Starling USD Account Review: Does Starling Offer One and What Are the Alternatives? (2026)
Starling does not offer a personal USD account. The only foreign currency option for personal Starling customers is a euro account, which holds EUR only. There is also a Starling USD business account, but it has been closed to new applicants since April 2026. If you are looking for a Starling usd account you can open today, this review explains what Starling actually provides, what the Starling usd account fees looked like, and which alternatives are available.
The Starling bank usd account situation divides into two products. For personal customers, the Starling foreign currency account is a euro wallet with no monthly fee and a 0.4% conversion fee. It holds EUR and has no USD functionality. For business customers, Starling previously offered a dollar account for limited companies at £5 per month, but new applications are paused. There is no Starling dollar account for personal customers at any level.
This Starling usd account review covers what each product provides, how the fees compare to Wise, and why Wise is the most accessible USD account option for anyone who needs a Starling usd account alternative today.
Whether you need to hold USD, receive US payroll via ACH, or convert GBP to USD at a fair rate, Wise delivers all of it with no minimum deposit and no monthly fee.
- No minimum deposit: open in minutes, no prior Starling account needed
- Real US routing number and account number: receive ACH and US payroll directly
- Mid-market exchange rate: no markup, conversion fee from 0.41%
- Personal and business customers welcome: no limited company requirement
- FCA regulated: funds safeguarded under UK rules
Does Starling Offer a USD Account?
Does Starling offer a usd account for personal customers? No. Starling's foreign currency options for personal banking are limited to the euro account. There is no Starling us dollar account for individuals. For business customers, a Starling usd account existed until applications were paused in April 2026, making it unavailable to new applicants today.
The full answer to does Starling offer a usd account in 2026 is: not to new customers. The personal Starling usd account has never existed at any tier. The Starling bank usd account for businesses is closed to new sign-ups. Existing Starling business customers who already hold the usd account retain access, but new applicants cannot open one.
What Starling Actually Offers: Euro Account, No Personal USD
For personal customers, the Starling foreign currency account is a euro account only. It works as a wallet you top up from your main Starling sterling account. You hold EUR, spend in EUR when travelling, and pay the Mastercard exchange rate with a 0.4% conversion fee added on top. There is no Starling us dollar account equivalent. No USD holding, no US ACH details, and no Starling dollar account for individuals at any level.
The euro account has no monthly fee, which makes it useful for EUR travel spending. But if you need to hold USD, receive payments in dollars, or send money to US bank accounts, the Starling foreign currency account cannot help. The Starling international account range does not extend to USD for personal customers.
The Starling USD Business Account: What It Was and Why It Is Now Closed
The Starling bank usd account for businesses was available to limited companies that already held a Starling GBP business account. Sole traders were excluded. The account cost £5 per month and allowed businesses to hold, send, and receive USD via the ACH network. The conversion rate was the mid-market rate plus 0.4%, which is competitive against most UK high street banks.
The Starling usd account was ACH-only. It could not send or receive SWIFT wire transfers or international payments outside the ACH network. Same-day ACH transfers were capped at $25,000 per day. Starling paused new applications for the product in April 2026. Anyone looking to open a Starling usd account for business today will find the application option is not available.
Starling paused new applications for its USD business account in April 2026. The Starling website now states it is not accepting new applications for US dollar business accounts. No timeline for reopening has been given. If you need to open a Starling usd account for your business today, you will need to use an alternative such as Wise.
Starling USD Account Fees
Understanding Starling usd account fees is still useful even if the account is closed to new applicants. The fee structure provides a clear benchmark against Wise and will be relevant again if Starling reopens applications.
Monthly Fee and Conversion Rate
The Starling usd account fees for business customers were: £5 per month charged to the Starling GBP business account, and a 0.4% conversion fee when switching between GBP and USD. On a £1,000 GBP-to-USD conversion, the conversion cost was £4. On £5,000, it was £20. There were no per-transaction fees for ACH payments and no Starling fees for ATM withdrawals in USD.
Wise charges approximately 0.41% on GBP-to-USD conversions with no monthly fee. On the same £5,000 conversion, Wise costs roughly £20.50 versus the Starling usd account's £20 in conversion fees plus £5 in monthly fees. Over a year, the £60 in Starling usd account monthly fees makes Wise the cheaper option for any customer not converting very large sums each month.
What Starling Foreign Currency Accounts Do Not Support
No Starling foreign currency account supports SWIFT transfers for personal customers. The Starling dollar account for businesses only supported ACH payments. There is no Starling route for personal customers to hold USD, receive international transfers in USD, or obtain a US routing number at any tier.
Wise fills this gap completely. Personal and business customers get a real US routing number and account number, both ACH and SWIFT capability, USD holding across 40+ currencies, and a multi-currency debit card, all with no monthly fee. This is the core reason Wise is the most practical Starling usd account alternative.
The Best Starling USD Account Alternative: Wise
With the Starling usd account closed to new customers and no personal Starling usd account existing at any level, Wise is the clearest alternative. It addresses every limitation the Starling bank usd account had: open to personal customers, available to sole traders and limited companies alike, no pre-existing GBP account required, and it supports SWIFT alongside ACH.
Wise: Everything the Starling USD Account Does Not Provide
Wise gives UK residents a full multi-currency account with USD holding, a US routing number, and both ACH and SWIFT capability. There is no monthly fee, no minimum deposit, and no requirement to be a limited company. Opening takes under ten minutes and the account is available immediately on approval.
On Starling usd account fees vs Wise: the Starling usd account charged £5 per month plus 0.4% on conversion. Wise charges 0.41% on conversion with no monthly fee. For a customer converting £1,000 per month to USD, Wise saves £60 per year in monthly fees alone. The conversion fee difference of 0.01 percentage points is negligible on any realistic transfer volume.
Wise gives you everything the Starling usd account range does not: personal access, US routing details, SWIFT support, and mid-market rates, all with no monthly fee and no minimum deposit.
- No monthly fee: pay only a small conversion fee when you exchange
- Real US routing number and account number: receive ACH, US payroll, and SWIFT transfers
- Personal and business accounts: open to individuals, sole traders, and limited companies
- Mid-market exchange rate: no markup, conversion fee from 0.41%
- FCA regulated: UK-regulated, funds safeguarded under FCA rules
Starling vs Wise USD Account
The Starling vs Wise usd account comparison covers conversion costs, functionality, and access. On fees, both charge roughly 0.4% for GBP-to-USD conversions at the mid-market rate. The key differences are the Starling usd account monthly fee of £5 and the range of transfer types and customer types each supports.
Exchange Rates and Fees: Starling vs Wise
In any Starling vs Wise usd account comparison on cost, the monthly fee is decisive. Wise charges 0.41% on conversion with no monthly fee. The Starling usd account charged 0.4% plus £5 per month. On a £2,000 monthly conversion, both providers charge roughly £8 in conversion fees. But Starling adds £60 per year in monthly fees, bringing its annual total to roughly £156 versus Wise at approximately £98 on the same volume.
On functionality, the Starling vs Wise usd account comparison is straightforward. The Starling bank usd account was limited companies only, ACH only, and is now closed to new applicants. Wise is open to personal customers, sole traders, and limited companies, supports ACH and SWIFT, and accepts new sign-ups every day.
Which Is Better: Starling USD Account or Wise?
This Starling usd account review reaches a clear conclusion for new customers: Wise is the only option in this comparison you can actually open today. The Starling usd account for personal customers has never existed. The Starling bank usd account for businesses is not accepting applications. If you need a Starling usd account alternative right now, Wise is the straightforward answer.
For existing Starling business customers who already hold the usd account, it remains a solid tool for ACH-heavy USD workflows at low cost. The 0.4% conversion fee is fair and the ACH functionality is clean. But the Starling dollar account does not match Wise on personal access, SWIFT capability, or the ability to open one as a new customer. Wise is the more complete Starling usd account alternative.
Feature | Starling Euro Account | Starling USD Business | Wise |
|---|---|---|---|
Monthly fee | None | £5/month | None |
USD holding | No | Yes | Yes |
Currencies held | EUR only | USD (+ GBP) | 40+ |
ACH transfers | No | Yes | Yes |
SWIFT transfers | No | No | Yes |
US routing number | No | Yes | Yes |
Personal customers | No | No | Yes |
Regulator | FCA | FCA | FCA |
Open to new applicants | Yes | No (closed April 2026) | Yes |
FAQs: Starling USD Account
Does Starling offer a USD account?
Starling does not offer a USD account to personal customers or to new business applicants. The Starling euro account holds EUR only and has no USD functionality. The Starling USD business account for limited companies was closed to new applications in April 2026. Existing eligible Starling business customers retain access, but new customers cannot open one. For a USD account you can open today, Wise is the main alternative and is open to personal customers and businesses with no monthly fee.
Is the Starling USD business account open to new customers?
No. Starling paused new applications for its USD business account in April 2026. The Starling website states it is not accepting new applications, with no confirmed timeline for reopening. If you need a USD business account today, Wise is open to both sole traders and limited companies with no monthly fee and no pre-existing account required.
What are the Starling USD account fees?
For existing Starling USD business account holders, the fees are: £5 per month deducted from the Starling GBP business account, and a 0.4% conversion fee when switching between GBP and USD. There are no per-transaction fees for ACH payments. The Starling euro account (personal) has no monthly fee and the same 0.4% conversion fee, but holds EUR only. Wise charges 0.41% on GBP-to-USD conversions with no monthly fee.
Can I open a Starling USD account as a personal customer?
No. There is no Starling USD account for personal customers at any tier. The only foreign currency account Starling offers to personal customers is the euro account, which holds EUR only. If you need a USD account as a personal customer, Wise is the main alternative: it provides USD holding, a US routing number for ACH transfers, SWIFT support, and a multi-currency debit card with no monthly fee or minimum deposit.
Does the Starling USD account support ACH transfers?
The Starling USD business account supported ACH transfers only, with no SWIFT or wire transfer capability. You could send and receive USD payments via the ACH network to US account numbers with an ACH routing number. Same-day ACH transfers were possible up to $25,000. SWIFT payments, wire transfers, and cheques were not supported on the Starling usd account. The account is not currently open to new applicants.
Does Starling have a foreign currency account?
Yes. Starling offers a foreign currency account for personal customers in the form of the euro account, which holds EUR only. For businesses, Starling previously offered a Starling usd account, but new applications are closed as of April 2026. There is no personal Starling us dollar account, and the Starling international account range does not include USD for individuals.
Starling vs Wise USD account: which is cheaper?
On conversion fees, both charge approximately 0.4% with no exchange rate markup. The key difference is the Starling usd account monthly fee of £5, which Wise does not charge. On £2,000 in monthly GBP-to-USD conversions, both providers charge around £8 in conversion fees, but Starling adds £60 per year in monthly fees. That makes Wise cheaper for any regular converter. Wise is also open to new customers; the Starling USD account is not.
What is the best alternative to the Starling USD account?
Wise is the most direct alternative to the Starling usd account. It provides USD holding, a real US routing number for ACH and payroll receipt, SWIFT capability, a multi-currency debit card, and a 0.41% conversion fee with no monthly charge. Unlike the Starling usd account, Wise is open to personal customers, sole traders, and limited companies with no minimum deposit. You can open a Wise account in under ten minutes.
Can a sole trader open a Starling USD account?
No. The Starling USD business account was only available to limited companies with an existing Starling GBP business account. Sole traders were excluded at all times, even when applications were open. The Starling euro account is available to personal customers including sole traders, but holds EUR only. If you are a sole trader who needs a USD account, Wise accepts sole traders and provides full USD functionality with no monthly fee.
The Starling usd account range leaves two clear gaps: no personal product at all, and a business product that is closed to new applicants. For anyone who needs a USD account today, Wise is the more accessible, more flexible, and often cheaper option. Open to personal and business customers alike, with no minimum deposit and a conversion fee from 0.41%, it covers everything the Starling bank usd account range does not.
Mohammad Humaid
Verified AuthorMo is the founder of MoneyTransferStore. As an expat who has experienced the challenges of sending money across borders himself, he set out to help others like him avoid hidden fees and unfair exchange rates on international transfers. With a background spanning fintech, payments, and Web3, Mo brings years of practical experience to building a platform focused on transparency and trust.
