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Halifax app

The Halifax Rewards account can earn you £5 a month so it’s worth looking at. Here’s my review.

Savings	Savings pots	No
	Auto savings	Yes

Banking	Easy transfer	yes
	New payee in app	Yes
	New SO	Yes
	change SO	Yes
	pay in cheque	Yes
	share account details	yes

Budgeting	Analyse spending	limited
	Set Budget	No
	Add other banks	Yes Bank of Scotland Barclays Barclaycard First Direct Lloyds M&S Bank MBNA Nationwide NatWest RBS Santander
	Instant notifications	Yes
	See upcoming regular payments	yes
	See pending payments	Yes
	Go back more than one year	3 years +
	Filter in/out	No
	Download statements	PDF
	Add receipts/notes	No

Management	Freeze card	Yes
	See Pin	Yes
	See card number	No
	Order new card	Yes
	Gambling blocks	yes
	Spending controls (eg block contactless)	yes
	Update personal info	Yes

	Biometric log in	Yes

HSBC app

As I don’t have the app for this bank there are a few TBCs here.

Savings	Savings pots	No
	Auto savings	No

Banking	Easy transfer	Yes
	New payee in app	Yes
	New SO	Yes
	change SO	Yes
	pay in cheque	Yes
	share account details	No

Budgeting	Analyse spending	No
	Set Budget	No
	Add other banks	No
	Instant notifications	Rolling out
	See upcoming regular payments	Balance After Bills
	See pending payments	Yes
	Go back more than one year	TBC
	Filter in/out	TBC
	Download statements	PDF
	Add receipts/notes	TBC

Management	Freeze card	Yes
	See Pin	No
	See card number	No
	Order new card	Yes
	Gambling blocks	Yes
	Spending controls (eg block contactless)	TBC
	Update personal info	Yes

	Biometric log in	Yes

Lloyds app

The Club Lloyds account is a decent bet for freebies and interest on savings. Here’s my review.

Savings	Savings pots	No
	Auto savings	Yes

Banking	Easy transfer	yes
	New payee in app	Yes
	New SO	Yes
	change SO	Yes
	pay in cheque	Yes
	share account details	yes

Budgeting	Analyse spending	limited
	Set Budget	No
	Add other banks	Yes Bank of Scotland Barclays Barclaycard First Direct Halifax M&S Bank MBNA Nationwide NatWest RBS Santander
	Instant notifications	Yes
	See upcoming regular payments	yes
	See pending payments	Yes
	Go back more than one year	3 years +
	Filter in/out	No
	Download statements	PDF
	Add receipts/notes	No

Management	Freeze card	Yes
	See Pin	Yes
	See card number	No
	Order new card	Yes
	Gambling blocks	yes
	Spending controls (eg block contactless)	yes
	Update personal info	Yes

	Biometric log in	Yes

Monzo

This looks at the free Monzo account. The paid options have some added features. Here’s more on Monzo Plus and Monzo Premium.

Savings	Savings pots	Yes
	Auto savings	Yes

Banking	Easy transfer	Yes
	New payee in app	Yes
	New SO	Yes
	change SO	Yes
	pay in cheque	No
	share account details	Yes

Budgeting	Analyse spending	Yes
	Set Budget	Yes
	Add other banks	Not on free
	Instant notifications	Yes
	See upcoming regular payments	Yes
	See pending payments	Yes
	Go back more than one year	Yes
	Filter in/out	Yes
	Download statements	PDF, CSV, QIF
	Add receipts/notes	Yes

Management	Freeze card	Yes
	See Pin	Yes
	See card number	Yes
	Order new card	Yes
	Gambling blocks	Yes
	Spending controls (eg block contactless)	No
	Update personal info	Yes

	Biometric log in	Yes

Extras		Pay friends instantly
		Split bill

Nationwide app

As much as I love Nationwide as building society, I really hate the app. Here’s my review of the Nationwide FlexDirect account.

Savings	Savings pots	No
	Auto savings	Yes

Banking	Easy transfer	Yes
	New payee in app	No
	New SO	No
	change SO	No
	pay in cheque	No
	share account details	No

Budgeting	Analyse spending	No
	Set Budget	No
	Add other banks	No
	Instant notifications	No
	See upcoming regular payments	No
	See pending payments	No
	Go back more than one year	15 months
	Filter in/out	No
	Download statements	No
	Add receipts/notes	No

Management	Freeze card	Yes
	See Pin	No
	See card number	No
	Order new card	Yes
	Gambling blocks	No
	Spending controls (eg block contactless)	No
	Update personal info	Not address

	Biometric log in	Yes

Natwest

Savings	Savings pots	No
	Auto savings	No

Banking	Easy transfer	Yes
	New payee in app	Yes
	New SO	Yes
	change SO	Yes
	pay in cheque	No
	share account details	Yes

Budgeting	Analyse spending	Yes
	Set Budget	Yes
	Add other banks	Yes Allied Irish Bank Bank of Scotland Barclays Danske Bank First Direct First Trust Halifax HSBC Lloyds Monzo Nationwide NatWest RBS Santander Ulster Bank
	Instant notifications	Yes
	See upcoming regular payments	No
	See pending payments	Yes
	Go back more than one year	Yes
	Filter in/out	Yes
	Download statements	PDF
	Add receipts/notes	No

Management	Freeze card	Yes
	See Pin	No
	See card number	No
	Order new card	Yes
	Gambling blocks	Yes
	Spending controls (eg block contactless)	Yes
	Update personal info	No

	Biometric log in	Yes

Extras		Get cash

Revolut

Savings	Savings pots	Yes
	Auto savings	Yes

Banking	Easy transfer	Yes
	New payee in app	Yes
	New SO	Yes
	change SO	Yes
	pay in cheque	No
	share account details	Yes

Budgeting	Analyse spending	Yes
	Set Budget	Yes
	Add other banks	Yes Amex Bank of Scotland Barclays Danske First Direct HSBC Halifax Lloyds M&S Bank Monzo Nationwide Natwest RBS Santander Starling TSB Ulster Bank
	Instant notifications	Yes
	See upcoming regular payments	Yes
	See pending payments	Yes
	Go back more than one year	TBC
	Filter in/out	TBC
	Download statements	PDF, XLS
	Add receipts/notes	Yes

Management	Freeze card	Yes
	See Pin	Yes
	See card number	Yes
	Order new card	Yes
	Gambling blocks	Yes
	Spending controls (eg block contactless)	No
	Update personal info	Yes

	Biometric log in	Yes

Extras		Virtual Card
		Group bills

Santander

Another app I don’t currently have access to so there are a handful of gaps.

Savings	Savings pots	No
	Auto savings	No

Banking	Easy transfer	Yes
	New payee in app	Yes
	New SO	Yes
	change SO	Yes
	pay in cheque	No
	share account details	Yes

Budgeting	Analyse spending	Limited
	Set Budget	No
	Add other banks	No
	Instant notifications	TBC
	See upcoming regular payments	TBC
	See pending payments	Yes
	Go back more than one year	TBC
	Filter in/out	Yes
	Download statements	TBC
	Add receipts/notes	TBC

Management	Freeze card	Yes
	See Pin	Yes
	See card number	No
	Order new card	Yes
	Gambling blocks	Yes
	Spending controls (eg block contactless)	Yes
	Update personal info	TBC

	Biometric log in	Yes

Starling

Starling is a feature packed app. Here’s my full review of the account.

Savings	Savings pots	Yes
	Auto savings	Yes

Banking	Easy transfer	Yes
	New payee in app	Yes
	New SO	Yes
	change SO	Yes
	pay in cheque	Yes
	share account details	Yes

Budgeting	Analyse spending	Yes
	Set Budget	Yes
	Add other banks	No
	Instant notifications	Yes
	See upcoming regular payments	Yes
	See pending payments	Yes
	Go back more than one year	Yes
	Filter in/out	No
	Download statements	PDF, CSV
	Add receipts/notes	Yes

Management	Freeze card	Yes
	See Pin	Yes
	See card number	Yes
	Order new card	Yes
	Gambling blocks	Yes
	Spending controls (eg block contactless)	Yes
	Update personal info	Yes

	Biometric log in	Yes

Extras		Split bill

TSB

This is for the Spend & Save account. Older accounts don’t have the savings pots feature.

Savings	Savings pots	Yes
	Auto savings	Yes

Banking	Easy transfer	Yes
	New payee in app	Yes
	New SO	Yes
	change SO	Yes
	pay in cheque	No
	share account details	Yes

Budgeting	Analyse spending	No
	Set Budget	No
	Add other banks	No
	Instant notifications	No
	See upcoming regular payments	No
	See pending payments	Yes
	Go back more than one year	Yes
	Filter in/out	No
	Download statements	No
	Add receipts/notes	No

Management	Freeze card	No
	See Pin	No
	See card number	No
	Order new card	Yes
	Gambling blocks	No
	Spending controls (eg block contactless)	No
	Update personal info	Not Address

	Biometric log in	Yes

Virgin Money

Here’s my review of the Virgin Money M Plus account, including a video looking at the app in more detail.

Savings	Savings pots	Yes
	Auto savings	No

Banking	Easy transfer	Yes
	New payee in app	Yes
	New SO	Yes
	change SO	Yes
	pay in cheque	Yes
	share account details	Yes

Budgeting	Analyse spending	Yes
	Set Budget	Yes
	Add other banks	No
	Instant notifications	Yes
	See upcoming regular payments	Yes
	See pending payments	Yes
	Go back more than one year	TBC
	Filter in/out	Yes
	Download statements	PDF
	Add receipts/notes	No

Management	Freeze card	No
	See Pin	No
	See card number	No
	Order new card	Yes
	Gambling blocks	No
	Spending controls (eg block contactless)	No
	Update personal info	No

	Biometric log in	Yes

Updated December 23, 2025 | Published April 4, 2021 | Articles

How I manage my multiple bank accounts

Here’s how to manage direct debits and cycle money to get current account perks.

It’s a good idea to have more than one current account, but with each extra account comes more admin. The good news is that most of the task can be done in one go early on, and then looks after itself! Here’s how I do this for all my accounts.

Current account admin

From cashback to monthly rewards, there are all sorts of incentives and freebies you can get with multiple current accounts. And don’t forget bank switching bonuses.

But many account switches and perks require extras like direct debits or minimum deposits each month. They also have fees and other requirements. Get them wrong and you could miss out or even lose money.

All this can put some people off. But it’s actually a lot easier to manage than you’d imagine, and I think the reward is well worth the effort.

Regular readers will know I have 15 different current accounts at the moment so I’ve got to have processes in place to make sure I don’t accidentally go overdrawn on one or miss out on a perk on another.

Minimum transfers

Many accounts require me to pay money in every month. If I didn’t I could miss out on all those little bonuses or get charged a monthly fee.

The good news is the money doesn’t need to remain in the account, and in most cases doesn’t need to be in one go, so you can hack this by moving the same money through all the accounts. Still that’s potentially a lot of transfers to process, which can take time.

If you have more than two or three accounts, then automation is the key. Set up standing orders to move the money on the same day each month. You can do this easily in your online or app banking.

If you do have multiple accounts with the same provider, transferring between them often doesn’t qualify (eg Halifax to Halifax), so you’ll need to factor this in.

Remember, it’s not just minimum deposits you need to cover here. There are those account fees, and in some cases you’ll want to be adding money to regular savers each month, so they need to be factored in.

There are three methods here:

The endless cycle

One trick is to move the same cash from account to account so it cycles through each one and back to the start, then repeats itself the next month and so on.

For example, you’ve got £2,000 in account a, which you transfer to account b, then to account c, then account d and finally back to account a. Then it repeats the next month, and so on.

The back and forth

Another option is to set up a standing order out of one account into another, and then back the next day. And then move the money into another account and back.

So you’re move £2,000 from account a to account b, then back to account a. Then move £1,000 from account a to account c, then back to account a. And so on.

It makes sense to spread these out through the month so you’re still only moving the same amount of cash. to make sure there is cash in the account to leave it in the first place.

The bitesize transfer

If you don’t have a large amount in your account to keep moving around, you can split the requirement into smaller chunks.

You can use either the endless cycle or back and forth methods to automate this – you’ll just have more standing orders in action.

Let’s say you have an account requiring £2,000 each month, you could use the same £500, and just deposit it and withdraw it four times to total a cumulative £2,000.

Account fees

Reward accounts are great – though you normally need to pay for them. As long as you’re making more that you put in then they can be worth it.

Direct debits

Quite a few switching offers and perks require a couple of direct debits each month. Often it’ll say ‘active’ direct debits, which technically could include any payment that has been taken in the last year.

But for the most part these direct debits have to come out every month to qualify – ruling out annual or quarterly payments.

If you run out of the obvious direct debits, there are a few easy ones you can set up which won’t cost you anything.

Collect rewards

Not all accounts will pay directly into your account. Instead, you sometimes need to cash out your payments.

NatWest Reward (You need to log into the MyRewards site)
RBS Reward (You need to log into the MyRewards site)

Log into the app

There’s one final ongoing requirement with some accounts – you might need to log in to your online banking or app on a regular basis.

How I manage multiple accounts

Andy’s top 3 current account perks

Santander Edge: 1% cashback on bills and 6% savings account
Club Lloyds: free Disney+ or cinema tickets
First Direct: £250 interest free buffer and 7% regular saver

Making sure everything is OK

The standing orders and direct debits should all take care of themselves, but I’ll always check in. In part that could be required to trigger a reward, or to claim the perk itself.

But most importantly it’s to ensure nothing has gone wrong and there’s no risk of going overdrawn. I’ve set up two spreadsheets to keep an eye on things.

The first tells me all the standing orders and direct debits in and out of each account. If I need to amend the size of a standing order (for example when switching banks), I know exactly which is which. It only updates if I change bank.

The other spreadsheet is more active. Every month I open up the apps for my accounts and write down the balances. I try to do this in the first week of the month. This way I know exactly how much I have in each account, and overall.

What each account requires

Minimum transfers

These accounts that require a minimum deposit each month to trigger perks. Remember some bank switch offers might also require this.

Account (a-z)	Perk	Monthly deposit required
Barclays Blue Rewards	Free Apple TV+	£800
Bank of Scotland Vantage	3% interest on £4,000 to £5,000	£1,000
Chase	1% cashback on groceries and travel spend	£1,500
Halifax Rewards	No fee	£1,500
Club Lloyds	Free Disney+ w/ ads or 6 cinema tickets and no fee	£2,000
Nationwide FlexDirect	5% interest and 1% cashback (year 1 only)	£1,000
NatWest Reward	£2 reward after fee	£1,250
RBS Reward	£2 reward after fee	£1,250
Santander Edge	1% cashback on bills	£500

Account fees

You’ll need to pay a monthly fee to have the following accounts, though in a couple of cases you can avoid paying this.

Account (a-z)	Perk	Monthly fee
Barclays Blue Rewards	Free Apple TV+	£5
Halifax Rewards	No fee	£3 (avoided if you deposit £1,500 a month)
Club Lloyds	No fee	£5 (avoided if you deposit £2,000 a month)
Monzo Perks	Free railcard, Uber One, free cinema tickets, free Greggs	£7
NatWest Reward	£5	£3
RBS Reward	£5	£3
Santander Edge	1% cashback on bills & 6% saver	£3
Triodos	Ethical banking	£3
TSB Spend & Save Plus	£5 a month	£3

Direct debits

You won’t want all of these accounts, but just to give you the full idea, here are the account perks that require direct debits.

Account (a-z)	Perk	Direct debits required
Club Lloyds	3% interest on £4,000 to £5,000	Two
Halifax Reward	3% interest on £4,000 to £5,000	Two
NatWest Reward	£2 reward after fee	Two
RBS Reward	£2 reward after fee	Two
Santander Edge	1% cashback on bills	At least two
Zopa Biscuit	2% cashback on direct debits	At least one

Debit card spend

This is a more common requirement for bank switching, but you might need to use your debit card for some perks

Account (a-z)	Perk	Debit card use
Chase Bank	1% cashback	Capped at £1,500 spend a month
Nationwide FlexDirect	1% cashback for one year	Capped at £500 spend a month
TSB Spend & Save	£5 cashback for six months	20 payments a month
TSB Spend & Save	£5 cashback	20 payments a month
Trading 212	Up to 1.5% cashback	Capped at £15 cashback a month

Collect rewards

These accounts require you to manually withdraw rewards.

NatWest Reward (You need to log into the MyRewards site)
RBS Reward (You need to log into the MyRewards site)

Log into the app

You must log in to the app to qualify for these accounts.

NatWest Reward – every month
RBS Reward- every month

Updated December 23, 2025 | Published April 7, 2021 | Articles

How to claim working from home tax relief

With 47% of employees having worked from home in 2020, there’s a good chance you’re able to claim between £62 and £140 in tax relief.

If you’ve been required to work at home at all in the last year then you are eligible to get back some of the tax you’ve paid. You can do this for the whole 12 months even if there was only one day where this happened!

It’s also really easy to do thanks to a microsite set up by HMRC to process it for the 2020/21 tax year.

Update – And you can also now claim in the same way for 2021/22!

Most people are looking at receiving £62.40, though those who pay a higher rate of tax will be doubling that. A handful will be able to get £140.

Keep reading for everything you need to know about who can claim and how to do it, or watch this video with a step-by-step guide to applying.

What is working from home tax relief?

The logic behind this is you will have incurred extra household expenses while at home – from heating to insurance.

Who can claim?

Normally you can only claim for the weeks you’ve actually had to work from home. But that’s different for this last year.

You only need to have been required to work from home for one day since March 23rd 2020 (when lockdown began) to get the rebate for the entire 2020/21 year, and again for the 2021/22 year.

However, if your employer has already covered extra expenses you aren’t eligible. Also, you shouldn’t claim if you have chosen to work at home.

How much can you claim?

The tax relief is dependent on a few things – largely what you are claiming for and the rate of tax you pay on your income.

You can work out exactly how much extra you’ve spent on permitted expenses to claim the exact amount of tax back, but you do need to have receipts or proof of the extra costs.

What’s probably easiest for most people is to go with the set allowance. For the financial years 2020-21 (April 6th 2020 to April 5th 2021) and 2021/22 , it’s set at £6 a week. For previous tax years the rate is £4.

It doesn’t mean you’ll get £6 back for every week. Instead you’ll get the tax back on that £6, which works out as follows:

Basic rate taxpayers (charged 20% tax on most of your income) will get 20% of £6 back – a total of £1.20 a week. That’s 62.40 a year.
Higher rate taxpayers (40%) will get double that at £2.40 a week. That’s £124.80 a year
Additional rate taxpayers (45%) will get a little more at £2.70 a week, and £140.40 a year.

How will you get the money?

You won’t receive the money as a lump sum to your account or as a cheque. Instead, your tax code will be altered to accommodate this extra allowance. So essentially claiming really this means you’ll pay less tax each month.

How to make a claim

To make things easier there’s a government “microservice” most people can use. This uses the set £6 weekly allowance.

However this shortcut is only for those who don’t already fill in a self-assessment form. Those people will have to wait until they fill that in for that full tax year once it ends.

You can also claim for previous years but only for the days you were at home, and not via the microsite.

You’ll be asked:

Are you only claiming tax relief on your expenses for working from home? (Answer “Yes”)
Do you complete Self Assessment returns? (Answer “No”)
Has your employer paid your expenses for working from home? (Answer “No”)
Did you start working from home because of coronavirus (COVID-19)? (Answer “Yes”)

To make the claim you need a government gateway ID and password. This should take 10 minutes online. You’ll need your National Insurance number and either a payslip/P60 or your passport.

Once you have this you simply log in and follow the instructions. Don’t forget to claim from 23rd March 2020 if you were working from home then too.

What about 2021/22?

Money Saving Expert reported on 6th April 2021 that the microsite will carry on working for the new financial year, and you’ll be able to claim once more for the full year even if you only worked from home once.

If you didn’t claim for 2020/21 then you can still do this on the site.

Updated December 23, 2025 | Published May 11, 2021 | Articles

Passive income from bank rewards

Is it worth opening multiple current accounts to earn monthly rewards?

I’m a bit of a bank account geek, and have tried and tested most of the UK ones – often as part of nabbing a switching bonus of £100 or more.

But these cash incentives aren’t the only way to make money from your account. There are quite a few which will give you a smaller cash reward every month if you meet certain criteria.

Often that is a requirement to pay in a set amount each month. Sometimes there’s also the need to pay out some direct debits or spend a minimum amount. You might also need to log into your app on a regular basis.

It’s all simple enough. But is it worth the effort? Here’s my take on which ones to open and which ones to avoid. Plus how much you could make if you opened them all up.

The essential reward accounts

If you’re not sure how many current accounts, these are good ones to start with.

With these three accounts combined you’ll make around £160 a year, give or take a tenner since the Santander 123 Lite account cashback value will depend on the size of your household bills.

The Club Lloyds account doesn’t give cash but a choice of “lifestyle benefit” such as cinema tickets or a magazine subscription. I’ve given it a monthly value of £3.50, though it could be more.

	Halifax Reward	Santander 123 Lite	Club Lloyds
Reward	£5.00	£7.00	£3.50
Fee	£0.00*	£2.00	£0.00*
Monthly profit	£5.00	£5.00	£3.50
Annual profit	£60.00	£60.00	£42.00
Requirements include	Pay in £1,500 a month	Pay in £500 a month	Pay in £1,500 a month
	Spend £500 on debit card	Two direct debits (though five or six to get full cashback)
	Keep balance above £0	Paperless
		Log in once every three months
More details	My Halifax Rewards review	My Santander 123 Lite review	My Club Lloyds review

* if you pay in £1,500 a month

The next three reward accounts

If you want to take it further you can open up three more reward accounts, each earning you £3 a month after fees. So there’s potentially £108 extra a year from these accounts.

These are definitely worth adding to or upgrading existing accounts you have with the banks to get the cash. But the smaller returns mean you need to weigh up whether you are happy to do the admin required to apply and then manage the accounts.

	Barclays Blue*	Natwest Reward	RBS Reward
Reward	£7.00	£5.00	£5.00
Fee	£4.00	£2.00	£2.00
Monthly profit	£3.00	£3.00	£3.00
Annual profit	£36.00	£36.00	£36.00
Requirements include	Pay in £800 a month	Two direct debits of at least £2	Two direct debits of at least £2
	Two direct debits	Log into mobile app	Log into mobile app

*changing in March 2022

The final three rewards

These final accounts are for completists only and personally I’ve not bothered with them. They require minimum usage of your debit cards – 30 for each of the TSB accounts and 60 for the Co-operative Bank account. I think that’s too much hassle.

But if you want to go through with these then you’ll get an extra £80 in the first year. The TSB accounts can earn you cashback via Quidco, worth an extra £30 to £60 (and sometimes more) on the first one you open.

	TSB Spend & Save	TSB Spend & Save Plus	Co-operative Bank Everyday Rewards
Reward	£5.00	£5.00	£2.20
Fee	£0.00	£3.00	£0.00
	* limited to six months

Monthly profit	£5.00	£2.00	£2.20
Annual profit	£30.00	£24.00	£26.40

Requirements include	30 debit card transactions	30 debit card transactions	60 debit card transactions
			Four direct debits
			Pay in £800 a month
			Keep balance above £0

Getting more as joint accounts

If you have someone you can open a joint account with then you can get the rewards again with a handful of the accounts.

It’s probably worth doing this for the Halifax and Club Lloyds accounts, earning an extra £102 a year. I think adding another TSB Spend & Save Plus account makes very little sense as that’s another 30 debit card transactions you’ll need.

	Halifax Reward	Club Lloyds	TSB Spend & Save Plus
Reward	£5.00	£3.50	£5.00
Fee	£0.00	£0.00	£3.00

Monthly profit	£5.00	£3.50	£2.00
Annual profit	£60.00	£42.00	£24.00

Requirements include	Pay in £1,500 a month	Pay in £1,500 a month	30 debit card transactions
	Spend £500 on debit card
	Keep balance above £0

Even more accounts for your partner

And if you’re opening accounts with someone else, they can obviously also open up their own accounts. It’s not quite the same list as for you as there’s no point having a second Santander 123 Lite account (you can’t earn cashback twice on your bills), which brings the most they’ll earn for opening a Halifax Reward, Barclays Blue, Natwest Reward, RBS Reward and Club Lloyds down to £210.

How much you can make?

Obviously it depends on how many accounts you open, and whether you’re also able to open up those extra joint accounts.

But sticking with those first six account will get you £270 a year. Add in a second (joint) Halifax Reward and Club Lloyds boosts that to £372.

And if the person you have the joint account with opens those same ones except for Santander 123 Lite, you’re looking at another £210 and a total of £582 a year.

If you wanted to go extreme and add in the TSB Spend & Save, TSB Spend & Save Plus and Co-operative Bank Everyday Rewards you could add on another £80 for your own accounts, and another £50 for joint accounts.

Andy’s analysis

These rewards are great ways to earn extra cash every year, and in the most part pretty easy to manage. But they’re only worth opening if you feel the return is enough.

That could mean you just stick with the first three accounts and only look at others if there’s an extra reason to open one, such as a bank switch offer.

Still, even I draw the line at the TSB and Co-operative Bank accounts. if you already have them and use them as your main account you might find it easy to meet the debit card transaction requirements. But I’d argue you’re better off switching that account to a different bank for a reward that takes less effort!

Meeting the reward requirements

I’ve said it’s easy to have more than one of these accounts, but you do have to make sure you meet the different requirements.

As I’ve written about elsewhere, this can be quite simple – even automated. Do read my full guide which also shares tips to help you find extra Direct Debits.

Make even more money from your bank

If you open up any of these accounts, make sure you also take advantage of other benefits. The Natwest and RBS accounts, for example, make you eligible for a 3.04% paying regular saver – and you can have one with each account.

And don’t forget the biggest earners – bank switching. You might want to wait for Halifax to offer a cash bonus for opening an account. In the past Natwest and Lloyds have let existing customers switch in for a bonus, so you might not have to wait to open those (though I can’t guarante it).

The best bank reward & switch bonuses

Check out my list of all the offers you can get when opening a new current account

Updated December 23, 2025 | Published March 23, 2022 | Articles

Spring Statement 2022: What you need to know

What you need to know about the Government’s spending and taxation plans.

The Spring Statement, delivered in Parliament by Chancellor Rishi Sunak on 23 March 2022, isn’t meant to have any policy announcements. But the cost of living crisis is getting worse, with the energy hikes coming next month the largest cause for concern.

So as a result, we were given a handful of measures to relieve some of the pressure. Here’s what was announced and what difference this could make to your finances.

More detail may come in the next few days, and I’ll add information below as it’s revealed.

I’ll also be talking to the financial journalist Faith Archer on Thursday evening’s bonus episode of my Cash Chats podcast to analyse everything. You can subscribe now on your favourite podcast app so you don’t miss it.

*Photo from HM Treasury Instagram account*

Watch my video on YouTube talking about the Spring Statement or keep reading.

Fuel and energy

Fuel duty

There’s a 5p per litre cut to tax on petrol, which actually works out as 6p as there’s VAT on top. Depending on the size of your car, this will reduce the cost to fill a tank cost by around £2.50 or £3.50. So not much.

It comes into action from 6pm on 23 March 2022 and will last for a year. It will be worth a total of £2.4billion.

Of course, prices are still increasing all the time, so you’ll still be paying much more than you were a few months back.

Energy bills

Nadda. Zilch. Nothing. There’s no additional support to add to the £150 rebate due in April via Council Tax and £200 “loan” in October. A windfall tax on energy firms, as wanted by Labour, did not appear.

Green energy

There will also be a cut in VAT from 5% to zero for “energy saving materials”, things like solar panels and heating pumps. It’s a welcome move, but only the well off will be able to afford these changes.

Benefits and support

Household Support Fund

Those who are most vulnerable can apply for help from their local council’s Household Support Fund for help with things like bills, and the size of this will double from £500 million to £1 billion.

This sounds like a lot of money, but it’s a fraction of what would be needed to make up for the additional costs, so it really will only help those facing some kind of crisis with their finances.

Universal Credit

No change. This will only increase by 3.1%, as dictated by last September’s inflation figure, well below the average 7% predicted for the next year.

State Pension

It’s the same here, with the annual increase remaining 3.1%. There was also no talk of bringing back the “triple lock”.

Featured switching deal

Sponsored

Santander £180 switch offer

Customer rating 4/5

Switch bonus
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Offer ends
Unknown

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

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Wages and Tax

National Insurance

The increase to National Insurance Contributions (NIC), announced last September, is still going ahead in April. But from July the threshold where you start paying this is jumping up by a huge £3,000 to match the wages where you start paying Income Tax (£12,570 a year).

This means for the next financial year, those earning £35,000 or less will either pay the same or less National Insurance, with the most made here will be around £330 for those earning £12,570. The Treasury says this amounts to 70% of those paying NIC.

If you earn more than £35,000 in the next year then the increased NIC paid on those additional earnings will be more than the money saved, and you’ll take home less pay each month. Those earning £60,000 a year will see a loss of £232 this year.

It’s worth coming back to the dates for those changes. The NIC increase starts 6 April, but the threshold change isn’t until July. So you will be taking home less in your pay packet in April, May and June. Then from July, depending on your salary, you might be paying less.

Technically, when you average out the different allowances at the start and then the rest of the year, the threshold will be £11,908 for 2022/23. Then from 2023/24, when the whole year is at £12,570 (unless it changes again), those earning between £35,000 and £40,000 will benefit from a slight cut in their NICs.

Income Tax cut in 2024

One that won’t happen for two years is a cut to Income Tax. The basic rate tax rate will be 19% rather than 20% from 2024. But this is a long way away so it won’t help anyone right now, and a lot can change in 24 months.

Our podcast

Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Steve Alderton and Editor James Andrews.

Episodes every Monday.

Updated December 23, 2025 | Published June 19, 2022 | Articles

My rules to spend less on streaming film and TV

How to avoid overpaying for Netflix, Disney and more.

One of the things I love about the likes of Netflix, Disney+ and NOW TV is they are each far cheaper than getting premium channels from Sky or Virgin.

The problem is it’s so easy to sign up for these monthly streaming services. And with yet more new streaming sites launched (hello Paramount+), the more you have, the less of a bargain they actually are.

And with inflation hitting all our other costs too, it makes sense to find as many ways as possible to reduce what you pay.

So if you want to take advantage of these sites but also make a saving, here are the rules I follow to make sure I get the best value from the money I spend on streaming film and TV.

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.

Binge, cancel and swap

There’s no way you can get the most of every service at the same time. At a push you might be able to justify two, but I think you’ll get the best value from one at a time.

Fortunately, all these services have 30-day or month-long contracts, meaning you can dip in and out whenever you want and only pay for the months you are signed up for.

Focus on the shows you want to watch on that platform, and when you’ve had enough you cancel your monthly payment and move to the next one. And so on.

This obviously requires you to cancel one when you’re done with it, and restart another. But this is very simple with each service, and can be done with a few clicks. You’ll probably want to put a note in your diary to remind yourself to do it.

Streaming Service prices compared

There are so many options, I’ve focussed this table on the main services, then some of the next tier options.

	Monthly Cost	Annual Pass
Amazon Prime Video	£5.99 (£7.99 if full Prime)	£79
Apple TV+	£4.99	£49.99
BT Sport	£25	N/A
Discovery+ (Entertainment/Entertainment + Sport)	£3.99 / £6.99	£39.99 / £59.99
Disney+	£7.99	£79.90
Netflix (Basic/Standard/Premium)	£6.99/£10.99/£15.99	N/A
NOW Cinema	£9.99	N/A
NOW Entertainment	£9.99	N/A
NOW Sky Sports	£33.99	N/A
Paramount +	£6.99	£69.90

Arrow	£4.99	£49.99
BFI Player	£4.99	£49.99
Britbox (merging with ITVX in late 2022)	£5.99	£59.99
Mubi	£9.99	£71.88
Shudder	£4.99	£47.88
Starzplay	£5.99	N/A

So how much could you save having just one at a time? Let’s assume you can watch everything you need to in two months a year per main service. So that would be:

two months of Netflix Standard @ £10.99 a month
two months of NOW TV Entertainment @ £9.99 a month
two months of Amazon Prime Video @ £5.99 a month
two months of Disney+ @ £7.99 a month
two months of Apple TV+ @ £4.99 a month
two months of Paramount+ @ £6.99 a month

Paying full price each month would mean you pay £93.88 a year. That’s less than a year of Netflix on its own and you’ve got so much more choice. And if you nab deals, you’ll pay even less.

Avoid annual passes

This is an obvious extension of my first rule, but unless you know 100% that you are going to be watching one service at least 10 months of the year (most annual passes are 12 months for the price of 10), there’s no real saving in buying a discounted annual pass.

Of course, you might feel differently (especially if you’ve kids who are always on Disney+). So if you will watch it consistently then go for it, buy bear mind the cost when adding on extra ad-hoc subscriptions.

Watch out for extras

It’s tempting to upgrade Netflix to 4K quality, but I’d caution against it. Though it can make a difference, I’d argue it’s not worth an extra £5 a month over the HD Standard Netflix.

Likewise, the extra £2 a month to move from Prime Video to full Amazon Prime seems to make sense, but if you do this you will spend more money at Amazon – something I and many others are trying to avoid.

However, when it comes to NOW TV, the £5 Boost option is essential for basic HD and to avoid adverts (though I’ll always use the cancellation trick to hopefully bring this down to £1 or £2 a month).

Look for deals and freebies

Ok, an obvious one, but if you can pay less for a pass, then it’s a great way to save. Special offers are rare (though not impossible) to find on Netflix, but the other services all have promos and discounts, even freebies.

At the time of writing I’m on three months free Disney+, six months free NOW Entertainment, £2 NOW Boost for six months, one year free Prime Video, £1 NOW cinema for a month and I’ve got eight months of free Apple TV+ to activate before late August. That’s too much to watch, but it’s not costing me anything at all really.

These offers come and go, so check out my deal pages for the latest offers when I spot them.

Make the most of free trials

Though not all services offer free trials, a handful do, so make sure you use these. Plus, though you’re only allowed one free trial per person, that doesn’t mean your partner, housemates or (older) kids can’t sign up.

You might even be able to repeat a trial. Amazon let you take a free trial every 12 months, sometimes sooner. If there are two of you in the house, that’s two months free a year – which should be enough to binge most of the content you want to watch.

These are the standard offers. For the links and details, check my deals pages. I’ll also share short-term extended free trials (eg with Apple and Mubi).

Amazon Prime Video – 30 days free
Apple TV+ 7 days free
Arrow – 30 days free
BFI Player – 14 days free
Britbox – 7 days free
Mubi – 30 days free
NOW Entertainment – 7 days free
NOW Hayu – 7 days free
NOW Cinema – 7 days free
Paramount+ – 7 days free
Shudder – 7 days free

All my streaming deals

All my ways to save on this dedicated streaming deals guide

Share your subscriptions

You probably do this already! But it’s possible to share your account details with all the main services.

It’s likely we’ll see Netflix clamp down on this (they’ve trialled a few different methods), and once they do, others will follow. So make the most of it while you can!

Be careful not to become the one who pays for all the services. Either get those using your service to contribute their fair share, or get them to pay for a different service and share that with you.

There can be limits on how many times you can do this and how many people can watch at once. And of course, just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should. I’ve got more details in my article should you share streaming passwords and accounts.

Plan what to watch (and be picky)

With so much available, it’s easy to watch something just because it’s there. Yet so much of what’s available is trash. Really. Take a look behind the main titles and there are movies you won’t even believe were made. So I’m selective(ish). If there’s nothing I NEED to see, I’ll cancel.

And if there’s good word of mouth on programmes while I’m not subscribed, I’ll just add them to my list ready to binge when I next sign up. I’ll also time signing up for when all the episodes are available.

The only flaw in this plan is for shows on NOW as they come and go frequently, so if you miss it the first time around you might have to wait a long time for it to return.

Featured switching deal

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Santander £180 switch offer

Customer rating 4/5

Switch bonus
£180
Offer ends
Unknown

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

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Check where you can watch it

There are some shows and movies that are exclusive to one platform or another, but many others will move about, or even be found on more than one service.

For example at the time of writing, Icon Films is pushing cult Ryan Gosling movie Drive on it’s front page, but that’s also on Prime Video. Or the US remake of comedy series The Office is on NOW, Netflix and Prime Video!

So before you sign up to watch that specific thing, check if you can watch it for less on another service. I use JustWatch for this.

Watch free catch up

And don’t forget, as long as you pay the licence fee, you’ll still have access to iPlayer along with All 4, ITV Hub and other free streaming services if you are stuck for things to watch.

There’s always a new drama or comedy to watch on the BBC (homemade and imported) along with some decent boxsets. There are new and recent programmes on Channel 4’s All4 along with a great back catalogue (The IT Crowd, Father Ted, Shameless). It’s well worth taking a break from the paid services every now and then to catch up on this classic TV.

If you hate adverts (I really do) you can pay extra to watch C4 and ITV catch up ad-free.

Updated December 23, 2025 | Published January 1, 2025 | Articles

The best reward current accounts

How to earn rewards & freebies from your bank

There are a number of reasons to change your bank, with switching bonuses, cashback and interest often a big draw. However, the easiest ones are often ‘reward’ accounts as they usually require very little effort to make something extra every month – and you don’t even need to switch to get them.

From free cinema tickets to a fiver paid to your account each month, they’re certainly better than the accounts we’re all used to which give nothing in return.

But they aren’t without some drawbacks, including fees and requirements that you set up direct debits or deposit money each month.

So whether you’re just after one account or are happy to game the system for a handful, here’s how they work and my picks of the ones to go for.

** Update – the Halifax Reward Extra perks will end for new customers in June 2025, and for all in September. Here’s what we know so far**

Rather watch than read? Here’s my video review of reward current accounts

What is a reward bank account?

Here’s how reward accounts work:

You can earn monthly cash or freebies

Some accounts offer cash, some offer a freebies and others give you the choice between cash and freebies.

Reward accounts come with a fee

These benefits aren’t actually free! All the accounts charge a monthly fee. Some you can avoid by paying in a certain amount of money each month. Others you’ll need to take into account when working out how much you’ll make.

You might have to ‘claim’ the reward

Though some will pay the reward into your account, others (NatWest or RBS) put the money in a separate rewards wallet which you have to manually withdraw. It’s a bit pointless really.

And if you’re claiming a non-cash reward then you will have to select it, though you shouldn’t have to do anything else each month.

There will be additional requirements

Some reward account require you to either set up direct debits or pay in a minimum amount each month.

Here are the typical ones. You’re unlikely to be required to do all of them, probably just one or two.

Set up direct debits

Often banks require one or two direct debits, sometimes with a minimum value. Though ‘active’ usually means the money has to have been paid in the last year, the banks that use this only pay you the months a direct debit is paid.

It’s not such a huge issue as if you pay bills you’ve all got direct debits you could use – though they might be better suited to a cashback current account.

If that’s the case direct debits can easily be set up for other things too, such as credit card bills, memberships, subscriptions and charity donations. Here’s our guide to where to find additional and cheap direct debits.

Pay money in each month

Reward accounts often require a minimum deposit each month. This is to encourage you to pay your salary there. You can do that easily if you want – just tell your HR department of the new details.

But you don’t have to. It’s easy to transfer money in from a different current account via a standing order. You can do this as one lump sum or break it into smaller amounts over the month if that’s better for you.

And it doesn’t have to stay there either. You can transfer it back out straight away.

Spend on your debit card

A couple of accounts require you to spend on the debit card too. You can do this as part of your regular spending but it does mean you’ll miss out on cashback from a different card. Once again there are ways to get around this, as explained in this Halifax Reward hack article.

Use your internet banking or the app

You might also need to log in to your banking app or online account once a month to qualify for the reward. It’s worth setting a reminder in your calendar to do this if it’s not an account you’re using regularly.

My top reward bank accounts

Here’s my opinion on the different reward accounts.

Club Lloyds account

What you get: six free cinema tickets (Vue or Odeon), a year of Disney+ with Ads, a magazine subscription OR a dining membership
Exclusive savings: 6.25% regular saver
Monthly fee: £3, though refunded if you pay in £2,000 a month
What it’s really worth each year: between £40 (magazine subscription) to £60 (equivalent value of six £10 cinema tickets)
Requirements: none
Maximum number of accounts: one individual and one joint

The Club Lloyd account is my top pick as it’s the easiest one to get. There’s no reason why you can’t just open this up (ideally via a switching bonus), set up a standing order to pay the £2,000 in (and out) each month, and keep claiming your reward.

You can have one personal and one joint account and claim the rewards on both, so that’s potentially three between a couple.

Here’s my full review of the account, where I break down which freebie “Lifestyle Benefit” I feel gives the best value.

The best bank switch bonuses

Check out our list of all the bank switch offers you can get when opening a new current account

the best bank switch offers on a blue background

Halifax Reward account

What you get: £5 a month, one Vue ticket a month, OR 3 digital magazines a month subscription
Monthly fee: £3, though refunded if you pay in £1,500 a month
What it’s really worth each year: £60 (if you go for the cash option) to up to £120 (if a cinema ticket costs £10)
Requirements: £500 spend on your debit card or £5,000 held in the account
Maximum number of accounts: three per person

You get more from the Halifax Reward account so it was a close call between the two accounts for my top spot – you just need to jump through an extra hoop to get this one.

To get your choice of reward (more on how the account works and what you can get in my review here) you need to spend £500 a month on your debit card or save £5,000 every month.

To start I wasn’t a fan of this as it meant missing out on interest elsewhere or on cashback from my cashback debit and credit cards.

But I’ve since found a workaround where you use your Halifax debit card for other payments, such as paying off your credit card or adding money into an NS&I or Chip saving account.

So with this in mind it should be an easy reward to claim and well worth having it alongside the Club Lloyds account.

In fact, you can have three individual accounts and earn three lots of rewards, meaning you can earn £180 a year in total. I’ve explained all – and how to get around the requirements – in this Halifax Rewards hack article.

Monzo Perks account

What you get: an annual railcard, one free Vue ticket a month, a free Greggs treat a week
Monthly fee: £7 (£84 a year)
What it’s really worth each year:
Requirements: £500 spend on your debit card or £5,000 held in the account
Maximum number of accounts: three per person

If you need a railcard (worth £35), go to a Vue each month (let’s say 12 times £6, so £72) and pick up a £2 Greggs treat twice a month (£52 a year), you’d be well in profit versus the £7 monthly fee. Of course, that’s only good if you actually need those things!

We’ve written up a full review of the Monzo Perks account so you can decide if it’s for you or not.

Featured switching deal

Sponsored

Santander £180 switch offer

Customer rating 4/5

Switch bonus
£180
Offer ends
Unknown

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

View Deal

Other reward accounts

For completion, here are the other main reward current accounts. It might be worth looking at these if you already bank with them, or if there’s a switching offer on top.

NatWest or RBS Reward account

What you get: £5 a month reward
Exclusive savings: 6.17% Digital Regular Saver (available to all current account holders)
Monthly fee: £2
What it’s really worth each after the fee: £36
Requirements: two direct debits of at least £2 each and log into your account once a month, deposit £1,250 a month
Maximum number of accounts: one personal and one joint from NatWest and one personal and one joint from RBS

This account used to be a favourite of mine, but since its revamp a few years ago it’s not really worth it unless you have direct debits to spare or open it up when a switching offer is running.

The Rewards account is one where you have to log in to a separate ‘MyRewards’ account to claim your bonus. You can send it as cash to your account, donate it to charity, or top it up as an e-gift card payment.

Here’s more on how the account works. It’s the same for the Reward account offered by RBS.

Here’s my Blue Rewards review.

Barclays Blue Rewards

What you get: free Apple TV+
Exclusive savings: 4.87% Rainy Day Saver on up to £5,000
Monthly fee: £5 (£60 a year)
What it’s really worth each year after the fee: £57.88
Requirements: pay in £800 each month
Maximum number of accounts: one

This one is no longer worth it in my opinion, though if you are committed to paying for Apple TV+ every month (which costs £8.99) then this will save you close to £58 over the year. However I think most people are better off just paying full price for Apple one or two months a year and binging the content.

If you decide you want to do that, then you’ll also get access to a 4.87% paying savings account on balances worth up to £5,000.

The best savings accounts

Check out our list of the highest paying regular, easy-access, fixed and ethical savings accounts

TSB Spend and Save Account

What you get: £5 cashback for the first six months
Exclusive savings: 6 Monthly Saver (available to all current account holders)
Monthly fee: £0
What you’ll really get each year: £30
Requirements: make 20 payments a month
Maximum number of accounts: at least one personal and one joint

TSB Spend and Save Plus Account

What you get: £5 cashback
Monthly fee: £3
What you’ll really get each year after the fee: £24
Requirements: make 20 payments a month
Maximum number of accounts: at least one personal and one joint

I’m not a fan of these accounts either as you’ve got to make 20 debit card payments each month to get a fiver. And the reward only lasts for the first six months. Once for completists only. You can however get an extra £30 cashback from Quidco for switching.

Like the free TSB Spend and Save account you’ll earn £5 a month, but you won’t be limited to the first six months. After the £3 monthly fee you’ll make £24 a year. However, you still have to make 3-20 card payments which I think is a stretch when there are better paying cashback cards out there.

Should you get a reward current account?

Andy’s Analysis

If you’re comfortable with multiple current accounts then I’d definitely look at getting the Lloyds and Halifax accounts.

After this I’d only bother with the NatWest and RBS accounts if I already had one, or get one via a switching bonus.

Even I can’t be bothered with the TSB rewards due to the faff, while the fee for Barclays just doesn’t add up for most.

Having multiple reward accounts

As I’ve said many times, there’s no reason why you only have to have one current account – and that means you can have multiple reward accounts too.

You’ll usually only be allowed one personal reward account with each bank, though it does vary, and most let you can have an extra one as a joint account too. That means you could potentially have three accounts in a household, and three times the rewards.

But the more you have, the more you have to do to be eligible. Some are easy to overcome, others might make it less worthwhile.

Recirculating your inbound payments

Most people should be able to cover the minimum deposit payments for one reward current account. And if you have more than one then it’s easy to repeat for the others by moving the same money between each account.

I actually do this via a standing order where the money automatically goes from bank to bank to hit the eligibility threshold, with it eventually coming full circle back to my original account.

Covering the fees

This is a bit of faff, but manageable. Since some of the accounts charge a fee but don’t pay the reward directly into your account, you’ll have to make sure there’s enough in there each month to cover this charge. You’ll also need to remember to transfer the reward over each month too.

Running out of direct debits

If you have multiple reward accounts then you might quickly run out of direct debits. It used to be you could set up a couple of £1 ones for charities, but the banks have cottoned on to this and made it pretty pointless.

For example, NatWest give you £2 back for each direct debit, but the DD needs to be at least £2. So if you’re setting up a new payment just to get the reward, you won’t actually be any better off.

Of course you could see it as free cash for charity – which is great – but it does require a bit of effort.

Alternatives to reward accounts

Of course, there could be a better bank out there which should be your priority. Things like overdraft fees or savings account rates might be more important to you. Digital banks like Starling and Monzo have great features to help you budget, or perhaps you want to make sure you have access to a branch.

And of course it might work out more profitable to go for switching bonuses or cashback on your bills via Santander or on spending via Chase.

Updated December 22, 2025 | Published April 24, 2023 | Articles

Should you be sharing your TV streaming accounts?

How to pay less for Netflix

Will you get in trouble for using someone else’s Netflix account?

The shift to digital entertainment in the last few years has been huge. Six in ten adults now watch on-demand services such as iPlayer and Netflix according to Ofcom.

The problem is, all these subscriptions can be pricey, especially when you factor in media services you’re already paying for like the TV Licence or your Sky TV package.

So, many of us do something a little cheeky to lower the costs. We share our accounts with friends and family. If you don’t do it yourself, chances are you know someone who does.

But should you be sharing your passwords – and is it safe? Plus, with Netflix set to crack down on this workaround in 2023, will you even be able to?

I’ve delved into the terms and conditions to find out what they say about letting others use your digital accounts and looked at just who you can share with.

Image of Andy with wording that says 'streaming accounts sharing rules explained'

Is sharing your accounts allowed?

For most, the answer is yes, but within the family or household.

In fact, all the main digital streaming services allow multiple users and watching or listening on multiple devices – though you often have to pay extra to make this work practically. If there are a few of you in your home with varying tastes, it may well be worth shelling out so you can watch or listen to what you want in peace.

Sharing your account with people further than your front door is a different matter. The Intellectual Property Office says it’s illegal – though it’s unlikely anyone would be prosecuted for doing this with a handful of mates.

Many explicitly say you should not give your account details to anyone outside your household, though there’s very little in the Ts&Cs for each of the services that breaks down what would happen to you if they found out. What is clear is that the main account holder is responsible for any use or misuse of the service.

But even the ability to share could be soon be changing. In some countries, Netflix has already introduced a charge for those who want to give access to their subscription to others and is set to crack down on password sharing in the UK by June 2023.

Is sharing your account a good idea?

Of course, we all do it. But I bet most people don’t consider what this actually means for our viewing and out budgets.

It could put your data at risk

I’d urge you to think twice before handing out your sign-in details. If you give your username, often your email address, and password to a friend or family member – no matter how much you trust them – it’s out of your control.

It’s unlikely they’ll be able to see your card details as these are generally encrypted, but they could make additional purchases or change your subscription package. They may also share your log in details with further friends and family, making it near impossible to track who has done what.

The risk could even go beyond the account you share. Though we all know it’s best practice to have different passwords for all our digital accounts, the likelihood is there will at the very best be some similarity to others you use. At worst, it’s the same for everything. This opens up the risk of fraud, theft, and locking you out of your own accounts.

Even if the horse has already bolted from this open gate, you can change your passwords on the accounts you’ve shared, locking out anyone outside your household – though bear in mind you may also have to change details for all those other accounts too.

It might not save you money

Yes, if you are using someone else’s account you’re saving cash. But what if you’re the one who is paying and letting others have access? Plus, sharing could tempt you to have more subscriptions that you actually need. (I think it’s impossible to get the most out of more than one or two services each month).

You need to make sure that if people are splitting the payment with you that they actually pay. Or more practically you could each pay for one service so it cancels out.

But the wider the details are shared the harder it’ll be to know who is using what and who is contributing.

It might prevent you from watching when you want

This is one of the biggest downsides to sharing your password. Even if you are fine with letting others have access to your account, it’s not necessarily as simple as everyone watching what they want and when.

The services all have limits on the number of simultaneous streams and many also have limits on devices you can use.

For example, say only two can only watch at the same time. Add in a third person and you’ll get that dreaded error screen. Cue frantic messaging to find out who is watching and if they can stop.

Or if you want to be able to watch on your main TV, your bedroom TV and two phones in the house it could mean anyone you share with is limited to just one or two devices.

These aren’t necessarily a problem if you’re not paying. But if you are contributing part of the fee or paying for a different shared service you’d rightly be pissed off if you can’t watch what you want to watch when you want to watch it.

Sharing your streaming password – service by service

So what are you allowed to do? With the above points in mind, here’s what you can share – and possibly shouldn’t do – subscription by subscription.

Sharing Netflix

Netflix has previously been pro-sharing your account, but only within your household and Ts&Cs require that users “should not reveal the password… to anyone”. Until recently it hadn’t done anything to stop people, but

But it recently said it will crack down on shared accounts, and has tried a few different ways to do this in some countries. It’s likely you’ll have to pay an extra fee from the summer of 2023.

Until then, how many people can watch at the same time depends on how much you pay. The basic £6.99 a month subscription is limited to one screen, but for £10.99 (and HD) two people can watch different programmes on different devices simultaneously, while that goes up to four people (and 4K) for £15.99 a month. Anyone you share with uses the same log in as you.

All my ways to save on this dedicated Netflix article

Sharing Amazon Prime Video

You’re limited to three simultaneous streams on Amazon Prime Video, and you can only watch the same title on two devices at the same time. You can create up to six different profiles for people on the account.

Strictly speaking though this is still limited to the account holder. The official way to share Amazon Prime is to set-up Amazon Household where a maximum of two adult accounts are connected.

The big problem with both the official and unofficial sharing methods is that you are sharing your full Amazon account. That means anyone you share with could shop at your expense.

Personally, I’d only share Amazon with people you really trust, like your immediate family members.

Save money on Amazon Prime Video

All my ways to save on this dedicated Amazon Prime Video deals article

Sharing NOW TV

NOW TV will allow only one user to watch programmes at the same time, though there’s no limit to the number of devices you can use each month.

You can boost to three simultaneous streams via the Boost package which costs £6 extra a month (you also get full HD and no adverts). I’ve always been able to get this knocked down to £2 a month, though that’s you’ll probably need to pay £6 in the first month to get these discounts.

Responsibility for the account sits with the account holder, so if your friend adds a month of Sky Sports for £34.99 you’ll have to get them to pay you rather than complain to NOW TV.

The log in can also be used to access your Sky account (you’ll have one if you have NOW TV, even if you weren’t aware), where further purchases can be made.

Services are pretty cheap though compared to full Sky or Virgin packages and switching over can save you a fortune – especially if you share!

How to pay less for NOW

All my ways to save on this dedicated NOW TV article

Sharing Disney +

You can stream on four devices at once and have seven separate profiles, making it very easy to share with others. You can also download to 10 different devices.

In fact, in the subscriber agreement (1.b) it says that if you share your account details with others they are subject to the same terms and conditions. Which is another way of saying it’s ok to share.

Save on Disney+

All the latest offers in our dedicated Disney+ article

Sharing Apple TV+

Apple TV+ allows six simultaneous streams, though there’s no facility to create individual profiles. Plus this uses your Apple ID and password – not a good one to share seeing as it can be used for purchases and access to other Apple devices.

You can though add five other accounts to your apple “Family Sharing” which will give access to a number of Apple features.

By default this includes iCloud storage and purchases on the app store (and more). You can stop these extras being shared, but you can only toggle these on and off for everyone you share with.

Save money on Apple TV+

All my ways to save on this dedicated Apple TV+ deals article

Sharing Sky Go

If you have Sky TV, you’ve also got access to Sky Go which allows you to stream your channels on up to six devices. But it’s only one stream at a time for customers since March 2019. Older customers can watch two at once.

If you want to download programmes iPlayer style and stream on two devices at once you can upgrade to Sky Go Extra (via Sky Multiscreen or Sky Glass/Stream), which also allows you to watch on up to four devices.

You can create additional users for your household, so you would be able to limit the access to your account by providing a Secondary Sky ID.

Sharing Virgin TV Go

Virgin’s TV Go is available on your computer, tablet or phone. You need to register which ones will use it, and there’s a limit of four, though you can change three every month. There’s a max of two simultaneous streams, though it’s limited to one if it’s for a Sky channel.

Unlike the others, Virgin are very clear in their terms you must not let anyone else use your log in, and that they may “restrict or remove your access to the Service” if they believe someone else is using your sign-in details.

Featured switching deal

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Customer rating 4/5

Switch bonus
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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
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Sharing BT Sport & BT TV

You can watch BT Sport – and any other channels you receive as part of BT TV – on two devices at the same time.

However, BT are firm the service is for members of your household and require the account holder to “do everything you can to keep your BT ID username and password secure and confidential and prevent anyone else from using them”.

Should you use sharing services?

I’ve seen a handful of streaming sharing services pop up in the last year or two. With these you pay a third party every month for access to a service. They’ll provide you with a log-in, but they’ll also give the same details to someone else.

In theory this protects your payment card and other details as they won’t be on the shared account – but they will still be held by the facilitating website.

Personally I’d stay clear. These are very new so it’s impossible to vouch for any of these providers (hence why I’m not listing them). In fact one that was brought to my attention had its website suspended!

If you want to share you will most likely know someone who wants to split costs, and I think that’s a better option – as long as you follow the rules I’ve set out above.

Of course this could change, so I’ll keep an eye on these services and write more if so.

Our podcast

Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Steve Alderton and Editor James Andrews.

Episodes every Monday.

Stopping someone using your account

If you no longer want to share with someone, or are worried that someone you haven’t authorised to use your account is doing so, then there are ways to get control back.

Netflix and NOW will let you see which devices are using your account, and Amazon will let you deregister any you don’t want to use your account. Netflix and Amazon can even reveal what is being watched on each profile, helping you spot unauthorised use. Meanwhile Disney+ lets you require a password to set up new profiles

Some, including Netflix and Disney, will let you sign out of all devices, meaning people will need the password to rejoin – and you can easily change this in settings.

Spending less on TV & movie streaming services

Sharing accounts isn’t the only way to pay less for your subscription. You can take out free trials, buy cheap passes and mix and match the ones you use to save some money. Here’s my deals page with the latest offers.

Updated December 22, 2025 | Published May 1, 2023 | Articles

0% balance transfer credit cards explained

The pros and cons.

Balance transfer credit cards can be a useful way to help clear debts. But there are dangers with using one if you don’t follow the rules.

This Be Clever Basics guide is going to explain how 0% balance transfer cards work so you can find out if one is right for you.

Keep reading or watch this video

What is a 0% balance transfer credit card?

Got credit card debts? Chances are you’re paying close to 20% in interest on the money you’ve borrowed, if not more. This adds up quickly, making your spending more expensive. And if you’re spending on credit cards in the first place it’s probably because you can’t afford what you’re buying – so extra charges aren’t welcome!

But if you get a 0% balance transfer card, you can move the debt from other credit cards to it, and crucially not have to pay interest for an agreed time. At the moment this can be as long as 30 months – that’s two and a half years.

The idea is that you use this time to clear the debt without adding to it, saving you money in the long run. If you’ve other debts, it might also give you a little breather while you clear those.

How much money you could save

Obviously it depends on how much you owe right now, the interest you’re being charged, and the card you get.

But let’s take a few examples. These are with set repayments each month. If the interst rate is higher or if you’re just paying the minimum your savings would be much larger!

Debt = £2,500

If you have £2,500 at 18.9%, and you’re paying a fixed £100 back each month, it’d take you 32 months to clear the debt and cost you £631 in interest.

But switch the debt to a 0% card with at least 26 months and continue paying £100 a month you’d pay zero interest!

Yes, you need to factor in the transfer fee – if it was 3% it’d be £75 – but you’d still be £556 better off!

Debt = £1,000

If you owe less, say one grand at a similar interest rate but a £50 set repayment each month, you’d take two years to clear the debt and pay £190 in interest.

But putting it on a 0% card for at least 21 months would reduce that interest payment to nothing. You’d just need to cover a transfer fee, which assuming 3% would be £30. That’s a total saving of £160.

Featured switching deal

Sponsored

Santander £180 switch offer

Customer rating 4/5

Switch bonus
£180
Offer ends
Unknown

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

View Deal

What to watch out for with 0% balance transfer cards

The 0% time will end

Once the 0% offer period ends, the interest rate goes up to a normal – if not higher than normal – one. So the idea is to use that 0% time to clear the debt.

There’s often a fee

As mentioned, you will usually have to pay a fee on the total balance you move over. So a 3% fee on a £3,000 balance transfer would be £90.

Though there are cards with shorter 0% lengths which don’t charge and these can be better options if you are confident you need less time to clear the debt.

You usually have to make the transfer early

Once you’ve got the new card, most transfers need to be made within the first two or three months in order to get the 0% rate. Leave it too late and you’ll get a much higher rate, defeating the purpose of the switch.

You still need to make a monthly payment

If you don’t make the minimum repayment each month, the special 0% deal could be ended early, meaning you’ll start paying high rates of interest again. Set up a Direct Debit to make sure you don’t forget.

You might not get the advertised deal

Credit card companies want to make money from you, but they also want to be sure they won’t lose money on you. If you do get accepted, you might not get the full deal. You could be offered a shorter 0% deal, the rate of interest after the 0% could be higher.

Applying can be bad for your credit score

And of course there’s the risk you could also be rejected outright. If you do get rejected it’s not just bad for your debt, it’s bad for your credit rating too.

To help the card company make that decision, they’ll run a credit check. To get an idea of whether you’ll be accepted, try a soft check on a comparison site. It’ll look at your credit report but not leave a trace.

You might not be able to transfer your entire credit card debt

Let’s say you’re successful and get the 0% balance transfer card. Great. But there’s no guarantee that the credit limit (i.e. the amount you can have on the card) will be the same or more than your current debt.

Additional spending will not be 0%

Unless you have a card which specifically has a 0% purchase offer in addition to the 0% balance transfer you will get charged interest on any additional spending.

They aren’t the answer if you don’t think you can clear the debt over time

If your only debt is the card debt, balance transfer cards are a big help. But if your wider finances are in a bad shape and you don’t think even a year or more on a 0% card will help you clear your debts, then you’re just delaying a bigger problem. Really you need to get some free debt advice. Read more about what you can do if your debts are getting too big

How to make a 0% balance transfer card work for you

Plan for how to pay off the debt

Say you’ve got a £1,000 debt and you transfer it to a 25 month 0% deal, you should try to evenly pay it off each month. That would be £40 every month.

Or even better, pay as much as you can afford each month to clear it sooner. Even though you’re not paying interest on the debt during the 0% period, you don’t know if something could happen later that stops you from paying your planned amount.

Decide if a longer deal or lower fee is better

Don’t go for a long balance transfer deal if you don’t need it. Instead you might be better off picking one with a low fee – or even one that is fee-free.

Of course the lower the fee, the shorter the deal, so the best bet for you really depends on your circumstances. If you need a long time to pay off the debt, a longer deal could suit you, even if the transfer fee is higher.

Shop around

I’m often getting junk mail through the post from my existing banks offering a balance transfer deal. These might be decent, but don’t just jump at the first one you see. Shop around and see what the best offer is out there.

Try not to keep moving the debt

Some people transfer the debt to a new 0% card each time the deal ends. And again. And again.

It’s potentially risky as you might get rejected for a new card. Plus since you generally have to pay a fee each time you transfer, it could cost too.

If you think you won’t be able to clear the debt, consider a longer 0% period for the card.

Don’t spend on your balance transfer card

New spending doesn’t just add to the previously transferred balance. It’s a new debt so interest won’t be 0%. So to avoid this look for a better spending card. If it has to be a credit card, then you can get a 0% purchase credit card which does the same thing but for new spending, or an all-rounder which has 0% on transfers and purchases.

If you do spend on a balance transfer card, try to clear that full amount at the next billing date. The most expensive debt is cleared first, so any monthly payments you make will go to clearing this new spend first. But if you don’t pay off enough to cover the new spending, you’ll get charged interest on it.

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Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Steve Alderton and Editor James Andrews.

Episodes every Monday.