At the moment (March 2025), Zempler is not accepting new customers for personal current accounts. Zempler is still accepting business account applications though. If you’re looking for more information on current accounts, check out our guide to compare.
Zempler looks to provide customers with a quick and accessible alternative to traditional banks, using smartphone technology to deliver banking on demand. Its main focus is serving customers who have a poor credit score.
Zempler also offers credit cards (and you can read about them here), but this review only looks at its personal current accounts. (Zempler also operates business current accounts, which you can discover more on here).
A Zempler personal current account is digital-only, with all the services available through an app on your smartphone or directly online.
With Zempler, you get all the standard features of a current account: a card, bank payments, ATM withdrawals, direct debits, an overdraft option and so on.
However, Zempler’s main focus is helping people to improve their credit score, so it offers a “credit builder” feature – and that’s what really distinguishes it from other providers.
If you activate it on an Activeplus account, Zempler “lends” you your monthly current account fee, and then treats your monthly payments as loan repayments, which are then reported to the credit reference agencies. If you keep up with the payments, your credit score will improve.
The Zempler app is simple and straightforward, although not quite as feature-rich as you may expect from a digital-only account (no spending categories or budgeting features here, sorry).
The home screen includes:
There is also a drop-down menu where you can access:
You can also find FAQs, settings and access any messages through the dropdown menu.
Unlike many challengers, banking with Zempler doesn’t come for free. Fees and limits vary depending on the type of account.
Personal accounts come in two forms: Freedom and Activeplus.
For both accounts, there is a cost associated with receiving the accompanying card.
For all personal accounts, there is a cost associated with making a transaction abroad.
But Zempler also offers free prepaid currency cards in dollars and euros. The cards allow you to withdraw and spend money in Europe or America at no extra cost, and because they’re prepaid they also help you manage your budget.
Zempler takes security seriously and requires basic information alongside certified documents to register your account. Your account is kept behind a secure password and is locked if the wrong password is entered three times. Additionally, after 15 minutes of inactivity, you are logged out automatically.
Zempler is fully regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This means that money deposited in Zempler accounts is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £85,000.
Zempler has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 from over 54,800 reviews on the App Store, and over on Google Play it has an average score of 4.5 out of 5 from almost 26,000 Android app users (updated January 2025).
On Trustpilot, Zempler receives a mark of 3.7 out of 5, and a rating of Average, from over 11,000 feedback posts. Customer reviews on this platform are mixed, with some users praising the easy-to-use app and simple account set-up, while others highlight problems with making payments or logging into their accounts (updated January 2025).
It's quick and easy to apply for a personal or business account. As fast as 3 minutes in the app.
Go to the homepage for all your basic banking features. See your budget and make payments.
Once approved, you can use credit add-ons to build up your credit score.
Add news payees and set up faster payments.
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Zempler mostly focuses on helping people build up their credit score, and if you’re just looking for a digital-only current account, there certainly are cheaper options.
However, the credit builder feature may have something in it for you if you have a bad credit score and want to improve it. This could be particularly useful if you don’t want to take out a credit card or won’t be accepted for one. However, make sure you also have a look at our bad credit guide and compare your options first.
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