12 things to say to your friends to convince them to get Monzo

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If you’re reading this then you’re probably the savviest person in your friendship group. You have Monzo, but your friends don’t. You want them to get it because you love and care about them. (Or you’re fed up of chasing them for money.)

You know they’re missing out on all the useful things the app can do. Like tracking who owes what with Shared Tabs or splitting the bill for last night’s dinner.

We know, and you know, that Monzo is better when your mates have it too.

Help them see the light with these 12 easily recited lines.

Number 1: Yes, Monzo is a bank.

Follow up with: ‘Monzo Bank Ltd’ is a fully authorised UK bank. It’s a bank that lives in your phone, with no branches on the high street. It’s the future.

Number 2: They care about being open and doing what’s right by their customers.

Follow up with: They care so much that they let their community vote on things like new features, withdrawal limits when you’re abroad and even Monzo’s name. Plus they share pretty much everything publicly, and not just with their customers. It’s all available online: the products they’re building, their business plan, how their technology works. All kinds of good stuff.

Number 3: Sure, they’re new. But banking with Monzo is safe.

Follow up with: Your money is as safe with Monzo as it is with your current bank. That’s because it’s fully protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), meaning all your money up to £85,000 is protected by the government. So you’d get it back if Monzo went under. Security at Monzo is so hot they knew that Ticketmaster had been hacked before Ticketmaster did.

Number 4: You can clearly see how much and how often you’re spending.

Follow up with: You definitely need Monzo if that sounds scary to you. They help you monitor what you’re spending in two key ways. The first is in the app itself – the Summary section neatly shows how much you’ve spent and whether you’re on track to meet any goals you’ve set for yourself.

The second is instant push notifications. Monzo sends you them as soon as you pay for something – sometimes before the receipt has even been printed. Which helps to make you more aware of how you’re spending, as well acting as an alert for fraudulent payments.

Number 5: You can send money to friends really easily.

Follow up with: You can pay any of your contacts with Monzo in a few taps. You don’t need their bank details, just their phone number will do. They also have this thing called Nearby Friends. Which, thanks to the wonders of Bluetooth, lets you pay or be paid by people near you.

You can get paid by mates who don’t have Monzo using your Monzo.me link. Send the link to a friend (or friends) by email, text or social media and ta-da! – you never need to share your account number and sort code again.

Number 6: You can use Monzo for free when you’re on holiday.

Follow up with: Monzo doesn’t add fees or additional charges just because you’re spending money abroad. Instead they pass Mastercard’s exchange rate directly on to you. And, they’ll never charge you to pay with your card. Ever. Also, all cash withdrawals in EU countries are now free! You can see the full list of countries here.

Read more about cash withdrawals when you're abroad here.

Number 7: The app has lots of useful features which you’d use every day.

Follow up with: Pots help you save for specific things, like a holiday. Bill splitting makes it easier for us to cover the cost of dinner. And Shared Tabs help keep track of who bought the toilet roll last.

Number 8: Their customer service is the best.

Follow up with: No really, Which? recently voted them the best consumer bank in the UK. All of their customer service is done through the app. They’re fast to respond, super friendly and they use emojis.

Number 9: Signing up is the easiest thing ever. You could be using your new card tomorrow!

Follow up with: All you have to do is download the Monzo app and follow the steps. You can sign up in minutes and they’ll send you your new card first class!

Number 10: You can make Monzo your main bank account without lifting a finger.

Follow up with: They call it going ‘full Monzo’. Thanks to The Current Account Switch Service, switching to Monzo is a doddle. The Monzo team move everything over for you, including your direct debits, standing orders and bills. It’s free, usually takes around seven days and you can get the ball rolling in minutes.

Number 11: It doesn’t cost anything.

Follow up with: They don't charge any fees for using Monzo day-to-day. Payments in the UK, cash withdrawals in the UK and payments abroad are all free, with no added fees.

Number 12: Did I mention that Monzo cards are a hot coral colour?

Follow up with: mic drop


Friends finally seen the light? Invite them to join Monzo through our 'refer a friend' programme