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Card & Current

GuideLast checked 8 November 2026

Mettle alternatives

A free business account from NatWest for sole traders and small limited companies, with invoicing and FreeAgent accounting included. If it doesn't fit, here are 31 accounts that share its market, starting with Incard, our pick for businesses whose main costs go on cards.

By the editorial team. How we make money. Our Mettle profile.

Why Incard is our pick instead of Mettle

  • Incard lists card cashback, which Mettle's pages don't
  • Incard lists a euro account, which Mettle's pages don't
  • Incard lists a US dollar account, which Mettle's pages don't
  • Incard lists cards for your team, which Mettle's pages don't
  • Incard lists accounts for LLPs, which Mettle's pages don't
  • Card cashback on Incard: Free: 1% on ads, software and travel, 0.5% on other eligible spend. Higher on Grow and Plus. Uncapped. Mettle: Not listed

cashback a year on Incard's £0 Free plan from £5,000 a month of eligible ads, software and travel spend. Simple arithmetic, not a forecast.

£600

Apply for Incard on incard.co(opens incard.co in a new tab, affiliate link)

We may earn a commission if you apply.

What a year of card spending earns you

Incard Free against Mettle's cheapest plan, at your monthly spend on ads, software and travel.

£600 a year better off with Incard

£600£0Today6 months12 months
  • Incard Free: £600 cashback, £0 fees
  • Mettle's cheapest plan: no cashback, £0 fees

Simple arithmetic, not a forecast: 1% on eligible ads, software and travel spend at merchants on Incard's eligible brand list, and each plan's published monthly fee. Other fees, such as FX and ATM charges, aren't included. Mettle's cheapest plan: No fee for maintaining the account.

The alternatives

Table notes: correct as of 8 November 2026, from each provider's own pages. Incard is first as our pick for card spend (we may earn a commission from it); the rest are alphabetical, not ranked. “Lists” means the provider's pages mention it and Mettle's don't.
AccountCheapest planLists, unlike MettleCompare
IncardOur pick for card spend
Free: £0 a monthcard cashback, a euro account, a US dollar account, cards for your team, LLPs, Swiss GmbHs and AGs, Swiss sole tradersCompare Incard and Mettle
AirwallexE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS
Explore: £0 if you deposit or hold at least £10,000 a month, otherwise £19 (excluding VAT)a euro account, card payments from customers, cards for your team, Swiss GmbHs and AGsCompare Airwallex and Mettle
Allica BankBank · FSCS cover
£0 a month with an average balance of £10,000 or more; otherwise £25 a monthcard cashback, cards for your teamCompare Allica Bank and Mettle
AmexCredit card · no deposits held
Business Gold: £195 a year (£0 in the first year)cards for your team, LLPs
ANNAE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS
Free: £0 a month, pay for what you useNothing extra listedCompare ANNA and Mettle
Bank of ScotlandBank · FSCS cover
No account fee for 12 months on a business's first account, then £10 a montha euro account, card payments from customers
BarclaycardCredit card · no deposits held
Select Cashback: £0 a yearcard cashback, cards for your team
BarclaysBank · FSCS cover
Free for 12 months, then £8.50 a montha euro account, a US dollar account, LLPsCompare Barclays and Mettle
Capital on TapCredit card · no deposits held
Free: £0 a yearcard cashback, cards for your team, LLPs
CountingupBank · FSCS cover
Free for 3 months, then £5 a month while you pay in up to £750 a monthcard payments from customersCompare Countingup and Mettle
Danske BankBank · FSCS cover
Small Business Digital: free for 2 years for eligible new Northern Ireland businesses, then £9 a montha euro account
Equals MoneyE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS
Business: £25 a month (£250 a year)cards for your team, a euro account, a US dollar account
HSBCBank · FSCS cover
£0 a monthcards for your team, LLPsCompare HSBC and Mettle
LloydsBank · FSCS cover
Free for 12 months for businesses new to Lloyds, then £10 a montha euro account, card payments from customersCompare Lloyds and Mettle
Metro BankBank · FSCS cover
£8 a month, or £0 in any month your balance stays at £6,000 or more; 12 months fee-free for businesses new to Metro Bank, 31 months for full switchersa euro account, a US dollar account, LLPs
Monzo BusinessBank · FSCS cover
Lite: freecards for your teamCompare Monzo Business and Mettle
NatWestBank · FSCS cover
No monthly fee; 2 years' free everyday banking for start-ups (turnover up to £1 million) and full switchers (turnover up to £2 million)card payments from customersCompare NatWest and Mettle
PayhawkE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS
Growth program: £149 a monthcards for your team
PleoE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS
Start: £8 per user a monthcards for your team, a euro account, a US dollar account
Revolut BusinessBank · FSCS cover
Basic: £10 a montha euro account, a US dollar account, card payments from customers, cards for your teamCompare Revolut Business and Mettle
RBSBank · FSCS cover
No monthly fee; 2 years of free everyday banking for start-ups (turnover under £1m) and full-switch customers (turnover up to £2m)Nothing extra listed
SantanderBank · FSCS cover
Free for 12 months for start-ups and switchers, then £9.99 a monthcard payments from customers, LLPsCompare Santander and Mettle
SoldoE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS
Standard: £27 a month + VATcards for your team, a euro account, a US dollar account
StarlingBank · FSCS cover
£0 a montha euro account, a US dollar account, card payments from customers, LLPsCompare Starling and Mettle
Co-op BankBank · FSCS cover
£0 a monthcard payments from customers, LLPs
TideBank · FSCS cover
Lite: £0 a monthcard cashbackCompare Tide and Mettle
TSBBank · FSCS cover
Free for 30 months, then £5 a month (not charged if your average balance is £10,000 or more)card payments from customers
Virgin MoneyBank · FSCS cover
25 months' free day-to-day banking for eligible start-ups and switchers, then £6.50 a monthcard cashback, card payments from customers, LLPs
Wise BusinessE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS
No subscription or monthly feea euro account, a US dollar accountCompare Wise Business and Mettle
WorldFirstE-money · safeguarded, no FSCS
£0 a monthcard cashback, a euro account, a US dollar account, cards for your team
Zempler BankBank · FSCS cover
Business Go: £0 a monthcard cashback, card payments from customers, cards for your teamCompare Zempler Bank and Mettle

What Mettle does well

Before you move, check that you won't lose something you use. Mettle suits you if:

Many businesses keep their existing account and add a second one for card spending. Our switching guide covers both routes.

When Incard isn't the answer

Incard isn't the right account if

  • Your business is registered outside the UK and Switzerland. EEA onboarding is paused until an expected restart in 2027
  • You're a charity, cooperative, foundation, trust or public body, or work in one of Incard's restricted industries
IncardOur pick for card spend

Incard: 1% cashback on ads, software and travel, on a £0 plan

Our pick for UK and Swiss businesses whose main costs go on cards, as long as you don't need bank deposit protection.

E-money · safeguarded, no FSCS

Read Incard vs MettleWork out your cashbackCheck eligibility

Apply for Incard on incard.co(opens incard.co in a new tab, affiliate link)

We may earn a commission if you apply.

a month on the Free plan, with team cards
£0
cashback on ads, software and travel; 0.5% on other eligible spend
1%
IBANs in three currencies
GBP, EUR, USD

Sources

All checked on 8 November 2026. Where a provider's help centre or legal terms differ from its marketing pages, we follow the help centre and terms.

Show all 156 sources