Starling joint account: everything you need to know

If you’re looking for more convenience when managing shared finances, a joint bank account could be the ideal choice.

Many banks offer them, but in this guide we’ll be focusing on the Starling Bank joint account. We’ll take a look at all the main account features, along with the fees you need to know about. We’ll also walk you through the process of opening a new account together with your partner.

Thinking of using Wise for low-cost international transfers? It’s good to know that you can link joint bank accounts to it, so you can seamlessly fund any of your overseas transfers or payments.

What is the Starling Bank joint account?

The Starling Bank joint account is a feature-packed current account from one of the UK’s most popular digital banks. It’s app-based (as Starling doesn’t have any physical branches), and comes with no monthly fees.

The account offers everything you need for everyday banking, whether it’s covering bills or putting money aside for a rainy day. It focuses on making it easier to manage shared finances, with tools such as bill splitting, joint debit cards and shared savings goals.

Starling Bank itself is an independent, fully licensed and FCA-regulated bank, with a mission to deliver more sustainable banking.

Starling Bank joint account features

The Starling Bank Personal Joint Account offers the following features:¹

• Instant notifications for incoming and outgoing payments
• Spending insights and analytics tools
• Shared Savings Spaces, so you can track shared savings goals
• Round ups, for rounding up transactions and putting money aside in virtual change jars
• Bills Manager for organising and paying bills
• Mastercard debit card, managed through the app (including card control and locking features).
• 24/7 customer support based in the UK
• FSCS protection up to £85,000 per person
• No fees for using your card overseas
• Domestic and international transfers
• Fully digital signup.

Starling also offers the option to help your kids manage money, through Starling Kite. This is a debit card and app just for children, which parents or guardians can manage through their joint account.

How the Starling Bank debit card works with joint accounts

You’ll both get a debit Mastercard issued automatically when you open a joint account with Starling Bank. It’s contactless, made from recycled plastic and works with mobile wallets such as Google Pay and Apple Pay.

The card works wherever Mastercard payments are accepted, both in the UK and overseas with no foreign transaction fees.

Fees to use Starling Bank

So, how much does it cost to use the Starling Bank joint account? Let’s take a look at all the main fees and charges you need to know about:²

Type	Starling Bank fee
Opening an account	No fee
Monthly maintenance fee	No fee
UK payments	No fee
Using your debit card in the UK	No fee
Using your debit card abroad	No fee
Sending international transfers	0.4% currency conversion fee + £5.50 delivery fee³
Receiving international transfers in other currencies	2%⁴
Subscription services - Starling Kite and Connected Cards	£2 a month
Replacement debit card	£5

Security with Starling Bank

Before opening any new bank account, it’s always wise to check out security features. So how safe will your money be with Starling Bank?

Starling Bank is a strictly regulated financial institution and you can find out more about how they’re regulated here.

Starling Bank also offers up to £85,000 protection per person under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). So for joint accounts, this means you have a total of £170,000 of protection in case anything should happen to the bank.

In addition, Starling uses advanced security measures to protect your account, which includes:

• Biometric identification for access to the app
• 3D Secure for online payments
• In-app card controls, including freezing and setting personalised spending limits
• Real-time notifications for payments.

How to open a Starling Bank joint account

To open a Starling joint account, you’ll both need to be existing customers with a personal current account each. You can’t convert a current account to a joint one though - it’ll need to be a new application.⁵

However, applying for Starling Bank accounts should be pretty straightforward. It’s all done through the app, which is available from the Google Play Store or App Store. And as you’re an existing customer, you may not need to provide any documents either.

Simply follow these steps:⁵

1. Make sure you and your co-applicant are in the same room, and follow the next few steps at the same time
2. Open the Starling Bank app on your phones
3. Tap ‘Open a new account’ and then ‘Joint account’
4. The app will prompt you to ‘Find them now’ to link your applications
5. Complete the application process and submit.

Once your new joint account is open, it’s completely up to you if you keep your personal accounts running. You can close them if you want, but there are some extra features you might need to access, such as overdrafts and euro accounts.

You can also use the Current Account Switching Service to switch your existing joint account over to Starling Bank.

Save with Wise when managing your money internationally

Shopping around for the best account for your needs? Make sure to check out the Wise account. It’s not a joint account, but you can link a joint bank account to it - this makes funding your payments seamless and easy to keep track of.

Wise is a money service business, offering a multi-currency account, international money transfer services and a debit card.

When you sign up online with Wise, there’s no initial or monthly fee to pay.

You’ll get a powerful account for managing your money in 40+ currencies, including making international payments for low fees and mid-market exchange rates. These rates are often much better than you’ll get when you use your bank for international transactions.

You can even receive money for free in 9 major currencies, as Wise gives you your own local account details.

For a one-time cost of just £7, you can get a Wise debit card which has no foreign transaction fees for spending abroad.

Please see the Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise fees & pricing for the most up-to-date information on pricing and fees.

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Sources used:

1. Starling Bank - Joint bank account
2. Starling Bank - Rates, Fees and Charges
3. Starling Bank - Send money abroad
4. Starling Bank - Help - How much does it cost to receive a payment from overseas?
5. Starling Bank - Help - How do I apply for a joint account?

Sources last checked on date: 06-Aug-2023