Get paid £1,195+ to switch banks.
UK banks pay you cash to give them a try. Here's the exact playbook — which bank, in what order, on what day, with the gotchas spelled out. No financial wizardry, just CASS.
How this actually works
It's automated and free
CASS — the Current Account Switch Service — does the heavy lifting. Your direct debits, standing orders, and incoming payments move automatically. Takes ~7 working days.
Don't switch your main account
Open a free burner account (Chase is best) and switch that. Your salary, real DDs, and savings stay put. The burner is your sacrificial account.
Banks pay because they want you
It's normal customer-acquisition spend. Not a scam, not a catch — just promotional. HMRC has confirmed switch bonuses aren't taxable.
Open your burner account
Before you switch anything, you need a burner — a free account you don't care about, that you'll repeatedly switch away from to claim bonuses. Here are the options, ranked.
Chase UK
- Soft credit search (no impact on score)
- Open up to 9 additional accounts
- Switches out cleanly via CASS
- Free, no fees
- Keep at least one Chase account open — closing all triggers a permanent ban
Monzo
- Fast app-only setup (5 minutes)
- Joint account doubles your switch capacity
- 30-day cooldown to reopen after closing
- Hard credit search
Starling
- Soft credit search
- Slick app
- 12-month lockout for previous customers
- One-shot tool — can't reopen after switching out
Quick start: open Chase
Download the Chase app, register with ID. Once your primary is live, open a second account from inside the app — that becomes your switch source. Plus you'll grab the free £50 Chase signup bonus on the way in.
Set up 2 direct debits
Most switch bonuses need 2 active DDs to come across with you. "Active" means a payment has actually been collected — don't just set them up and switch the same day.
Use these
- Sprive · £1/mo mortgage overpayment + £5 sign-up bonus
- Wealthify · £1/mo robo-savings
- Moneybox · Round-ups via DD
- Plum · £1/mo savings
- A £1/month charity DD · Cancer Research, Mind, etc.
These don't count
- Spotify, Netflix · card-on-file, not a DD
- App-store subscriptions · billed via your card, not a DD
- Standing orders to your savings · most banks reject these as qualifying
Important: wait until at least one DD has actually been collected before initiating CASS — banks may reject "active DD" checks if there's no payment history.
6 switches. ~6 months. £1,195 + cashback
The optimal order — expiry-first, then group-restricted, then evergreen. Each switch starts from a fresh Chase burner, completes in ~7 working days, and pays out within 30–90 days.
Why a fresh burner each time?
Don't hop straight from Barclays into RBS into NatWest. Every switch starts from a new burner account (open another Chase secondary in the app — takes 5 minutes). Three reasons:
- 1You'd lose the bonus you just earned. Banks claw back the bonus if you switch away before it's paid (~45 working days). Hopping = forfeiting.
- 2Group rules disqualify you. NatWest + RBS won't pay if you switch from a group brand. First Direct rejects HSBC switchers. Burner = always safe.
- 3Direct debits need to be active. Your DDs collect monthly — if you switch out before they land in the new account, the next bank may not count them.
In practice: open a new Chase secondary before each switch step below. Chase lets you have up to 9 — they're free, soft credit search, and take 5 minutes to spin up.
- 1Week 0
Open your burner account
Open a Chase UK current account. Chase is the best burner — soft credit search, lets you open up to 9 additional accounts, and switches out via CASS cleanly. Apply via the Chase app, takes ~10 minutes.
- Download Chase UK app, register with email + ID
- Once primary is open, open a SECOND Chase account from inside the app
- Move £20 in to the second account so you can verify when CASS runs
- 2Week 1
Set up 2 direct debits
Add 2 cheap DDs to your secondary Chase account. They need to have collected at least once before you switch.
- Sprive (£1/mo + £5 sign-up bonus) — fastest to set up
- Wealthify (£1/mo) or Moneybox round-ups
- A £1/month charity donation works too
- 3Week 2HSBC Group — pick ONE
HSBC and First Direct are the same banking group, so you can only ever claim a switch bonus from one of them — opening one account blocks you from the other's offer. Take the higher HSBC £220, or First Direct if you'd rather its simpler requirements.
£175 + £45First Direct
Open a 1st Account for a £175 switch bonus. Stack £45 extra cashback by signing up via Quidco first, then clicking through when you apply.
Burner needed: Open another fresh Chase secondary. Add 2 DDs, wait for one to collect.
- Pay in £1,000 within 45 days and keep it there for 24 hours
- Move 2 DDs (or standing orders), make 5 debit-card payments, and log into the app or online banking
- Skip if you've held an HSBC current account on or after 1 Jan 2018
- Bonus paid by the 20th of the month after qualifying
£220HSBC
Switch to a fee-free HSBC Bank Account, opened in the HSBC UK app. £220 paid within 60 days of meeting the criteria — no Premier account or £100k income needed.
Burner needed: Open another fresh Chase secondary. Add 2 DDs and wait for one to collect — the switch must bring across 2+ active direct debits.
- Open the HSBC Bank Account in the HSBC UK app — online, branch and phone applications don't qualify
- Within 60 days: complete a full CASS switch bringing 2+ Direct Debits, pay in £2,000, and spend £500 on the debit card
- Skip if you hold or have held an HSBC UK or First Direct current account on or after 1 Jan 2023
- New customers only; £220 lands within 60 days of qualifying
- 4Week 6£200
The Co-operative Bank
£200 in total — £125 lands first, then £25 a month for three months while you keep meeting the requirements. The free Standard Current Account is the easy pick. (The extra £100 loyalty payment for existing Co-op/smile/Coventry BS customers ended 17 August 2026.)
Burner needed: Open a fresh Chase secondary. Add 2 DDs and wait for one to collect. Because the £25 monthly payments run for three months, start this one early — it earns in the background while you work through the later switches.
- Full CASS switch, then within 30 days: pay in £1,500, make 5 debit card payments, keep 2 active Direct Debits, and register for online or mobile banking
- £125 pays once the first month's criteria are met; repeat the same requirements each month for £25/month over the next 3 months (£200 total)
- The £100 loyalty payment for existing Co-op/smile/Coventry BS customers ended 17 August 2026 — £200 is now the max
- Skip if you've benefited from a Co-op switch offer since November 2022
- No end date announced, but the offer can be changed or withdrawn at any time
- 5Week 10£200
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)
Choose free Select (the easy pick) or Reward (£2/mo fee; its DD cashback drops to £4/mo from 1 October 2026 when the £1 app-login reward ends). Standard CASS switch.
Burner needed: Open a fresh Chase secondary inside the app (5 min). No direct debits required — RBS only needs the pay-in and an app login.
- Pay in £1,250 within 60 days (one or more payments — leave each deposit in for 24 hours), then log into the RBS app
- No direct debits required (DDs only earn the separate Reward-account perk, not the switch bonus)
- Don't switch from a NatWest, RBS, or Ulster account — your Chase burner is safe
- Officially only one switch bonus across NatWest, RBS and Ulster ever — in practice each brand has been paying once per person (see the group rules below)
- £200 typically lands within 30 days of qualifying
- 6Week 14£200
NatWest
Same offer structure as RBS — separate bonus from the same banking group. Reward or Select account.
Burner needed: Open another fresh Chase secondary. No direct debits required — NatWest only needs the pay-in and an app login.
- Same £1,250 pay-in (leave each deposit in for 24 hours) + app login
- No direct debits required (DDs only earn the separate Reward-account perk, not the switch bonus)
- You must not have held a NatWest/RBS/Ulster account on 6 May 2026, and must never have had a NatWest Group switch bonus
- The T&Cs allow one NatWest Group bonus ever — but switchers throughout summer 2026 consistently report NatWest, RBS and Ulster each paying once per person, even weeks apart. Some commentators believe a crackdown is coming, so treat the second and third bonuses as likely rather than guaranteed, and do them close together to be safest
- 7Week 18£200
Ulster Bank
Third NatWest Group offer alongside NatWest and RBS — open a free Select account. Group rule officially limits you to one bonus across NatWest, RBS and Ulster.
Burner needed: Open another fresh Chase secondary. No DDs required — Ulster's £200 doesn't need any direct debits.
- Pay in £1,250 within 60 days (must remain in the account for 24 hours)
- Log into the Ulster Bank app within 60 days
- Despite the official one-per-group rule, switchers report Ulster paying even after a NatWest or RBS bonus has already landed — likely, not guaranteed
- No direct debits required
- Must not have held an Ulster current account on 26 May 2026
- Apply online or in-app — branch and phone applications don't qualify
- The switch is a SEPARATE step, not part of the application — you won't be asked for your old account details when you sign up. Once the account is open and your debit card has arrived, log into the Ulster app and start the switch from there
- All Ulster branches are in NI — pick any Belfast postcode in the branch-picker step so it returns options (admin-only field; you'll bank digitally and your real address goes in the standard address field)
- £200 typically lands within 30 days of qualifying; account opening can take 1–3 weeks
- 8Week 22£175
Nationwide
Open a FlexDirect account (fee-free, pays in-credit interest for the first year). Standard CASS switch. Skip only if you've had a Nationwide switch bonus since 2021 — older bonuses don't block you.
Burner needed: Open another fresh Chase secondary. Add 2 DDs, wait for one to collect.
- Move 2 active Direct Debits with the switch, pay in £1,000 within 31 days, make a debit card payment
- Switch from a current account at a different bank — internal Nationwide moves don't count, and you can't switch a Virgin Money account (same group)
- Couples can stack £525: each partner switches a sole account (£175 each) plus a joint account (£175)
- £175 typically lands within 10 days of qualifying
Earn extra via cashback sites
Click through Quidco or TopCashback before applying and you stack cashback on top of the switch bonus. Sign up to both — you'll use them constantly.
Quidco
+£45 First DirectClick through Quidco before applying for First Direct and you'll get an extra £45 cashback on top of the switch bonus.
Sign up to QuidcoBanking-group rules
Banks share "switch bonus history" within their group. These rules dictate the order of the playbook.
NatWest Group
The T&Cs say one bonus across the group, ever. In practice each brand pays once per person — switchers in summer 2026 report getting all three, even weeks apart — but anything past the first is at the bank's discretion.
HSBC Group
First Direct blocks anyone with an HSBC current account opened on or after 1 January 2018.
Lloyds Banking Group
No switch bonus from any group brand if you've had one since 1 January 2023.
All 7 live switch offers
Track any of these in your dashboard to monitor progress and get reminders. Updated continuously.
The Co-operative Bank · Added 1mo ago
The Co-operative Bank - £200 Switch Bonus
Switch to The Co-operative Bank via CASS, pay in £1,500 a month with 2 Direct Debits and 5 card payments — £125 upfront, then £25 a month for three months (£200 total).
First Direct · Added 3mo ago
First Direct - £175 Switch Bonus
First Direct pays £175 to switch to the 1st Account. Switch via full CASS with 2 DDs/SOs, pay in £1,000 and make 5 debit card payments within 45 days. £175 paid by the 20th of the following month.
RBS · Added 3mo ago
RBS - £200 Switch Bonus
Switch to RBS with a full CASS transfer, log into the app and pay in £1,250 within 60 days. £200 paid within 30 days of qualifying.
NatWest · Added 3mo ago
NatWest - £200 Switch Bonus
Switch to NatWest with a full CASS transfer, log into the app and pay in £1,250 within 60 days. £200 paid within 30 days of qualifying.
HSBC · Added 2mo ago
HSBC – £220 Switch Bonus
HSBC pays new customers £220 to switch to a fee-free HSBC Bank Account via the app — full CASS switch with 2 DDs, £2,000 pay-in and £500 debit-card spend within 60 days.
Ulster Bank · Added 3mo ago
Ulster Bank Switch Offer – £200 Bonus
Switch to Ulster Bank with a full CASS transfer, log into the app and pay in £1,250 within 60 days. £200 paid within 30 days of qualifying. No direct debits required.
Nationwide · Added 3mo ago
Nationwide FlexDirect - £175 Switch Bonus
Switch to a Nationwide FlexDirect account via CASS, move 2+ active direct debits, pay in £1,000+ and make a debit card payment - £175 lands within 10 days. FlexDirect is fee-free.
Premier switch offers
Premier accounts are gated on a £100k+ salary, savings, or mortgage with the bank. Same switch process — much bigger bonuses.
Barclays Premier
Not cash — a 'signature experience' (Dine, Stay, Live or Family). £75k+ income OR £100k+ savings/investments with Barclays. Full switch with 2 DDs + £4,000 pay-in within 30 days. Ends 27 Aug 2026.
See bank's pageNatWest Premier
£100k+ salary or £100k+ savings with NatWest. Saver bonus needs £100k held for 30 days (taxable as interest).
See bank's pageRoyal Bank of Scotland Premier
Same as NatWest Premier — £100k income or savings with RBS, saver portion taxable.
See bank's pageFrequently asked
Frequently Asked Questions
Track your switches in your dashboard
Log every switch, mark when bonuses land, and see your running total across all offers.