Starling Bank

Who they are

Starling Bank is a fully licensed and regulated UK bank, founded by Anne Boden - previously COO of Allied Irish Banks - in January 2014.

It was granted a banking licence by the Bank of England in July 2016 and launched its first mobile personal current account in May 2017. The idea was straightforward: build a proper bank from scratch, without the dead weight of legacy systems or physical branches, and put everything inside a well-designed app.

Boden's story is notable beyond the product itself - she is the first female founder of a UK bank, a significant achievement in a sector that has historically been short on diversity at the top.

Starling went on to acquire Fleet Mortgages in 2021 to expand into buy-to-let lending, and by May 2023 reported its first full year of significant pre-tax profit. It is independently owned, with no high-street parent group behind it.

Savings accounts

Starling currently offers three savings products on DepositScout. The Easy Saver is an instant-access variable rate account paying 5.00% AER, open from just £1. Worth knowing: that headline rate includes a fixed bonus element for the first six months only - after that the underlying rate is lower, so the blended return over a full year works out closer to 3.75%. If you plan to leave money here beyond six months, factor that into your comparison.

The Flexible Cash ISA pays 2.50% AER variable with unlimited access and no minimum balance worth worrying about. For those who can lock money away, the 1-Year Fixed Saver offers 4.20% AER fixed until maturity, requiring a minimum of £2,000 to open.

Starling Bank's eligible deposits are protected by the FSCS up to £120,000 per person, per authorised firm (banking licence).

Switching to Starling

Starling is currently running a switch offer on its Personal Current Account - there is no monthly fee. Switch before 11 October 2026 using the Current Account Switch Service and you will receive a reward worth £105 in the form of a SURI Pro 2.0 electric toothbrush and UV charging case. The main conditions are: open a new Starling personal account between 10 August and 11 October 2026, complete a full CASS switch within 30 days of opening, and keep the account open and unrestricted until the voucher code arrives. There is no minimum deposit or direct debit requirement - unusually straightforward compared with most switch offers.

One thing to be clear on: this is a product switch, not a cash bonus. If you were weighing it against cash offers elsewhere, a £105 toothbrush is only the better deal if it is something you would have bought anyway.

Is it right for you?

Starling suits people who want a genuine full-service current account with no monthly fee, solid travel credentials - no foreign transaction fees and Mastercard exchange rates - and savings products sitting neatly alongside it in the same app. The Easy Saver rate is competitive right now, but the bonus structure means it rewards savers who actively keep an eye on where rates go after six months.

If you need to deposit physical cash regularly, Starling is one of very few digital banks that lets you do this via the Post Office network, which is a practical advantage over some rivals.

As always, the rates shown on this page are live - check the current figures before you decide.