A year of paying £9 a month for Monzo Perks, with the honest maths on what I actually claim and what earns nothing.
August 22, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Monzo Perks and Max Price Increase 2026: Every New Price
Monzo Perks goes from £7 to £9 a month and Max from £17 to £19. Here are all the new plan prices, the dates that matter, and the honest maths.
July 23, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Current Account UK 2026: Ranked and Compared
Current accounts2026 Edit
The best current account is the one you actually enjoy opening
Picking the best current account in 2026 is no longer just about interest. It is about the app you tap ten times a day, the perks that quietly pay you back, and the switch bonus that lands in a week. So I have ranked the accounts I actually use, judged on design, everyday feel and real numbers, then grouped the rest by the job they do best.
Last updated: 22 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
This is not financial advice, and CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Rates, fees and bonuses change often, so always check the provider and consider your own circumstances first.
Want the Monzo refer-a-friend bonus?
Monzo runs a refer-a-friend scheme where you and a friend can both get a bonus. The amount is set at random by Monzo, starts at £5 and is shown in-app, so I keep the current offer and the steps to claim it updated on our referral page.
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July 1, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Monzo Review UK: An Honest Opinion After Four Years
Last updated: 22 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
This Monzo review is based on my own experience using Monzo as my main current account for over four years, on the £9 a month Perks plan. I run everyday spending, Pots and my Sprive mortgage overpayments through it, so this is real use rather than a weekend trial.
This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view. This page is general information, not financial advice.
Cool Factor: 4/5
Banking / Opinion
Welcome to my honest Monzo review, written from the inside rather than the marketing deck. I have banked with Monzo since well before it became a household name, so this is four years of daily use talking. Monzo is now the UK's largest digital bank, with more than 15 million customers. However, the interesting question is not how big it has become. Instead, it is whether the everyday account and app still feel special, or whether the spark is quietly fading.
Fancy trying Monzo with our referral link?
New customers can get a random reward that starts at £5. The current offer, and the exact steps to claim it, are always kept up to date on our referral page.
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April 19, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Monzo Savings Pots Explained: Rates, FSCS Protection and How to Start (2026)
Last updated: 9 September 2026. I re-checked every Monzo savings pots rate against Monzo's own pages on 9 September 2026.
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
Monzo savings pots are one of the most useful things in UK banking. Yet plenty of people with a Monzo account still leave spare cash in the main balance, earning nothing. A pot takes about thirty seconds to set up. Better still, it starts earning the same day. No paperwork, no second app, no waiting.
I keep six or seven pots running at any one time. Bills, holiday, an emergency fund, two savings pots earning interest. Plus one labelled "don't touch" that I absolutely do touch. Below is what each type pays, what the higher rates cost, and where the money actually sits.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Savings rates are variable and change often. Always check the current rate in the Monzo app or at monzo.com first. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
Not on Monzo yet?
Sign up through my referral link. A random reward starting at £5 arrives once you make your first card payment.
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April 5, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Banking App UK 2026: Which One Should You Use?
Last updated: 22 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
This article is for information only and does not constitute financial advice. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Always check the latest details directly with each provider before opening an account or making any financial decision. If you are unsure, consider speaking to an independent financial adviser.
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
Finding the best banking app UK in 2026 is genuinely difficult. Every challenger bank promises slick budgeting tools, market-leading rates and cashback on everything. Meanwhile, the traditional banks have finally woken up and started building apps that actually work. So which ones are worth your time, and which are all sizzle and no steak?
We use all five of the banks in this guide as part of a multi-account setup that has evolved over several years of hands-on testing. This is not a surface-level comparison based on press releases. It is a practical breakdown of what each app actually does well, where it falls short and how to combine them for maximum benefit.
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March 21, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Monzo vs Chase UK: Which Bank Account Is Better? (2026)
Last updated: 22 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
After the bigger sign-up bonus?
Chase's refer-a-friend offer pays £50 when you join and deposit £1,000 within 30 days; our referral page walks you through it.
If you're weighing up Monzo vs Chase in 2026, you're in good company. Both are app-only banks, both are free to open, and both promise to make managing your money less painful. However, once you dig past the slick onboarding screens, the two take noticeably different approaches to savings, cashback and everyday features.
Chase (a trading name of J.P. Morgan Europe Limited) lures new customers with a boosted saver rate and 2% cashback on everyday spending. Monzo, the UK's original fintech darling, counters with powerful budgeting tools, paid plan perks like a free Railcard, and one of the most feature-rich banking apps on the market.
Below, we break down every meaningful difference so you can pick the one that actually fits your life. We also link to both referral offers if you want a bonus for signing up.
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