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.
August 5, 2026Comments are off for this post.
New on Mobbin August 2026: Brick, Magnific, Railway and More
Everything new on Mobbin this August: Brick makes focus physical, Magnific arrives as the Freepik rebrand, and Railway turns infrastructure into a map.
July 25, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Free Budgeting Apps UK 2026
The best free budgeting apps in the UK for 2026, compared: what each free tier really includes, what is paywalled, and who each app suits.
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 randomly selected by Monzo at £20, £50 or £100 and 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 randomly selected reward of £20, £50 or £100. 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 22, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Apps to Save Money UK 2026: The Ones We Actually Use
Last updated: 10 June 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
There are hundreds of money-saving apps in the UK app stores. Most of them are rubbish. The best apps to save money are the ones we've tested over the past few years, narrowed down and kept on our phones because they actually work. No fluff, no apps we downloaded once and forgot about. Just the ones that earned a permanent spot.
Between the team we've got about 12 money apps installed. Half of them we actually use. The other half sit there judging us. We tried about 20 apps before settling on this list. Some were too fiddly. Some had great ideas but terrible execution. A couple were brilliant but shut down. These are the survivors.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Some apps in this list offer savings and investment features. Your capital may be at risk. 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.
Our top money-saving pick
If you only set up one, make it Chip: it is the app that has quietly saved us the most by moving money before we miss it.
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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: 22 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
Monzo savings pots are one of the most useful features in UK banking, and most people still are not using them properly. If you have got a Monzo account and your spare cash is just sitting in the main balance earning nothing, you are leaving money on the table. Monzo savings pots take about 30 seconds to set up and start earning interest immediately. No paperwork. No separate app. Just tap, move money in, and watch it grow.
We have got about six pots running at any given time. Bills pot, holiday pot, emergency fund, a couple of savings pots earning interest, and one labelled "don't touch" that we absolutely do touch. It is one of those features that, once you start using it, you wonder how you ever managed without it.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Savings rates are variable and change frequently, so always verify current rates directly with providers. 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 our referral link and a random reward of £20, £50 or £100 arrives once you make your first card payment.
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April 18, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Savings Options for the New Tax Year UK 2026/27
Last updated: 22 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
Every April, we go through the same routine. The ISA allowance resets, savings rates shift, and there is a brief window where everyone actually pays attention to where their money is sitting. The best savings options for the new tax year are worth sorting now, before the motivation fades and another 12 months slip by. Here is what the CoolCuration team is doing with ours this year, along with a look at the platforms and accounts worth considering right now.
This year there is an added urgency. The 2026/27 tax year is the last year under-65s can put the full £20,000 into a cash ISA. From April 2027, cash ISA contributions will be capped at £12,000 for anyone under 65, with the remaining £8,000 needing to go into stocks and shares or other ISA types. So if you have been meaning to top up your cash ISA, this is the final window at the current limit.
Important: this is not financial advice. This article is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this post constitutes a recommendation to open any particular account, invest in any product, or take any specific financial action. Savings rates, ISA rules, and tax treatment can change at any time. CoolCuration is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and cannot advise you on what is right for your circumstances. Always do your own research or speak to a qualified, independent financial adviser before making financial decisions. 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.
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April 12, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Monzo vs Starling 2026: Which UK Challenger Bank Is Better?
Last updated: 22 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
The Monzo vs Starling debate is the one that never dies in UK personal finance. Both are app-first, both are FSCS-protected, and both let you spend abroad without sneaky fees. On paper, they look almost identical. But after using both across our team for years, the differences show up in the daily details. This is not a spec sheet comparison. It is what actually matters when you open both apps every day.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and does not provide personalised financial guidance. 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. We have no commercial relationship with Starling Bank.
Picking Monzo? Grab the sign-up reward
Join through a referral link and make a card payment within 30 days, and a random £20, £50 or £100 lands in your account; the steps are on our Monzo page.
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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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