Beta questions, answered.

Surplus is in private beta on iOS through TestFlight, Apple’s official app for trying pre-release apps. Once you join, we’ll email you an invite as we open up each round of testers. You install the beta, use Surplus with your own accounts and get new versions automatically as we ship them - all before the public launch.

You’ll need an iPhone running iOS 18.5 or later and a UK bank account that Surplus supports. The beta is iOS-only and connects through regulated UK Open Banking, so a supported UK bank is what lets Surplus securely link up and show you your money - you’ll find the full list of supported banks on our main FAQ.

Not at the moment - Surplus is iOS-only and the beta runs on iPhone through TestFlight. There’s no Android version planned right now, though that could change as Surplus grows. Sign up and we’ll let you know if it does.

TestFlight is Apple’s free beta-testing app. When your invite arrives, you install TestFlight from the App Store, tap the link in your email and install Surplus from there. Beta updates come through TestFlight rather than the App Store, so you’re always on the latest version. You can leave the beta at any time by deleting the app.

We onboard testers in small rounds so we can keep the experience smooth and act on feedback as it comes in. After you sign up, we’ll email your TestFlight invite as soon as your place opens - so keep an eye on your inbox and your spam folder just in case.

We’re planning to run the beta until 30 June, though we may extend it depending on how testing goes. Either way, you’ll have time to put Surplus through its paces and we’ll let you know in good time before anything changes.

Yes. Your account and all your data are tied to your Surplus login, not to the beta build itself. When Surplus launches publicly you’ll simply sign in to the App Store version and carry on exactly where you left off - there’s nothing to set up again.

Founding testers - the early users who join while places last - get their first year of Surplus Pro free. There’s nothing to pay while you’re testing and once the beta wraps up and Surplus launches publicly we’ll send you a code to redeem your free founding year on the paid plan.

No. The beta is completely free - there’s nothing to pay while you’re testing and founding testers get their first year of Surplus Pro free on top of that.

Just use Surplus the way you normally would and tell us what you think. Honest feedback - the good and the bad - is the whole point of the beta and it directly shapes what we build before launch. If you hit a bug, report it right inside the app from App Settings → Report a bug - you can attach up to four screenshots and a description, so please add as much detail as you can. We’ll also send round the occasional feedback form - each one should take no longer than 10 minutes - and we may invite some testers for a short chat to learn more about how you use Surplus.

Yes, the odd one - and that’s rather the point of a beta. As a pre-release version, Surplus may have the occasional rough edge or glitch and some features are still being polished. Running into those and telling us about them is exactly how we get Surplus ready for launch, so if something looks off, please do flag it from App Settings → Report a bug.

The quickest way is right inside the app: go to App Settings → Report a bug, where you can attach up to four screenshots and a description. Please add as much detail as you can - it all helps us track the problem down. You can also email us any time at support@surplusapp.co.uk, whether it’s a bug, a question or an idea - we read everything.

Every answer from Surplus’s AI has a thumbs up and a thumbs down beneath it - tap whichever fits. A thumbs up tells us we got it right and a thumbs down flags an answer that was wrong, unhelpful or off the mark. We review this closely - the thumbs down most of all - because it’s the quickest way for us to spot where the AI falls short and put it right before launch. So if an answer ever misses, please do tap thumbs down - it genuinely helps.

You shouldn’t trust any app blindly - so here’s the short version. Surplus connects through regulated, read-only Open Banking via Yapily: it can see the account and transaction information you choose to share, but it can never move your money. You can disconnect a bank or delete your account at any time. The beta exists to test and refine Surplus before a wider release and the security model is the same one we’ll launch with.

Surplus connects through secure, regulated Open Banking via Yapily. You log in directly with your bank - Surplus never sees or stores your banking password.

No. Surplus has read-only access. It can view the account and transaction information you choose to share, but it can’t make payments, move money, or change anything in your bank account.

Surplus reads your transaction history to calculate your safe-to-spend, forecast upcoming cash flow, spot recurring bills and subscriptions, learn your income and spending patterns and answer questions about your money. Without transaction data, most of the app’s insights wouldn’t work.

You are the only person with access to your data. As Surplus’s founder and sole developer, I’m the only person with access to the systems that run the app. However, I don’t actively look at anyone’s finances - access is only used to investigate bugs, support requests, fraud, security issues or operational problems. And there’s a hard limit even on that: I will never inspect your individual transaction data without first asking for - and receiving - your written permission over WhatsApp, iMessage or email. Surplus exists to be a genuinely useful money tool, not to watch how anyone spends.

No. Your bank credentials are never shared with Surplus - you authenticate directly with your bank through Open Banking.

Yes. Your data is encrypted in transit and stored securely using industry-standard practices and sensitive banking credentials and access tokens are kept separate from the rest of your app data.

Beyond read-only Open Banking and bank-grade encryption, Surplus is independently penetration-tested every year - security specialists actively try to break in so we can close any gaps before they matter. The latest test was completed on 19 June 2026 by WorkNest Secure, an independent firm with CREST-certified testers that’s assured under the National Cyber Security Centre’s CHECK scheme, and it returned no high or critical findings. Lower-severity findings are reviewed and fixed as part of keeping Surplus secure, and a fresh test is run each year as the app evolves.

Surplus connects to your bank through Yapily Connect Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for Open Banking account information services. Surplus operates as an agent of Yapily and isn’t itself FCA-authorised. Surplus helps you understand your own money - it isn’t regulated financial advice.

No. Surplus gives you information, calculations, forecasts and educational insights to help you understand your finances - but it doesn’t provide regulated financial advice or recommendations.

Yes. You can disconnect any connected account whenever you like and you can delete your account from the app’s settings - which removes all data associated with your account from the app and our backend.