Tide business account review
What Tide is, what it costs, and how the business account, Mastercard and Instant Saver actually work — plus the £200 you can claim on the way in.
Tide referral code
Enter NEW200 when Tide asks for a referral or promo code during sign-up — or just use our link and it is applied for you.
T&Cs apply. New Tide business accounts only. We may earn a reward.
Our verdict on Tide
Excellent for digital-first small businesses: free to run, open in minutes, strong savings rate and the biggest welcome reward on the market. Marked down for cash handling costs and the five-transfer limit on the free plan.
The basics
What is Tide?
Tide is a UK business financial platform trusted by over 2 million sole traders, freelancers and limited companies worldwide. It provides a business current account, a Mastercard, invoicing, expense management, savings and access to credit — all from a mobile app, with no branches.
Tide is a platform — your account is powered by ClearBank
Tide itself is not a licensed bank, but Tide Business Current Accounts are Powered by ClearBank, a UK bank. That means eligible balances are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £120,000 — the same scheme that covers a high street business account.
Plans
What each plan costs
Free
£0/mo5 free bank transfers a month then 20p each, UK card payments free, 3 invoices a month, chat support and Instant Saver at up to 2.27% AER.
Smart
£12.49/mo30 free transfers a month, 0% FX fees, one expense card seat, one extra business account, Xero connector, prioritised chat and phone support.
Pro
£27.49/moUnlimited transfers, two expense card seats, two extra accounts, Tide Accounting included and Instant Saver at up to 3.29% AER.
Max
£69.99/mo0.5% cashback on card purchases, three expense card seats, payroll software included, Credit Score Insights and the top Instant Saver rate.
Fees
Tide fees in full
| Monthly account fee (Free plan) | £0 |
| Bank transfers (Free plan) | 5 free a month, then 20p each |
| Tide Mastercard — UK card payments | Free |
| Foreign currency card payments (Free plan) | 2.75% FX fee |
| ATM withdrawal | £1 |
| Cash deposit at the Post Office (Free plan) | 0.99%, minimum £2.50 |
| Cash deposit at PayPoint | 3% |
| Digital cheque deposit | 70p + 20p transfer fee |
| CHAPS transfer (Free plan) | £15 each |
| Expense card seat (Free plan) | £5 per month each |
| Payroll software | £12 + VAT a month |
Fees are indicative and set by Tide; confirm the current schedule on Tide's own site.
What you get
£0 monthly fee on the Free plan
No monthly account charge, no minimum balance and no charge for standard electronic payments in or out.
Instant Saver built in
Spare cash earns interest with instant access — and it is the same account that unlocks the £125 element.
Invoicing inside the app
Create, send and chase invoices, and match incoming payments to them automatically.
Accounting integrations
Connects to Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and FreeAgent so your bookkeeping stays current.
Expense cards for your team
Issue additional Mastercards with individual spending limits and per-card reporting.
Open in minutes, not weeks
No branch visit, no appointment, no credit check to open the account.
Instant Saver
The savings account
Tide Instant Saver sits alongside your current account. You move money in and out instantly through the app, interest is calculated daily and paid monthly, and there is no notice period or withdrawal penalty. It is also the account that unlocks the £125 element of the NEW200 offer: deposit £5,000 within 7 days of opening and leave it for one full month.
The verdict
Pros and cons
Pros
- +No monthly fee and no minimum balance on the Free plan
- +Account opens in minutes, entirely in the app
- +Up to £200 welcome cashback through the NEW200 referral
- +Balances powered by ClearBank, FSCS-protected up to £120,000
- +Instant Saver pays up to 4% AER (variable) for your first 4 months
- +24/7 in-app chat support, 365 days a year
- +Invoicing, expense cards and accounting sync built in
- +Cash deposits possible at Post Office and PayPoint
Cons
- –Only 5 free bank transfers a month on the Free plan, then 20p each
- –PayPoint cash deposits cost 3% of the amount paid in
- –2.75% FX fee on foreign currency card payments unless you pay for a plan
- –No branches, and cheques can only be deposited digitally
- –Phone support and 0% FX fees sit behind the paid plans
- –Only 3 free invoices a month until the £69.99 Max plan
Fit
Who Tide suits
Best for
Sole traders, freelancers, contractors and small limited companies that bank digitally and want the account open the same day.
Good for
Businesses that invoice regularly, need expense cards for a small team, or want spare cash earning interest with instant access.
Less suited to
Cash-heavy businesses, anyone needing branch service or a cheque book, and firms holding well over £120,000 in one place (the FSCS limit that applies to Tide balances via ClearBank).
Your money
Is Tide safe?
Who issues the account
Tide is a business financial platform rather than a licensed bank itself. Tide Business Current Accounts are powered by ClearBank, a UK bank authorised by the PRA and regulated by the FCA.
FSCS protection up to £120,000
Because accounts sit with ClearBank, eligible balances are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £120,000 — the current FSCS deposit limit.
Savings accounts
Tide Instant Saver and Tide Tax Saver sit alongside the current account and are covered on the same basis, with interest calculated daily.
Card and fraud protection
The Tide Mastercard can be frozen instantly in the app, and there is a dedicated fraud helpline on every plan alongside 24/7 in-app support.
In depth
What the Tide app actually does
Invoicing and payment matching
Build branded invoices in the app, send them by email, set automatic reminders, and let Tide match incoming payments to open invoices so your ledger reconciles itself.
Expense cards and limits
Issue extra Mastercards to staff with individual spending caps, freeze a card instantly, and require photo receipts against each transaction.
Automatic tax pots
Set a percentage of every incoming payment to be moved aside for VAT or corporation tax, so the money is separated before you spend it.
Accounting sync
Two-way connections to Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and FreeAgent push transactions and receipts across without CSV exports.
Cash handling
Pay cash in at over 11,500 Post Office branches or at PayPoint retailers — unusual for a digital-first provider.
Credit and card machines
Business loans, invoice finance and a card reader are all offered through Tide or its partners, assessed separately from the account itself.
By trade
Tide for your industry
Freelancers and contractors
A free account that separates business from personal money, with invoicing built in — the card spend half of the referral is easy to hit on software and travel.
Ecommerce sellers
Fast payment matching and accounting sync suit high transaction counts, though only 5 free transfers a month on the Free plan makes Smart or Pro worth costing out.
Trades and services
Post Office cash deposits and mobile invoicing from a van or site are the practical wins; expense card seats suit small crews.
Agencies and consultancies
Expense cards, additional business accounts and same-day payments handle retainer-based cash flow with reserves that can sit in Instant Saver.
Landlords and property companies
Deposit floats and rental reserves make the £5,000 savings half of the referral straightforward to complete.
Businesses handling heavy cash
Post Office deposits cost 0.99% (minimum £2.50) and PayPoint 3%, so a cash-intensive shop or takeaway should cost that up carefully.
Moving over
Switching to Tide without the mess
- 1
Open Tide alongside your current account
There is no need to close anything. Open through the referral link first so the reward is attached from day one.
- 2
Move your incoming payments
Update your invoice template and standing customer records with the new sort code and account number.
- 3
Rebuild your standing orders
Tide is not part of the Current Account Switch Service for every account type, so list your regular payments and recreate them manually.
- 4
Run both in parallel for a month
Keep the old account open until every direct debit has landed on the new one, then close it down.
Our scores
Tide rated area by area
Opening an account
9/10App-only sign-up, usually minutes for sole traders and same-day for most limited companies.
Day-to-day banking
8/10Fast payments, instant notifications, sub-accounts and card controls all work reliably in the app.
Pricing
7/10No monthly fee at all on the Free plan, but only 5 free transfers a month and a 2.75% FX fee push heavier users to Smart at £12.49.
Saving and interest
9/10Instant Saver pays up to 4% AER (variable) for your first 4 months with no notice period, and it unlocks the £125 half of the referral.
Customer support
7/1024/7 in-app chat and a fraud helpline on every plan; prioritised chat and phone support start on Smart.
Cash handling
5/10Post Office deposits cost 0.99% (minimum £2.50) and PayPoint 3%, and cheques can only be paid in digitally.
Opening an account
What the sign-up is actually like
- 1
Before you start
Have photo ID, your phone, your Companies House details if you are a limited company, and your trading address to hand.
- 2
Identity check
You photograph your ID and record a short selfie video. Most checks clear automatically within minutes.
- 3
Company verification
Tide pulls your details from Companies House. Directors with more than 25% ownership each need to be verified.
- 4
Account live
You receive a UK sort code and account number immediately, with the Mastercard posted within a few working days.
- 5
Common hold-ups
Mismatched addresses, expired ID, or trading in a restricted sector are the usual reasons an application stalls.
Limits
Payment and deposit limits
| Free bank transfers a month | Free 5 · Smart 30 · Pro and Max unlimited |
| Free CHAPS transfers | Free 0 · Smart 2 · Pro 2 · Max 5 (then £15 each) |
| Additional business current accounts | Free none · Smart 1 · Pro 2 · Max 3 |
| Expense card seats included | Free none · Smart 1 · Pro 2 · Max 3 |
| Free invoices a month | 3 on Free, Smart and Pro · unlimited on Max |
| Instant Saver rate after the intro period | Free 2.27% · Smart 2.78% · Pro 3.29% · Max 3.74% AER |
Limits vary by plan and account history; check the app for the limits on your own account.
Connections
Software Tide works with
Accounting software
Direct feeds into Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and FreeAgent, so bank lines reconcile without CSV exports.
Payment tools
Stripe, SumUp, GoCardless and PayPal payouts all settle into a Tide account like any other UK business account.
Open banking
You can link Tide to third-party budgeting and lending tools using open banking permissions you control in-app.
Bulk payments
Paid plans allow CSV bulk transfers, which saves time if you run payroll or pay a list of subcontractors.
Borrowing
Credit and finance through Tide
Business loans
Tide brokers loans from partner lenders rather than lending itself, with indicative offers shown in-app.
Invoice finance
Advance against unpaid invoices for businesses waiting on long payment terms.
Credit builder
Regular account behaviour feeds a credit profile that can improve later borrowing options.
Worth knowing
Rates and acceptance come from the lender, not Tide, so compare against your existing bank before committing.
Help
Customer support and complaints
24/7 in-app chat
The main support channel, open to every member 365 days a year, including the Free plan.
Prioritised chat and phone
Smart, Pro and Max members get prioritised chat and phone support; Max adds dedicated member support and weekend priority callbacks.
Fraud helpline
Every plan, including Free, has access to a dedicated fraud helpline if a payment or card looks wrong.
Legal helpline
Paid plans include a 24/7 legal helpline with trademark filing and disputes support.
Alternatives
How Tide compares
Starling Bank
A licensed bank with free cash deposits at the Post Office — better if you handle a lot of notes and coins.
Monzo Business
Strong app and a generous free tier, though its Pro features sit behind a monthly fee.
High-street banks
Branch access and cheque handling, but usually 12–18 months free then a monthly charge.
Where Tide wins
Speed of opening, invoicing built in, expense cards for a team, and the £200 welcome reward on the way in.
Full breakdown on the Tide vs Starling and Monzo page.
Tide questions
Answers
Is there a fee for opening a Tide account?
No. Opening a Tide Free business account costs nothing and there is no monthly fee on the Free plan. Transaction fees apply for cash deposits, withdrawals and transfers.
Does the £5,000 have to stay in the savings account?
Yes. The £5,000 must be deposited into Tide Instant Saver within 7 days of opening your account and remain there for one month for the £125 element to be paid.
Can I withdraw the money afterwards?
Yes. Tide Instant Saver allows instant access, so once the one-month holding period is complete you can withdraw your funds at any time.
Is the Tide bonus taxable?
Cashback received in a business capacity may count as business income. We are not tax advisers — speak to your accountant about how to record it.
Can existing Tide customers claim it?
No. The NEW200 offer is strictly for new business account members. Existing and previous account holders are excluded.
Is Tide a bank?
Tide itself is a business financial platform rather than a licensed bank, but Tide Business Current Accounts are powered by ClearBank, so eligible balances are protected by the FSCS up to £120,000.
How long does it take to open an account?
Most sole traders and simple limited companies are approved within minutes. You will need photo ID and your company details to hand.
Open a Tide account with £200 attached
Claim your £200 nowWeighing it up? Compare Tide with Starling and Monzo.