Best Current Accounts 2026: Fees, Overdrafts and Joint Accounts

The best UK current account depends on how you use it. All four compared here — Monzo, Starling, Chase UK and Revolut — charge no monthly fee on their entry account, so the choice comes down to overdrafts, spending abroad, savings and cashback. Starling has the lowest published arranged-overdraft rate of the four and no fee on cash withdrawals abroad; Chase UK offers no overdraft at all but pays conditional cashback; Monzo has the most developed budgeting tools; Revolut suits people who exchange currencies within their plan's allowance. The fees and rates below are from each provider's own pages, with the date each was read.

A current account is where your salary lands and your bills leave from. Most people never change theirs, and switching is easier and faster than almost anyone expects: the Current Account Switch Service guarantees it in seven working days, and 99.3% of switches in the second quarter of 2026 met that deadline.

This guide covers UK current accounts for personal, everyday use, including joint accounts, which are the least well documented part of the market. It does not rank savings accounts or business accounts, which are covered separately.

How this comparison was compiled

No accounts were opened and nothing was tested first-hand. Every fee, rate and product term below was read on 1 August 2026 from each provider's own published fee information document, plan page or terms, and each is linked. On 30 September 2026 we re-read Monzo's savings and plan prices, Starling's current account page, Chase's saver page and Revolut's UK fee schedule, and updated the figures that had changed. Rates on savings and overdrafts are variable and change frequently, so treat them as dated snapshots and check the provider before acting.

Switching: what the guarantee actually says

The Current Account Switch Service guarantee is short and specific. In its own words, "It will only take seven working days", and it commits your new provider to move "all your payments going out (for example, your Direct Debits and standing orders) and those coming in (for example, your salary)", to transfer your balance on the switch date, and to redirect payments sent to the old account while contacting the sender with your new details.

The part that matters most if something goes wrong: "If anything goes wrong with the switch, as soon as we are told, we will refund any interest (paid or lost) and charges made on either your old or new current accounts as a result of this failure." Source: the CASS guarantee.

Switching volumes are rising sharply. There were 608,528 switches in the first half of 2026, up 39% on the 439,324 in the same period of 2025, with 12.9 million switches since the service launched, per the Current Account Switch Service, published 30 July 2026.

One caveat the guarantee does not answer: it places no published time limit on how long payments are redirected. Do not assume redirection is permanent, and update payers directly.

What the accounts actually charge

All four publish a zero monthly fee on their entry account, so the fee row decides nothing. Each source is linked in the sections that follow, with the date it was read.

All four providers below publish a zero monthly fee on their entry account. The differences are in overdrafts, savings rates, and what happens abroad.

Monzo

Per Monzo's fee information document dated 16 March 2026, its plans page and its savings page (plan prices and savings rates re-read on 30 September 2026):

• Monthly account fee: £0. Paid tiers are Extra at £3, Perks at £9 and Max from £19 per month.

• Overdraft: 19%, 29% or 39% EAR variable, representative APR 39.0%. Unarranged overdraft 0% and refused payment fee £0.

• Abroad: card payments in foreign currency £0. ATM withdrawals within the EEA £0. Outside the EEA, the first £200 per rolling 30 days is free, then 3%.

• Linked savings: Instant Access Pots at 2.75% AER on Free, 3.00% on Extra, 3.25% on Perks and 3.50% on Max, all variable.

• Monzo publishes no credit interest on the current account balance itself.

Starling

Per Starling's fee information document dated 14 October 2025 and its current account page:

• Monthly account fee: £0, with no paid tiers on the personal account.

• Overdraft: 15%, 25% or 35% EAR variable; Starling's current account page, read on 30 September 2026, shows a 15.00% representative APR. Unarranged overdraft £0 and no refused-payment fee.

• Abroad: card payments in foreign currency £0 and cash withdrawals abroad £0 from Starling. This is the most generous published position of the four.

• Linked savings: Easy Saver at 4.00% AER variable, which includes a fixed bonus of 1.50% AER for the first 12 months. Read that carefully — the rate drops materially after a year.

• Other published fees: CHAPS £20, sending money abroad £0.30 to £5.50 plus a 0.4% transfer fee.

Chase UK

Per Chase's general terms and product pages:

• Monthly account fee: £0. Chase states plainly, "You will not incur any fees or charges for holding a current account."

• Overdraft: none offered. Chase states, "As we don't allow overdrafts, the limit on the payments you can make is the amount we're holding for you in your account." This is a product decision, not an omission, and it makes Chase unsuitable as a sole account for anyone who occasionally relies on an overdraft.

• Cashback: 2% on everyday debit and credit card spending, up to £20 a month, in months where you make 15 or more card payments and/or Direct Debits and hold £1,000 or more across Chase saver accounts (conditions re-read on the Chase Saver page on 30 September 2026).

• Savings: round-up account 5% AER variable; Chase Saver 2.25% AER variable, with a 2.25% AER boost fixed for 12 months for eligible new customers.

• Abroad: no fees from Chase, using "MasterCard's exchange rates with no mark up".

• Chase is a trading name of J.P. Morgan Europe Limited, Financial Services Register number 124579.

Revolut

Per Revolut's pricing plans page:

• Plans: Standard free, Plus £3.99, Premium £7.99, Metal £14.99 and Ultra £55 per month on an introductory offer.

• Fee-free ATM withdrawals abroad: £200 per month or five withdrawals on Standard, rising to £2,000 per month on Ultra. Beyond the allowance, 2% or a £1 minimum per transaction.

• Foreign exchange: per Revolut's UK fee schedule, re-read on 30 September 2026, an exchange limit of £1,000 a month on Standard with a 1% fair usage fee above it, and £3,000 on Plus with 0.5% above it; Premium, Metal and Ultra have no exchange limit. The limit is shared across currency, crypto and commodity exchanges. (An earlier version of this page described these percentages as a weekend surcharge; the fee schedule describes them as a fair usage fee above the monthly limit.)

• Revolut publishes no UK overdraft product, and no credit interest on the current account balance. You can compare Revolut's current plans before choosing a tier.

Revolut joint accounts, answered directly

This is the most-searched and least-documented corner of the UK market, so here is what Revolut itself publishes, read on 1 August 2026.

A Revolut joint account is "a shared account between two Revolut customers" — exactly two, not more. It is not restricted to couples: "friends, family, and housemates can open an account." Both holders can add, withdraw, manage and spend, and when one withdraws, "The other account holder will be notified about the amount withdrawn."

To open one, per Revolut's setup guide, both people must:

• Be at least 18 years old.

• Hold a personal Revolut account that has passed identity verification.

• "Live in the same country as the person you're opening the account with."

• Belong to the same Revolut entity.

• Not already have another Revolut joint account or a pending invite.

What a Revolut joint account costs

Revolut publishes no separate product fee for a joint account. What it does publish is card allowances by plan: the Standard plan includes "1 Joint account card at no cost", and Plus, Premium, Metal and Ultra include two. Revolut states, "You won't be charged an extra card fee for the first Joint card, even if you've already ordered a card on your personal account. You'll only be charged a delivery fee, unless you're a Premium, Metal, or Ultra customer." Source: Revolut on joint account cards.

Two further points on cost: joint account fees are deducted from the joint account only, and each holder keeps their own usage limits based on their individual plan. So two people on different plans get different allowances on the same shared account.

You cannot use your existing personal cards on it — a separate joint card is required.

What it does and does not do

It supports receiving a salary, transfers in and out, scheduled payments, currency exchange and currency pockets. Two documented limitations: "Insurance benefits don't apply to Joint account activity", and on Revolut-to-Revolut transfers the recipient sees your personal account as the sender, because the joint account has no username.

Two things we will not state as fact, because Revolut's own published pages do not settle them. Direct debits and standing orders on a joint account are not documented on any of Revolut's UK joint-account help pages, so we make no claim either way. And Revolut's pages contradict each other on joint savings: its setup page says "Savings accounts can't be opened on Joint accounts", while a sibling page says joint savings accounts are available in GBP and free to open. Check in-app before relying on either.

Is a Revolut joint account FSCS protected?

This depends on whether your account has been migrated, and it is the single most important thing to establish.

Revolut launched as a UK bank on 11 March 2026, after the PRA lifted the restrictions on the licence it had granted with conditions in July 2024. In Revolut's words, "the PRA has lifted restrictions on Revolut's banking licence, and given approval to launch its UK bank, Revolut Bank UK Ltd", per its announcement.

Existing customers are being moved across in phased batches with at least two months' notice, and Revolut states that customers signing up from 11 March 2026 onwards may still be onboarded onto an e-money account with Revolut Ltd. Joint accounts move automatically with the personal account; if either holder opts out of the migration, the joint account is closed.

The consequence is that today two Revolut customers can hold different protection. Balances with Revolut Bank UK Ltd are FSCS protected. Balances still with Revolut Ltd, an e-money institution, are safeguarded but not FSCS protected. Revolut's own FSCS information sheet for Revolut Bank UK Ltd confirms the limit as "£120,000 per depositor" and, for joint accounts, states: "Each eligible account holder is entitled to £120,000 protection in total. For example, if there are two account holders, you will each be entitled to £120,000 protection, giving a total of £240,000."

So a fully migrated joint account carries up to £240,000 of FSCS cover across two holders. An unmigrated one carries none. Check which entity holds your money in the app before assuming.

Joint accounts more generally

The £120,000-per-holder rule is not Revolut-specific. FSCS protection applies per eligible depositor, so a joint account at any UK bank gives each holder their own limit, per the FSCS. The limit rose from £85,000 to £120,000 on 1 December 2025, so older guidance quoting £85,000 is out of date.

Two practical considerations that matter more than the rate:

• A joint account creates a financial association on both parties' credit files, which means one person's credit problems can affect the other's applications. That association persists until it is formally broken after the account closes.

• Either holder can usually empty the account without the other's consent. The notification Revolut sends is a courtesy, not a control.

For most couples the practical answer is a joint account for shared bills, funded by standing orders from two personal accounts, rather than moving entire financial lives into one shared account.

Choosing between them

The short version is that on headline fees these accounts are close to identical, so the decision turns on your specific pattern of use:

• If you use an overdraft, Starling's 15% representative rate is the lowest published of the four, and Chase offers no overdraft at all. An overdraft is borrowing: interest is charged, and it is best used for short gaps rather than as ongoing credit.

• If you spend or withdraw cash abroad frequently, Starling publishes no fee on foreign ATM withdrawals, where Monzo and Revolut both cap the free allowance.

• If you want return on everyday spending, Chase's 2% cashback up to £20 a month is the only straightforward cashback offer here, subject to its payment-count and £1,000 savings balance conditions.

• If you want budgeting tools, Monzo's pots and categorisation remain the most developed.

• If you need a joint account today with certainty about protection, use a provider whose entity position is settled rather than mid-migration.

Whichever you choose, holding a second account at a different licensed institution is sensible protection against a freeze or outage on your main account, an issue covered in our neobank safety guide.

For where to keep savings rather than spending money, see our savings accounts comparison. For how these providers are licensed and what that means, see our neobank comparison. For business use, see our business bank accounts guide. Our switching guide covers the process step by step, and more of this category is under current accounts.

Important Disclaimer

We may earn commission when you open an account through our links. This does not affect our rankings or the figures published above. This is general information, not financial advice, and it does not account for your circumstances. Fees, rates and terms were read from the linked provider documents on 1 August 2026, with the updates dated 30 September 2026 marked above, and change without notice — verify directly with the provider before acting. Overdrafts are a form of borrowing and interest is charged. Your capital is at risk.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best current account in the UK?

It depends on use. Starling has the lowest published arranged-overdraft rate of the four compared here and no fee on cash withdrawals abroad; Chase UK pays conditional cashback but has no overdraft; Monzo has the most developed budgeting tools; Revolut suits currency exchange within its plan allowances.

Which current account has the best overdraft?

Of the four compared here, Starling publishes the lowest representative rate, 15%. Monzo's representative APR is 39.0%, Chase offers no overdraft and Revolut publishes no UK overdraft product. Overdrafts are borrowing and interest is charged.

Do joint accounts get more FSCS protection?

Each eligible holder has their own £120,000 FSCS limit, so a joint account with two holders can be covered up to £240,000 in total at an FSCS-protected bank. A Revolut joint account is only covered once it is with Revolut Bank UK Ltd.

How long does it take to switch current accounts?

The Current Account Switch Service guarantees a switch in seven working days, moves your Direct Debits, standing orders and salary, and refunds interest and charges caused by a failed switch.