Questions

A group of people who agree to pay in a set amount, usually the same amount, on a regular day. Each round, one person receives the pot, and it goes round until everyone has had a turn. You may know it as ajo, esusu, susu, pardner, chama or committee. Rownd runs the circle in an app, so everyone can see the plan and who’s paid.

Anyone 18 or over who lives in the UK and has a UK bank account in their own name. You’ll verify your ID in the app before you can start or join a circle.

Once your ID is checked, give your circle a name, choose the amount, and pick how many people and when it starts. You’ll set up how you’ll pay as part of the same steps. Then share an invite link or code with the people you want in it. Each person who joins goes through the same checks you did.

Open the invite link or enter the code you were sent. You’ll see the circle’s amount, dates and the order of turns, and how missed payments are handled, before you take a seat. If you haven’t already, you’ll verify your ID and we’ll check the circle fits your budget.

Soon, starting in the UK. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you when you can sign up. Until then the app isn’t live and we don’t take any money.

We’ll share pricing closer to launch. We plan to offer an optional paid plan, Rownd Premium, with extra features for people who want more from their circles. We don’t sell your data.

The person who starts the circle chooses how turns are set: an order the group agrees, a random draw, or an order based on members’ payment history on Rownd. Everyone sees the order before they join, so you’ll always know when your turn is.

The person who starts the circle sets the amount and the number of seats. Circles run monthly, and a circle lasts one round per person, so 8 people paying monthly is 8 months. Every member has to pass a check that the amount fits their budget.

Yes, as long as each one fits your budget. Premium will let you be in more circles at once. We’ll share the details closer to launch.

Yes. When you join, you agree to pay every round until the circle ends, including after you’ve received the pot. If your turn comes early, the pot is made up of the other members’ money, and they’re counting on you to keep paying in.

Once a circle has started, you’ve agreed to pay every round until it ends. What happens if someone needs to leave part-way through: we’ll share this before launch.

We’ll share this before launch.

Rownd doesn’t lend you money and doesn’t charge interest. The pot is made up only of what members pay in. If your turn comes early, you’re receiving money the others have paid before you’ve paid in your full share, so you keep paying every round until the circle ends.

From your own UK bank account, through open banking. You approve each payment yourself in your bank’s app. We’ll remind you a few days before each payment is due and again on the day.

When it’s your turn, the pot is paid to you in the Rownd app, and you can move it to your bank account whenever you like. We’ll tell you when it arrives.

Tell us as soon as you can. You’ll have a short grace period, and you can pay what you owe in instalments. If things are hard, we can pause reminders while someone on our team looks at your situation. The other members of your circle will see that your payment is late, and if it stays unpaid, your place in the circle can go into default. We’ll tell you every step and its date before it happens.

Everyone in the circle sees who has paid, and who hasn’t. If the pot is short on your turn, you’ll receive what was collected and we’ll tell you how much is missing. The rest follows once it’s recovered from the member who didn’t pay. Rownd follows up with them, so the person who started the circle isn’t left chasing or covering anyone’s payments.

Rownd isn’t live yet and isn’t taking any money. Before we launch, this answer will explain where your money sits while a circle runs, who holds it, and what happens if something goes wrong.

Yes. Before you start or join a circle, we check the amount fits your budget, using either the monthly budget you tell us or, if you choose, your recent bank income and spending. If it doesn’t fit, we’ll tell you why and suggest what might work instead, such as a smaller amount. This check is automatic, and you can ask a person on our team to review it. We never share your figures with the other members.

So that everyone in a circle knows the people they’re saving with are who they say they are, and to help stop fraud. You’ll scan a photo ID and take a short selfie video in the app. Your document needs to be in date and match the details you gave us.

People in your circle see your name, your profile photo if you choose to add one, your place in the order of turns, how you joined, and whether your payment is in. If you miss a payment or default, they’ll see that too. They never see why, how much you owe, or anything about your wider finances. We show you all of this before you join.

We use it to run your account and your circles, check who you are, and prevent fraud. We don’t sell it, and we don’t share it with anyone for their own marketing. If you join the waitlist, we use your email only to tell you about Rownd’s launch, and you can ask us to remove it at any time. Our Privacy Notice explains everything, including your rights.

Rownd is run by GETROWND LIMITED, company number 17246753, registered in England and Wales, at 66 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NA. You can reach us at support@getrownd.com.

Starting in the UK. Nigeria, the EU and the US are coming soon, with many more to follow. Join the waitlist and we’ll let you know when we open where you are.

Not yet. At launch, everyone in a circle needs to live in the UK and have a UK bank account in their own name. We know many circles stretch across countries, and we’ll share how that will work as we open new countries.

In the UK, circles are in pounds. As we open in new countries, we’ll explain how circles there work before you can join.