office travel card!
Which one has the highest withdrawal limit despite of the fees, in monthly basis?. Forget the fee for a moment.
I can't decided which would be best to travel to Thailand with? I've been with mono for a while now and love it but this new info on starling is making me think twice. I just can't decide! :')
If you love Monzo then it is still fantastic for travel! Depends how much you plan on withdrawing whilst your away as obviously the free withdrawals is the main advantage of Starling. You could always download the Starling app and see if you prefer it - it is free after all :)
Great vid!
Isnt starling an in line bank???
Thank you for the update, great work
J H thanks! ☺️
I need a card you don't need to apply for something anonymous
Wicked video clear concise and defo helped with my decision when I go to Dominican republic.
I need one imm15
Hey Jamie! I like your video! It gives a clear overview per card!
Please note that Bunq has a debit card that does allow 'blocking' your card. I think it's the only one though, so that's not a negative comment towards your video.
Thank you 😊 The video needs updating, which I would of done by now, until COVID-19 pretty much cancelled all travel - so I'm waiting until travel picks up a bit more before updating it 👍
Jamie Brown yeah! Tell me about ‘not allowed’ to travel. I have the same problem! Anyway love your channel! *you have a new subscriber*
What's the best UK card for me to apply for now. I'd like to use this card in the uk where I live and use it if I go away .. I'm British born live in London but trying to keep spending controlled .
whats the maximum limit of money that can be added to a personal starling account ?
As far as I'm aware there isn't really a limit - however as with all banks only up to £85,000 is protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if the bank was to go bust.
Brilliant video very informative and concise. I have a question though - is the starling account like a current account that has overseas use benefits? If I only use it for abroad and keep my regular highstreet bank account it will just sit stationary until I use it? Also do you have to keep some money in it to keep it open & finally in your experience/ knowledge are these cards accepted in all major department stores / boutiques e.g. In France (going for a shopping holiday)! Is there a maximum upper limit for spending without conversion fee rates?
Hey thanks for the comment, great questions! Yes it is exactly that - a fully working current account, and you can choose to use it how you like. I've only recently started using mine at home more often and had it sitting with about £10 in it for a year (I would only top it up when I went abroad), so there is no fee or need to use it regularly. The Starling card is a MasterCard so will work anywhere MasterCard is accepted (and I would assume pretty much all department stores etc will accept MasterCard!), however if you do have any trouble it has great in-app 24/7 support.
On Starling there is no spending limits for free conversion, however it may block a large payment if the card is new and you haven't used it a lot - this is a security measure that all cards/banks do if they don't know your spending habits to keep your money safe. If that happened you could just go to the support and let them know its you and that you do want to allow some big purchases.
If you are doing a lot of spending, then it may also be worth looking at a reward/travel credit card like the Tandem Cashback I discuss in my other video about Travel Credit Cards - this can be used abroad with no fees, but also gives you cash back on everything you buy. You can find out more in my video below:
czcams.com/video/61Ytfkl52y0/video.html
Hope that helps:)
Ow and once my card saw stopped in the UK for no reason at a Halifax ATM
When I contacted them they said before I don't have my phone with me and the GPS on
Is Revolute a good choice for a prepaid card to use as a resident in UK for food shopping etc. And also handy for travel.
One question - can you 'top-up' all these cards using your Amex? The reason STA Travel isn't bad is that you can top-up your STA Travel card using your Amex, because on Amex's system, this doesn't count as a withdrawal and instead acts like a debit transaction from Amex's point of view, so you can get the benefit of spending on holiday using Amex (hence collecting the points) via your pre-paid travel card of choice. Ironically, this is actually useful when not even travelling, because you can essentially borrow against your future income without interest by topping-up your STA Travel card using your Amex, and then withdrawing that cash at an ATM today (paying 2% or whatever of course), but that gives you access to cold hard cash from your Amex without actually putting your Amex into the card machine (which would of course cost you extortionate interest fees). Just a thought, and my question as to whether the other cards you mention here also have this feature, as this is the reason I use the STA Travel card?
Interesting point! Didn't think about that with the STA card. As far as I'm aware the main cards I speak of don't have this feature as they act more like banks that you transfer money into, rather than 'topping up'. My only concern with that method is the fees it would cost - loading with a credit card online is 3% with STA and then it charges £1.50-£2.25 to withdraw that money, which is surely costing more than you would be earning in AMEX points which are worth about 0.5% or 0.5p ? As I say I haven't looked into this so not sure entirely how it would work.
@@jamieroundtheworld So I've been doing this for several years, in the following steps: (1) Go to a STA Travel shop, and say you want to top up your STA Travel Card; (2) Top up your STA Card using their card machine, and the card I use to top my STA Travel Card is my Amex [they don't charge me more because I am using Amex vs a Debit Card; there's no additional fee]; (3) When doing this, all I do is insert my Amex into STA's card machine, like any normal purchase, and then this money gets loaded onto my STA Travel Card; (4) I then take this STA Travel Card to an ATM, and withdraw the cash I just put on it (albeit for a 2.5% or £2.50 transaction fee, can't remember what it is now); (5) I now have cold hard cash in my hands
The benefit of this is two fold: (A) I managed to get access to cash today which I don't actually have yet, which I can either take to my bank and deposit into my current account so my Debit Card stays topped up, or I can just spend this cash now. (B) Because this counts as a 'transaction' from Amex's point of view, I actually earn Amex points on this.
This is super helpful for me, because it means I can spend money today, without having to pay back the Amex total until a month from today, so essentially borrowing against my future income for a measly 2.5% transaction cost. I don't think any other travel card allows you to do this? Important to note that what I am describing here is very bad financial practice, as this is exactly how people get into the viscous credit card debt cycle; neither STA Travel nor Amex should allow this, but the stars align here with these two entities to make this type of mess actually very easy to execute, especially when you're local STA Travel shop and your Bank are right next door to each other!
@Jamie Brown Any thoughts on this?
Can I use Starling everyday in the UK if I'm buying shopping ?? As I'm trying to stick to a budget
Yes
If you have a cashplus account take your money out quick before they freeze your account
Have you heard for MCO Crypto com card ?
I love my Revolut account.
Nice! Good to hear positive feedback!
I wanted to try Monzo & starling but I live in Ireland so there's no chance for me at the moment
Kate Desales ahh that’s annoying, I know Starling are currently working on euro accounts, so hopefully they will become available soon! But if you’re enjoying Revolut I don’t think there is too much difference
Can starling card be used in the U.S.?
Yes! Only different is their payment systems rarely use chip and pin or contactless, so they will probably swipe it and get you to sign a receipt - which is a bit odd as a first time visitor from Europe as we're so use to chip and pin. Obviously that counts for any card though.
Can us citizen sign up and get the starling card ?!
N26? Transferwisy?
I briefly cover alternative cards like N26 and Transferwise at 7:21 ! :)
credit card to use charging when I take it out of the ATM and I don't go travelling so I don't know what to do and thinking about getting a credit card but I don't really know
Apologies, I'm not sure what your question is?
@@jamieroundtheworld sorry mate I was I bit tried when sent about the credit cards and am thanking to go with the aqua credit card because I don't go travelling
is starling supports eu residents now?if not when?
Unfortunately I don't believe so yet, but they are releasing more and more stuff for Euro accounts throughout the year. But currently I believe you still need a UK Address to get an account.
Hello i would like to ask if i am a tourist coming to the UK and will stay with a friend ,, how can i get starling card ?!
Sallooha unfortunately you have to be a UK resident (or EU now) and be able to prove it to get a Starling card!
Great info, thanks. I'm a UK resident, I plan on doing some travel through Europe and starling seems the way to go. However I have read bundles of poor reviews online from customers saying their accounts have been closed/frozen for no apparent reason and have then faced huge difficulties with customer service. Anyone have any personal experience/insight with this?
I'm not looking for an on line bank account. But Starling sounds good 👍
If you could only use 3 of the cards on the list which cards would you use or recommend for young students 18-24
Mr LMB well I use Starling so that’s my favourite!
Hi. Just found this excellent channel and subscribed, wish there were more like this, not just funny cat videos....
Anyway, just wanted to ask of the three you recomend, which would be best for a three month trip to the Ukraine on business in your opinion.
Thanks
Thanks a lot! Really appreciate the kind words. For me, Starling is the best - it has zero fees, gives you interest on balances and has a great app. It's the one I use personally!
Can you link these cards to paypal and reload them there to or use them to get payments?
Starling and Monzo are just like any other Debit card so yes they have full functionality with PayPal. I receive payments for my freelance work straight into my Starling account. Revolut I am fairly sure now have the same functionally and can be linked to your PayPal however I am not 100% sure.
Looking to go to Paris in September I am interested in starling however not sure which account to get personal current account or euro account? ideally I want a card I can use to spend and withdraw money out in Paris
DoyinLive hey I’m actually off to Paris next week myself with my Starling card! You will want the normal Starling Current account - you just transfer money into it and it will do all the conversions at shops and ATMs automatically for free anywhere in the world! 😊 the euro account is just for people that need to be paid in euros because they work there, or need to transfer a lot of money between euros and pounds.
Let me know if you have any other questions - and I hope you have a great time if you go in September!
in terms of security and privacy, does Starling share the account's information with a third party or are they fully protected ?
No, it is a registered bank so doesn’t share any details same as any other high street bank (unless of course you decide to install third party services like accounting software that you specifically allow your transactions to be shared with)
@@jamieroundtheworld thanks for your prompt response and clarification !
No mention of Curve??
Because Curve is a bit different to a debit or prepaid account I have done a whole other video solely focussed on Curve - you can check it out here: czcams.com/video/xBv79XqhqFE/video.html
Thank for links and help.
No problem!
Would you say Revolut is the best way to send money to Jamaica?
The best way to deliver money to Jamaica is going there yourself. Otherwise you don't get to enjoy Jamaica.
Which of this prepaid is offer in other countries in Europe except UK?
If I have euros left over in my sterling account can I withdraw them in the uk into pounds?
Yes! For the Starling, Monzo and Revolut it is stored in your account as pounds just like any other account anyway (unless on Revolut you choose to store it as euros, in which case it will just automatically convert it back to pounds when you make a UK withdrawal).
Can anyone recommend a pre-paid debit card for americans to use while abroad in the UK?
i think Monese
I’m going to the Netherlands for a year for studying (I’m from the UK) and was wondering what would be my best option? Apparently they use a lot of Maestro as opposed to the others
Hey that sounds great! Yes a lot of places don't accept foreign credit and debit cards in the Netherlands unfortunately - so the cards in this video may not be the best for spending an extended period there. If you are studying there you might be able to apply for some form of bank account locally in the Netherlands (depending on what you residency/address status would be) - it might be the best option and definitely worth investigating.
If not the Transferwise Borderless account I briefly mention in this video could be a good option as it gives you bank details for Europe, making it easier to get paid and transfer money there. (however this is still a MasterCard and not Maestro as you say).
transferwise.com/gb/borderless/
Apologies I can't be of much more help!
Jamie Brown. Was really hoping you do some more update videos on these type of cards... as you may or may not remember I did comment on here as I joined the Starling bank however been seeing some concerning reports lately of people complaining that they've had their accounts closed and not been able to get their money back and even more concerning not been given any notification of their accounts being closed for for what reason either....which concerns me as I've joined the Starling bank so far I've had no problems however I'm only using my starling bank at the moment for When I go abroad next year to Florida so in the meantime I'm only saving not really using it apart from trying it out by getting a cup of coffee sometime ago. So hoping I will not run into any problems as it's easier for me to save this way for spending over abroad as I refuse to use the post office money travel card as that was a complete rip-off and had nightmare with that card when I was abroad last year in Florida which pretty much every shop I went in would not allow me to use it or the transactions would be refused.
So please could you do an update when you get around maybe look up about some of these complaints to see what is going on. As you are very knowledgeable about this.
Thanks. 👍
Hello again! Thanks for the interest and letting me know! I usually do an updated video of these towards the end of the year to allow enough time for significant changes. I use Starling myself most of the time now and have never run into any issues. I haven't seen any of these reports of accounts being closed, and in any case Starling is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme so anything up to £85,000 in the account is protected by the government - do you have a link or anything so I can read into these reports??
@@jamieroundtheworld.. I found some of the complaints on the actual starling web page where customers have left there reviews.
Also been looking up some alternative cards like monzo because when I go abroad want to be safe just in case I lose one card I've always got the other card to use as a backup so starling and monzo I was thinking to use abroad however I know starling is much better for use abroad than monzo. 👍 and as I was looking up with other cards seen some complaints on starling and even monzo I noticed a few complaints on accounts closed also about being unable to use their accounts due to problems with with the mobile app with monzo. So just wondering whether this was true, I like to make sure that my money is safe especially when using abroad.
Anyway thanks for getting back to me and look forward to seeing your update videos in the future.
How can i make account in starling
I didnt found the app in the play store
Starling bank is great I use it myself
Can you do a video on how British people can get paid in different currencies abroad if they go work or invest there (houses) and then can spend them currencies
Great idea, I'll look into it! In the meantime I think TransferWise (mentioned at 7:32 ) is quite a good card for being paid in certain currencies as it gives you bank details for a number of different countries.
I'm so glad I came across this video been trying to find the best card to take with me to Florida Orlando I did have the post office 1 worst mistake I made. kept getting told it was good and safe to use when I had the thing couldn't even use it in Florida. most of the places I tried to use it wouldn't even accept it when I got back I cancelled it straight away and had to pay extra on top just to cancel.. now I got Thomas Cook trying to get me to have one of their cards when I looked it up it had a bad rating.. if anyone has used one of these cards can you please let me know and also if anyone's use the cards as mentioned on here and used in USA without any problems I would love to know.
Wolfy Dragon Really glad I can help you 😊 I’ve used Starling in the US and I know of many others who have commented or let me know they’ve used these cards with no problems! Even if you do have problems Starling and Monzo in particular have very good customer service which you can contact very quickly in the app if need be 👍
Absolutely great vid, very informative and helpful and agree with you Starling is the best one as this is the one I also use
Thanks a lot! Yes Starling is awesome 😁
Do you like FairFX sterling everywhere card?
It comes with a couple of fees so isn't the best value:
- International conversion fee of 1.4%
- ATM transaction fee of £1
- Refund fee of £5
- Expired card admin fee of £2/month
- Lost/stolen card replacement £5.99
Jamie Brown thanks mate. Last question could you recommend prepaid card for large atm cash withdrawals abroad the lowest fees. I like starling but its only £300 maximum. I use FairFX because it’s £800. I don’t think FairFX is bad just I’d like another card that’s slightly better. Because where I travel the actual atm itself charges it’s own supercharge of £5 per transaction. I alway use sterling card. I only use prepaid cards for cash withdrawals no purchase over the counter.
I plan to take two cards with me when I go travelling around backpacking. What cards do you think will be most beneficial for me?
Hey, I'm heading off backpacking at the end of the year too and the two main cards I will be using is the Starling for getting out cash and day to day spending as it has no fees, and then the Tandem Cashback Credit Card to book accommodation and travel etc, as it has no foreign transaction fees and gives 0.5% cash back on all your spending. You can check it out in my video about Travel Credit Cards if you want to find out more:
czcams.com/video/61Ytfkl52y0/video.html
Revolut works great for me!
Awesome! Great to hear!
Will it work with playstation
What’s better MasterCard exchange rate or interbank with revolut?
J The interbank rate tends to be slightly better but there really isn’t much in it. And Revolut charge a slight markup on weekends which can make it worse than MasterCard rate so they are both very very similar.
keep the fire content up! sub + like 😁
Could you by any chance do a video explaining how it works with use abroad I have just joined the Starling bank and trying to find out how it works with use abroad so just a little bit confused can I exchange money to dollars to use or does it automatically change it for me when using ATM machine or using in some shop in the USA. Any info would be appreciated thanks..👍
Hey great question. It basically does it all for you! So you just use your Starling card as you would use it at home - in shops or withdraw money from an ATM - and it will automatically do the conversion for you with no fee using the up to date exchange rate at the time you make the transaction. With Starling you will get an instant notification on your phone and in the app telling you what you just spent and how much it was (in the local currency and in pounds so you can see exactly how much you spent). As I say in the video when the cashier/waiter/cash machine ask if you want to pay in dollars or pounds always pick dollars so Starling does the free conversion instead of the expensive conversion by the retailer.
Also if you've never used a card in USA before just be aware their payments systems are mostly behind ours quite considerably - so they don't really have contactless, and a lot of the time also don't use chip and pin - meaning they will likely swipe your card and ask you to sign a receipt.
Jamie Brown was wondering this myself! glad to understand it now, better get myself signed up for one now! ill be going to the US next thursday! thank you for the videos, been a great help.
@@LUFCalex nice please let me know how will it work in the USA. 👍
Wolfy Dragon been here for nearly 2 months now and the starling card has been faultless! works brilliantly and sends you a notification of the rate from £ to $! happily recommend to anyone
@@LUFCalex.. thanks man that's good to know off to Florida next year so had problems with post office money travel card never use that again so many charges even cost me to cancel the card as well. 👍
Hey mate! Do you know any which can be used for Australian's residents? Really struggling to find a good one!!
Hey man! I just replied to your email with a suggestion 👍
im from the uk and im going to south east asia which one would you recomened ? ive signed up for starling bank but should i get a travel card also?
Hey, Starling should be great in Asia! I've heard from a few people who have used it whilst long term travelling there and had good feedback of how useful it was and their great customer service. I plan on using my Starling card in Asia next year :)
Do you mean a travel credit card? You don't need to but might be good as a backup to have one! As I say in my video about travel credit cards they have some useful security features and can be quite handy if you need to unexpectedly pay for something but don't have the money in our account at that moment.
@@jamieroundtheworld great thank you! Very helpfull
IamJackCash no problem! 👍😁
The starling will fullfill all your needs 100%...and should you lose it you can switch it off from your mobile instantly...
Thomas Lowdon yeah been using it but you still have to pay atm charge which is around 6 pounds in Asia guessing that’s normal for every card tho
Is starling good? I just set up an account and I'm curious to know whether people think it's a decent company?
I love Starling! Going to make it my main bank account!
Yes it's good in the UK
They advertise it as a travel card
Doesn't work
In Europe yes but the world and travel isn't just Europe is it
Are they linked to your ssn?
By SSN do you mean Social Security Number? These are all UK/european based cards and we don't have SSNs over here.
EasyFX??
I wish about this...
Is there any of these cards can be used for Jamaicans
For the majority of these, you have to be either a UK or EU resident I'm afraid. I'm not sure how it works if you have moved here and what level of UK status you need to get one - but it's worth investigating. If you can get an account with a highstreet UK bank, then you should be able to get one with most of these.
Sorry I can't be much more help!
Planning on going to Indonesia in November what do you think is the best card to get?
I'm visiting Indonesia next year and will be taking my Starling card to use. Obviously bear in mind in these countries card machines are less prevalent so you will need to get out cash and keep some on you - which is why Starling is so good because it doesn't charge anything for cash withdrawals. However what you may find is that the local bank or cash machine will charge you a withdrawal fee - unfortunately there isn't much you can do about this and something you will just have to accept sometimes.
I would also recommend getting a travel credit card as well if you can - these are good for booking accommodation and more expensive things because of Section 75 protection and being accepted as deposits. You can watch my video about the best travel credit cards below:
czcams.com/video/61Ytfkl52y0/video.html
@@jamieroundtheworld i dont need all that tbf im meeting my girlfriend so I'll have a place to stay
Jamal Riaz Ahmed ahh awesome, hope you have a great time!
Travelling to Japan in a few months. Recommendations people?
I've heard it's a cash is King kinda place.
I would highly recommend taking cash. A lot of places don't accept card so it will make your life a lot easier. I found that you can get better exchange rates while you're out there, so I would also recommend changing up some yen in your home country but changing a bulk of your money in Japan
@@WoodzyyHD yeah I had plans on taking some cash with me, and I guess I will use monzo, starling and/or revolut to make withdrawals out there
Is topping up a pre-paid card considered a transaction or a transfer of money?
Suhayb Jhangir usually a transfer of money, however sometimes you can top up in apps using things like Apple Pay - that might count as a transaction
Yesss 😁
I'm 16 and looking for the best debit card
Both Starling and Monzo are great options for 16-year-olds! ☺️
hi, do you have any comment with Curve Card ? i know curve first :(
Hey! Funny you should ask! Curve recently contacted me to review their card so I will be testing it over the next month and do a full review sometime next month if I can :) Sorry it's not sooner!
Do not use the post office money travel card.... they keep your money and have the worst customer service ever
Any idea if Starling has plans to go EU wide ?
Hi, Anyone tried Revolut for e commerce ? thks !!! Gret video btw :)
Lmao do your home work well, no Monese?
I do - when I made this video at the beginning of 2019 I believe Monese's free account charged 2% for use abroad so it wasn't very practical as a travel card.
Since July 2019 they have introduced new plans with a £2,000 fee-free allowance for overseas spending and £200 fee-free ATM withdrawals. Now that they do have that allowance I'll definitely be including Monese if I make an update video at the end of this year!
"In the UK" would be great if it was in the title.
Thanks for the feedback - I have put UK in the title of other videos but must have missed it on this one for some reason!
Hmy
Would starling cars be great use for me
Travelling to Bali in a few months? I’m from the uk and not sure what’s best?
Anna Lamstaes yep! It will be perfect there! Card payments aren’t as common there so obviously carry some cash with you too 👍
Brilliant
MKTEK HD thanks!
that's ok man wanted more up to date video as im travelling next week n26 really competing now I have a Monzo but waiting on my WeSwap card TUI Travel money card is ok but locks the rate in
@@jamieroundtheworld
I just have the Virgin travel card so far. But the prepaid ones look pretty good, the only thing that put me off was that they are app based and my itunes store isn't UK since I only moved here a year and half ago so their apps aren't available like the big banks are
Ahh I see. If your want a prepaid card for travel maybe you could try one of the alternatives in this video - whilst they aren’t quite as good for everything, many of them don’t require an app?
Boycott Cashplus they are thieves they freeze your account for no reason
If something sounds too good to be true it always is
People just expect you to go to Europe that's how they get away with the false advertising
Lots of people have the attitude if you go out of Europe your a weirdo
Sadapay (starling bank) is no good I won’t recommend any one to use sadapay card because they deduct extra bucks even after 10-15 days of using card on international payments. Fraud fintech company
Stay away from Revolut, I just closed my account with them, they dum, instead of them to allow you to activate your account with your ID before moving on, they will let you register and load money before asking for id, I loaded my id and they told me they can’t accept my id, I had to closed my account and ask for refund. Waste of time..
*Hi all! Thanks for all your kind comments and questions!*
If anyone is interested I have just posted a full review of the Curve card - a single MasterCard and app that allows you to use all your cards in one, has cash back rewards and free overseas spending. Check it out below:
czcams.com/video/xBv79XqhqFE/video.html
Hi Jamie, don’t know if this has changed since you made the video but I was recently in Doha and the hotel I was staying in accepted my Revolut card as a payment for damages like they would with a credit card, contrary to what you said at the end of the video
@@jackcunningham4322 More and more places do accept debit/prepaid cards as prepayment which is good! The only problem is you need to make sure you have enough money in your account to do this, as they will usually block that money off whilst you stay meaning you have less money to spend (which on a credit card isn't a problem because it is just credit so it isn't actually taking anything away from you if that makes sense).
Revolut also has apple pay and cryto exchange
Jamie Brown Great video Jamie ‘ As I’m 69 I’m trying hard to keep up with things like this ‘ so “ my question is ‘ is there a fee At the ATM machine when you withdraw cash 💰 abroad ‘ if so ‘ is there away around this!
Thanks 🙏.