Open a mobile money account today with Monese

A mobile money account is an innovative financial technology helping people spend, send and save money from an app on their mobile phone. You may see this referred to as an online bank account alternative or a banking app alternative.

Opening one allows you to add money to a secure electronic account to use for quick mobile payments and transfers. You can also track your spending and control your savings from the same app.

You don’t need to have a bank account to open a mobile money account. This makes it different to mobile banking, which involves using a phone to access traditional banking services.

It’s an ideal banking app alternative for people who are excluded from traditional banking services for lacking a perfect credit history. Others simply prefer the convenience this type of account offers when travelling, living and working abroad.

Opening a mobile money account allows you to do many of the same things that you would with a traditional bank account or banking app. With a Monese account, for example, you can:

• make and receive payments
• set up direct debits and recurring payments for bills
• make and receive transfers locally and internationally
• track and grow your savings
• get your own account details to share with others
• use a physical contactless card or virtual card online, in-store or at ATMs.

The main difference is that a bank account alternative like ours doesn’t actually involve a bank. Officially speaking, we’re an Electronic Money Institution (EMI).

We don’t have physical branches like traditional high-street banks do, though we still have a friendly Support team you can get in touch with. We don’t handle cash or cheques either – but you can add cash to your account at more than 84,000 payment point locations across the UK and Europe with Post Office, PayPoint or Paysafecash.

So you’ll still be spending, sending and saving your money – just with a slightly different account type and account provider.

There’s a lot to like about having your own mobile money account.

1. Accessible

Almost anyone with a phone can open and use a mobile money account. You can access your money easily when travelling too.

2. Fast and convenient

Mobile money accounts are, by definition, mobile. Add money, make fast payments and transfers and manage your finances on the go with a simple mobile app.

3. Flexible features

A Monese account is more than a mobile wallet or an online payment service. Transfer money abroad, track spending, integrate with Apple Pay and Google Pay, request payments and more.

4. Secure

Your money, identity and data are protected with a range of robust security features.

5. Low cost

Our pricing starts at £0 a month. You can enjoy free transfers between Monese accounts and get great exchange rates on international money transfers too.

Your money is safeguarded under the EU Electronic Money Directive 2009/110/EC and UK Electronic Money Regulations 2011. We’ve packed in lots of security features too, like single-device access, biometric login, 3D Secure, real-time notifications, multi-factor encryption and authentication protocols, the ability to lock and unlock your card straight from the app, 24-7 monitoring and more, to keep you and your money safe. Read more about your security with Monese.

Are you aged 18 or over and living in any one of the 31 countries in the European Economic Area? Then signing up for a Monese account is quick and easy.

There’s no need to visit a branch or waste time on a long phone call. Just start by downloading our mobile app from the App Store or the Google Play store. All you need after that is:

• your email address and phone number
• an ID document like your passport
• a quick video selfie in the app to confirm your identity

Then simply choose your plan and tell us where you want your card sent to. It’s that easy to open an online money account with Monese.

We give people the financial freedom to thrive anywhere. We launched in 2015 as the UK’s first mobile app alternative to the banks and have signed up millions of people from 31 countries across Europe since.

Our mobile money account is one of the most popular and trusted financial services in Europe today — and this is only the start. Read more about us.