Chase vs Starling: Fees, withdrawal limits and more

If you’re looking to open a bank account and explore modern banking services, Starling Bank and Chase are two digital banks worth considering. Both let you manage your money entirely from your phone, offering convenience and control on the go.

In this guide, we’ll compare Starling Bank and Chase, two popular options for managing your finances. Starling is a UK digital bank offering personal and business accounts, along with additional features such as overdrafts and loans. Chase is an award-winning bank providing current and savings accounts, which can be managed online and in-app.

But which is the best option for you? Read on for a full review of Starling vs. Chase comparison of fees, exchange rates, supported currencies, money transfers, cards and more.

We’ll also introduce Wise as a non-bank alternative, with handy multi-currency features, transparent fees and the mid-market rate.

Starling vs. Chase: An overview

Let’s start with a brief overview of Starling vs. Chase through their main fees and features.

Starling Bank vs. Chase - Accounts

Starling Bank and Chase do have some overlapping products, but Starling has a broader range of account types and services, plus business options.

With Starling, you can open both personal and business accounts. Besides their standard personal account, there are also joint accounts, teen accounts and euro accounts. Everything is managed through the app, which gives you access to handy features such as Round Ups, Nearby Payments and Spaces.¹⁰

Chase offers current and savings accounts, allowing you to open 20 in total. With the Chase current account, you get 1% cashback on essential expenses such as groceries and fuel in the first year. There’s also a round-up feature, where your change gets transferred to a separate account which gives you 5% AER (4.89% gross) interest.¹⁴

An alternative to both providers could be a Wise account, send and receive money both domestically and internationally and convert between currencies. You can also spend with the linked Wise card in 150+ countries, either online or in-person, and manage everything through the Wise app.

Do Starling and Chase have subscription fees

Neither Starling¹ nor Chase¹⁰ charge any account opening or subscription fees.

Chase Bank vs. Starling - Money transfer

With a Starling Bank GBP account, you can transfer money to 34 countries in 17 currencies, including US dollar, rand and zloty. You can choose between SWIFT payments and low-cost payments and complete them online or with your phone.⁴

Chase, however, does not allow international payments into or out of either its current or savings account.¹⁰

Transfer fees

There are no fees for transfers within the UK with Starling, except for CHAPS payments, which have a £20 fee.¹ There’s a 0.4% international transfer charge, as well as a delivery fee that varies based on the transfer type. SWIFT payments are charged £5.50, while low-cost payments have a £0.30 delivery fee.⁴

Chase doesn’t charge fees for sending money within the UK, while international money transfer isn’t available.¹⁰

Exchange rates

Both Chase¹¹ and Starling² use the Mastercard exchange rate for currency conversion.

Large transfers

If you need to send larger amounts of money, having a bank with high transfer limits can make things easier. These limits differ from one bank to another, including at Chase and Starling.

At Starling, you can send large transfers up to £1,000,000 out of your account. This limit applies to Faster payments, but it’s possible to go over it by using CHAPS payments. Starling also has international transfer limits, but you’ll need to contact customer support in-app to get that information.³

Chase’s transfer limit is £25,000 a day. This can be increased up to £200,000 in-app, while transfers over this amount require assistance from Chase’s support team.¹²

It’s worth noting that although Wise limits vary depending on currencies, routes and chosen payment, if you’re sending from the UK this limit is £1,000,000. And if you’re sending GBP, you can send up to £20,000,000 per transfer. Wise also offer support in the form of their dedicated large transfer team and there are discounted rates when transferring over £20,000.

Quick comparison - fees

Since Chase doesn’t currently support international transfers, let’s compare the transfer fees of Starling and Wise. This will give you a clearer idea of how exchange rates and fees can affect the total cost of sending money abroad.

Note: Above fees and rates correct for SWIFT transfer of 2000 GBP to EUR as of 23 May 2025

Check out our live conversion comparison below. If your transfer with Starling is cheaper, which can sometimes happen, we’ll always let you know.

Currencies

Starling is available in 34 countries and it supports transfers in 17 currencies.⁴

Chase doesn’t support international transfers at the time of writing, but you can still use their debit card for paying abroad. Your pounds will be converted using the Mastercard exchange rate.¹¹

Chase vs. Starling: Transfer times

Starling transfers normally arrive in up to two hours, but banks can hold a payment for 4 days.⁵

Chase transfers arrive in minutes, but they can take up to 2 hours if the banks needs more time reviewing it.¹³

Chase Bank vs. Starling - Card fees

Starling doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees or ATM fees when you use their debit card abroad.⁶ However, since they use the Mastercard exchange rate, there could still be some extra costs from currency conversions.²

The same applies to the Chase debit card, since there are no ATM or foreign transaction fees. Chase also won’t charge you for issuing a replacement card if you ever need one.¹⁰ Again, the Mastercard exchange rate could result in additional expenses.¹¹

An alternative to the above is the Wise card. It lets you spend worldwide in 150+ countries and always uses the mid-market exchange rate. It’s available for a one-time fee of £7 and you can use it in digital form as well.

ATM withdrawals and limits

With Starling’s debit card, you can withdraw £300 daily, with up to six withdrawals allowed per day.¹⁷ There are no ATM fees, whether you’re in the UK or overseas.¹

Chase’s debit card can also be used at ATMs with no charges from the bank.¹⁰ The daily withdrawal limit is higher at £500, but there’s a £1,500 monthly limit for withdrawals abroad.¹²

Starling Bank vs. Chase - Security

Starling keeps your account secure by confirming the identity of all applicants and monitoring transactions 24/7. They also use multi-factor authentication and Confirmation of Payee for another layer of protection.⁹

Chase offers protection as part of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). With this, eligible deposits up to £85,000 are protected.¹⁵

So which is best for you - Chase or Starling?

Choosing between Chase Bank vs. Starling comes down to your needs and preferences. That said, Starling currently offers a broader range of features.

With Starling, you can send and receive money securely, make international transfers and even open an account for your children. It also provides higher limits for large transfers.

Of course, it’s important to compare with other providers to work out the best one for you. For instance, if you’re looking for an international debit card and a multi-currency account, Wise could be a great fit.

Sources used:

1. Starling Bank - personal account fees
2. Starling Bank - currency converter
3. Starling Help - large amount transfer limit
4. Starling Bank - international money transfer
5. Starling Help - transfer times
6. Starling Bank - travel money card
7. Starling Bank - virtual cards
8. Starling Bank - Starling Kite
9. Starling Bank - fraud prevention
10. Chase - fees
11. Chase - travelling with Chase
12. Chase - payment and spending limits
13. Chase - pending payments
14. Chase - current account
15. Chase - FSCS protection
16. Wise - compare Starling vs. Wise
17. Starling Help - ATM limits

Sources last checked on date: 23-May-2025