Revolut vs Starling Bank
Torn between Revolut and Starling Bank? The comparison below is built from the same test data we use across the rest of the site.
Revolut issues on Visa · Mastercard and Starling Bank on Mastercard; verification is ID only at Revolut versus ID + proof at Starling Bank; only Revolut takes crypto top-ups.
Revolut is the more cost-effective option for everyday spending and travel thanks to its free virtual cards, no monthly fee. Starling Bank 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 | Revolut | Starling Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Card network | Visa, Mastercard | Mastercard |
| Card type | Digital Bank / Neobank | Digital Bank / Neobank |
| KYC | ID only | ID + proof |
| Card issuance fee | Free | Free |
| Monthly fee | Free (Standard); Plus £3.99; Premium £7.99; Metal £14.99; Ultra £55 per mo | Free |
| Top-up fee | — | — |
| FX fee | 0.5% | 0% (no foreign transaction fee) |
| Crypto funding | Yes | No |
| AI tool support | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney | ChatGPT / Claude / Midjourney |
| Risk level | Low-Medium | Low-Medium |
| Our rating | 9.0 | 9.1 |
| User reviews | 80 | 437 |
| Best for | All-rounder · Ad spend | All-rounder · Ad spend |
A green left edge marks the side that holds the advantage on that row, where the data gives one.
The two, compared
- Revolut has the lighter onboarding; Starling Bank will want more documents from you.
- Revolut can sit on a crypto balance; Starling Bank cannot, so the call depends on how you fund it.
What sets them apart
Run the numbers against your own usage. Revolut runs free to create plus no top-up fee per top-up; Starling Bank runs free plus no top-up fee. For one or two subscriptions the first column wins; for the rows where it leads in the table, the second does.
Questions people ask
That depends on what you spend on. Revolut scores 9.0/10 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.
Revolut is the cheaper card to run. Both Revolut and Starling Bank issue virtual cards for free.
Revolut asks for ID only 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 42 of the same test scenarios, including OpenAI API, Claude.ai, Anthropic API. 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
Revolut and Starling Bank both landed in our top picks for 42 checkouts. Grouped by category so you can jump straight to the one you actually pay for:
🤖 AI Tools & Developer Tools 10
📺 Streaming & Entertainment 8
📈 Ad Platforms 7
🎮 Gaming 4
🧳 Travel & Productivity 4
Their BIN ranges
Cards issued in 🇬🇧 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: