This guide is part of the Starling Bank hub, covering Starling’s account features, fees, limits, and reviews.
Starling Bank’s personal current account is free of monthly fees, but a few specific services do carry a charge. Here is a complete breakdown of what Starling does and does not charge, based on Starling’s own published fee schedules.
Starling Fees — Full Summary
| Fee type | Personal account | Starling Business / Sole Trader |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly account fee | £0 | £0 (optional Bulk Payments add-on: £7/month) |
| UK ATM withdrawals (Starling’s own fee) | £0 (default card limit applies) | £0 (default card limit applies) |
| Overseas ATM withdrawals (Starling’s own fee) | £0 | £0 |
| Foreign transaction fee | 0% (Mastercard exchange rate applies) | 0% |
| UK Faster Payments | Free, up to £1,000,000/payment | Free |
| CHAPS | £20 per payment | £20 per payment |
| International transfers | 0.4% conversion fee alongside the exchange rate | 0.4% conversion fee alongside the exchange rate |
| Arranged overdraft | 15%, 25% or 35% EAR (variable); representative 15% EAR | Ltd only — rate shown in-app, annual fee 1.75% of limit or £50 (higher applies); not available for sole traders |
| Cash deposits (Post Office) | Free up to £1,000/calendar year, then 0.7% above | 0.7% of amount, £3 minimum, no free allowance |
| Card replacement | £5 (UK address) / £10 (overseas) | £5 (UK address) / £10 (overseas) |
| Cheque deposits | Free (via post) | Free (via post) |
Fees verified against Starling’s own published fee schedules as of September 2026. Confirm current terms at starlingbank.com before making decisions, as fees and limits can change.
Monthly Account Fee
The Starling personal current account has no monthly fee. There is no minimum deposit, no minimum balance, and no charge for having the account open with little activity. Starling generates revenue through interchange (the fee charged to merchants on card transactions), overdraft interest, and its business banking and lending products.
Starling Business and sole trader accounts also have no mandatory monthly fee on the standard account. Starling does offer an optional Bulk Payments subscription for £7/month for businesses that need to send bulk payments — this is an add-on, not a charge for holding the account itself. For a full assessment of the business account, see the Starling Business account review.
UK ATM Fees
Starling itself charges nothing for ATM withdrawals in the UK. A default daily cash withdrawal limit applies to your card (commonly reported at around £300/day across up to 6 withdrawals, though this can vary and may be adjustable in-app — confirm your own current limit under Card → Manage card). Individual ATMs also typically dispense a maximum of £200–£300 per transaction, and some ATM operators (particularly independent machines) may add their own fee even though Starling doesn’t. The Starling ATM withdrawal limit guide covers this in more detail.
Overseas ATM Fees
Starling charges £0 from its own side on overseas ATM withdrawals, subject to a fair use policy and your card’s daily withdrawal limit. There is no separate EEA/non-EEA distinction in Starling’s published fee schedule.
For frequent travellers, Starling’s no-Starling-fee ATM policy remains a strong feature of the free account — though always confirm your current daily withdrawal limit before relying on it for a large cash need abroad. For a broader comparison of travel-friendly card options, see Best Travel Money Cards UK.
Foreign Transaction Fee
Starling charges 0% on all foreign currency card payments. The exchange rate applied is the Mastercard network rate. This applies to purchases in foreign currencies, whether made in person abroad or from a foreign online merchant.
Bank Transfer Fees
Faster Payments transfers (UK bank-to-bank, instant, available 24/7) are free to send and receive, up to £1,000,000 per payment. There is no per-transfer fee.
CHAPS (same-day guaranteed large transfers) costs £20 per payment and is available Monday to Friday during banking hours, with no upper limit — useful for property completions or other time-critical, high-value transfers.
International transfers: Starling offers international payments in the app using a live exchange rate, with a 0.4% conversion fee alongside it, shown before you confirm.
Cash Deposits
Personal accounts: cash paid in at the Post Office is free up to £1,000 per calendar year (January to December, shared across your main and any additional personal current account with Starling). Above that, Starling charges 0.7% of the amount over £1,000.
Business and sole trader accounts: there is no free allowance — every Post Office deposit is charged at 0.7% of the amount, or £3, whichever is higher.
These figures are considerably more limited than some older guides suggest. See the Starling cash deposit guide for full worked examples.
Overdraft Rate
Starling offers arranged overdrafts to eligible personal customers at 15%, 25%, or 35% EAR (variable), depending on your individual credit assessment — the representative rate is 15% EAR (variable). There is no arrangement fee for a personal overdraft, and interest is calculated daily and charged monthly.
On business accounts, sole traders cannot get an arranged overdraft at all. Limited companies can, at a rate shown in the app, with an annual fee of 1.75% of the overdraft limit (or £50, whichever is higher, for overdrafts taken out on or after 1 July 2022).
Eligibility for an overdraft is assessed when you apply — it is not automatically available to all account holders. Compare Starling’s representative rate against other providers’ current published rates before assuming it’s the cheapest option, as overdraft pricing across UK banks changes.
Starling Spaces and Savings
Starling Spaces are free to create and use, with no cap on the number of Spaces. Standard Spaces earn no interest. Starling’s dedicated savings products — Easy Saver, Fixed Saver, and a Flexible Cash ISA — sit within the Spaces area of the app and earn interest at rates that vary; check the current rate in the app or at starlingbank.com/savings before relying on a published figure, as rates change and can include time-limited bonuses.
Card Replacement
Card replacement costs £5 for delivery to a UK address, or £10 if you need a replacement sent while you’re overseas.
What Starling Does Not Charge For
- Opening an account
- Monthly maintenance (personal or standard business/sole trader account)
- UK ATM withdrawals (Starling’s own fee — a card limit still applies)
- Overseas ATM withdrawals (Starling’s own fee, subject to fair use)
- Foreign currency card transactions
- UK Faster Payments transfers
- Receiving transfers
- Setting up or using Starling Spaces
- Direct Debits and standing orders
- Cash deposits at the Post Office up to the free personal allowance (£1,000/calendar year)
What Starling Does Charge For
- CHAPS payments (£20 per payment)
- Card replacement (£5 UK / £10 overseas)
- Cash deposits above the free personal allowance, or any business/sole trader deposit (0.7%, subject to a £3 minimum on business accounts)
- International transfers (0.4% conversion fee alongside the exchange rate)
- Arranged overdraft interest (15–35% EAR, personal; annual fee on Ltd business overdrafts)
- Certified account documents (£20)
Summary
Starling’s fee structure has a few genuinely free pillars alongside some clearly chargeable services:
- No monthly fee on the personal account or the standard business/sole trader account
- No Starling-side ATM fees, UK or abroad — though a card withdrawal limit applies
- No foreign transaction fees on card spending
- No fee on UK Faster Payments transfers, up to £1,000,000 per payment
- Free Post Office cash deposits up to £1,000/year on personal accounts (0.7% above that; 0.7%/£3-minimum on business accounts with no free allowance)
- CHAPS costs £20 per payment
- Card replacement costs £5–£10
For the full Starling account overview including features, pros and cons, and how it compares to Monzo and Chase, see the Starling Bank review 2026.