Zempler Bank business account review – The best startup business bank account?

It’s been a while since we last reviewed the Zempler Bank Business Account. A lot has changed since then.

The account has always been one of our top picks for those with a poor credit history because it doesn’t require a credit check to open. And it still is, but now that is has been granted a banking licence, and developed into a solid business bank in its own right, we felt it was only prudent to take another look at what the Zempler business account has to offer.

What is Zempler Bank?

Formerly Cashplus, Zempler Bank is a business bank account, aimed at small to medium sized businesses, startups, freelancers, contractors, or anyone conducting day to business banking activities.

The account is managed via the Zempler Bank App and is fully regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Whilst the bank does offer some limited credit facilities there are no credit checks when applying for the account.

Zempler Business account key features:

• Quick online account setup (account numbers issued in minutes)
• No credit checks on the standard business account
• FSCS protection on deposits (up to £85,000)
• A suite of digital tools including integrated accounting, real‑time spending insights, and a user-friendly app
• Ability to use Post Office for ‘in-branch’ transactions

A little history

Zempler Bank (APS Limited) is one of the UK’s oldest fintech companies. Founded in 2005 it is the market leader in prepay cards, with clients ranging from government departments, councils, small businesses, and sole traders. The company has issued well over a million Zempler Mastercards, processed over £8bn worth of payments, and holds over £200m of deposits.

In 2021 it was granted a banking licence allowing it to position itself as more sustainable competitor to a number of recent banking start-ups, whilst providing lending and current accounts to small and growing business who are traditionally underserved on the high street.

Account types and fees

Zempler offers three tiered business account options to suit different transaction volumes and business needs:

All fees listed are subject to change—always confirm on the Zempler website before applying.

Business Go (Free Tier)

• Monthly Fee: £0
• Free Transactions: 3 outbound payments per month
• Additional Transaction Fee: 30p per payment beyond free allowance
• ATM Withdrawals: £2 in the UK; £3 abroad
• Card Fee: A one‑off fee of £9.99 for the debit Mastercard
• Cash Deposits: Charged at 0.5% (minimum £3 per transaction; up to a daily cap of £5,000)
• International Payments: Inbound transfers only with a flat fee of £15 per transaction
• Ideal For: Freelancers, side‑hustles, or startups with low transaction volumes

Zemlper Business Go is a new ‘free’ tier aimed at business startups and sole traders. There’s no sign-up fee, and no monthly or annual costs. Instead, you pay a one off £9.99 fee for the Mastercard debit card, and then 30p for each transaction.

Even then you get three transactions a month for free, and direct debits are always free anyway. This is a low cost low barrier entry to business banking, that rivals the likes of Tide, for small business, side-hustles and freelancers, and is truly one of the easiest and quickest accounts to open.

Business Extra (£9/month)

• Monthly Fee: £9
• Free Transactions: 20 outbound payments per month
• ATM Withdrawals: Free (both in the UK and abroad)
• Cash Deposits: Same fee structure as Business Go
• Card Fee: No fee for the first debit card
• Additional Perks: 0.5% cashback on eligible card spending (up to £1,000/month) and access to a credit builder facility
• Ideal For: Businesses with moderate transaction volumes seeking extra benefits

Zempler Business Extra. It costs £9 a month (but there’s no card ordering fee), and comes with 10 free transactions a month. It also has higher account limits, and has a credit builder facility available to help improve your credit rating.

This compares well against highstreet options. For example the Santander 123 Business Account is £12.50, or Barclay’s cheapest business account at £8 a month.

For all accounts, direct debits and UK purchases and incoming bank transfers are always free. There is a £2 charge for withdrawing cash from and ATMs (£1 for Extra) and a 0.3% fee for paying in cash via the Post Office.

All of these fees are of course allowable business expenses and be deducted when calculating your taxable profit.

Business Pro (£19/month)

• Monthly Fee: £19
• Free Transactions: Unlimited outbound payments
• ATM Withdrawals: Free worldwide
• Cash Deposits: Standard fee applies
• Additional Perks: 1% cashback on card spending (up to £1,000/month) plus advanced features such as enhanced spending limits
• Ideal For: Businesses with high transaction volumes and a preference for cashback rewards

The traditional Zempler Business Account still exists with an annual fee of £69 (first year is refunded), but this gets you 1% cashback on all business expenditure, making it ideal for businesses with a large cost base.

You can earn up to £12,000 a year in cashback though that would require some serious expenditure. Still, if your business is just starting out, and you know you are going to be buying a lot of new equipment, ordering stock upfront, or fitting out a new office, then this cashback account could save you a decent chunk of cash, and could be worth it on that basis alone.

Who can apply?

The Zempler business account is suitable for wide range of businesses, from freelancers, sole traders, to limited companies, charities, and even partnerships.

The good news is that this account doesn’t require a credit check, meaning it’s suitable for those with little or no credit history, or those with previous defaults, county court judgements, or IVAs. All you need to do is be able to prove your identity and address.

For business applications, we’ll need to verify that your business is based in the UK. Limited companies will also be required to confirm the date of birth and home address of any Persons of Significant Control (PSCs).

The decision is instant, so all being well, you could have a new account set up in your business name, with account number and sort code in a few minutes after applying, and your Mastercard in your hand within three business days. Compare that with 14-21 days for TSB, and you can see why it’s our top recommendation for those needing an account in a hurry.

Apply for the Zempler Bank Business Account here.

Overdraft, credit, and credit builder options

Unlike many digital-only banks, Zempler offers modest credit facilities to help fledging businesses build up a credit history.

Overdraft Facility: Available up to £2,000 (by invitation only, after holding an account for three months). The first £5 is interest-free; rates and fees vary thereafter.

Credit Builder: For Business Extra customers, timely payment of the monthly fee is reported to credit reference agencies, which can help improve your business’s credit profile over time.

A note on international payments

Zempler accounts come with a UK sort code and account number, but the international payments service is provided by Natwest. As such, international payments would go to Zempler’s Natwest account, and Zempler would then use the payment reference to transfer the money to your business’ Zempler account. Only payments from EEA and other select countries such as US are accepted.

It’s a bit complicated at present and may change in the near future, but the service is there is you need to use it, which isn’t the case with many of the new digital challengers.

Unfortunately this service does come at a price. There is a £15 flat fee for international transfers. As such we’d recommend only using it sparingly.

If you need to regularly send international payments, then you’d be better served by a Wise or Revolut account to run alongside your Zempler account.

Other services

Business credit

Unlike most other business challenger accounts, Zempler can offer support to its business customers in terms of loans, cash advances and overdrafts up to £2000 if required. These are set against business earnings and paid back through deposits on the account.

Business expense cards

Up to 20 additional cards can be added to your business account. These are useful for employee expenditure whether in day-to-day activities, or when on road such as exhibitions etc… The expense cards are manged within the app/online banking and can be turned on or off as needed.

Foreign currency cards

Whilst customers can use their regular Zempler Mastercard for spending abroad is does come with some hefty fees when used outside the UK. To combat that Cashplus offers free foreign currency travel cards in euros and dollars.

The foreign currency cards offer fee free withdrawals and purchases abroad, and linked to your main Cashplus account. Any left over currency can be transferred back to your GBP account via the app or online banking.

Zempler business credit card

Zempler also offers a business credit card that can be used to pay suppliers and for other business services. Typically business suppliers would invoice their client and then expect payment via bank transfer. Very few accept credit cards. The Zempler business credit card gets around this by coming with a sort code and account number allowing it to be used as a credit account. This is particularly useful for new business who haven’t yet built up a line of credit with their suppliers.

Zempler business savings account

With interest rates on the raise, some businesses may be looking for a return on their retained earnings. And while Zempler doesn’t offer a savings account directly, it has recognised the need to offer more savings options. As such it has teamed up with Aldermore Bank to offer its business account customers an Easy Access Savings Account.

The minimum deposit is £1,000, with interest rates at 2.15% AER for the Easy Access Savings account, and 3% AER for the Fixed saver. These compare well the best business savings accounts out there, and could be subject increase in the future, to take into account the Bank of England’s recent rate hikes.

What is the Zempler app like?

App based banking is where digital accounts such as Zempler excel. Afterall the app is a replacement of the traditional branch and your main interaction with the bank.

The Zempler bank app features a clean modern interface, and has all of the features you’d expect from a digital banking app. Payment management and scheduling, direct debit reminders, card management and restrictions, and record keeping.

It also includes instant payment notifications (something most traditional banks still don’t offer), as well as spending insights and tracking.

Security and protection – Is Zempler safe?

Zempler became a fully registered bank in 2021. As such any funds deposited in your Zempler account benefit form full FSCS protection up to £85,000. Additionally, the account has 24-hour fraud monitoring and centralised system for managing and monitoring additional employee and business expense cards.

Zempler contact and support

In the retail sector customer support is usually one of the key areas that sets digital banks apart from their traditional high street competition. Zempler predates Neo digital banks and customer support was mixed to say the least. It has begun to turn that around though and currently carries a rating of 4/5 on Trust Pilot.

While most digital banks only offer support via in-app chat. Zempler has a real customer support phone number (0330 024 0924) with UK support staff manned from 8am-8pm on weekdays, and Saturday from 8am to 4pm.

What do users think? – Zempler business user reviews

The Zempler Business Account has generally received good reviews from customers, with some praising its ease of use and low fees, though a few have reported issues with customer service in the past and technical difficulties.

Zempler business account reviews on Trustpilot

On Trustpilot, Zempler has a rating of 4.0 out of 5 based on over 7,800 reviews. With 53% of reviewers rating it as ‘5-star’. Positive reviews praise the account’s simplicity, low fees, and ease of use, while negative reviews cite issues with customer service and technical difficulties.

On the Apple Store, the Zempler app has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 from over 35,000 reviews. Positive reviews praise the app’s ease of use and convenience, while negative reviews cite issues with account access and technical difficulties.

It’s important to note that reviews and ratings can vary widely depending on individual experiences, and it’s always a good idea to do your own research and read multiple reviews before making a decision.

Is the Zempler business account any good?

The Zempler business account is a safe and reliable option for businesses, and can be extremely cost effective depending on how you use it.

Businesses receiving online payments, and paying bills via direct debit or Mastercard, will avoid most charges, making the account one of the cheapest around. In fact, the Business Go account which comes with free direct debits, and three-free transactions is cheaper than Tide.

For those that need to handle cash, or regularly send and receive international payments it can start to get expensive.

The features of the account are up there with the top accounts and it’s far quicker to set-up than a traditional business bank account. Its track record and history also gives it an advantage over many newer start-ups.

Freelancers using Upwork will appreciate that Zempler is the so far the only digital bank that works with direct withdrawals from the platform.

Overall, Zempler provides SMEs with the financial services they need to run and grow their businesses, while offering the convenience and flexibility of a digital-only platform, but crucially with telephone customer support if needed.

Zempler is a great choice for business banking. Click here to Open Your Zempler Account