Not upheld: service quality, payment processing, complaint handling complaint against Monzo Bank Ltd
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6261601 of 2026-04-07T00:00:00+00:00. service quality, payment processing, complaint handling complaint against Monzo Bank Ltd. Outcome: Not upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6261601 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-04-07T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | Monzo Bank Ltd |
| Product | current account |
| Claim type | service quality, payment processing, complaint handling |
| Outcome | Not upheld |
| Remedy | None. The complaint was not upheld. |
Summary
Mr K complained to Monzo about three matters: the use of emojis in communications, a delayed £30 payment, and complaint handling. The ombudsman did not uphold any element of the complaint. The emoji use was found to be a legitimate business decision disclosed in Monzo's terms and conditions. The payment delay claim could not be substantiated as Mr K provided no evidence of when the payment reached the receiving bank. The complaint handling complaint was found to be outside FOS jurisdiction as complaint handling is not a regulated activity under FCA rules.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that Monzo is entitled to make its own policy regarding emoji use, which was disclosed in its terms and conditions. Regarding the payment delay, without evidence of when the payment reached the receiving bank, the ombudsman could not determine that Monzo did anything wrong, as faster payments can take up to 2 hours. Regarding complaint handling, the ombudsman determined this falls outside FOS jurisdiction as complaint handling is not a regulated activity under FCA rules and was not ancillary to any regulated activity.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| Monzo Bank Ltd, all decisions | 2,799 | 27% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website