Moving to the UK from Hong Kong: when to use Monzo, Zopa Biscuit, Octopus Energy, Virgin Red and Wise referrals

UK bank and utility referral terms usually say they're for UK residents only, and sign-up checks a UK address or UK phone number. If you apply early from Hong Kong, you may not be able to open the account, or the referral reward may not count.

So the timeline below is split into what you can do before you leave, in your first week and after you move into a home. These are all UK offers, with rewards in pounds, and the details link to GetQuids, our UK site. To see every UK offer, visit our Relocating to UK page.

Wise operates in both Hong Kong and the UK, so you can open an account before you go and use it to move Hong Kong dollars to the UK. The Wise invite page shows that new users who sign up through an invite can choose a free card or one fee-free transfer. The fee-free transfer cap changes with the exchange rate and your region, so go by what the page shows. Remember to sign up through the invite link.

Under the Monzo referral scheme terms (version 4.0), referees must be UK residents aged 16 or over who have never had a Monzo account. Once you tap the referral link and enter your phone number, you have 30 days to download the app, apply successfully for a UK Monzo account, add money (no minimum) and make one payment with your Monzo card. ATM withdrawals, money transfers and virtual card payments don't count.

The reward is random: 94% get £10, 5% get £20 and 1% get £50, and the referrer gets the same amount. Once a referrer has made more than 100 referrals, it drops to £5 for both. The scheme has run since 23 September 2025 with no end date, but Monzo can change it at any time.

The Zopa invite page says that if you open a Biscuit bank account within 30 days of submitting your UK mobile number, you and the referrer each get £20. You must open the account with the same number. You won't qualify if you're already a Zopa customer or if the referrer has already successfully referred 10 people. So wait until you have a UK phone number before you start.

If your rental lets you choose your energy supplier, the Octopus Energy FAQ says that when a friend switches their home through a referral link, you each get £50 of energy credit. It's added after the switch completes and the first monthly Direct Debit is taken, usually about four weeks after joining. The credit goes towards your energy bills; it isn't cash.

The Virgin Red referral terms say the offer is for UK residents only. The referred friend must be over 18, join Virgin Red for the first time using the referrer's name or link, and complete a qualifying earn transaction within 18 months of joining. Buying points, converting points from other programmes, bonus points and games don't count. You then get a promo code for 1,000 Virgin Points.