The rising cost of living and money worries
We know that energy, food, and living costs have been going up. If money is causing you worry, or you find yourself struggling to pay back money you’ve borrowed, we're here to support you and help you navigate the situation.
We’ve listed out some resources from Monzo and others to try and help in difficult times.
If you haven’t missed any repayments yet, but you’re worried about your money
Get in touch with us as soon as possible and we will work with you to understand your circumstances and find a way to support you. Engaging early can help prevent things from escalating.
Rest assured, we will never ask you to pay anything you can’t afford.
Missing payments can negatively impact your credit score and we can help you navigate the right solution before that might happen.
If you’ve missed repayments and you’re not sure what to do
We understand that life does not always go as planned, and we are here to support you. Please reach out as soon as as you can, and we’ll work with you to understand your situation and figure out the best next steps for you in a timely manner.
The sooner you reach out, the sooner we can help you. In the meantime, we might be trying to reach you via messaging as we want to help you as soon as possible.
Please remember that missing repayments can negatively impact your credit score.
If you need help using your overdraft less often
Overdrafts are designed for short-term borrowing, which means the cost of using one is typically more expensive than things like loans.
If you're spending a long time in your overdraft and using it regularly, you could be paying a lot of interest.
We can help you to use your overdraft less often. You can find out more about what support we offer here or get in touch and our specialist team will help.
How to get in touch
Whether you're feeling the pressure due to increased cost of living, you're worried about keeping up with your repayments on a Borrowing product, or your circumstances have changed please let us know.
The best way to get in touch with us is via in-app chat to discuss your circumstances with a financial difficulties specialist and find out how we can support you.
- You can contact us directly here
- If you can’t chat to us through the app, you can also email us (help@monzo.com) or phone us (0800 802 1281)
Tools to help
We want to give everyone visibility and control of their finances, and access to tools to help make managing money easier in difficult situations. Here's a few tools we offer that may help you if you're struggling.
Trends: Gain visibility and control over your spending and savings
We have made Trends graphs available to all users for free.
Trends shows your spending and saving over time to give you a better sense of your habits, and with balances you can budget effectively knowing what you have left to spend after upcoming payments are accounted for. We also automatically categorise your transactions to help you understand where your money goes each month.
Pots: separate your spending, savings, and bills
Pots let you turn your one main account into lots of separate areas for your money in only a few taps.
They can be hidden or locked, and bills can be automatically paid from them. They can even earn you interest!
See your upcoming bill payments
If you pay bills through Monzo we’ll remind you the day before they’re due to go out and warn you if you need to move money around to cover the full cost. We also tell you if they’re different from month to month, so you can keep track of things like shifting energy prices.
For more tips on how Monzo can help you manage your money visit our blog.
How Monzo can help
We'll do everything we can to help you, and we'll never ask you to pay anything you can't afford.
Talk to us and depending on your circumstances, we might be able to postpone repayments if you are seeking independent Debt Advice.
We’re mindful that health and finances can have a huge impact on one another, and our specialist team can help you by providing tailored support.
If you require additional support, we will help you in figuring who to talk to.
Your options
We want to help you find the best solution, especially if you’re going through unique circumstances or struggling with cost of living. We understand everyone is different and we'll do our best to support you.
Please bear in mind that any solution we agree on may impact your credit score and agreeing on the right one can help improve it with time.
Time and support to find the best solution
Sometimes you just need time to figure out your incoming and outgoings or to get some independent free advice.
Talk to us to agree on some breathing space, to allow time for you to get things in order.
Paying on a later date
If you need some extra days to make your payment, we can agree on a date that suits your situation better.
Talk to us to agree on a different date to make your payment.
Repayment plans
In some circumstances, the best thing might be to set up a repayment plan.
We have a range of plans available which we can tailor based on what you can afford.
Share With Us
Share with us is a way for our customers to tell us what additional support they need discreetly, with no phone calls involved and no chat log history. This links directly to our specialist support team, who are trained to support customers in difficult or distressing circumstances.
- You can find out more about talking to us about your mental health in this help article
- You can contact us directly and discreetly if you're on your phone, alternatively:
- Tap the Help icon in the menu bar of your Monzo app
- Search 'Talking to us about your mental health'
- Tap 'Tell us more' at the bottom of the article
Talking to us about domestic and financial abuse
The Domestic Abuse Acts defines economic abuse as any behaviour that stops you earning, accessing, using or managing money, and the things money can buy – like a phone or car, bills, food or clothing.
Economic abuse can involve someone taking advantage of your money, controlling what you spend your money on, sabotaging your financial resources and manipulation or coercion.If you’re experiencing domestic or financial abuse:
- You can find more in our blog post: ‘What is economic abuse and how to spot it’
- You can find extra support by contacting Surviving Economic Abuse which is the only UK charity dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse and transforming responses to it.
- You can contact us directly and discreetly if you're on your phone, alternatively:
- Tap the Help icon in the menu bar of your Monzo app
- Search 'Talking to us about domestic and financial abuse'
- Tap 'Tell us more' at the bottom of the article
How to get in touch
Whether you're feeling the pressure due to increased cost of living, you're worried about keeping up with your repayments on a Borrowing product, or your circumstances have changed please let us know.
The best way to get in touch with us is via in-app chat to discuss your circumstances with a financial difficulties specialist and find out how we can support you.
- You can contact us directly here
- If you can’t chat to us through the app, you can also email us (help@monzo.com) or phone us (0800 802 1281)
Be aware of fraudsters
Unfortunately fraudsters are always trying to take advantage of people. We've gathered advice on how to spot suspicious activity including people pretending to be the police, utility suppliers, HMRC or even your bank
If you’ve been tricked into sending someone money, speak to us immediately either over the phone or through the app.
If you’re worried about your energy bills
We've collected links from popular UK gas and electricity providers for guidance on the support that is available.
Monzo is not responsible for the content of third party websites.
Where else can I get help?
Charities and organisations who can offer advice, help and support if you're in financial difficulties.
Monzo is not responsible for the content of third party websites.
| Who? | What can they do? | How do I contact them? |
|---|---|---|
| Money Helper | Money Helper provide free money guidance and debt advice online and by telephone. | Web: https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/ Phone: 0800 138 7777. |
| StepChange | Step Change Debt Charity offer free to client independent debt advice. They cover various debt scenarios from development of repayment arrangements to insolvency. | Web: https://www.stepchange.org Phone: 0800 1381111. Email: https://www.stepchange.org/send-us-an-email.aspx |
| National Debtline | National Debtline offer free and independent advice through telephone and online advice services. Website includes fact sheets on bankruptcy, IVA, DROs etc. | Web: http://www.nationaldebtline.org Phone: 0808 808 4000. |
| Business Debtline | Business Debtline are part of National Debtline, and are the only organisation that offers advice to business owners. | Web: https://www.businessdebtline.org/ Phone: 0800 197 6026. |
| Citizens Advice Bureau | Citizens Advice Bureau provide free, confidential information and advice to assist people with financial, legal and other issues that may arise. | Web: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ Phone: 03444 111 444. |
| PayPlan | Payplan offer free debt solutions including IVAs, Trust Deeds, free Debt Management Plans and help with bankruptcy. | Web: https://www.payplan.com/ Phone: 0800 280 2816. |
| Turn2Us | Turn2Us provide advice on many issues, and have an online benefit calculator. | Web: https://www.turn2us.org.uk/ |
| Entitledto | They help people determine what they can claim from national and local government via our self-serve calculators. | Web:https://www.entitledto.co.uk/ |
| Trussell Trust | Services include a nationwide network of over 1,200 food banks to assist those in poverty, by providing a minimum of three days' nutritionally-balanced emergency food to people who have been referred in crisis. | Web:https://www.trusselltrust.org/ Phone: 01722 580180. Email: enquiries@trusselltrust.org |
Getting help elsewhere
Sometimes your situation might require specialist support that Monzo doesn’t offer. We understand that your situation might require more than just help from us as your bank. We’ve put together a list of external resources you might find useful, based on what our customers talk to us about the most.