Monzo reveals AI & secondhand shopping boom in 2025

Monzo has reported a sharp rise in customer spending on artificial intelligence platforms and secondhand shopping in 2025, as the digital bank released new data on how its 14 million customers used money over the past year.

The bank said its customers spent more than £19 million on AI platforms such as OpenAI in 2025. This compared with more than £8 million in 2024. Spending per person on AI rose by 85% year on year.

Monzo also launched the latest edition of its annual "Year in Monzo" feature inside its app. Customers can now see personalised summaries of their spending patterns and key moments across the year.

The data highlights how consumer behaviour shifted around cultural events, viral products and transport habits. It covers categories including AI, fashion, live entertainment, food, drink and everyday travel.

Cultural trends

Resale platforms saw continued growth. Monzo customers spent £210 million on services such as Vinted and Depop in 2025. This was an increase of 13% compared with the previous year. Average spend per customer on pre-loved items reached £149, up 11% on 2024.

Live music also drew significant outlays. Monzo customers spent £341,000 at Wembley during Oasis's seven-night Britpop reunion. The figure did not match spending on Taylor Swift's Eras Tour at Wembley in 2024, when Monzo customers spent £886,000 across eight shows.

In fashion, shapewear brand SKIMS recorded £1.84 million of spending from Monzo customers in 2025. The biggest jump came in May, when spending rose 99% compared with April after the release of the Ultimate Pierced Nipple Bra.

Collectibles also featured. The proportion of Monzo customers who shopped at Pop Mart, known for Labubu figurines and similar items, increased by 52% compared with 2024.

Hailey Bieber's beauty brand Rhode reported £736,000 of spending from Monzo customers. This was higher than Kylie Cosmetics, which saw £55,000 of spending by Monzo users.

AI and digital habits

The bank's figures suggest AI-related services are becoming part of mainstream consumer spending. Customers used Monzo cards and accounts for a wider range of AI subscriptions and tools, which produced the jump from more than £8 million in 2024 to more than £19 million this year.

Monzo positioned the 2025 edition of Year in Monzo under the theme "The Legend of You". The feature breaks down individual spending into what the bank describes as quests, quirks and money habits.

AJ Coyne, VP Marketing at Monzo, said:

"This was a year of cultural moments defining people's spending habits. Whether they were shopping for viral must-have products, embracing '90s Britpop nostalgia or living life on two wheels, we've seen every trend unfold in real time in the Monzo app. Year in Monzo is also a chance for our millions of customers to discover their own journey for this year, with our personalised insights turning ordinary moments into extraordinary stories. From conquering savings challenges to spending on cultural moments we're excited to show our customers how they made 2025 a legendary year."

Food and drink

Monzo said a limited-edition sandwich helped drive spending at Marks & Spencer. The retailer's strawberries and cream sandwich went viral. In the week of its launch, Monzo customer spending at M&S rose by 8%. This was the largest uplift among major retailers that week.

Coffee spending remained high in large cities. Manchester-based Monzo customers spent £5.4 million on coffee in 2025. Edinburgh customers spent £4.9 million and Birmingham customers £4.3 million. Londoners spent £70 million on coffee, which reflected the capital's larger population and density of outlets.

Starbucks ranked as Monzo customers' top coffee chain by spend. Users spent £75 million at the brand in 2025. Costa recorded £60 million, which placed it second.

Pub spending showed regional variation. Cardiff and Newcastle were the only cities where Wetherspoons ranked among the top five merchants used by Monzo customers.

In quick-service food, Pret remained the leading chain in London. Monzo customers made 4.2 million transactions at Pret stores in the capital, more than at any other coffee or bakery chain there. Outside the M25, Greggs saw the highest volumes. Newcastle customers made 837,000 transactions at Greggs, which underlined the brand's strength in the city.

Travel and retail

Transport for London remained one of Monzo customers' largest spending categories. Users spent £524 million on TFL services in 2025. Travel spending peaked on some key dates. Halloween produced one of the biggest single-day surges, with £2.8 million spent on TFL.

Micromobility saw strong demand in the capital. Monzo customers in London spent £10 million on Lime bike rentals between June and September. Monzo linked the surge in usage with heightened visibility of the brand early in the year, including high-profile appearances by public figures on its bikes.

In grocery retail, Tesco again ranked as Monzo customers' most-used supermarket. Spending at Tesco reached £1.7 billion in 2025. This was almost double the amount spent at any other retailer in the supermarket category, according to the bank.

Monzo said customers can now view their own Year in Monzo journeys in the app and will receive similar breakdowns of their spending in future years.