Banking app 'Zero' stops trading and will close all accounts – what it means for your savings

All Zero accounts are closing

The Zero Sustainable Money App is closing, including the:

• Zero Personal Account.

• Zero Debit Mastercard.

• Planet Safe Saver – which we'd covered on MoneySavingExpert as it had been a top paying ethical account at launch in December 2025.

Zero, which launched its app in January 2025, says it's closing as it was unable to raise additional funding for the business. The closure affects all of Zero's app customers – it currently has 21,500 registered app users, though only 7,500 of these regularly used the app/ made regular account transactions at closure.

Zero says it has contacted all customers detailing the steps they need to take.

What to do if you have a Zero Personal account

If you have Zero's personal account – and you needed one of these to get its Planet Safe Saver account – here are the key need to knows:

• You should withdraw your funds as soon as possible – ideally no later than 31 March when the app is due to close. You should have received an email with further instructions. However, these accounts were linked to and funded by an existing UK current account, so you should be able to withdraw your funds to that same account. You can also email zero@transactpay.com if you are experiencing any difficulties accessing your funds.

• You should still be able to withdraw funds after 31 March, but it's best not to wait. Transact Payments Limited says any deposits remaining after the app closes will be held for six years, during which time they can be accessed by contacting zero@transactpay.com. Transact Payments Limited says any remaining money after this time may be treated in accordance with applicable laws on dormant or unclaimed funds.

• These are e-money accounts, so you can't complete a current account switch to a new provider.

• Funds deposited in e-money accounts are NOT safeguarded by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Money is instead held in segregated accounts with an authorised credit institution, separate from TransactPay's own funds.

What to do if you have a Zero Planet Safe Saver account

If you also have a Zero Planet Safe Saver account, which paid 3.66% AER (variable) at launch, here are your key need to knows:

• Again, you should withdraw all funds as soon as possible – ideally by 26 March. Here, funds will first need to be moved via the app to the Zero personal account, from where they can be withdrawn. Transfers from Planet Safe Saver may take until 1pm the following day to arrive in your Zero personal account.

• Any deposits not moved by around 26 March will be transferred automatically into your Zero Personal Account. This includes all interest earned up until that date.

• Cash held in the Planet Safe Saver is fully FSCS protected. That's because this account was provided by Bondsmith Ltd, which holds deposits in ring-fenced accounts with Griffin Bank. However, as outlined above, this protection won't last long as all funds will shortly be automatically moved into the e-money personal account.

Top alternatives for your savings

Looking purely at rates, standard savings tend to pay more than green or ethical options. Right now, you can get:

• Easy-access: 4.68% via Trading 212's cash ISA, or 4.5% with Chase's normal savings.

• One-year fix: 4.45% from Union Bank of India UK if you can lock your money away.

But if ethical concerns are important to you, there are a number of other providers which either guarantee savings won't be used to fund 'unethical' industries or which actively fund ethical or green initiatives. A couple of well-regarded options are:

• Ecology Building Society – its easy-access account pays 2.3% and its cash ISA pays 2.8%. Ecology says it guarantees deposits will never fund fossil fuels, mining companies, the arms trade or deforestation, and it supports a number of 'green-coded' projects, such as renewable energy developments and sustainable community projects.

• Triodos Bank – its easy-access saver pays 2.2%, its easy-access ISA pays 2.35%, and its one-year fixed bond pays 3.6%. Triodos says it only lends customer deposits to organisations "making a positive impact for people and planet".

For full top savings rates, check our Top savings and Top cash ISAs guides.