Opening an account has never been easier

A Monese account is a mobile money account that allows you to spend, send and save money right from your phone.

You’ll get your multi-currency account details to pay and get paid like a local, plus a contactless Mastercard debit card to use almost anywhere. Other handy features include easy cash withdrawals, great exchange rates on foreign currency spending and real-time mobile notifications.

We’re not a bank, so we don’t have branches and can’t currently offer traditional banking services like overdrafts and loans. But we do have a multilingual Support team and an instant account opening process that can make your life much easier.

Our founder Norris Koppel discovered just how difficult it can be to open a bank account when he moved to the UK as a foreign national. So, we set out to remove as many of these barriers as possible.

You can create an online money account with Monese if you’re aged 18 or over and live in one of the 31 countries in the European Economic Area (EEA). You don’t need a perfect credit score, the right utility bills or a fixed income to get started.

You could be moving abroad to work, study or simply experience somewhere new. Maybe you can’t get a regular bank account or don’t want to. Whatever your situation, we’re here to help you save and spend money locally. And once you have a Monese personal account, you can open additional currency accounts, a joint account and business account for your UK-registered business easily too.

There’s no need to visit a branch or make time for a phone call. Our instant account opening process could have you signed up fast from the comfort of your home or on the go.

Start by downloading our free mobile app from the App Store, Google Play or AppGallery. Once it’s installed, all you need to open an online money account is:

• An email address and phone number
• An ID document, like your passport

We’ll ask you for a short video selfie in the app to confirm your identity and protect you from fraud. Once that’s done, all that’s left is to choose your Monese plan and tell us where to send your card!

Banks usually ask for various documents as proof of address, like local utility or council tax bills or a rental contract in your name. This can make opening an account tricky if you’ve only recently arrived in the UK and are living with relatives, for example.

That’s why it’s good to know we won’t ask for any of these documents as proof of your address. When you apply for a money account online, all you’ll need is a photo of an ID document to make sure you are who you say you are.

You’ll still need to verify a UK address to help us send your physical card to the right place. But it’s easy to do this by giving us access to your geolocation while using your Monese app. Read more about verifying your address.

Once you’ve gone through our instant account opening process and verified your address, you’ll have full access to your Monese account. Having an instant account like ours allows you to add, receive, send and withdraw your money instantly, whenever you need to.

You can even create a virtual card and connect it to Apple Pay or Google Pay for in-store and online payments while you wait for your physical card to arrive.

Some banks need a minimum initial deposit to open an account. You can create an online money account for free with Monese then add money when you’re ready.

There are lots of different ways to add to your balance too.

• Top-up from another debit card
• Receive bank transfers using your account details
• Transfer money between your Monese accounts
• Get paid by your employer
• Request money from friends
• Top up with cash at more than 84,000 payment point locations across the UK and Europe with the Post Office, PayPoint or Paysafecash

Ordering a physical card on our Simple plan? You may need to top up your account with enough money to cover the £4.95 card delivery fee.

Millions of people like you are already using a Monese account. Our instant account opening process is part of why we’re one of the most popular financial services in Europe today.

• Fast – Create an online money account quickly straight from your phone
• Easy – No need for credit checks, documents to prove your address or a fixed income
• Great value – Free to open with no minimum deposit
• Safe – Protect your identity with a video selfie to verify the real you

All that, plus a convenient mobile app for saving and sending money, and a contactless prepaid debit card to use worldwide. We want to make great financial services available to as many people as possible. Read more about us.