Mettle business bank account review UK

Mettle brings the average domestic UK-based SME’s dreams of a cost-effective and user-friendly business bank account to life.

It’s a great option for anyone looking to open a business bank account for a UK-based small business, without the fees that accompany traditional business bank accounts. In this article, we share a detailed overview of the Mettle business bank account, including its features, limitations, and reviews.

And while you're here, if you're seeking a multicurrency account that supports international payments at mid-market rates, check out Wise Business.

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Mettle UK - quick overview

Mettle is a free business bank account built by NatWest to serve UK-based sole proprietors and small limited liability companies with no more than two owners¹.

NatWest wanted to do more to help underserved SMEs², so they built Mettle, a neobank, to provide a free business bank account for domestic UK SMEs and to meet up with changing customer expectations of digital and mobile banking services.

Mettle offers a free business bank account, conditional access to free invoicing and bookkeeping services, Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) coverage, automated reconciliation and money pots for savings.

Feature	Description
Trustpilot score	4.6 (5,000+ reviews)³
Number of currencies supported	GBP only
Number of countries to send payments	UK only⁴
Number of countries to receive payments	UK only⁴
Number of countries to spend with card	You can spend internationally with a Mettle debit card almost anywhere, with the exception of a few countries⁵
Free account	Yes⁶
Transaction fees	No⁶
Account management	Online, App only
Payment type	Faster Payments⁶
International payments	No⁴
ATM withdrawals	Yes⁵
Cash deposit	Yes⁷
Multi-user account	No¹

Mettle key features

Mettle has a lot of helpful and practical solutions, including its Mettle pots, customizable invoice templates, a tax calculator (supported by FreeAgent) and a Free FreeAgent account.

Mettle Pots

Mettle business bank accounts let you create Savings and Regular Pots to store up money in different sub-accounts.

• Savings Pot: Mettle’s Savings Pots lets you earn interest on savings at 1.06% Annual Equivalent Rate (AER) / 1.05% Gross per annum (variable)¹¹ (correct as of 29-07-25). The interest rate fluctuates depending on shifts in the savings market. This interest is calculated daily and paid monthly on funds as low as £10 but is only available for Savings Pots¹¹. Mettle allows users to save up to £1 million in their savings pots, but they can have only one savings pot.¹¹

• Regular Pot: You can set aside up to £100,000 in a Mettle Regular Pot.¹² Though these attract no interest, you can save for important lump sum financial obligations like taxes, insurance and payroll with up to 30 different Regular Pots.¹² You can automatically transfer a set percentage of your earnings at scheduled times till it reaches your savings goals.

Customizable invoice templates:

Mettle lets you track the status of your receivables, match incoming payments to invoices, reconcile several payments to a single invoice and multiple payments to one invoice.¹³ This saves you the time and effort you'd have spent on manual cash application and reconciliation.

Tax payment solutions:

The UK Government's MTD for Income Tax Self Assessment requires self-employed individuals and landlords with business or property above £50,000 to maintain digital records and send quarterly reports to the HMRC starting from April 2026. This threshold will be lowered to £30,000 by April 2027.¹⁴ Mettle’s Tax-friendly features help you stay compliant by enabling you to:

• Access FreeAgent, an MTD compliant accounting app¹⁵

• Save images of receipts within the app.¹⁶

• Keep tabs on tax timelines¹⁷

• Maintain a real-time record of how much tax you owe the government using FreeAgent¹⁷

• Automatically group revenue and expenses and predict your tax position¹⁶

• Automate tax preparation by scheduling and saving towards paying taxes¹⁶

  Note - to get accurate tax calculation and tax timelines, you'll have to link your Mettle account to your FreeAgent account.¹⁶

Conditional Free FreeAgent Access:

If you carry out a minimum of one transaction monthly, you can enjoy FreeAgent without cost (saving £150 annually). However, you may incur FreeAgent’s fees if you close your Mettle account or do not transact with it monthly.¹⁸

Corporate debit card:

Mettle offers a debit card that supports cash withdrawals across most countries worldwide with a £10,000 daily payment limit.⁷ You can get your debit card within 1 week of opening a Mettle account.¹⁹

FSCS protection

Up to £85,000 (eligible deposits) are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.¹

Mettle+:

Mettle offers an optional paid add-on called Mettle+ that enables Mettle users to create quotes and convert them to invoices with tailored messaging templates at £4 monthly.²⁰

💡 Explore Mettle vs Tide Business

Mettle account limits

Though Mettle ticks a lot of boxes for small UK-based businesses, it has some obvious limitations.

• 2.1 million account balance threshold: You can hold up to £2.1 million in total in your Mettle main balance and savings pot. This includes:
  • 1 million in your Mettle main account balance
  • An additional £1 million in your Savings Pot
  • £100,000 across all your Regular Pots.⁷
• Large enterprises and partnerships are ineligible: Mettle business accounts are only available to sole proprietors and small companies with not more than two directors.¹ It also lacks multi-user access, meaning that only one director from a small company can own and control a Mettle business bank account. Additionally, it doesn't support partnerships where multiple sole proprietors do business together.
• No global or multi-currency transactions: Mettle does support international. So it's unsuitable for businesses with a global customer base.
• No lending or credit cards: Mettle doesn't offer lending²², credit cards²³ or overderafts²⁴. You can only spend what you earn.

It's best suited for sole traders who don't need credit, are heavy cash-based transactions, have large account balances (£2,100,000+) or have an international client base. Mettle isn't suitable for Trusts, publicly traded companies²¹, international companies, cash-heavy businesses, and enterprises.

Mettle fees

Mettle business accounts are free to set up and have no transaction or monthly fees. This means better margins for your small business and improved profits. They do have some paid add-ons like Mettle+, which automatically converts quotes to invoices for £4 monthly.²⁰

Mettle is best for domestic UK businesses since they don’t offer international payments.

💡 Read more about Mettle Business: International Payments

Mettle customer service

You can contact Mettle’s customer service using the in-app chat on their IOS or Android devices. You can also call support using Mettle’s phone number: 0800 069 8380 or email Mettle at support@mettle.co.uk.²⁵

Many customers have commended Mettle’s customer service, but there are a few complaints of poor, delayed responses from Mettle and blocked user accounts with no explanation.²⁶

Mettle customer reviews

Customers rave about Mettle's user-friendly app, prompt customer support, practical features and affordability. It has gained a reputation for supporting UK SMEs with a great accounting tool that's accessible on mobile and the web. On the flip side, some customers complained of blocked accounts, delayed payment processing and poor customer service.

Here's a detailed review of Mettle, including its main features, shortcomings, fees and customer service. Let’s begin with some reviews from Mettle's customers:

“For someone who has just started self-employment - Mettle has been a great tool to manage my professional finances in a clear and user-friendly way.”⁸

• Ruth Vlismas (10 July 2025)

“Opening my Mettle account was fast and painless. No monthly fees, helpful in‑app invoicing, and quick support when I had a query. Recommend for freelancers & small businesses.”⁹

• Daniel Silva (17 July 2025)

“Mettle is a generally a good business banking app, especially when linked to FreeAgent accounting software. However, it has 1 major drawback at the moment. It doesn't handle International payments.”¹⁰

• Neville (13 June 2025)

Wise - a global and affordable alternative to Mettle

Mettle is a great option for UK-based sole proprietorships and small limited liability companies. But as your business grows and broadens its customer base beyond the UK you might feel its limitations.

Wise Business offers global payments at transparent real mid-market rates. You can make payments across most countries and scale your business without fear. It’s quick and easy to open online, and gives you a powerful platform for sending, receiving and managing your business finances in over 40+ currencies.

Need a solution for expenses? You can get Wise Business expense cards for each team member who needs one. They work in 150+ countries, and charges no foreign currency transaction fees. There’s even 0.5% cashback on spending.

You can also link your Wise Business account with your favourite accounting tools, such as Xero or Quickbooks. This makes keeping track of your company’s finances a breeze.

Get started with
Wise Business 🚀

FAQs - Mettle business banking review

How long does a Mettle transfer take?

The processing time for Mettle varies based on the type of transfer you made. Each payment type has a different processing time so you can expect the money you sent to reach your recipient.

An overview:

• Faster Payments - Up to two hours
• Bankers' Automated Clearing Services(BACS) - Three business days
• Clearing House Automated Payment System (CHAPS) - Same day, if sent before cut-off time, which is usually between 4 pm - 5pm.²⁷

Is Mettle safe?

Yes, Mettle is safe to use for managing your business finances. Mettle is owned by NatWest, one of the largest banks in the UK. As a result, your funds are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) for up to £85,000 per account. NatWest, the parent company, is also regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Who is eligible?

• Sole proprietors and limited liability companies with up to two directors. Only one director can open an account.
• Business must be registered and trading in the UK
• All owners must be UK tax residents (not US persons)
• You must be at least 18 years old
  Have a UK mobile phone number
• Use a phone with iOS 15+ or Android 9.0+
• Keep account balance under £1 million
• Not operate in restricted industries (e.g. gambling, crypto, adult content, defence)
• Not be a partnership, charity, CIC, LLP, PLC, or trust

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Sources

1. Home - Mettle
2. How Capco Launches a new business for natwest: Mettle - Capco
3. Mettle Customer Service Reviews - Trustpilot
4. Can I make an international payment? - Mettle FAQs
5. Can I use my card abroad - Intercom Help: Mettle FAQs
6. Mettle mobile account - Natwest
7. Partners - Mettle
8. Ruth Vlismas - Trustpilot
9. Daniel Silva - Trustpilot
10. Neville - Trustpilot
11. Savings pot - Mettle
12. Pots - Mettle
13. Get paid faster - Mettle
14. Find out if and when you need to use Making Tax Digital - GOV.UK
15. Making tax digital - Mettle
16. Be tax confident - Mettle
17. Tax calculation - Mettle
18. Freeagent - Mettle
19. Information about our Business Current Account Services - Mettle
20. Mettle Plus - Mettle
21. Eligibility - Mettle
22. Does Mettle offer lending? - Mettle FAQs
23. Do you offer credit cards? - Mettle FAQs
24. Can I get an overdraft? - Mettle FAQs
25. Contact us - Mettle
26. H Akbar - Trustpilot
27. What should I do if I’m missing a payment to my bank account? - Mettle

Sources last checked: 29-07-25