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Design Examples
Financial onboarding
How fintech apps get people past the bank-linking hurdle, with examples including Copilot's demo mode, Zettle's refundable £1 test payment and Monzo's salary prompt.
Real world examples:
Updated: 21/08/2026, view all 1,446 examples
Examples on Built for Mars include
Copilot's demo mode delays bank linking
Zettle onboards via a refundable £1 payment
Monzo prompts salary sorter on payday
If you’re hesitant to link your bank accounts during onboarding, Copilot gives you the option to enter a demo mode with fully-populated data to get a feel of the app before committing.
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i.e., this lets you experience some of the benefits, without the risk.
If Monzo predicts that a transaction is your salary, they'll show an inline prompt onboarding you to their "salary sorter" feature.
After setting up “Tap to Pay”, Zettle offers to demonstrate taking a refundable £1 payment as a form of onboarding.
Go to UX BiteView#1100
During onboarding, Wispr Flow asks you what you’re going to use it for, and then demonstrates the app in action in the exact context you specified.
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Even better, if you choose more than one context, it’ll follow with a quick cycle through all the scenarios/apps.
Go to UX BiteView#1267
During onboarding, Billy encourages you to scan a receipt to try their features. But if you don’t have one, they'll use a sample receipt as a demo.
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This is a great way to demonstrate a realistic Aha! Moment, without forcing the user to upload a receipt.
Go to UX BiteView#1232
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FAQs
How do you onboard someone who won't link their bank yet?
Let them see the benefits before they take on the perceived risk. Copilot offers a demo mode with fully-populated data, so budgets and dashboards can be explored with no accounts connected.
What's the best way to prove a payment feature actually works?
Let people test it on something real but trivial, rather than inventing a fake product to sell. After Tap to Pay is set up, Zettle offers to take a refundable £1 payment — the exact next action most users want anyway.
When does inline onboarding beat an upfront tour?
When the feature only makes sense at a specific moment. Monzo waits until it predicts a transaction is your salary before prompting the salary sorter, and Granola permanently repeats its private folder explanation inside the creation modal, which matters for features used once or twice a year.
Does asking people what they want to learn improve onboarding?
It raises attentional buy-in, because the content is something they picked. Emma lists topics such as improving credit history or growing savings with time badges under three minutes, plus the option to skip and decide later. Wispr Flow does something similar by asking what you'll use it for, then demoing the app in that context.
What if a user has nothing to upload during onboarding?
Supply the data for them. Billy asks you to scan a receipt, but drops in a sample one if you haven't got anything to hand, so the Aha! moment still lands before anyone risks uploading real financial data.
How do you keep a payment form from feeling heavy?
Control the order people look at things. Wise dedicates the first screen of adding money to the amount alone, then loads the payment-specific details afterwards, using progressive disclosure to keep the initial screen distraction-free.