Metro Bank Current Account: review 2026

What is Metro Bank’s Current Account and who is it really for?

Metro Bank launched in 2010 as the first new high-street bank in the United Kingdom in over a century, and its current account reflects that brick-and-mortar DNA. The account carries no monthly fee, no charge for debit card payments, and free cash withdrawals across most European countries. It sits on a Mastercard debit rail, supports Apple Pay and Google Pay from the moment you receive your card, and comes with full FSCS deposit protection up to 85,000 GBP, overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The account suits people who value physical branch access alongside a functioning app. If you live in or regularly visit southern England, the 7-day opening hours and in-store instant card printing are genuine differentiators. Customers who commute through London, Birmingham, or Manchester and want to sort banking during a lunch break without booking an appointment will find the setup genuinely useful.

Who is it not for? Frequent travellers outside Europe will find the foreign-cash fees punishing. Heavy international spenders wanting zero-FX debit spending are better served by Starling or Chase. Joint-account applicants who cannot both visit a branch in person face an immediate barrier. And anyone who wants the slickest possible digital-first experience, think instant spending notifications with granular controls and savings pots, may find Metro Bank’s app functional but not market-leading.

Real costs and the fees that catch customers off guard

The headline is genuinely free: no monthly account fee, no charge for domestic debit card spending, no fee for ATM withdrawals in the UK. Metro Bank extends that fee-free footprint to most European countries for both card spending and cash withdrawals, which is useful for holidays to the eurozone or day trips across the Channel.

Step outside Europe, however, and the calculus changes sharply. Non-sterling cash withdrawals attract a 2.99% conversion fee plus a flat 1.50 GBP charge per withdrawal. On a 200 USD withdrawal in New York that works out to roughly 7.50 GBP in fees before you consider the exchange rate spread. For the occasional one-off trip this is manageable; for frequent long-haul travellers it adds up fast.

The overdraft rate deserves prominent attention. Metro Bank charges 34% APR on arranged overdrafts. That sits meaningfully above the rates offered by some challenger banks and even several traditional current accounts, so customers who regularly dip into the red should stress-test whether this account makes financial sense for them. There are no tiered fees or monthly overdraft usage charges alongside the APR, but the rate alone is high enough to warrant caution.

• Monthly account fee: Free
• UK debit card spending: Free
• UK ATM withdrawals: Free
• European ATM withdrawals: Free
• Non-European foreign cash withdrawal: 2.99% plus 1.50 GBP flat
• Arranged overdraft: 34% APR
• Instant (Faster) payments: Free

There are no plan tiers to navigate. Metro Bank does not upsell a premium subscription layer for basic travel benefits, which keeps the proposition clean, even if it also means fewer perks than accounts from providers like Chase UK, which bundles 1% cashback for the first year.

Cards, contactless and mobile payments

Account holders receive a Mastercard debit card, which enjoys broad global acceptance. There is no credit card included with the standard current account; Metro Bank does offer credit cards separately, but these are distinct products with their own applications. The debit card supports contactless payments up to the standard UK limit, and in our test Metro Bank’s in-store card printing was one of the fastest we encountered: walk into a branch, verify your identity, and leave with a working card within minutes rather than waiting up to five working days for postal delivery.

Apple Pay and Google Pay are both fully supported from day one, including before the physical card arrives if you activate through the app. This matters for customers who prefer tap-to-pay via their phone and do not want a waiting period. Samsung Pay is also available, covering most major mobile wallets used in the UK market. Virtual card functionality is more limited compared with fintech rivals, and there is no instant card-freeze granularity down to individual merchant categories that some digital-native banks offer, though basic freeze-and-unfreeze controls are present in the app.

Opening the account step by step

Metro Bank allows fully digital account opening through its website or iOS and Android app. The process is completable in under 10 minutes for straightforward applicants. You will need a valid UK address, a UK mobile number, and a form of photo ID such as a passport or driving licence. Identity verification is handled biometrically through the app: you photograph your document, then take a short selfie video for liveness detection. No branch visit is required for a solo account.

Same-day account access is realistic for most applicants. Once approved, Metro Bank issues a UK sort code and account number immediately, meaning you can set up direct debits and receive salary payments before your physical card arrives. The IBAN follows the GB format, as is standard for all UK bank accounts. Joint accounts are the notable exception: both account holders must attend a branch in person to complete verification, which removes much of the digital convenience and may be impractical for couples who live in areas without a nearby Metro Bank store.

Metro Bank’s branch footprint spans roughly 76 locations at the time of writing, concentrated in London, the South East, and a handful of major cities further north. For customers outside those areas, the account functions perfectly well as a digital-only product, but the in-branch benefits that distinguish Metro Bank from fintech alternatives are effectively unavailable.

App, features and customer service

The Metro Bank app is available for iOS and Android and covers the essentials competently: balance checks, transaction history, Faster Payments, standing orders, direct debit management, and card freeze. Push notifications for transactions are present. The app receives regular updates and is rated reasonably well on both major app stores, though reviews are mixed enough to suggest the experience is uneven across device types.

Where Metro Bank differentiates itself from purely digital rivals is human access. Branches are open seven days a week, including Sundays and most bank holidays, with extended weekday hours. This is genuinely unusual in UK retail banking. Phone support is also available around the clock. Customers who want to speak to a person, resolve a dispute face to face, or handle something that feels uncomfortable over an app will find Metro Bank more accommodating than a neobank with email-only support queues. The trade-off is that the digital product lacks some of the feature depth found at Monzo or Starling, such as granular budgeting tools, salary sorter functionality, or instant virtual card generation for online spending.

Reputation and real customer experience

Recurring positive themes from Metro Bank customers centre on branch staff quality and resolution speed. Customers who have experienced fraud or account problems frequently note that visiting a branch led to faster outcomes than the equivalent process at a digital-only bank. The instant card printing capability appears consistently in positive reviews and is one of the most cited reasons customers opened the account in the first place.

Negative themes cluster around a few consistent pain points. The joint account branch requirement frustrates couples who completed everything else digitally. Customers travelling outside Europe flag the non-sterling cash fees as a surprise, suggesting the terms are not always communicated prominently enough at the point of application. Some longer-standing customers note that the bank went through a difficult financial period in 2023, which dented confidence even though Metro Bank raised capital and remained fully operational with all deposits protected. The 34% overdraft APR also appears in negative reviews from customers who did not scrutinise the rate before dipping into their overdraft.

Metro Bank is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by both the PRA and the Financial Conduct Authority. This is the full dual-regulated status applicable to traditional UK banks, not the lighter-touch e-money institution authorisation held by some fintechs. All eligible deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to 85,000 GBP per person, or 170,000 GBP for joint accounts. In our test, the FSCS declaration on Metro Bank’s site is clearly linked from the account page, which is reassuring for customers who want to verify protection before depositing larger sums.

Verdict: open it or look elsewhere?

Metro Bank’s current account earns its place as a solid mid-range option for a specific customer profile. If you live within reach of a branch, value face-to-face service, want a genuinely fee-free everyday account with European travel coverage, and have no intention of using an arranged overdraft regularly, the account delivers real value with no monthly cost. The Apple Pay and Google Pay integration works smoothly from day one, and the same-day digital application is fast by traditional banking standards.

Look elsewhere if you travel frequently outside Europe and rely on ATM cash: the 2.99% plus 1.50 GBP fee structure makes it one of the more expensive options for long-haul trips. Look elsewhere if you are opening a joint account and cannot both visit a branch. Look elsewhere if you carry a regular overdraft balance, because 34% APR is a meaningful cost that compounds quickly. Monzo, Starling, and Chase UK all offer competitive current accounts that may suit those use cases better, and the template on this page lists them for direct comparison.

As a free, FSCS-protected, Mastercard debit account with real branches and 7-day opening hours, Metro Bank occupies a niche that pure fintechs cannot fully replicate. For the right customer it is genuinely useful. The scoring of 76 points and 3.8 stars reflects a product that is solid rather than outstanding: no serious weaknesses in its core proposition, but no standout advantages either beyond the physical branch network that its competitors have deliberately chosen to abandon.