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 blog.
November’s bank account update videos
For a more detailed update, watch these videos from my YouTube channel.
November’s current account news
Latest bank switching deals
Some big changes since last month’s update, with some new, some increased and some gone.
HSBC has launched a £200 switching bonus, matching the offer from Nationwide. However, if you apply via cashback site Quidco you’ll be able to get £40 extra. And until 27 November 2022, I’ve blagged a Quidco welcome bonus worth another £10. All the details and the links you need are here.
The Co-operative Bank refer-a-friend offer has more than doubled to £125 – for both the new customer and recommending one. Here are the full details and my analysis.
The Lloyds bank offer ends on Monday 14 November so at the time of publishing there’s only a few days left for you to get this.
In the last month RBS, Natwest and TSB offers have ended. This leaves First Direct offering £175 and Nationwide offering £200.
Tide business account incentive
Sole traders and limited companies that open a brand new Tide account are eligible for a £75 welcome bonus. You’ll need to enter the code REFORM when you apply. Then once accepted, spend £300 on the debit card in the first three months.
The £75 will be credited to your account within eight weeks of meeting the criteria. You might be asked to prove you are running a business.
Monese changes gift voucher offer
One of the reasons to have a Monese current account is the semi-regular (usually mid to end of each month) special offer where you get discounted gift cards. Retailers included are Sainsbury’s, Asda, John Lewis and M&S.
The discount is usually 20%, though at times drops to 10% or 15%. Well, the last offer (and the end of October), is similar but free customers were offered just 10% off. To get a higher rate of 15% you had to have the “Classic” account, which costs £5.95 a month.
This might be worth it depending on the size of the gift voucher you’re buying, and you can always trade back to the free account for the next month. However, the deals are limited in number, so there’s a risk you pay £5.95 but miss out.
When the offer runs I share details on my gift card deals page.
Curve adds £5 charge for cards
A few months ago I reported on some big changes to the Curve card, and it looks like a new £4.99 delivery fee has been added for the free card. Here’s my full review.
Avios to Nectar point conversion change impacts Barclays Avios Rewards
On 16 November you’ll get less points when swapping Avios points into Nectar points. This has an impact on anyone with a Barclays Premier Account and linked Avios Rewards. You pay £12 every month for this bonus, but receive 15,000 Avios in return.
These were valued at £12 when swapped to Nectar, so cancelling out the initial fee. They’ll now be worth £10, meaning an effective £2 loss. Here’s more swapping your points.
Incidentally the 100,000 Avios bonus for opening both a Barclays Premier and Barclaycard Avios Plus card ends on 30 November. Details here.
Linked saver improvements
A handful of savings accounts only open to current account customers have improved. They’re mainly regular savers, with Club Lloyds offering 5.25%, Lloyds 4.5% and Bank Of Scotland also 4.5%. A 3% account from HSBC requires either a current or savings account. More in my savings update for this month.
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My top current accounts for November 2022
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.
- Best account for everyday banking / app – Starling (review)
- Best account for everyday spending – Chase (review)
- Best account for bills – Santander 123 Lite (review)
- Best account for rewards – Halifax Reward (review)
- Best account for savings interest – Barclays with Blue Rewards (review)
- Best account for 0% overdraft – Nationwide FlexDirect (12 months only) (review)
