The latest news to help you get the most from your bank account.
Here’s my monthly update sharing changes for leading UK current accounts, as well as some of the relevant articles you might have missed on the site.
Some articles on the site contain affiliate links, which provide a small commission to help fund our work. However, they won’t affect the price you pay or our editorial independence. Read more here.
May’s bank switch offers
New bank switching deals
Santander’s switch offer has improved with the addition of a £30 Amazon voucher. That’s on top of the £180 switch bonus. You must go via our link to qualify for the extra gift card, which also requires you to use the debit card fives times in addition to the switching terms and conditions.
Elsewhere, Natwest has revamped it’s switch deal, pushing it from £150 to £200, though the offer no longer includes a boost to their digital regular saver. The same offer is available from RBS.
HSBC has also increased the bonus when switching into the Premier account. It’s now doubled at £500. You’ll need to pay in around £5,100 a month to qualify, which is the rough equivalent of a £100,000 a year salary. First Direct and HSBC customers are excluded.
Ending bank switching deals
You’ve got until 28 May to claim £200 from Barclays for standard Current Account switches.
Continuing bank switching deals
First Direct’s switching offer is also still available for £175. Don’t forget you can access a 7% regular saver with this bank. There’s also £40 available if you go via Quidco.
FYI, I’d expect Nationwide to return in late May, alongside their Fairer Share bonus.
May’s current account offers
Barclays customers can save 5% on petrol
Between 1 May and 31 July 2026 you’ll get 5% cashback on petrol and diesel from Tesco petrol stations if you pay with a Barclays debit card. Eligible accounts are:
- Barclays Basic Current Account
- Barclays Bank Account
- Premier Current Account
- Student Additions/Higher Education Account
- Wealth Current Account
It’s capped at £10 cashback per month per customer, meaning you’ll get the money back on up to £200 of fuel each month.
There’s no need to activate the offer, just fill up and pay.
It won’t work at Esso stations with a linked Tesco store – it has to be a Tesco petrol station. Here are more ways to save on petrol.
PayPay+ £5 with 3x spend
If you’ve got our top cashback debit card pick PayPal+, there’s an offer worth triggering right now. You’ll get 500 points, worth £5, if you then spend three lots of £75 within 15 days.
You’ve got until 22 June to activate the offer, though there are 47,000 redemptions available, so it could go sooner
Existing bank referral offers
Don’t forget, Chase is still running a £50 referral scheme, Starling one for £25 and there’s £10 available via Zopa’s Biscuit account
Featured switching deal
Customer rating
3.8/5
- Switch bonus£180 + £30 Amazon gift card
- Offer endsUnknown
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Switch bonus requirements Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close your old account within 60 days of starting the switch
- Deposit requirements Deposit £1,500 in the first 60 days from opening the account
- Direct debits transferred over Set up two Direct Debits before or after the switch from a selected list of household bills
- Existing customers? Can't have held any Santander current account on 1 January 2025
- Restrictions Can't have received a switching bonus from Santander already, offer limited to once per person
- Eligible accounts Open a new or hold an existing Everyday, Edge, Edge Up or Edge Explorer current account
- £30 Amazon gift card requirements You need to make five debit card transactions within 30 days of opening the account to get the £30 Amazon gift card
May’s current account news
Nationwide is set to reveal the member benefits for 2026 during their annual results announcement on Thursday 21 May.
In previous years this has been a £100 bonus for qualifying customers, a boosted bank switch deal and a high paying 18 month savings bond.
We’ll share with you exactly what happens in an article and video on our YouTube channel.
With the completion of the Virgin Money takeover by Nationwide earlier this year, customers of both banks will be eligible for the Fairer Share programme.
However, it seems that the £100 bonus part if this won’t kick in until 2027 for Virgin Money only customers. That’s because the usual qualifying period is January to March, just before the takeover took place. That could change, and we’ll share if there’s anything for when details are available.
Get the best of our money saving content every week, straight to your inbox
Plus, new Quidco customers get a high paying £15 welcome offer
Santander takes over TSB
Sticking with takeovers, TSB is now part of Santander. Right now that won’t mean anything different for either bank’s customers.
However, the FT reported that in time the TSB brand will be axed, though that won’t be for at least a year. As part of this, if not before, it wouldn’t be a surprise for branches to go.
Our top current accounts for April 2026
I always think it’s worth having more than one current account (find out why here) and here’s my run-down of the top accounts to have this month.
