The days of the best man chasing the groom’s mates to get their contribution to a weekend of revelry, a tatty envelope going round the office collecting cash for a colleague’s birthday gift, or a jam jar stuffed with cash in a shared house could well be a thing of the past with the launch of KiTTi, a brand new money management app from Santander.
This is the first app in the UK that brings the good old cash kitty up to date, and allows up to 100 friends to contribute and keep an eye on their money all at the tap of a button. Customers of any UK bank can download the app, quickly and easily set up a KiTTi, invite their friends and get started.
How it works
KiTTi is accessed exclusively through a smartphone app, available on both iOS and Android and users do not need to be an existing Santander customer. The service is available to anyone over 18 with a UK debit card and works in the following way:
- Download the app from either the Apple or Android app stores
- One person registers as an owner to set up a KiTTi and is sent a KiTTi prepaid contactless MasterCard
- Each KiTTi can be given a name, target value and payment milestone(s)
- The owner invites friends to join the KiTTi via the app (text message is sent to their smartphone)
- The owner and friends pay into KiTTi by entering their debit card details, which they need to do only once, through the app’s secure payment process
- A small fee of 35p is applied whenever a payment is made into the KiTTi
- Using the KiTTi prepaid card, money can be taken out or used to pay for anything the group wants – in the UK and overseas
- Multiple KiTTis are managed through one app and one KiTTi card, making it easier to manage than cash – KiTTi owner and friends see money going in and coming out
- A single KiTTi has a maximum balance of £4,000
KiTTi was jointly developed by Santander with Kalixa, one of the world’s top five payment services providers, and global mobile technology business Monitise.
Ben Green, CEO of KiTTi said:
“We’ve all been through the hassle at the end of a fantastic meal with friends when it comes to splitting the bill. You get a pile of notes, coins and cards in the middle of the table and then have to divvy up the change. And you know at least one of your friends is secretly annoyed because they feel they’ve paid more than they should.
“The idea behind Santander’s KiTTi app, which is completely unique in the UK, is to make it much easier for groups of people to pay for virtually anything, and with just one single KiTTi prepaid card. It’s really that simple. It’s easy to set up, invite friends to join, pay money in and take money out. Perfect for the WhatsApp generation.
Alongside our other recent successes, the SmartBank student banking app and the launch of our InnoVentures fintech fund, KiTTi further demonstrates the commitment of Santander to digital innovation and supports Santander’s commitment to being simple, personal and fair in everything we do. We’re also looking into ways in which customers could manage group household expenses, such as rent payments using KiTTi.â€
For more information visit www.kitti.co.uk or follow @KiTTiApp on Twitter.