Starling vs Revolut: which UK account is better with foreign currencies?
Starling and Revolut are both licensed banks in the UK, and both are popular with people who travel. They approach foreign money differently. Starling keeps one free sterling account, adds an optional euro account and charges no fee on card payments or cash abroad. Revolut is a multi-currency app with a free Standard plan and four paid plans: it holds dozens of currencies and exchanges without its own fee on weekdays, up to a monthly allowance that depends on your plan.
So which costs less depends on how much you spend, when you spend it and whether you need to hold currencies other than euros. Below we run typical UK scenarios through each bank’s published fees.
At a glance (UK customers)
| Starling Bank | Revolut | |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | One personal account, no monthly fee | Standard free · Plus £3.99 · Premium £8.99 · Metal £16.99 · Ultra £60 a month |
| Card payments abroad | No Starling fee, Mastercard rate, no cap | Standard: no fee on weekdays up to £1,000 a month; 1% above it and 1% extra at weekends |
| Cash abroad | No Starling fee; £300 a day limit | Standard: 5 withdrawals or £200 per rolling month free, then 2% (min £1) |
| Other currencies | Euro account with its own IBAN | Hold and exchange 36 currencies in the app |
| Sending money abroad | 0.4% conversion fee + £0.30 to £0.90 local delivery or £5.50 SWIFT | Fixed fee by route since 14 October 2026 (e.g. £0.00 to EUR, £0.75 to USD), plus your plan’s exchange rules |
| Protection | FSCS up to £120,000 | FSCS up to £120,000 once your account has moved to Revolut Bank UK |
| Who can open it | UK residents aged 16+ | UK (16+), the EEA, the US and other countries |
Spending abroad: no cap versus a monthly allowance
Starling adds no fee to card payments in other currencies and passes on Mastercard’s exchange rate, however much you spend and whatever the day.
Revolut Standard lets you spend or exchange up to £1,000 a month without its fair-usage fee, on weekdays. Above that you pay 1% (Plus: 0.5% above a £3,000 allowance). From Friday 5pm to Sunday 6pm New York time, Standard pays an extra 1% and Plus 0.5%. Premium, Metal and Ultra have no exchange limit and no weekend fee.
Worked example: €1,500 on a two-week trip to Italy
Starling: £0 in Starling fees.
Revolut Standard: €1,500 is about £1,257 at the mid-market rate on our check date. The first £1,000 is free on weekdays and the remaining £257 pays 1%, about £2.57. If €400 of it fell at weekends, add about £3.35. On Premium (£8.99 a month) it would cost £0 in exchange fees, but the plan costs more than the fees it saves on this trip.
Cash withdrawals abroad
Starling charges nothing for withdrawals abroad; its only limit is £300 a day in the local currency. Revolut Standard includes 5 withdrawals or £200 per rolling month, whichever comes first, then charges 2% with a £1 minimum. Paid plans raise the free amount to £200 (Plus), £400 (Premium), £800 (Metal) and £2,000 (Ultra). With both, the ATM owner may charge its own fee.
Worked example: $600 in cash on a US trip
| Account | Free amount | Cost of $600 (about £452) |
|---|---|---|
| Starling | No Starling fee (max £300 a day) | £0, split over two days |
| Revolut Standard | £200 per rolling month | 2% of about £252: about £5.04 |
| Revolut Premium | £400 per rolling month | 2% of about £52: £1.04 |
Sterling amounts at the mid-market rate on our check date. Revolut’s Standard allowance also ends after 5 withdrawals in the month.
Holding currencies and getting paid from abroad
Starling’s euro account has its own IBAN and no monthly fee, and you need the sterling account to open it. Converting between pounds and euros costs 0.4% on top of the exchange rate, and Starling adds a further 0.5% margin at weekends and on bank holidays. For other currencies Starling has no personal accounts: a payment in dollars is converted into pounds at Starling’s inbound rate, which includes a margin Starling does not publish as a percentage.
Revolut lets UK customers hold and exchange 36 currencies. Exchanges follow your plan’s allowance and weekend rules, and transfers to other Revolut users are free worldwide, which is handy if family or friends abroad also use Revolut.
Worked example: a client pays you €2,000 and you convert it to pounds
Starling: the euros arrive in your euro account; converting them on a weekday costs 0.4%, so €8. At a weekend, the extra 0.5% margin adds about €10.
Revolut Standard: holding the euros costs nothing. Converting €2,000 (about £1,675) on a weekday is free up to your £1,000 monthly allowance and 1% above it, so about £6.75 if you have not exchanged anything else that month; at a weekend, add 1% on the whole amount.
Sending money abroad
Starling sends to 34 countries in 17 currencies. It charges 0.4% on the conversion, at Starling’s outbound exchange rate, plus a delivery fee: £0.30 for euros, US dollars and Polish zloty on local networks, £0.90 for Czech koruna and Hungarian forint, and £5.50 by SWIFT.
Revolut moved to fixed fees on 14 October 2026. From a GBP account, sending euros costs £0.00 and sending US dollars £0.75. If you send in a currency that is not local to the recipient’s country, a minimum of £3 (USD, GBP, EUR, CHF) or £5 (other currencies) applies. Premium gets 20% off these fees, Metal 40%, and Ultra pays none. The exchange itself follows your plan’s allowance and weekend rules.
Worked example: £1,000 to a euro account and £500 to a US account, on a weekday
| Transfer | Starling | Revolut Standard |
|---|---|---|
| £1,000 to EUR | £4.00 + £0.30 = £4.30, at Starling’s rate | £0.00 fee; no exchange fee if your £1,000 allowance is unused, otherwise 1% on the excess |
| £500 to USD | £2.00 + £0.30 = £2.30, at Starling’s rate | £0.75 fee; no exchange fee within the allowance |
| £1,000 to EUR on a Saturday | £4.30, at Starling’s rate | £0.00 fee plus the 1% weekend fee: about £10 |
For reference, Wise charged £3.81 to send £1,000 to euros at the mid-market rate on our check date. Intermediary banks may deduct their own charges on SWIFT payments.
Plans: is a Revolut upgrade worth it against free Starling?
- Revolut Plus (£3.99): allowance rises to £3,000 and the fee above it falls to 0.5%; weekend fee 0.5%. It pays for itself only if you exchange around £1,400 or more a month on weekdays.
- Revolut Premium (£8.99): no exchange limit and no weekend fee, and £400 of free cash a month. Against Standard it breaks even at roughly £1,900 of weekday exchanges a month.
- Starling has no paid tiers. On travel fees alone, free Starling already matches what Revolut Premium offers for card spending and beats it for cash, up to the £300 daily limit.
Revolut’s paid plans include extras such as insurance and other perks that we do not price here; judge them on those if they matter to you.
Protection and availability
Starling Bank Limited (FRN 730166) is authorised by the PRA and regulated by the FCA and PRA; eligible deposits, including the euro account, are protected by the FSCS up to £120,000. Personal accounts are for UK residents aged 16 or over.
Revolut Bank UK Ltd (FRN 981170) is also an authorised UK bank with FSCS protection up to £120,000, but Revolut is moving UK customers to the bank in phases. Until your account has moved, your money is held as safeguarded e-money rather than an FSCS-protected deposit. Crypto, commodities and stocks held in Revolut are not FSCS-protected. Revolut is available in the UK, the EEA, the US and several other countries, so it can move with you; Starling requires UK residence.
Verdict by use case
| If you… | Better choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Spend more than £1,000 a month abroad on a free account | Starling | No allowance and no weekend fee on card payments. |
| Take out cash abroad | Starling | No Starling fee up to £300 a day; Revolut Standard charges 2% above £200 a month. |
| Hold or receive several currencies | Revolut | 36 currencies in one app; Starling covers euros only. |
| Earn in euros and want bank protection | Starling | Euro IBAN, 0.4% weekday conversion, FSCS cover. |
| Send small amounts abroad on weekdays | Revolut | £0.00 to euros and £0.75 to dollars inside the allowance; Starling charges 0.4% plus delivery. |
| Might move outside the UK | Revolut | Available across the EEA, the US and more. |
Our view: Starling is the simpler and cheaper travel account if you spend a lot by card or need cash, because there is no allowance to track. Revolut is the stronger multi-currency tool if you hold several currencies, send money abroad on weekdays or live between countries, as long as you stay within its Standard allowances or pay for a plan.
Frequently asked questions
Does Starling charge fees abroad?
No. Starling charges no fee on card payments or cash withdrawals abroad and uses Mastercard’s exchange rate. Cash is limited to £300 a day in the local currency, and the ATM owner may add its own fee.
How much can I spend abroad with Revolut Standard for free?
Up to £1,000 a month of exchanges and foreign card payments on weekdays. Above that Revolut charges 1%, and between Friday 5pm and Sunday 6pm New York time it adds 1% on Standard.
Which is cheaper for sending money to Europe?
On a weekday within your allowance, Revolut charges £0.00 to send pounds to a euro account. Starling charges 0.4% plus £0.30 at its own exchange rate, so £4.30 on £1,000.
Can I hold US dollars in Starling?
Not in a personal account. Starling’s USD account is for limited companies and is not currently taking applications. Revolut lets UK customers hold 36 currencies.
Are Starling and Revolut covered by the FSCS?
Starling deposits are covered up to £120,000. Revolut Bank UK deposits are covered up to £120,000 once your account has moved to the UK bank; until then your money is safeguarded e-money.
Is it worth having both?
For many UK travellers, yes: Starling for card payments and cash abroad with no allowance, Revolut for holding other currencies and cheap weekday transfers. Both have a free plan.
Sources
Every fee on this page was checked against these official provider pages on .
- Starling — personal account schedule and fees (effective 31 May 2026)
- Starling — travel and spending abroad
- Starling — euro account
- Starling — send money abroad
- Starling — international payment fees by country
- Starling — USD business account
- Starling — FSCS protection
- Revolut — Standard plan fees (UK)
- Revolut — Plus plan fees (UK)
- Revolut — Premium plan fees (UK)
- Revolut — Metal plan fees (UK)
- Revolut — Ultra plan fees (UK)
- Revolut — pricing plans (UK)
- Revolut — international payment fees (UK)
- Revolut Help — paying in a foreign currency and weekend fees
- Revolut Help — UK bank licence and FSCS protection
- Revolut Help — supported countries
- Wise — price calculator quote (GBP to EUR, 1,000), for reference
Fees, limits and availability change and can differ by country and account type. Worked examples apply each provider's published fee rules to round amounts; exchange rates move constantly, so confirm the final price in the provider's app before you pay. How we check fees is explained on our methodology page.