One of the quickest ways to make some extra cash is to take advantage of the very competitive current account market and get a switching bonus.
There are always a number of these and it can be hard to know which is the best for you. In this article we’ve broken down the offers at each major UK bank.
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Andy says: why switching is worth it
If you’ve been with the same bank since your first job or University, you’re probably missing out. Since seven-day switching was introduced in 2013 the banks have been offering free cash, high interest and other extras to get you to move to them.
Just from switching, I made £1,900 between 2013 and 2018 – and a few hundred more since. And there’s more to be made from other benefits just by opening additional bank accounts. Many accounts have freebies, high interest linked savings accounts and better banking apps which are all worth grabbing.
Current Bank switch account offers
We’ll update this page as new offers appear – though do check the terms and conditions at each bank before you apply to ensure it hasn’t changed.
Do remember that you’ll be credit checked when you make an application. And you can read more about how to switch bank here.
Club Lloyds £175 switching bonus
The new switching bonus from Lloyds Bank is worth £175 and runs from Tuesday 13 February to 28 March 2024. Once the switch has completed you’ll get the payment within 3 working days.
It’s only for Club Lloyds, Club Lloyds Silver and Club Lloyds Platinum accounts and only for new accounts.
Existing Lloyds customers can take advantage though you don’t qualify this time if you’ve received a switching bonus from Lloydsor Halifax since April 2020.
Only one payment will be made per customer, so you can’t get it twice via joint accounts.
All the details on how to do this, and Andy’s full analysis of the offer can be found here.
Switching bonus | £175 |
Bonus paid | Within 3 working days of completing the switch |
Open to existing customers | Yes, though you need to open a new qualifying account |
Requirements | Open a new Club Lloyds, Club Lloyds Silver or Club Lloyds Platinum account |
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close your old account | |
Switch two active direct debits | |
The old account must be from a different bank | |
Exclusions | Offer limited to once per person |
Cannot have received a switching bonus from Lloyds or Halifax since April 2020 | |
Offer ends | 28 March 2024 (last date to start the switch) |
Natwest £200 switch offer
A new offer from Natwest started on 15 February 2024, with no published end date. You can get £200 for a switch from another bank into a new or existing account.
As with RBS when it has run it’s been available to existing customers, though you couldn’t get the money from Natwest too.
We’ve written a full analysis of this offer with more details on how it works.
Switching bonus | £200 |
Bonus paid | Within 7 Days of completing criteria |
Open to existing customers | Yes |
Eligible accounts | Select, Reward, Premier Select or Premier Reward (for new customers, longer list for existing customers) |
Requirements | Pay in £1,250 within 60 days of switching |
Log on to online or app banking within 60 days of switching | |
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close your old account | |
You must start the switch from the Natwest website or your mobile app | |
The old account must be from a different bank | |
Exclusions | Offer limited to once per person |
Cannot have received a switching bonus from RBS, Ulster or Natwest since 1 January 2020 | |
Offer ends | Unknown |
Previous Natwest switch deals
- In both 2018 and 2019 Natwest offered switching bonuses on three occasions between £100 and £150
- It returned in October and November 2020 offering £125.
- It ran 24 January 2022 until 7 April 2022 offering £150.
- A £175 offer ran September to November 2022.
- A £200 offer ran February to September 2023
- A £200 offer started February 2024
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RBS £200 switching offer
RBS launched a £200 switch deal on 15 February 2024.
As with Natwest when it has run it’s been available to existing customers, though you couldn’t get the money from Natwest too.
I’ve written a full analysis of this RBS offer with more details on how it works here.
Switching bonus | £200 |
Bonus paid | Within 7 Days of completing criteria |
Open to existing customers | Yes |
Eligible accounts | Select, Reward, Premier Select or Premier Reward (for new customers, longer list for existing customers) |
Requirements | Pay in £1,250 within 60 days of switching |
Log on to mobile app banking within 60 days of switching | |
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close your old account | |
You must start the switch from the RBS website or your mobile app | |
The old account must be from a different bank | |
Exclusions | Offer limited to once per person |
Cannot have received a switching bonus from RBS, Ulster or Natwest since 1 January 2020 | |
Offer ends | Unknown |
The previous offers include £150 from 3 February 2022 until 21 April 2022, £175 in October 2022 and £200 in 2023.
Barclays Premier “£167” switching offer
Barclays launched a new £175 switching deal in November 2023, which has now ended.
However there’s still an offer for new Barclays Premier customers who switch in. They’ll earn Avios points that can be changed to £167ish worth of Nectar points.
This is only for customers who have large salaries or huge amounts saved with Barclays (it might be possible to get accepted as a joint couple who meet this requirement combined). You also have to be brand new to Barclays too.
You need to add on Barclays Avios Rewards which costs £12 a month, though you’ll earn most of that back in Avios points (1,500 a month = £10 when converted to Nectar). So effectively you’re looking at a net spend of £24 over the year – though of course that’s if you keep Avios Rewards once you’ve got your bonus.
If you stop Avios Rewards after four months, you’ll have spent the equivalent of £8, giving you a profit of £159 (as Nectar points).
You can’t have both Blue Rewards and Avios Rewards at the same time.
Switching bonus | 25,000 Avios points (worth £167ish if converted to Nectar) |
Bonus paid | Four months after opening the account |
Open to existing customers | No |
Requirements | Open a new Premier Banking account |
Earn £75,000 a year or have £100,000 saved / invested with Barclays | |
Add Barclays Avios Rewards to your account | |
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close your old account | |
The old account must be from a different bank | |
Exclusions | Offer limited to once per person |
Offer ends | Unknown |
Previous Bank switch account offers
TSB up to £225 switching offer
A new switching deal runs from 15 January 2024 until 31 January 2024. It was worth up to £225.
To get the full amount you’ll need to get an extra cashback bonus via cashback sites Quidco and TopCashback, and from the accounts themselves. Read my full analysis here.
Switching bonus | £125 |
Additional bonus | Double cashback for six months (Up to £60 total) |
Cashback site bonus | Up to £40 |
Bonus paid | By 29 March 2024 |
Open to existing customers | Yes |
Switching requirements | Open a Switch and Save or Switch and Save Plus current account |
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close old account by 15 March 2024 (start switch by 31 January 2024) | |
Add or switch two active direct debits | |
Use the debit card | |
Log in to online or app banking | |
Additional bonus requirements | Make 20 debit card transactions per calendar month for six months |
Cashback site bonus requirements | Make two debit payments in three of the four months from opening Pay in £500 a month in three of the four months from opening |
Exclusions | Not already have received a TSB switching bonus since 1 October 2022 |
Offer limited to once per person and account | |
Offer ends | 31 January 2024 |
Barclays Blue Rewards switching offers
Here’s more on the last switching deal for Blue Rewards from November 2023, and you can also read our full guide and analysis.
Before this the switching deals offered double Blue Rewards, though that version last ran in 2019.
Switching bonus | £175 |
Bonus paid | Within 28 working days of completing the switch |
Open to existing customers | No |
Requirements | Open a new Bank Account or Premier Current Account via the Barclays app |
Add Blue Rewards if you choose the Bank Account | |
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close your old account within 30 days | |
Switch two active direct debits | |
The old account must be from a different bank | |
Exclusions | Offer limited to once per person |
Not open to joint accounts | |
Cannot have had a Barclays current account since 31 October 2023 | |
Offer ends | 30 November 2023 (last date to start the switch) |
Bank of Scotland switching bonus
Bank of Scotland isn’t running a switching offer right now.
Chase Bank welcome bonus (ended)
The new £20 referral scheme began on 11 May 2022 and ended 7 June 2022. You do not need to switch. Here’s more on how it works, and how to refer your friends (earning up to £400).
Welcome bonus | £20 |
Bonus paid | Unknown |
Open to existing customers | No |
Requirements | Use the link below (automatically adds referral code) |
Pay in £20 within 30 days of opening the account | |
Exclusions | Not already have or had a Chase Bank current account |
Offer limited to once per person | |
Offer ends | 7 June 2022 at 23:59 |
Co-operative Bank £150 switching bonus (expired)
Co-operative Bank has launched a switching bonus worth £100, with another £50 available on top. It replaces the previous refer-a-friend promotion. My full analysis is here.
Switching bonus | £100 |
Savings bonus | £50 |
Switch Requirements | Open up either a Standard or Everyday Extra current account (or already hold one of the listed accounts) |
Then within 6 weeks complete the following: | |
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close old account | |
Then within 30 days of the switch completing do the following: | |
Deposit £1,000 | |
Set up two direct debits | |
Use the debit card at least five times | |
Set up online banking | |
Savings requirements | Have £25 in the qualifying savings accounts 45 days after the switch completion |
Exclusions | Not already have a bonus from Co-operative Bank since 1 November 2022 |
Offer limited to one welcome offer per person and account | |
Open to existing customers | No |
Switch bonus paid | Within 40 days of completing the switch |
Savings bonus paid | Within 60 days of completing the switch |
Offer ends | Unknown |
First Direct £175 switching bonus
First Direct currently offers £175 for opening a 1st Account with them and switching in. Here’s my full analysis of the offer.
You can also currently get a £40 bonus if you apply for the account via cashback site Quidco. If you’re not already a Quidco user you can get a welcome bonus of up to £17 when you join.
Switching bonus | £175 |
Bonus paid | Within 28 days of meeting criteria |
Open to existing customers | No |
Requirements | Pay in £1,000 within three months of opening the account |
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close old account | |
Exclusions | Not already have or had a First Direct account |
Not have opened an HSBC account since 1st January 2020 | |
Offer limited to once per person | |
Offer ends | 26 January 2024 |
First Direct has consistently offered some kind of switching bonus, though this was paused for most of 2020 due to the pandemic. The incentive has mainly been cash, though in 2018 First Direct briefly replaced it with a choice of freebies. For a while there was also a “goodbye” offer, giving you the chance to get another £100 if you didn’t like the account.
The lowest the offer has is been £50, and occasionally it increases to £125 and even £150, but expect £100 as the standard rate. A refer-a-friend offer ran until 2019.
Halifax switch deal (ended)
Until 31 August 2023 Halifax is offering up to £225 for switching to a new Halifax Reward or Ultimate Reward account.
The Reward account is my pick of the two and you can earn a £5 monthly reward. The Ultimate Rewards account has added features such as insurance but comes with a £17 monthly fee.
It’s open to existing Halifax customers too, even if you already hold one of these accounts. Here’s more information about how to get the £225.
Switching bonus | £150 |
Bonus paid | Within 3 working days of completing the switch |
Additional cashback bonus | Up to £75 (three x £25) |
Additional cashback paid | By the 20 of the following month |
Open to existing customers | Yes |
Requirements | Open a new Reward or Ultimate Reward account |
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close your old account | |
The old account must be from a different bank | |
Additional cashback requirements | Spend £750 a month in some or all of September, October and November 2023 with the debit card |
Exclusions | Offer limited to once per person |
Not have received a switching bonus from Halifax or Lloyds since April 2020 | |
Offer ends | 31 August 2023 (last date to start the switch) |
Halifax has regularly been offering cash bonuses of between £75 and £150 since switching began in 2013. More recently it ran offers in April/May and July/August 2021 (£100) and October/December 2021, March/May 2022 (£125) and July/August 2022 (£150).
HSBC Advance & HSBC Global Money offer (ended)
There’s up to £260 up for grabs with this opening offer (£205 from HSBC and £55 with TopCashback), though there are a few steps involved. You don’t have to switch an account to HSBC to get this one. We think that this deal will end on 6 November 2023, so you’ll have to be quick if you want to take advantage.
You can get £125 when you:
- Open a new HSBC Advance or Premier Account
- Deposit £1,500+ within 60 days
- Make 5+ payments with your HSBC debit card
- Register and log in to the HSBC mobile banking app
- Open an HSBC Global Money Account within the app
The money is paid into your Global Money Account within 20 days.
You can then get another £80, plus a chance to win £3,000 if you use your Global Money debit card 5+ times by 21 April 2024.
The money will be paid into your Global Money Account between 1 May 2024 and 8 May 2024 and the prize draw takes place on 29 April 2024.
There aren’t any requirements to have direct debits or standing orders set up with this account. However you can’t have had an HSBC account since 1 October 2018, or opened a First Direct account since that same date.
You can also currently get £55 in cashback when you open a HSBC Advance account through TopCashback, which brings the total amount to £260.
Plus, if you’re a new TopCashback customer, you can get £15 when you spend £15 via it.
Welcome bonus | £205 cash |
Additional Quidco cashback | £55 when you apply through TopCashback |
£15 extra if you’re a new TopCashback member | |
Bonus paid | £125 paid within 20 days of completing the switch and £80 paid between 1 and 8 May 2024 |
Open to existing customers | No |
Requirements | Open a new HSBC Advance or Premier current account |
Pay £1,500 into the account within the first 60 days in one or more deposits | |
Make 5+ payments on your HSBC debit card | |
Register and log in to the HSBC mobile banking app | |
Open an HSBC Global Money account | |
Make 5 payments with your HSBC Global Money debit card by 21 April 2024 | |
Exclusions | Not had an HSBC current account or opened a First Direct current account since 1 October 2018. |
Offer ends | 6 November 2023 |
HSBC switch offer (ended)
You can get a £200 bonus when switching to the HSBC Advance current account, but that could be increased to as much as £250.
Cashback site Quidco is offering £40 extra when you apply via their site.
You need two Direct Debits or standing orders to qualify for the bonus. Unless you have spare Direct Debits you want to move, I’d go for the latter and simply transfer money from another bank account (and then back again!). Here’s my guide to the offer.
The account requirement of a £1,750 monthly deposit doesn’t need to stay in the account.
Switching bonus | £200 cash |
Additional Quidco cashback | £40 when you apply via Quidco |
£10 extra when you sign up to Quidco | |
Bonus paid | Money paid within 30 days of completing the switch |
Open to existing customers | No |
Requirements | Open a new HSBC Advance current account |
Pay £1,500 into the account within the first 60 days in one or more deposits | |
Switch two Direct Debits or standing orders | |
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close your old account within 30 days | |
The old account must be from a different bank | |
Exclusions | Not had an HSBC current account on or since 1st January 2020 |
Not opened a First Direct 1st account since 1st January 2020 | |
Offer ends | 3 July 2023 |
Metro Bank switching offer (ended)
Metro introduced a brand new referral offer in 2020, but that ended 18th December 2020. The offer was £50 for both the person referring and the person signing up and switching. It was capped at £250 for the existing Metro customer. I’ll update it here it returns.
Monzo account opening offer
You can get £5 free cash from Monzo when you join for the first time. You’ll need to get a refer-a-friend link from an existing customer. These links can be limited, so make sure the landing page explicitly says you’ll earn £5. If it doesn’t, see if you can find another link. You’ll get the fiver once you’ve done this.
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Nationwide switching offer (ended)
This decent switching offer restarted 21 September 3 2023, offering £200.
You can also claim this offer twice. Once for a personal account and once for a joint account (though this latter one is one payment for both parties in the joint account). I’ve written in detail about this switching offer here.
Switching bonus | £200 |
Bonus paid | Within 10 days of the switch completing |
Open to existing customers | Yes (more details here) |
Requirements | Open a new or already have a FlexPlus, FlexDirect or FlexAccount |
Transfer two Direct Debits | |
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close your old account within 30 days of starting the switch | |
The old account must be from a different bank | |
Not received a bonus from a switching ofer since August 18 2021 | |
Offer ends | 21 December 2023 |
Nationwide used to offer a refer-a-friend promotion where both people got £100 if the new customer switched from another bank. This was paused when the pandemic started in March 2020 and was replaced by the new switching offer in August 2021.
Revolut account opening offer (ended)
You can get a £10 free credit from Revolut when you join for the first time via this link and access to one month’s free Premium.
To get the tenner you need to top up your account from another bank and then spend at least £1 on the card.
You’ll have to pay if you want a physical card so I wouldn’t bother. There’s a virtual card you can use straight away from the app or add to your phone’s wallet.
You don’t have to take the one-month free Premium but if you do it has to be within 72 hours of signing up. If you don’t want to continue with Premium once the initial month you can easily downgrade in the app. Don’t forget or you’ll pay £6.99 a month. If you ordered the card you’ll have to pay for it, so again, don’t do this unless you’re going to stick with Premium.
Full terms and conditions are available when you click through. Ends 31 December 2022.
Santander switch offer (finished)
Santander has rarely offered any switching incentives – but in 2021 it launched an offer for new and existing customers.
You need to switch into a 123, Edge, Everyday, Select or Private account. Here’s my full analysis.
Switching bonus | £200 |
Bonus paid | Around 90 days after requesting the switch |
Open to existing customers | Yes (more here) |
Requirements | Open a new or hold an existing 123, Edge, Everyday, Select or Private current account |
Set up two Direct Debits after the switch | |
Deposit £1,000 | |
Log into app or online banking | |
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close your old account within 60 days of starting the switch | |
The old account must be from a different bank | |
Not have received a bonus already | |
Offer ends | 23:59 on 9 February 2023 (last date to start switch process) |
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Triodos referral offer (expired)
Sign up to Triodos’s current account via a referral link and you can get a £60 voucher to use at Ethical Superstore or Neals Yard. Or you can choose to have the money donated to charity. The existing customer that refers you will have a £25 donation made on their behalf.
You don’t need to switch to get the bonus, but you must pay in £100.
Here’s more on the current deal.
Referal bonus | £60 voucher or charity donation |
Open to existing customers | No |
Requirements | Open a new Triodos current account via a referral link |
Put £100 in the account within 30 days | |
Offer ends | Ongoing |
Ulster £200 switching offer
Ulster launched a £200 switch deal on 15 February 2023.
As with Natwest and RBS when it has run it’s been available to existing customers. Though technically you can’t get the money from Natwest and RBS too, in the past some have been able to.
We’ve written a full analysis of this Ulster Bank offer with more details on how it works here.
Switching bonus | £200 |
Bonus paid | Within 7 Days of completing criteria |
Open to existing customers | Yes (more here) |
Eligible accounts | Select (for new customers, longer list for existing customers) |
Requirements | Pay in £1,250 within 60 days of switching |
Log on to mobile app banking within 60 days of switching | |
Not have received a switching bonus from Ulster, RBS or Natwest since 1 January 2020 | |
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close your old account | |
You must start the switch from the Ulster website or your mobile app | |
The old account must be from a different bank | |
Exclusions | Offer limited to once per person |
Offer ends | Unknown |
Virgin Money switching offer (ended)
Virgin Money has offered six different switching offers since December 2020 under the name “Brighter Money Bundle”. The latest is for 25% cashback on supermarket and fuel shopping (details here).
Until 31 October 2022 you can also get an extra £30 Amazon voucher if you open the account via the budgeting app Snoop, and there’s a £5 Amazon welcome offer when you sign up too
So far it looks like they’re changing the offer every three or four months. Previous offers have included:
- 15 bottles of wine from Virgin Wine (Dec 20 to Mar 21)
- 12 bottles and a £50 charity donation (Mar 21 to summer 21)
- £150 Virgin Experiences voucher
- £100 Virgin Experience voucher and 3% bonus interest (Jan 22 to April 22)
- 20,000 Virgin points (April 22 to August 22)
Here’s more on the current deal.
Switching bonus | 25% cashback on supermarket and fuel spending for 60 days, up to £160 (more details) |
Bonus paid | You’ll get an email with the details to start earning cashback within 14 days of meeting the switching criteria, then you have 60 days to earn the money |
Extra offer | £30 Amazon if you apply and switch via Snoop, and a £5 voucher if you’re new to Snopp until 31 October 2022 (more here) |
Open to existing customers | No |
Requirements | Open a new Virgin M Plus current account |
Put £1,000 in the linked M Plus Saver account until you have received the offer code | |
Transfer or set up two Direct Debits which must remain active until you have received the switching offer code | |
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close your old account | |
Sign up for the Virgin Cashback in the app | |
Exclusions | Not had a Virgin Money, Clydesdale, Yorkshire Bank current account since 30 April 2022 |
Not previously had a “Bundle” or “Points” switching offer from Virgin Money | |
Offer ends | Midday 30 September 2022 |