What it is
Because Tide has no physical branches of its own, cash deposits are made through third-party networks — typically the Post Office and, in some cases, PayPoint — using a barcode or reference generated in the app that the counter staff scan to credit your account. It's one of the features that genuinely distinguishes Tide from several app-based rivals, which often don't support cash deposits at all.
Who can access it and on which plans
Cash deposit functionality is generally available across plans, since it's a core banking capability many small businesses need, though the fee charged per deposit and any monthly allowance of free or discounted deposits can vary by plan tier. If you deposit cash regularly, it's worth checking whether a higher plan's allowance would reduce your per-deposit cost meaningfully — see our plans and fees page for current detail.
How it works step by step
- Generate a deposit barcode or reference in the Tide app for the amount you want to pay in.
- Take the cash and the barcode (on your phone or printed) to a participating Post Office or PayPoint location.
- Counter staff scan the barcode and take the cash, issuing a receipt.
- The deposit is typically credited to your account within a working day or two, though timing can vary.
- A per-deposit fee is deducted, either at the point of deposit or from your account afterwards depending on how it's structured.
Current cost and allowances
Cash deposits are charged per deposit rather than as a percentage of the amount, which means the fee is the same whether you're depositing £50 or £500 — worth knowing if you're deciding how often to bank cash. Some plans may include a small monthly allowance of free deposits before the per-item fee kicks in. Check current per-deposit fees and any plan allowances on our plans and fees page, since this is one of Tide's fee structures that changes periodically.
A worked example
A hairdresser's salon takes roughly £300 in cash tips and walk-in payments each week. Rather than depositing small amounts daily and paying the per-deposit fee five times, the owner banks cash weekly in one larger deposit, since the fee doesn't scale with the amount. This roughly divides her monthly deposit costs by five compared with daily banking, at the cost of holding more cash on the premises for longer.
Limitations and exclusions
Because the fee is per deposit, businesses depositing cash very frequently in small amounts pay disproportionately more than businesses that batch deposits — this is a structural feature of the pricing, not a one-off charge to budget around. Deposits also aren't instant; expect a working-day or two delay before funds show as cleared, which matters for cash-flow-sensitive businesses. And not every Post Office or PayPoint location necessarily supports every deposit type or limit, so check before relying on a specific branch for a large deposit.
How it compares with alternatives
High street banks with their own branch networks often allow cash deposits at a branch counter or via a night safe, sometimes with more favourable terms for regular business banking relationships, but usually still charge for business cash handling above a certain volume. Several app-based challenger banks don't support cash deposits at all, making Tide's Post Office/PayPoint route a genuine advantage for a cash-handling business choosing between fintech options, even though it's not as cheap as free.
Relationship to the REFER200 offer
Cash deposits are unrelated to the offer: neither depositing cash nor paying the associated fee counts as qualifying card spend, and cash sitting in the current account doesn't count towards the £5,000 Instant Saver funding step either, since that step specifically requires funding the Instant Saver pot, not the current account.