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Forums Payment cards Other payment cards Starling GBP/EUR debit card suspended: where next?

  • HughM 93 posts

    My son recently opened a current account with Starling Bank. At present it is not possible to open the euro part of the account, which was the whole point of doing this. Staff on the helpline were unable to find an official explanation, and could give no idea how long the suspension (to new applicants) would last. They are reconsidering the eligibility criteria. Keep trying, and one day you will find it unblocks.

    We are going to a euro country for Easter, and it would be nice to have him equipped with a euro payment card. Does anyone know of a simple alternative, not (yet) suspended?

    Bill_B 97 posts

    Not sure about Euro accounts. However Nationwide have a few fee free options with their regular accounts.

    https://www.nationwide.co.uk/help/travel/charges-using-your-card-abroad/

    The Virgin Atlantic credit card is also fee free in Europe.

    NorthernLass 10,462 posts

    How old is your son? Is there an age requirement on people opening euro accounts from a non-euro country?

    I’m thinking if he’s under 18, credit cards and Curve won’t be options.

    BA Flyer IHG Stayer 3,059 posts

    So he just wants a payment card for buying coffee etc rather than a credit card to pay hotel bills (and their hold for incidentals)?

    For small items I use a FairFx card

    As it’s a pre payment card he can top up as and when he likes and will be much quicker to get than a bank or credit card.

    HughM 93 posts

    He’s over 21.
    His first euro payment has come in and been converted to pounds. It would then be converted back, if spent in euro. There is no point doing it this way!

    NorthernLass 10,462 posts

    Well he’s old enough for Curve or the Virgin card, but it might be a bit late to apply for those. Maybe look at a pre-payment card which can usually be sent out within a couple of days, as @Flyer/Stayer suggests?

    For long term though, I would think a credit card would be preferable to a debit when spending abroad, for several reasons.

    NorthernLass 10,462 posts

    Out of interest, is he based in Europe? Just wondering why he’s paid in euros. Of course that would affect eligibility for UK-based cards.

    Froggee 1,210 posts

    Surely Revolut would work perfectly for this?

    freckles 283 posts

    Starling UK cards have no FX fee for overseas use, so he could just use that.
    Only charge would be if ATM used as they often charge a fee (the overseas bank, not Starling itself).
    No need for a specific EUR account

    HughM 93 posts

    We are both based in the UK but have a second home in Italy. I receive some payments in euro, which I keep for the Italy spending.
    He was hoping to use the Starling debit card for anything from a coffee to a train fare to a hotel night. That isn’t going to happen for the foreseeable future.
    His sister also recommended Revolut, I think not from personal experience, but I have heard that they are a bit riskier than most.

    executiveclubber 529 posts

    Hugh, may I also suggest you complain to Starling in the app and then once they’ve responded, if they try to fob you off, refer it to the Ombudsman, as this will almost certainly net your son some pocket money if he hasn’t done anything dodgy. They can’t advertise the ability to open a Euro account on their website and then withhold it without the FOS taking a dim view and hopefully arranging for some apology money for your son. Keep the complaint short and factual. Hope this helps!

    SamG 1,893 posts

    I’d go with Wise

    HughM 93 posts

    I’d go with Wise

    Thank you. We are trying that: they are having “technical issues” in the same currency at the moment!

    HughM 93 posts

    Hugh, may I also suggest you complain to Starling in the app and then once they’ve responded, if they try to fob you off, refer it to the Ombudsman, as this will almost certainly net your son some pocket money if he hasn’t done anything dodgy. They can’t advertise the ability to open a Euro account on their website and then withhold it without the FOS taking a dim view and hopefully arranging for some apology money for your son. Keep the complaint short and factual. Hope this helps!

    Good thinking, will follow up, thank you.

    TooPoorToBeHere 302 posts

    +1 for Wise. Revolut does also work.

    davefl 1,980 posts

    I’d go with Wise

    Thank you. We are trying that: they are having “technical issues” in the same currency at the moment!

    What do you mean by that? You just fund a wise account in GBP and then press the convert button to move to the Euro pot.

    I’ve just done it and it’s fine.

    Correction, sorry. Didnt realise you wanted to deposit euro. When you have a Wise card you just go in and click receive and it shows the euro bank details

    SamG 1,893 posts

    Yes – which bit fails?

    Skywalker 934 posts
    HughM 93 posts

    He got his B&B paid through Wise – technical hitch was temporary.
    Starling Bank have agreed not to charge him to REconvert the euro, now in sterling, for his train fare. I hope there’s a little movement on a goodwill payment: he wasted the best part of a day on this.

    SBIre 187 posts

    What about Chase? No fx fees and 1% cashback?

    Lady London 2,348 posts

    Metrobank offers free Euro transactions

    https://www.metrobankonline.co.uk/bank-accounts/i-want-some-information-about/using-my-card-abroad/

    No they don’t. Been there done that with them. They do give you a bank rate, or close enough, but they take 3% off incoming Euros.

    I’d make Starling do the job, or use Wise.

    TGLoyalty 1,223 posts

    I don’t feel anyone can really help or suggest the right account without some actual facts

    Sounds like he wants an actual EUR bank account but based in the U.K. not just converting GBP to EUR to spend or a fee free card he can spend free in EUR with.

    Lady London 2,348 posts

    Yes the solution is Wise for Euro operations in and out without getting totally fleeced. Wise does make small charges now, but if they don’t make them worse then it’s do-able.

    If he must have an actual bank account then it’s bern said on here that HSBC will do it. Or look seriously into whether you could have an account in Italy but there are a few reasons why you might need a stronger reason than a few coffees to go down either of these routes.

    jek 142 posts

    Revolut works for that purpose. I use their GBP and EUR account for incoming and outgoing transactions.

    HughM 93 posts

    You are all quite right! We haven’t thought through whether this occasional spend really necessitates a whole bank account! The history is this: when the euro came in, I bought some in Fidelity currency funds, as well as Swiss francs: I think they used Bank of America in Geneva at the time. Transfers from there to the UK were free, a valuable perk; perhaps there was even a teeny rate of interest but, as that shrank, Fidelity couldn’t afford the free transfers and the fund was suspended. At that point, I got a euro account at a cantonal bank in Switzerland, ancillary to my francs. When the Swiss debit card went up to 40 francs a year, plus 1 franc per swipe, I came across Starling in 2020 and am an absolute fan. It can’t be used for business, but that’s fine by me. Every motorway toll, I no longer have to leap out and round. So I recommended it to my son and was gutted to find the very use I make of it is now suspended (only for newbies; existing holders can carry on).

    And we have lodged a complaint, because the point was made that you can’t really give people a link: “how to open a euro account” only to inform them, well, you can’t: “We’ve paused new applications for Euro accounts at the moment. Take a look here for more information https://help.starlingbank.com/personal/topics/setting-up-an-account/how-do-i-open-a-euro-account/.
    We have no timeframe on this. When they’re back, you’ll be able to apply from the menu in the Starling app.”

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