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US citizens in the UK · Finding

What Monzo, Starling and Revolut open for US citizens

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Monzo, Starling Bank and Revolut all open a current account for a US citizen. What differs is everything after the current account, and it differs by bank and by product: each bank's own pages are quoted below, with the date each was read.

The three banks, account by account

Account type Monzo Starling Bank Revolut
Current accounts Accepts US citizens Accepts US citizens Accepts US citizens
Savings accounts Accepts US citizens Accepts US citizens Declines US citizens
Cash ISAs Accepts US citizens Accepts US citizens Not checked
Brokerage accounts Not checked Not checked Declines US citizens
Credit cards Accepts with conditions Not offered Not offered
Multi-currency accounts Not checked Accepts with conditions Accepts, pays no interest

Why the answer changes inside one bank

A current account is a product the bank runs itself, and reporting it under FATCA is routine. Savings, investing and cards are often separate products with their own terms, and sometimes another firm stands behind them, so the test a US citizen meets can change from one tab of the app to the next. That is why each row below is read from the page for that product and not from the bank's general terms.

"Not offered" is not a refusal. Where a bank sells no such product to anyone, the row says so, because a door shut against everybody says nothing about Americans.

Monzo

Monzo opens a current account, a savings account and a cash ISA for a US citizen and opens a credit card with conditions. Everything checked at Monzo.

Account type Verdict for a US citizen Why, from its own pages Checked
Current accounts Accepts US citizens Monzo's own help pages set the test at 16 or over, living in the UK full time with the right to reside, and having a UK address. Nationality is not in that test, and Monzo says in as many words that you can open an account without being a UK tax resident. It does publish a tax-status page for US citizens, but that page only points you at the US embassy and says nothing about whether it will open an account, so this is an absence of a bar rather than a stated welcome. Monzo may ask you to verify the address you give, and cannot offer an account without a UK one. Source: Monzo help: opening a Monzo account if you're not a UK tax resident, and how to open a Monzo Personal Account, 2026-09-25
Savings accounts Accepts US citizens Monzo sets the test for an Instant Access Savings Pot at 16 or over with a Monzo current account, and the page adds UK residents only. Nationality and tax residency are not in that test, and the current account behind it can be opened without being a UK tax resident. The US taxes the interest as ordinary income. Source: Monzo Instant Access Savings eligibility, 2026-09-25
Cash ISAs Accepts US citizens Monzo's own cash ISA page sets the test at a UK resident aged 18 or over with a Monzo current account, and carries no nationality or US-person exclusion. The full ISA terms live in the app rather than on the website, so the declaration wording could not be read in full. The IRS still taxes the interest as US income, as the wrapper gives no US relief. Source: Monzo Instant Access Cash ISA eligibility, 2026-09-25
Credit cards Accepts with conditions Monzo Flex is a genuine credit card rather than a debit product, and it charges nothing on spending abroad. Two limits worth knowing: it is sold only on top of a Monzo current account, so you cannot start here, and it cannot be used for cash withdrawals at all, anywhere. Source: Monzo Flex page, 2026-08-17

Starling Bank

Starling Bank opens a current account, a savings account and a cash ISA for a US citizen, opens a multi-currency account with conditions, and has no credit card to apply for. Everything checked at Starling Bank.

Account type Verdict for a US citizen Why, from its own pages Checked
Current accounts Accepts US citizens Starling answers the question directly rather than leaving it to inference. Its eligibility page asks only that you are 16 or over, resident in the UK and hold the right to reside. Its FATCA and CRS page then says that if you are eligible to open a Starling account and are also a US person, FATCA does not affect how you use that account: Starling reports it to HMRC, which passes the details to the IRS. The same page defines a US person as a US citizen living anywhere in the world. The one condition it publishes is a taxpayer identification number, usually a Social Security number or ITIN: Starling has to collect one from a US citizen, and says it may not be able to open an account until you have one and share it. Source: Starling help: FATCA and CRS, and who is eligible for a Starling bank account, 2026-09-25
Savings accounts Accepts US citizens Starling's Easy Saver asks for an open Starling personal current account, that you are 18 or over and that you are a UK resident. Nationality and tax residency are not in that test, and Starling's own FATCA page says a US person eligible for an account is not restricted in how they use it. The saver sits inside the app, so the current account comes first, which applies to everyone. The US taxes the interest as ordinary income. Source: Starling help: how do I open and manage my Easy Saver, 2026-09-25
Cash ISAs Accepts US citizens Starling's own page for the cash ISA asks for an open Starling personal account, that you are 18 or over, that you are a UK resident and that you hold a National Insurance number. Nationality is not in that test, and there is no sole-tax-residency requirement; the right to reside comes with the Starling account behind it. The IRS still taxes the interest as US income, as the wrapper gives no US relief. Source: Starling help: who can apply for a Starling Cash ISA, 2026-09-25
Credit cards Not offered Starling has no consumer credit card, so there is nothing here to apply for whoever you are. The card that comes with the account is a debit card, and its personal borrowing is an arranged overdraft and a loan. Source: Starling current account and borrowing pages, 2026-08-17
Multi-currency accounts Accepts with conditions Opens to any UK resident on identical terms, and citizenship makes no difference: the page is titled for UK residents and asks only for a Starling personal account first. The catch for an American is that personal customers can only add euros. Starling's dollar account is a business product, sold on top of a Starling business account, and its own help page says applications are paused. Source: Starling euro bank account page, and Starling help: who can open a business USD account, 2026-09-25

Revolut

Revolut opens a current account for a US citizen, opens a multi-currency account that pays a US citizen no interest, declines a US citizen for a savings account and a general investment account, and has no credit card to apply for. Everything checked at Revolut.

Account type Verdict for a US citizen Why, from its own pages Checked
Current accounts Accepts US citizens Opens for US persons and is the easiest route before you have a UK address: its Personal Terms set no US-person or tax-residency test. Revolut now operates in the UK through Revolut Bank UK Ltd, which is PRA-authorised, so balances are FSCS-protected rather than merely safeguarded; older balances may still sit with its electronic money entity, so check which one holds yours. Its savings are a separate matter and are closed to you. Source: Revolut Personal Terms, which set no US-person test, 2026-09-18
Savings accounts Declines US citizens Revolut's Instant Access Savings terms require you to be “a UK tax resident” and “not a US person”, so the savings product is closed to a US citizen even with a Revolut account in good standing. Revolut still opens its current account to US persons. Source: Revolut Instant Access Savings (powered by ClearBank) Terms, 2026-09-18
Brokerage accounts Declines US citizens Revolut closes both doors and its own wording spells out the trap: trading entities outside the US cannot serve US persons living outside the US, and only its US entity may serve US persons, who must be living in the US. Note this is Revolut's trading arm; its everyday and savings accounts are a separate matter. Source: Revolut help centre, trading accounts and US persons, 2026-08-17
Credit cards Not offered Revolut has no UK credit card. Its own help centre says it does not offer credit products such as loans, credit cards or overdrafts in Great Britain, and although it has signalled that UK cards are coming since winning its banking licence, none is live. Source: Revolut help centre, credit eligible countries, 2026-08-17
Multi-currency accounts Accepts, pays no interest Revolut holds UK personal accounts through Revolut Bank UK, so deposits are FSCS-protected and there is no minimum balance. What a US person cannot have is anything that pays: the ClearBank terms behind Instant Access Savings require you to be a UK tax resident and not a US person, and Revolut cannot offer trading or its money market funds to US persons either. That leaves the account and the currency exchange. Source: Revolut pricing plans and the Instant Access Savings (powered by ClearBank) Terms, 2026-09-18

Before you apply

What you need to open your first UK bank account is the checklist every UK bank works from, these three included, and the current account page sets these three beside every other bank checked.

Confirm your own position with a cross-border specialist. Acceptance policies and tax rules change, and your facts may differ from the general case. Rates and terms here are the provider's published figures rather than an offer, and the provider decides each application on its own criteria. Use this as a map, not a ruling. Last checked .
Accounts

Current accounts

Which UK current accounts open for US citizens, which add strings, and which decline. Verdicts by provider, with the FATCA reason behind each one.

 Accounts

Savings accounts

Which UK savings accounts accept US citizens, which ask for extra paperwork, and which say no. Per-provider verdicts and the reporting rules behind them.

 More

First bank account

What you need before a UK bank opens your first current account: immigration status, an address you can prove, photo ID, a UK mobile number, and the FATCA form.

 Tax

FATCA

Do UK banks report your account to the IRS? Yes, through HMRC, under FATCA. It is a reporting law, not a tax. Where it bites is access.