Relay review
Updated September 28, 2026 · HodlCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings. Partners with a live offer in your country come first, then every other brand by score.
Our verdict
Relay is a business card account with no monthly charge, so it suits sole traders, freelancers and small teams who want a visa debit card and a virtual card without a recurring bill. It has run since 2018 under Relay Financial Technologies Inc., so it is a recent entrant.
Key facts
- Best for
- A business card with a free monthly fee ($0) and a virtual card option.
- Monthly fee
- $0↗
- Card type
- Debit↗
- Cashback rate
- 1%↗
- Card network
- Visa↗
- Legal entity
- Relay Financial Technologies Inc.↗
- Founded
- 2018↗
- Support channels
- Email, Phone, Help-centre↗
- Features
- Virtual card
- Audience
- Business
- Official website
- relayfi.com
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 5 sources
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- App StoreGoogle Play
Pros and cons
Pros
- A debit card on visa, the network most of the cards in this comparison share (57.6%).
- A virtual card for online spend, subscriptions and supplier invoices.
- The account sits behind a business that has traded since 2018.
Cons
- It is built for business accounts, so anyone shopping for personal banking falls outside its audience (business).
- The reward on card spend is cashback of 1%, and little else.
- Support runs on email, phone and help centre only, so there is no live chat route.
Who it suits
- Sole traders and freelancers who want business spending on a visa card.
- Anyone who needs a virtual card for subscriptions and online invoices.
- Small firms that want cashback of 1% on card purchases.
Who should look elsewhere
- Monzo Flex, if you want a personal current account rather than a business card, since Relay is built for business.
- Wise, which also has a monthly fee of £0, so the choice there comes down to personal against business use.
Who runs it
Relay is run by Relay Financial Technologies Inc., which has been trading since 2018. Support runs on email, phone and help centre, so an account question can go out by email, down a phone line or into the help centre, and card or payment queries have more than one route in. The business behind the card is a single named company, which is where a complaint or query starts.
How Relay compares
8.9 vs 9.4
8.9 vs 9.0
8.9 vs 8.2
8.9 vs 9.5
8.9 vs 9.6
8.9 vs 9.0
8.9 vs 9.1Its card monthly fee is €0, so Relay is the pick for business spending that needs a virtual card.
8.9 vs 8.9
8.9 vs 8.1
8.9 vs 8.2
8.9 vs 9.5
8.9 vs 9.4
8.9 vs 9.2
8.9 vs 9.1
8.9 vs 9.0
8.9 vs 8.9- 8.9 vs 8.8
8.9 vs 8.8
8.9 vs 8.6
8.9 vs 8.5
8.9 vs 8.3
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to run a Relay account?+
The monthly fee is $0, so there is no recurring charge for keeping the account open. Spending earns cashback of 1%, which is the reward on the card. Relay is built for business accounts, so the offer is aimed at companies, sole traders and freelancers rather than personal users.
Is the Relay card a credit card?+
No. Relay issues a debit card, so purchases are paid from the money in the account rather than borrowed on a revolving balance. It runs on the visa network, so it works in shops, online and at cash machines that accept it.
Can I get a virtual card from Relay?+
A virtual card is available, which suits paying for software subscriptions, advertising and online invoices without passing a physical card around. It runs on the same visa network as the rest of the card, so it is accepted wherever that network is.
Who is Relay aimed at?+
Relay is built for business users. The account suits companies, sole traders and freelancers who spend on software, travel and suppliers, and it comes as a debit card with cashback of 1% on spend. Personal current accounts sit outside that audience.
How do I get help from Relay?+
Support runs on email, phone and help centre. A question about a payment, a card that has been blocked or an invoice can be sent by email, raised on the phone or looked up in the help centre, and the phone line is the quickest route for anything urgent.
Who runs Relay?+
Relay is operated by Relay Financial Technologies Inc., the company behind the account and the card. It has been trading since 2018, so it is a recent addition to the business banking market rather than a long established high street bank.
How does the monthly fee compare with other cards?+
It sits at the free end of the range. Cards in this category charge up to €148.23 a month, and among the brands compared on monthly fee Relay ranks 1 out of 379. Fee is not the reason to pick one over another here.
Sources
- relayfi.com/accountants checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Card type, Card network
“The Relay Visa Debit Card is issued by Thread Bank”
- relayfi.com/blog/banks-with-virtual-debit-cards checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Features
“Issue up to 50 physical or virtual Relay Visa Debit Cards”
- relayfi.com/cardholder checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Legal entity
“made available to you by Relay Financial Technologies Inc.”
- relayfi.com/pricing checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience, Cashback rate, Monthly fee
“For solopreneurs and startups”
- slashdot.org/software/p/Relay-Financial checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded
“Year Founded: 2018”
- bestmoney.com/online-banking/compare-business-checking/re... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“email support 7 days a week at support@relayfi.com”
Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Currency conversion fee, Free ATM withdrawals, Protection.