The Best Banking Apps of 2026, Compared for Travel, Savings and Fees

The account that pays your rent is not always the one you want in your pocket in Lisbon, and the one with the best savings rate may not let you open it at all if you live in the wrong country. We have compared ten app banks and money apps on fees abroad, savings, deposit protection and who can actually sign up, with prices in pounds, euros and dollars.

This page is information, not financial advice.

Our Top Picks at a Glance

• Best overall for travel and living between countries: Revolut, dozens of currencies in one app and paid plans for heavy travellers.
• Best main account in the UK: Monzo, no Monzo fee on card spending abroad and free cash across the EEA.
• Best for round-the-clock support: Starling, no paid tiers, no Starling fees abroad and a phone line that answers at 3am.
• Best for receiving foreign currency: Wise, local account details for pounds, euros and dollars, with the fee shown before you convert.
• Best free account in the eurozone: N26, a licensed German bank with no N26 fee on card payments in other currencies.
• Best introductory savings rate in the UK: Chase UK, 4.5% AER (variable) for 12 months for new customers.
• Best for savers in the EU: bunq, savings listed at 3.11% on every plan, including the free one.

The 10 Best Banking Apps, Ranked

Digital Banks Side by Side: Fees Abroad, Savings and Protection

Rank	Account	Rating	Monthly fee	Card spending abroad	Cash abroad	Headline savings (variable)	Protection	Who can open
1	Revolut	4.5	Free; paid from €9.99	£1,000 a month on Standard, then 1%; 1% at weekends	5 withdrawals or £200 a month on Standard	Varies by plan and country	€100,000 (Lithuania) for eligible EEA deposits	Varies by country
2	Monzo	4.5	Free; £3 to £23	No Monzo fee	Free in EEA; £200 to £600 elsewhere, then 3%	2.75% to 3.50% AER	FSCS £120,000	UK residents, 16+
3	Starling	4.4	Free	No Starling fee	No Starling fee, £300 a day	4.00% AER for 6 months	FSCS £120,000	UK residents
4	Wise	4.3	Free	Mid-market rate plus a shown fee	£250 a month, then 2.69%	Varies by country	Safeguarded, not deposit-insured in Europe	Varies by country
5	N26	4.0	Free; €4.90 to €16.90	No N26 fee	1.7% outside the eurozone on Standard and Smart	0.25% to 1.50%	€100,000 (Germany)	EEA residents, plus Switzerland
6	Chase UK	4.0	Free	No Chase fee	No Chase fee, £500 a day, £1,500 a month	4.5% AER for 12 months	FSCS £120,000	UK residents, 18+
7	Kroo	3.9	Free	No Kroo fee	No Kroo fee	3.00% AER on the current account	FSCS £120,000	UK residents, 18+
8	bunq	3.8	Free; €3.99 to €18.99	€1,000 a year on Free; unlimited on paid plans	€2.99 a withdrawal on Free	3.11% listed	€100,000 (Netherlands)	About 28 European countries
9	Curve	3.6	Free; £/€5.99 to £/€17.99	£/€250 a month on Free, then 2.99%; 1.5% at weekends	£2 or 2% on Free	None	Safeguarded e-money	UK and EEA residents
10	Bank Norwegian	3.4	No annual fee	0% (Germany) to 2.49% (Finland)	No Bank Norwegian fee	Up to 4.80% (Norway)	€100,000 (Sweden); NOK 2m in Norway	Nordic and German residents

Where You Live Decides: Choosing an App Bank in the UK, the EU or Beyond

The first filter is not the app or the savings rate. It is your address.

Monzo, Starling, Chase UK and Kroo are UK banks for UK residents; Chase also wants UK tax residence. N26 and bunq left Britain after Brexit and open personal accounts only in their European markets. Bank Norwegian sells its card in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Germany, and Curve covers the UK and the EEA. Wise and Revolut are the two built for lives that straddle borders, though their products and protections vary by country.

For a reader in Leeds, the sensible set-up is a UK bank as the main account (Monzo or Starling for everyday use, Chase or Kroo if the savings rate matters most) with Wise or Revolut alongside for currencies. For a reader in Dublin, Madrid or Berlin, N26 is the free euro account, bunq the one for savers and people who budget in pots, and Revolut the multi-currency layer on top. Nordic and German readers who want a credit card for bookings can add Bank Norwegian.

Readers in the US have the shortest list. None of the eight banks we reviewed for this page opens personal accounts for US residents: N26 wound down its American business and bunq is waiting on a national bank charter. Wise and Revolut are the places to start.

Spending Abroad Without the Fees: A Week in Lisbon on €600

Worked example: €600 in Lisbon, paid from a UK account

A couple from Bristol have €600 (£505.61 / US$673.68) for a week. They put €400 on the card for trams, dinners and a day trip to Sintra, half of it over the weekend, and take €200 from a cash machine in the Baixa. On each provider’s own terms:

• Monzo, Starling, Chase UK and Kroo: £0. None charges its own fee on card spending in euros or on cash, and all convert at the Mastercard or Visa rate.
• Revolut Standard: about £1.69. The spending sits inside the £1,000 monthly exchange allowance and the cash inside the £200 allowance, but the €200 spent at the weekend attracts the 1% weekend fee.
• Wise: about £2.63, if the conversion fee comes in at the 0.52% starting figure on Wise’s published pricing. The cash is inside the £250 free monthly allowance, and Wise shows the fee before you pay.
• Curve’s free plan: about £8.50 (US$11.33 / €10.09). The first £250 of card spending is free, the next £87.07 costs 2.99% (£2.60), the weekend adds 1.5% (£2.53) and, with no free cash allowance, the €200 withdrawal costs 2% (£3.37). Pay X removes those fees for £5.99 a month.

Two rules beat any choice of card. When a terminal or cash machine offers to charge you in pounds, refuse and pay in euros, or the merchant sets the rate. And the machine’s owner can add its own fee whichever card you use, so a bank-owned machine is a better bet than a standalone one on the Rua Augusta.

The same week from a euro account

For a reader in Dublin or Amsterdam, Lisbon involves no currency at all; only cash varies. N26 Standard allows two free euro withdrawals a month, while bunq charges €2.99 a withdrawal on Free, €0.99 for the first five on Core and nothing for the first six on Pro. Bank Norwegian shows how much location matters: the €600 costs nothing extra on a German card, €10.50 on a Norwegian one at 1.75% and €11.94 on a Danish one at 1.99%.

Paid in Dollars: The Freelancer’s Guide to Currency Accounts

Worked example: a US$3,000 invoice

An illustrator in Bristol bills a New York studio US$3,000 (£2,251 / €2,672) a month. Monzo, Starling, Chase UK and Kroo are sterling accounts built around UK spending, so the useful tools are the two that hold dollars.

• Wise: the client pays into her US dollar account details as if it were a domestic American transfer. Converting at the 0.52% starting fee costs about US$15.60 (£11.71 / €13.89) a month, roughly £140 a year.
• Revolut Standard: the first £1,000 of exchange each month carries no fair-usage fee; the remaining £1,251 costs 1%, or £12.51 a month, about £150 a year. Convert on a Saturday and the weekend fee adds another 1%.
• Revolut Premium: no fair-usage or weekend exchange fees under current plan terms. In euro countries it costs €119.88 a year (£101.02 / US$134.60), so a freelancer converting this much every month can come out ahead, with the travel extras thrown in.

In the eurozone, N26 has no sterling or dollar balance to receive into, while bunq offers local-currency sub-accounts, sterling among them. Curve and Bank Norwegian cannot receive money at all.

For most freelancers the answer is two accounts: a licensed bank for salary, rent and savings, and Wise or Revolut as the front door for foreign income. A second provider also means a blocked card does not leave you stranded mid-trip.

Which Banking App Pays the Most Interest? Savings Rates Checked

Several of these apps pay better than the high street, but the headline rates come with time limits, conditions or a monthly fee. The figures below were checked on each provider’s own pages on 20 October 2026; they are variable unless stated and will move with interest rates.

Worked example: £10,000 or €10,000 for a year

Approximate interest before tax:

• Chase UK Saver: £450 at 4.5% AER for new customers who open it within 31 days, falling to 2.25% AER after 12 months.
• Starling Fixed Saver: £420 at 4.20% AER fixed for 12 months, with no access until the end.
• Starling Easy Saver: about £325, from six months at 4.00% AER and six at 2.50%.
• Kroo current account: £300 at 3.00% AER, with no separate saver needed. Kroo’s Cash ISA pays the same rate tax-free.
• Monzo Instant Access: £275 on the free plan at 2.75% AER, or £350 on Max at 3.50%, though Max costs £228 a year.
• bunq: about €311 at the 3.11% listed on every plan. The figure carries conditions, so check the rate in the app first.
• Bank Norwegian, Germany: €280 in the 31-day notice account at 2.80%. In Norway the same account pays 4.80%.
• N26: €25 on Standard at 0.25%, or €150 on Metal at 1.50%, a plan that costs €202.80 a year.

A paid plan bought for a higher savings rate usually loses money: on £5,000, Monzo Perks earns about £25 more a year than the free plan and costs £108. Introductory rates reward people willing to move their money when the bonus ends.

One trap is worth knowing. Revolut’s Flexible Cash Funds invest in money-market funds, so returns can change and the money carries investment risk. They sit close to ordinary savings in the app but are a different product.

Deposit Protection Explained: FSCS, EU Schemes and E-Money

UK banks. Monzo, Starling, Chase UK and Kroo hold full UK banking licences, and eligible deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £120,000 (US$159,912 / €142,404).

EU banks. N26 is covered by the German scheme, bunq by the Dutch and Revolut Bank UAB by Lithuania’s, each up to €100,000 (£84,267 / US$112,284) for eligible deposits. Bank Norwegian, a branch of a Swedish bank, is covered by the Swedish scheme and topped up to NOK 2 million in Norway; if you also save with Nordax Bank, in the same group, the Swedish cover is shared.

E-money. Wise and Curve are not banks. Customer money is safeguarded, kept apart from the company’s own funds and meant to be returned if the firm fails, but no deposit guarantee applies. Most Curve users hold little with Curve anyway, because the money stays on their linked cards. Wise is better treated as a working account for currencies than a home for long-term savings.

Products inside the app. Protection follows the product, not the logo. Investments, crypto and money-market funds in Revolut, bunq or N26 are not deposits.

Switching Banks and Referral Offers: What Is Worth Having

None of the UK banks here advertises a cash bonus for switching. Monzo and Starling both use the Current Account Switch Service, which moves your balance, salary and Direct Debits within seven working days, backed by the switch guarantee. You can also simply open any of these alongside your existing bank.

The sign-up rewards are modest and conditional:

• Chase UK: £50 each for you and the friend who referred you, once you pay in £1,000 within 30 days.
• Starling: £25 each, but only through customers Starling has invited.
• Monzo: a randomly drawn reward for both sides, most often £10 or £20, after the newcomer adds money and makes a card payment within 30 days.
• Curve: 1% cashback for 30 days, up to £15 each, in Curve Cash points, until 31 December 2026.
• bunq: 30 days of Elite free; set a reminder before day 30, as some customers complain of charges after the trial.

Bank Norwegian pays €15 in Germany after a first purchase; N26’s scheme rewards only the existing customer; Kroo closed its scheme on 1 September 2026. Choose the account first. Fifty pounds is pleasant, but a card charging 2.99% abroad on a long trip will soon take it back.

Security, Frozen Accounts and the Regulator’s Record

App banks are closely watched. The FCA fined Starling £29m in October 2024 over its anti-money laundering controls and sanctions screening, and Monzo £21m in July 2025 for weak onboarding checks between 2018 and 2022. BaFin placed N26 under a special monitor in December 2025. None of this touched customer deposits, but it explains the strict checks many users now meet.

It also explains the commonest complaint on Trustpilot for almost every provider here: accounts frozen or closed with little explanation, sometimes for weeks. The defence is redundancy. Travel with a second card from a different provider, and never keep your only cash buffer in one app.

How We Test and Score Each Account

Every account here has a full review, scored on the same weighted criteria:

• Fees abroad (25%): card and cash charges, weekend markups and allowances, run through the same worked examples.
• Savings and interest (20%): headline rates, how long they last and what happens when a bonus ends.
• Safety and regulation (20%): licence or e-money status, deposit protection and regulatory record.
• Monthly cost and value (15%): free plans, and whether paid extras earn their keep.
• Availability (10%): who can open an account, and where.
• App and support (10%): app store ratings, Trustpilot scores and how easy it is to reach a person.

We check fees, rates and offers on each provider’s own pages and convert between pounds, euros and dollars at a single reference rate for comparison.

Your Banking App Questions Answered

What is the best bank account for travel?

For UK residents, Monzo, Starling, Chase UK and Kroo charge nothing of their own on card spending or cash abroad. For travellers who move between currencies, Revolut does more.

Which app is best for spending abroad?

On our €600 Lisbon week, the four UK banks cost nothing, Revolut Standard about £1.69, Wise about £2.63 and Curve’s free plan about £8.50.

Is there a debit card with no fees abroad?

Yes. Monzo, Starling, Chase UK and Kroo charge no fee of their own on foreign card spending, and N26 charges none on any plan. Cash machine owners may still add a charge.

Monzo vs Revolut: which is better?

Monzo is the better main bank for UK residents, with FSCS cover. Revolut is better for holding and exchanging several currencies. Many people use both.

Which banking app pays the most interest?

In the UK, Chase pays 4.5% AER for 12 months to new customers, and Kroo 3.00% AER on the current account itself. In the EU, bunq lists 3.11% on every plan. Rates change often.

Is my money safe in a digital bank?

In a licensed bank, eligible deposits are protected: up to £120,000 by the FSCS at the four UK banks here, and up to €100,000 by national schemes at N26, bunq, Revolut Bank UAB and Bank Norwegian.

Is Wise a bank?

Not in Europe. Wise Europe SA is an authorised payment institution, so balances are safeguarded rather than covered by a deposit guarantee.

What is the best account for freelancers paid in dollars?

Wise or Revolut. Both receive US dollars; Wise shows its conversion fee upfront, while Revolut Premium removes fair-usage and weekend exchange fees for a monthly charge.

Can I open Monzo or Starling if I live outside the UK?

No. Both are for UK residents, as are Chase UK and Kroo.

Can UK residents open an N26 or bunq account?

No. Both stopped taking UK customers after Brexit.

Which of these apps can US residents use?

None of the eight banks reviewed for this page opens personal accounts for US residents. Wise and Revolut are the places to start.

Are bank referral bonuses worth it?

They are small and conditional: Chase’s £50 needs £1,000 paid in within 30 days, and Monzo’s is a random draw. Pick the account on fees and features first.

How long does it take to switch bank accounts?

The Current Account Switch Service moves your balance, salary and Direct Debits within seven working days. Monzo and Starling both use it.