Interesting. I wonder if the absence of those features reflects the customer demographic.
Don’t know the breakdown, but I’d hazard a guess that the typical Starling customer doesn’t look to their bank for such support.
2 Likes
I would back that up in my personal usage. I have no interest in budgeting features, I do it myself through spaces and just my own money management.
I do understand that these features are useful for some people but just not for me.
2 Likes
The simplicity of the Starling app for me is one of it’s biggest advantages.
But then again, I have always been a fan of minimalism.
2 Likes
Each to their own, I guess. That’s just to name a few…Minor yes, but still frustrating for some.
- No acknowledgment of improving transaction details, despite providing feedback for each one.
- No Virtual cards
- Budgeting
- Support response time has declined
I’m not slating them, been with them for years, just saying the app development has stagnated over the years, that’s all.
That it certainly has.
1 Like
Yep agree the development for new stuff on starling has slowed down.
1 Like
I feel like Starling is so well positioned to actually do something, still.
They should do:
- the UX/UI; it feels outdated.
- Give the option of virtual only cards
- AMOLED mode
- Widgets (for example, balance, balance across spaces, maybe a freeze/unfreeze card widget)
- Get rid of archived spaces. They look abhorrent.
- Make merchant enrichment useful again
- Have someone who knows how to do good ML work on their analytics
- Move Starling subscriptions to the scheduled payments section
- Recommit to marketplace
- Make Kite free; would be a great transition into children using Starling as their main bank when they turn old enough. Could offer a seamless transition.
- Perhaps they could add “routing numbers” for spaces, so they wouldn’t be full accounts but could function as that in reality (or maybe they could use transaction references?)
- Might also be worth them revamping the home menu, since they’ve rolled out “bill manager”
- Let us delete scheduled payments? Or at least remove them once you’ve given the instruction to cancel the authorisations.
- Maybe add a “this calendar year” & “last 12 months” section
to the analytics - Transaction hiding
- Ability to turn off logos (since they rarely bloody update them) in favour of category icons
- Tell you in the app how much you’ve topped up cash-wise
- Bring back free cash deposits or just kill them off entirely.
That would be some significant improvements i think could make them worth using again, from an app perspective.
I won’t comment on the product itself, because they’re really taking the cheese recently
1 Like
That’s interesting. I don’t think I would describe Starling’s app as simple or minimalist. In a lot of ways it’s unnecessarily convoluted, often worse so than bloated Monzo.
I’d love to see them introduce virtual cards. It’s the only reason I use Revolut.
1 Like
I don’t really use a lot of the features, and those that I do, are (in my opinion) simple and clear to use.
Examples being:
-
As long as the instant notifications work, I have no real need for the transaction list, fancy logos or spending categories.
-
Card controls easy to find, then just set and forget
-
Spaces are simple to set up and use.
-
I have never used budgeting tools
-
The much derided pie chart is just something that is there
Although I do have to agree with @Recchan with regard to a running total of cash deposits.
I know some will disagree, but for my needs I do find Starling to be one of the better apps to use.
5 Likes
This is the one thing that has completely changed how I bank and manage my money. I have around 30 spaces for things such as home insurance, Disney+, Christmas presents, holidays, etc. I put enough money aside each month to make sure I have enough to pay for various annual bills, subscriptions, and other expenditure. For example, my home insurance is usually around the £220 mark. I put £20 aside each month, so I always have enough to cover it, meaning I don’t have to rely on a credit card or spread it over 12 months, which means interest being added on top.
4 Likes
Exactly how I do my budget, just not with Starling.
2 Likes
I’m the same, and Monzo, then latterly Starling has made this much easier, somehow, as the basic mechanics are the same with high street instant savers.
2 Likes
Being able to pay in GBP with your EUR balance would be nice
In Europe or in the UK?
Wouldn’t it get a bit confusing just using the one card?
I want to pay on GBP in the UK using my EUR balance. Would be at the Mastercard exchange rate without the Starling markup, no?
So basically in the same way you can spend in EUR with your GBP account, just in reverse 
Advantages?
Payments not being rejected?
Revolut will take from another wallet if you’re GBP funds are insufficient. It’s from the same card too.
2 Likes
With you now 
1 Like
Custom month start dates about to land!
2 Likes