Best business bank account

[ElBuffalo]

Can anyone recommend best (cheapest/free!) business bank account?

I’ve seen starling mentioned a few times, would this be best option?

All money paid in will be via bank transfer/BACS, there will be no cash deposits if this makes any difference

[pmanson]

We use Tide.

I've used it for coming up 2 years without issue. Just upgraded to their plus account as some one of the extra fees were starting to add up (expense account cards that were free becoming £5 p/mth etc.

[ElBuffalo]

Thanks.

Didn’t mention in OP but an expense card would be needed so another point to consider

[pmanson]

ElBuffalo said:

Thanks.

Didn’t mention in OP but an expense card would be needed so another point to consider

Just checked the app.

£50 sign up bonus if you use this code Phillip James wants to share £100 with you!
Open an account with us and we’ll give you both £50 when you spend £500 on your Tide card.

Find out how to sign up: MANSBALOO
www.tide.co/refer-a-friend/?referralName=Phillip James&referralCode=MANSBALOO

[MisterBigglesworth]

I’ve used Tide, Transferwise & Revolut. Revolut by far the best.

[warp9]

I can't comment on the best, but do not use Barclays. They are exceptionally awful.

[MisterBigglesworth]

warp9 said:

I can't comment on the best, but do not use Barclays. They are exceptionally awful.

They wouldn’t even o-en a new account unless you have a personal account, then expect a 7 to 8 week wait, signed up with revolut on a Sunday afternoon, account approved and opened in 30 mins on a Sunday, metal debit card delivered Wednesday and a follow on call from their customer team to ask if I needed any help.

Ton of integrations from payroll to invoice management, integrated merchant account, online payments, and a bunch of discounts with adobe and others. Their website expense tracker and mobile app is top notch and you get multi-currency Eu and usd accounts, team cards etc.

I’d never use a high street bank again, still waiting for lloyds to call me back and i’ve Been a personal customer a decade.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

I love Starling but you have to understand what a business bank does for you, it certainly won't be for every business.

[Patch1875]

Might need to have a look at a new account myself. Currently with Santander but Edinburgh is basically only going to have 1 branch shortly. I still receive lots of cheques as payment and with no sign of them starting cheque scan through a phone it’s becoming a pain to bank them.

[Redarress]

I use Starlings cheque scanning and it has worked 100 percent perfectly. Never needed to go to a branch ever

[gashart]

Do any of these accept customer cheques?

[Saleen836]

gashart said:

Do any of these accept customer cheques?

You can pay a cheque into a Barclays business account using their app

[andy43]

Saleen836 said:

gashart said:

Do any of these accept customer cheques?

You can pay a cheque into a Barclays business account using their app

...if you place the cheque on a contrasting surface, facing due south, stood on one leg, with a spotless camera lense. While praying. Mostly paid in on the first or second attempt. Sometimes not at all. And only £1000 per week on ours. Payee name on the cheque seems to make no difference whatsoever!
Easier than visiting a branch I suppose...

[andy43]

Also got Starling and Cashplus - both apps seem to work fine for receiving/sending. Think I got a Starling card for a small extra fee.
Both are free - I was happy with Santander until they started charging.

[Silverage]

I’m with Santander and have been for years and I too was happy enough until they started charging. It’s only £7.50 per month, but why should I be paying anything to them really when I can get the same service for free elsewhere?

[Patch1875]

I don’t pay anything for my Santander account.

I pay £50 for the overdraft each year and some interest on it when I go into it when I make a chunky purchase.

[jammy-git]

Starling. An absolute breeze to use and their app is fantastic. So much so I moved my personal account over to them too. Never paid a penny.

[Pistom]

The issue with Starling is it is very restrictive on foreign currency transactions. Not a problem if you only use the currencies they cater for and they are aiming to increase the number they deal with but the other week I couldn't make a payment in China so ended up paying from my personal RBS account.

I do like the app though and they only charge 0.4% on Euro to GBP conversions which I thought was pretty good.

The Euro account is £2/month.

[jammy-git]

I use TransferWise for the cheapest FX transfers anyway.

[V8covin]

Another vote for Starling.