Starling euro account

A Starling euro account is a euro current account that sits alongside a normal Starling current account. It gives you a unique IBAN so you can send and receive euros, and Starling says you can hold, send and receive euros free of charge, with no monthly fee¹.

It is not a standalone product. You need a Starling personal account to get started, and a joint euro account needs a joint sterling account first¹. The account is for personal use only, so it cannot be used for business purposes, including as a sole trader³. Starling states that 180,000 customers use the euro account¹.

The account pays no interest on euro balances, and Starling does not charge interest on them either¹. International payments are not available on weekends and bank holidays, so timing matters if a payment is urgent².

A unique IBAN for sending and receiving euros

The euro account comes with its own IBAN, which Starling describes as letting you send and receive euros hassle-free¹. An IBAN is the code that identifies the account you want to credit when you make a European cross-border payment, used together with a bank identifier code⁵. Starling's own IBANs follow a format that begins GBxxSRLG608371 followed by further digits⁶. If you are new to these codes, our guide to IBAN, SWIFT and SEPA explains what each one does.

In practice, having a euro IBAN means a payer in the euro area can send you euros as a domestic-looking transfer rather than an international one. That matters because payments in euros within the European Economic Area are generally treated as local transfers, which is why Starling charges nothing to receive them¹. The account cannot accept cash or cheques, but it can receive bank transfers from both within and outside the UK³.

One limitation to know about: you cannot create a virtual card for a Space linked to the euro account⁷. Starling's virtual cards are normally used with its savings pots, called Spaces⁸. If you rely on separate virtual card numbers for budgeting, that option is not available here.

How the charges work: holding, sending and receiving

Starling's headline position is that holding, sending and receiving euros are all free of charge². The terms confirm there are no fees for making card payments, and no fees for taking out cash both within and outside the UK³. Receiving payments carries no fee either, including payments from within or outside the UK⁷.

There is one card charge to be aware of. That is a replacement cost rather than a running charge.

The wider Starling current account carries no monthly fees, and Starling says you can spend and withdraw abroad with no fees from it⁹. Independent guidance notes that Starling has no fees on spending abroad, including cash withdrawals, and that it must be operated through a mobile banking app¹⁰.

Converting between pounds and euros: how the conversion fee and exchange rate work

The rate used is what Starling calls its outbound exchange rate¹. When you receive a payment in a foreign currency into a sterling account, Starling converts it using its inbound exchange rate and makes no charge for doing so¹¹. An earlier version of the same schedule described the rate as Starling's internal exchange rate, with the same no-charge position¹². The wording changed between documents but the substance did not.

Conversions in the other direction, from euros to pounds, are treated differently. Starling's euro account terms state that it does not charge a fee or add any margin when converting your money to British pounds, which covers situations such as set-off or account closure³.

Starling says it always shows you the exact cost of converting money before you move it between your Starling accounts¹³. That means the fee is visible before you confirm, not after.

Weekend and bank holiday conversions

International payments are not available on weekends and bank holidays². That applies across Starling's international payment pages, including its Europe and Poland pages². If you need euros to arrive by a particular date, the working day matters.

For payments to accounts in the European Economic Area in euros, Starling's cut-off is before 13:50 through online banking or in the app, with arrival generally within one working day¹⁵. SEPA credit transfers have a payment deadline of before 14:15 on a working day, and SEPA Direct Debits need to be set up before 15:00 on a working day, with receipt taking between one and two working days from when the money leaves your account⁷.

Incoming euros are handled differently again. Starling says that if you have been sent euros, the money will be available in your account in British pounds immediately once it has received the money from the sender's bank¹⁶. An earlier version of the general terms used the same wording¹⁵. For incoming payments in currencies other than euros, Starling says you will receive the money in British Pounds on the same working day that it receives the foreign currency from the sender's bank¹⁵.

Who can open one: personal and joint euro accounts

You need a Starling personal account to get started¹. The euro account terms put it plainly: you must have a personal current account in British pounds with Starling⁷. The same requirement appears in the current terms for the euro account³. A joint euro account needs a joint sterling account first¹.

The account is for personal purposes only, and Starling's terms state you cannot use it for business purposes, including as a sole trader³. Starling also requires that you do not open another main personal current account with it¹¹.

Joint accounts generally let both account holders manage the account and withdraw cash, so it is worth being sure you trust the person you open one with¹⁷. Other providers take different approaches to joint accounts: NS&I, for example, lets you open a Direct Saver in your own name or jointly with one other person¹⁸, and HTB allows joint savings accounts¹⁹. Some banks limit individuals to one account each but allow two where one is a joint account, with Nationwide, Santander and TSB among those named²⁰.

Starling's own savings products show how it handles account numbers elsewhere: Easy Saver allows two accounts, one personal and one joint²¹, while the Flexible Cash ISA allows one²⁴. The euro account follows the same personal-or-joint pattern.

Payments outside the EEA: where the other bank may charge

Starling charges nothing to send euros, but the recipient's bank may charge a fee for receiving a payment from outside the European Economic Area¹³. That charge is set by the receiving bank and is deducted at their end, so it is not something Starling controls.

The wider rule is that surcharges are banned within the EEA, but you can still be charged extra if your bank or the seller's bank is outside the EEA²⁵. That is the boundary that matters: a euro payment to an EEA bank is generally treated as domestic, while a payment to a bank outside the EEA can attract a receiving fee.

Other providers handle this differently. Reliance Bank says a payment to an account in euros within the EEA incurs no further charge than a Faster Payment²⁶. Starling Bank charges £0.30 for SWIFT payments to euro countries including Austria and Belgium²⁷. These are different products with different pricing, and the figures are set by each provider.

For the underlying mechanics, our guide to multi-currency accounts and currency wallets sets out how these accounts compare in structure.

No interest on euro balances

Starling's euro account pays no interest on balances, and Starling does not charge interest on them either¹. That is a straightforward position: the account is for holding and moving euros, not for earning a return.

If you want interest on euros, you would need a different product, and Starling's savings range is sterling only. Its Easy Saver, Fixed Saver and Cash ISA are all sterling products requiring a Starling personal current account²¹. The bank's interest rate calculator also states that a Starling personal current account is required³⁰.

For context on what is available elsewhere, NS&I's Direct Saver is a sterling account that can be held alone or jointly¹⁸. The point for a euro account holder is simply that a euro balance is not a savings product and should not be treated as one.

Problems and complaints

The main practical risks with a euro account are timing and counterparty charges. International payments are unavailable at weekends and on bank holidays², and cut-off times during the week are specific: 13:50 for EEA euro payments¹⁵, 14:15 for SEPA credit transfers and 15:00 for SEPA Direct Debits⁷. Missing a cut-off pushes a payment to the next working day.

On fraud, the Payment Systems Regulator publishes app fraud performance data. Its figures show that for every 1 million customer transactions Starling sent, 131 were reported as APP scam payments, covering the period before 7 October 2024²⁶. That is published data rather than a judgement about any individual account.

If something goes wrong, Starling is covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service, which can look at complaints a firm has not resolved. Free, impartial help on money matters is available from MoneyHelper, and debt advice charities can help if a payment problem turns into a wider financial difficulty. Our guide to scams and fraud explains how to report a suspicious payment.