Starling will waive all interest charges on arranged overdrafts during an interest holiday. The interest will not be added on at the end of the holiday period and interest payments will only resume the day after the holiday ends.

3-month overdraft interest holiday for those who need it most.

Starling, the leading digital bank, is offering arranged overdraft interest holidays to personal account holders who are struggling financially as a result of coronavirus. Customers can apply for a three-month interest holiday starting from 1 April 2020.

Starling will waive all interest charges on arranged overdrafts during an interest holiday. The interest will not be added on at the end of the holiday period and interest payments will only resume the day after the holiday ends.

Starling customers can apply for an interest holiday, if they:

  • have suffered a drop in income since 10 March 2020 due to coronavirus. For example, work has dried up or they can’t work due to self-isolation or new caring responsibilities and
  • already have an arranged overdraft with Starling

This interest holiday won’t be reported to credit reference agencies and so should not detrimentally impact customer credit files.

Applications for the Starling Coronavirus Support Scheme are open from 1 April 2020 to 30 June 2020. Successful applicants will not have to pay any arranged overdraft interest for 90 days from the day their application is accepted. Starling will contact them after 60 days to remind them when interest charges will resume.

For customers with no arranged overdraft, Starling is removing the interest rate and the maximum monthly charge, currently capped at £2 per month, and setting it at £0, commencing 1 April 2020. So customers will not be charged for accidentally slipping into an unarranged overdraft.

Helen Bierton, Chief Banking Officer at Starling, said: “We wanted to find a sustainable solution to support our customers who may be facing temporary financial difficulties related to the coronavirus emergency and to tide them over for three months.”

Originally featured on the Starling Bank website.

Notes to editors

Starling’s overdraft rates are among the most competitive in the market. Rates are set at 15%, 25% and 35% EAR (variable), dependent on customers’ credit scores, commencing 1 April 2020.

EAR means Equivalent Annual Rate. This is a representative interest rate that shows what the customer would pay if they go into their overdraft and remain overdrawn for a year. Interest is accrued daily and charged monthly. It doesn’t include fees, but as Starling has no additional fees, it represents what customers actually pay.

Starling’s maximum overdraft will remain at £5,000, subject to status.

About Starling Bank

Starling is a leading digital bank, founded in 2014 and voted Best British Bank in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Its retail banking app offers personal, business and joint current accounts on Android and iOS. Starling also offers groundbreaking B2B banking and payments services as well as a Marketplace for third party financial products and services. It has opened 1.3m accounts.

Starling is a fintech business with a banking licence, fully regulated by the FCA and PRA. It is directly connected to major payment schemes, including Faster Payments, SEPA, Bacs and MasterCard.