Genome vs Starling Bank
Both Genome and Starling Bank clear the checkouts our readers ask about most. Here is where the two part ways on fees and verification.
Genome issues on Visa and Starling Bank on Mastercard; both ask for ID + proof.
Starling Bank is the more cost-effective option for everyday spending and travel thanks to its free virtual cards, no monthly fee, 0% foreign transaction fees, no top-up fee. Genome still clears the same checkouts in our tests, so match the table to the services you actually pay for.
The short version of the matchup
| Field | Genome | Starling Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Card network | Visa | Mastercard |
| Card type | Digital Bank / Neobank | Digital Bank / Neobank |
| KYC | ID + proof | ID + proof |
| Card issuance fee | Virtual card 1 EUR (first 10); 10 EUR from 11th | Free |
| Monthly fee | Free EUR (card monthly fee); non-EEA personal account 20 EUR/mo or 200 EUR/yr | Free |
| Top-up fee | Non-Genome card top-up 3% (externally initiated 1%) | — |
| FX fee | Non-card currency transactions 2%; EUR/USD/GBP conversion 1% | 0% (no foreign transaction fee) |
| Crypto funding | No | No |
| AI tool support | ChatGPT | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney |
| Risk level | Medium | Low-Medium |
| Our rating | 9.3 | 9.1 |
| User reviews | 159 | 437 |
| Best for | Ad spend · AI subscriptions | All-rounder · Ad spend |
A green left edge marks the side that holds the advantage on that row, where the data gives one.
Side by side
- If the monthly outgoings matter, Starling Bank leaves more in your pocket than Genome.
- Starling Bank shows up in more of our test scenarios, so it is the safer pick when you juggle several subscriptions.
- Starling Bank carries the lower risk flag in our file, which some users prefer for a primary card.
The two, compared
Starling Bank is the cheaper card to hold: free to create and no top-up fee, against about $1.09 and a 3% top-up at Genome. Genome earns its keep only if you need the rows where it leads in the table.
Questions people ask
That depends on what you spend on. Genome scores 9.3/10 against Starling Bank's 9.1/10 in our tests, but the two split on fees, KYC and crypto funding. Read the table above, then match it to the checkouts you actually run.
Starling Bank works out cheaper: no virtual card issuance fee, free account maintenance, 0% foreign transaction fee, no top-up fee. Genome adds about $1.09 per virtual card, a 2% FX fee, a 3% top-up fee.
Genome asks for ID + proof at signup; Starling Bank asks for ID + proof. If a light sign-up is the priority, the one with the lower KYC label is the faster route.
Both show up in 45 of the same test scenarios, including ChatGPT Plus, OpenAI API, RunwayML. They overlap on a good share of checkouts, so the choice between them matters most on those pages. Where one is accepted and the other is not usually comes down to the billing country and 3-D Secure handling.
Where both show up
Genome and Starling Bank both landed in our top picks for 45 checkouts. Grouped by category so you can jump straight to the one you actually pay for:
📺 Streaming & Entertainment 10
📈 Ad Platforms 8
🤖 AI Tools & Developer Tools 7
🧳 Travel & Productivity 5
🎮 Gaming 4
Their BIN ranges
Cards issued in 🇦🇺 Australia · 🇬🇧 UK — the country guides group every range we track from there.
What our charge log shows
Every count here is a real charge attempt we placed on that range, renewals included, with the gateway response recorded. Weeks tracked is how long the range has been in the programme: