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Updated July 28, 2026   |   Deals

NOW TV free trial, offers & deals

BCWYC Team | Updated by Adil Sheikh

Get Sky Atlantic, Sky Cinema and Sky Sports without getting Sky – and pay less with these great NOW TV offers.

Sky’s NOW TV – or NOW as it’s been rebranded – can save you a lot of money compared to paying for TV via your broadband provider, whether that’s Sky, Virgin, BT or TalkTalk.

Despite recent price increases and fewer offers it’s still the cheapest way to get big channels such as Sky Atlantic, Sky One and more. You’ll also get HBO Max included.

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.

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What is NOW?

NOW is essentially an on-demand video streaming service, just like Netflix and iPlayer. The big difference is it lets you watch Sky channels. Why bother when you can do this direct? Well NOW is so much cheaper and more flexible. And you’ll see below there are always deals to bring the price down further.

Another great thing is that you can subscribe month by month, or even by the day for sports channels, rather than tie yourself into a year-long contract as you would if you had satellite or cable TV. Here’s Andy’s take on whether it’s worth the money.

It works best if you don’t watch ALL the different channels. That’s because films, TV and sport are all on different packages. Very cheap if you get one or two, but it can be pricey if you get more. And of course you need to consider if you’d be better off picking Netflix or Amazon Prime instead – there’s not enough time to watch all three!

How much is NOW?

Here are the full price costs for all the different NOW passes – but of course you don’t need to pay this. Check out all the deals on this page for ways to save.

  • Entertainment costs £7.99
  • Entertainment + HBO Max Pass costs £9.99 a month
  • Cinema Pass costs £9.99 a month
  • There are two Sky Sports NOW TV passes
    • A Day Pass costs £14.99 for 24 hours
    • A Month Pass is £34.99 a month
  • NOW TV Boost cost £6 a month or £9 a month
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New NOW customer offers and deals

The best offers are pretty much always for new customers. If you’ve never used NOW or NOW TV as it was known before, always start with one of these. If there’s a free or very cheap pass featured further down you can always add that at a later date. We’ve ranked them in the order of how good we think they are.

These offers are only for new NOW subscribers. Make sure you cancel before the prepaid package is up or you’ll pay full price for the following months.

At the moment it seems most of these introductory offers are for a minimum of six months, so you might need to weigh up whether you’d be better off paying full price for a single month and using the cancellation trick (more on this further down the page) to hopefully bring prices down without being locked in.

NOW Entertainment: £2.99 for 6 months

This new user offer requires you to lock in for 6 months, after which you’ll pay full price but can cancel at any time.

You’ll get:

  • Sky originals and exclusive US Shows
  • The biggest returning hits from HBO – such as Euphoria series 3
  • One month ad-free

This offer also comes with a 30 day trial of Boost or Ultra Boost. Includes ads.

Sign up for NOW TV

NOW Entertainment & HBO MAX: £6.99 for 6 months

This new user offer requires you to lock in for 6 months, after which you’ll pay full price but can cancel at any time.

You’ll get:

  • Sky originals and exclusive US Shows
  • Every series from HBO Max Basic, such as The Pitt
  • One month ad-free

This offer also comes with a 30 day trial of Boost or Ultra Boost. Includes ads.

Sign up for NOW TV

NOW Cinema: £6.99 for 6 months

This new user offer requires you to lock in for 6 months, after which you’ll pay full price but can cancel at any time.

You’ll get:

  • The latest blockbusters on NOW
  • One month ad-free

This offer also comes with a 30 day trial of Boost or Ultra Boost. Includes ads.

Sign up for NOW TV

Reduced passes with NOW Broadband

If you change your internet to NOW Broadband, you’ll can sometimes find discounted NOW passes. The cost varies depending on when you sign up; we’ve seen it as little as £4 a month.

However, you are tied into the broadband and the NOW membership for 12 months. And it’ll go up to full price once the year ends.

Get a discounted NOW passes and broadband at NOW

NOW TV free trials (ended)

Sadly there are no longer any free trials for the main passes, though they could return. Usually you can trial “Boost” for 7 days though that’s not currently showing.

If you do get a trial and don’t want to keep paying then remember to cancel before the seven days finish to avoid getting charged full price.

Choose a 7-day NOW free trial

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Existing NOW customer offers and deals

Most of the special offers are only for new customers, but there are lots of ways existing customers can save each month. Usually this involved either buying a gift card pass.

With the passes you will get a code which you can enter into your account. Go to the view passes page and you’ll see where to add the code.

There used to be deals offering passes included with a NOW box or stick, but the company no longer sells these.

Here are the best deals:

NOW cancellation trick

If you go to cancel your NOW pass, you’ll be asked the reason you are cancelling. Select the option saying it’s too expensive for you and you might be offered a discount to stay.

If that’s as good or better than the existing customer deals we’ve listed above, then you can accept it and pay less. This will be for a limited time, often three or four months, so don’t forget to repeat this process.

Do keep an eye on your emails too. It’s not unheard of for NOW to offer a discounted price after you’ve cancelled. Here’s more on how this trick works and how to cancel.

NOW email offers

It’s also worth having your email preferences set to allow promotional emails from NOW. They will regularly send promotions with discounts – most recently Andy signed up to four months of Entertainment for £1 a month.

This will only be sent if you don’t have an active subscription, another reason to hit cancel at the start of each month.

Netflix, NOW TV and Freeview box for £5/mth for six months (expired)

If you have BT or EE broadband (or sign up for it), you can add on a EE TV package that includes Netflix and NOW at a reduced price. At the moment, you can get it for £5 a month for the first six months. You’ll need to commit to 24 months, and the price will go up after the six month period and every year. However, it includes:

  • Netflix Standard with adverts (rrp £5.99 a month)
  • NOW Entertainment (rrp £9.99 a month)
  • Discovery+ basic (rrp £3.99 a month)

With this deal, you’re locked in for at least 24 months. For the first six months you’ll pay £5 and this goes up to £20 a month from month seven. It then costs £22 a month from 31 March 2026 and £24 a month from 31 March 2027.

You’ll need to factor in if you can get broadband for less elsewhere, and that you’ll be tied in for two years.

If you want HD Netflix you’ll have to pay extra – and it’s not clear how much more this is.

Similarly if you want HD and no adverts on your NOW pass that’s another £6 a month. And it’s often possible to get cheaper NOW packages direct with NOW – that might not be the case if you pay via your BT bill.

A similar model box will likely cost you £250, so if you’re looking at ditching pay TV elsewhere, this would be a cheaper way to get hold of it, with the streaming services thrown in (though you won’t keep it if you leave BT in two years time).

Get Netflix via EE TV

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Latest Sky Sports NOW TV deals

You need a separate pass for Sky Sports via NOW and there are often deals to bring the price down. We’ve listed them on our bespoke deals page for Sky Sports.

Save on Sky Sports at NOW

Here are my top deals for Sky Sports day and month passes on NOW.

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Updated July 28, 2026   |   Deals

Quidco bonuses: up to £18 for new members

BCWYC Team | Updated by Adil Sheikh

Get free cash when you shop at thousands of shops or other bonuses with these Quidco sign-up bonus offers.

We’re big fans of cashback and – even better – you can often get a bonus when you sign up for the first time.

Quidco is one of the big cashback sites, and we’ll list the best deals here, as well as any other specific cashback deals we think you can’t afford to miss.

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.

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What is Quidco?

Quidco is a cashback website that lets you earn money back when you shop through its platform. It works with thousands of retailers across different categories, including fashion, tech, travel and groceries. When you make a purchase through Quidco, a percentage of what you spend is tracked and later paid out as cashback, which you can withdraw to your bank, PayPal, or as a gift card.

First time Quidco user offers

There are regular retailer-specific offers that come and go which could save you £10 or £15 if you buy at those shops. But the two generic offers below are far better as they mean you can spend your money wherever you want on whatever you want.

£18 bonus cashback when you spend £10

The best deal is for subscribers to our weekly newsletter who get access to an exclusive £18 first-time bonus when they spend £10. You’ll also get the cashback offered by the retailer on top.

Once you sign up, you’ll need to click on the sign up confirmation email that will be sent immediately. If you don’t see it please check your spam folders as it could be there, and then add our email address to your safe senders list.

Then look for a special email that will be sent to you with the exclusive Quidco sign-up link. Make sure to read the terms and conditions on Quidco’s website before making your first purchase to ensure it tracks.

This offer is due to end 30 June 2026, but will hopefully be extended

Sign up for our newsletter
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Get £10 cashback when you spend £5, plus extra cashback (ended)

This is an ongoing offer that can get you the cashback on any purchase, as long as you spend £5 or more. So if you spend £5 at any of the 5,000+ retailers listed on Quidco – which is pretty much all of them –  you’ll get £10 back plus whatever the cashback rate is. There are so many shops you’ll definitely find a way to get your cashback.

Ends 31 December 2025.

Sign up to Quidco and get a £10 bonus
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Existing Quidco customer offers

It’s worth looking for bonus cashback deals which can pop up from time to time. You need to click to activate these offers. We’ll add them below when we see them.

Quidco Flashback offers

Often Quidco has boosted cashback known as Flashback that runs for 24 hours. Sometimes we can share them in advance, although they could change or be cancelled. Always check the Quidco homepage for the full terms and conditions. You might also have to activate some offers.

Already with Quidco?

TopCashback also offers new member bonuses. Check out the latest here.

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Free cashback offers

Some deals will give you money without actually spending any money:

£3 bonus when you install Quidco reminder (ended)

If you use Chrome as your internet browser you’ll be able to earn a £3 bonus by installing the Quidco Reminder extension, then using it to activate cashback while shopping and spend at least £3. There are a handful of retailers excluded which are listed in the terms and conditions when you click through. The offer comes and goes.

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Updated July 28, 2026   |   Best Buy

The best children’s savings accounts

Zoe Roddy | Updated by Adil Sheikh

The highest paying easy-access and regular children’s savings accounts and Junior ISAs

Here’s our guide to the best children’s savings accounts. Check the date to see when this was last updated.

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.

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Easy access accounts

These can be current accounts for kids or specific children’s savings accounts and are open to anyone under the age of 18. Rates are usually variable, which means they can change, and are often only on a limited amount of money.

With these accounts, your children will be able to manage the money themselves once they reach a certain age.


Children's savings accounts

Nationwide FlexOne Saver

Customer rating 4.5/5
  • AER (variable)
    5%
  • Ages
    11-17 year olds
  • Maximum
    £5,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
  • Current account required? Requires FlexOne current account
  • Card Can get a Visa debit or a cash card

Kent Reliance Demelza children's savings account

Customer rating 3.6/5
  • AER (variable)
    4.18%
  • Ages
    Under 18s
  • Minimum
    £10
  • Maximum
    £25,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
  • Card No debit card
  • Open via Open it in branch or via post
  • Account features 0.25% of the average balance of all Demelza accounts given to Demelza Children's Hospice each year

HSBC MySavings

Customer rating 3.9/5
  • AER (variable)
    3.75%
  • Ages
    7 - 11
  • Minimum
    £10
  • Maximum
    £3,000
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
  • Rate details 3.75% AER variable on up to £3,000 saved / 1.1% above this
  • Card Get a debit card from 11
  • Current account required? Can be opened online if parent/guardian has HSBC account, otherwise in branch only

Featured kids' bank account
Sponsored

gohenry Kids' Debit Card

Customer rating 4.7/5
  • Monthly fee
    £3.99
  • Ages
    6 - 17 year olds
  • Parent account required?
    No
  • Offer
    2 months free and £5 pocket money
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
  • Interest paid No - only paid for Plus and Max accounts
  • Fees £3.99 per month for one child
  • Parent account There's no bank account for parents; instead, the account is topped up using your existing bank account
  • Card Customisable debit card
  • Education Includes access to Money Missions to teach kids about money
  • Perks Parents can set chores with the app, and anyone can pay into the account with Giftlinks
  • Offer 2 months free and £5 free pocket money available for new gohenry customers who order a card and deposit £5. Sign up using the code AFUKBC26 to get it.
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Regular Savers

These children’s savings accounts pay higher rates but you’re limited on how much you can save each month. Usually, it’s a fixed rate for a year. When the time is up, the account will close and the money will be transferred to a linked savings account.

Children's regular savings accounts

Halifax Kids' Monthly Saver

Customer rating 4.1/5
  • AER (fixed)
    5.5%
  • Ages
    17 and under
  • Minimum
    £0
  • Maximum
    £100 per month
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
  • Open via Can be opened by an adult who wants to put money away for a child aged 15 or under
  • Fixed term Fixed for 12 months

Saffron Building Society Children's Regular Saver

Customer rating 4.8/5
  • AER (variable)
    3.95%
  • Ages
    17 and under
  • Minimum
    £0
  • Maximum
    £100 per month
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
  • Open via Can be opened by post or in branch and can be opened by a non-parent
  • Term Variable term of 12 months

Junior ISAs

You or your child can save £9,000 a year in a Junior ISA. These can be cash ones earning interest or stocks and shares ISAs which are invested (meaning the value can go up and down).

Though interest or gains earned in an ISA are tax-free, it’s unlikely it makes much difference as there are other allowances that will be more than enough for most kids.

Money in Junior ISAs is also locked away until the child turns 18. Then it’s their money to use as they want.

Parents or guardians have to open the account but anyone can add money – handy for grandparents and other family members who want to put money aside.

Best Cash Junior ISAs

Leek Building Society Junior ISA

Customer rating 4.9/5
  • AER (variable)
    3.85%
  • Minimum
    £1
  • Account opening
    Branch or via post
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
  • Allows transfers in? Yes

Skipton Building Society Junior ISA

Customer rating 4.4/5
  • AER (variable)
    3.8%
  • Minimum
    £1
  • Account opening
    Branch or post

The Stafford Building Society Junior ISA

Customer rating 4.6/5
  • AER (variable)
    3.76%
  • Minimum
    £1
  • Account opening
    Branch or via post
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
  • Allows transfers in? Yes

Coventry Building Society Junior ISA

Customer rating 4.4/5
  • AER (variable)
    3.75%
  • Minimum
    £1
  • Account opening
    Branch or via post
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
  • Allows transfers in? Yes

Danske Bank UK Junior ISA

Customer rating 3.9/5
  • AER (variable)
    3.75%
  • Minimum
    £25
  • Account opening
    Branch or via phone
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
  • Allows transfers in? Yes

NS&I Junior ISA

Customer rating 3.8/5
  • AER (variable)
    3.7%
  • Minimum
    £1
  • Account opening
    Online
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
  • Allows transfers in? Yes

Tax and children’s savings

Our analysis

When choosing a children’s savings account, you probably won’t need to worry about tax on interest.

Children can earn a total of £18,500 from savings and other income each financial year. That’s the £12,500 personal tax allowance, the £5,000 starting savings allowance and the £1,000 personal savings allowance.

However, if parents (and parents only) are adding money to any of the non-tax free accounts then there’s a £100 interest limit each year per parent.

So say the child has £2,000 saved earning 3.75%, they’d make £75 in interest. That’s fine. If they amassed £3,000 in contributions from the same parent the amount earned would be £112.50.

That’s still ok if the money comes from both parents, as the allowances would be combined and the total interest that can be earned would be £200.

But if it’s from one parent, then the entire £112.50 would need to come out of that parent’s Personal Savings Allowance. That might not be a problem – but if it exceeds this, then the whole amount will be subject to tax at the rate the parent pays, which could be 20% or 40%.

To avoid this you might want to save into a Junior ISA.

Other ways to save for kids

Premium Bonds

You can also buy Premium Bonds for children. These cost £1 each, but there’s a minimum purchase of £25. Grandparents are able to buy Premium Bonds, as well as parents and guardians.

The current prize fund is 3.8%, which isn’t the same as 3.8% interest. It’s very likely that with small amounts of cash in Premium Bonds you won’t win anything, but there’s the chance of getting up to £1 million every month.

Pensions

Yep, you can start putting money into a person pension for a child at any age. They won’t be able to access the cash until they reach 57 years old (though that will likely increase when they’re older). However, they can manage where the money is invested from the age of 18.

As with adults adding to pensions, they’ll get 20% tax relief from the government, meaning for every £80 that’s added, £100 will be invested.

There is an annual limit though of £2,880 where you’ll get this extra top-up.

Piggy banks

It can be good to get young kids familiar with coins and money by giving them a piggy bank to save with. Obviously they won’t earn any interest (unless you want to work that out yourself).

Once they get a little older to understand branch and online banking it might make sense to replace the piggy bank with the accounts above.

Apps

Starling offers a free app to help kids learn about money and spending while also giving the parents extra control over purchases called Starling Kite. You can also pay a monthly fee for apps like Go Henry and HyperJar. However, you’re unlikely to get any decent rate of interest from any of these.

The best savings accounts

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

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Updated July 28, 2026   |   Deals

Best credit card offers and promotions (July 2026)

Zoe Roddy | Updated by Adil Sheikh

The best offers and promotions for credit cards from 0% interest through to introductory bonuses.

Used responsibly, credit cards can help you earn money on purchases, give you stronger consumer protections, make holidays cheaper, help you clear debts or spread the cost of a big purchase. 

Everyone’s situation will be different, so these are just the best cards out there – you might have to settle for a shorter deal or lower rate of cashback.

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.

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Cashback card welcome bonuses

When you’re opening a card, especially a cashback or rewards based card, it’s worth seeing if there’s a welcome offer. And even better, checking to see if it’s boosted.

Santander: get £40 in Uber vouchers when you sign up for its cashback credit card

From 9 July 2026, new Santander customers who open a Rewards Credit Card can get up to £40 in Uber vouchers.

To get the first £20, you need to do the following within 30 days of opening your Rewards Credit Card:

  • Activate your card
  • Add it to your digital wallet – Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay or Garmin Pay
  • Make at least 10 purchases using either your digital wallet or physical card
  • Have your Rewards Credit Card open until Santander invites you to claim your voucher

For the second £20, your Rewards Credit Card must stay open for 30 days after you claim your first £20 Uber Voucher.

Santander will check your account 30 days after you open it. If you meet the offer criteria above, they’ll email you a unique voucher code within 30 days. You’ll have 3 months to use it.

Read our review of the Rewards Card
Find out more

Best American Express welcome offers:

We’ve more details on the latest offers in our dedicated guide to American Express offers, but here are the top picks for the bonus available for new cardholders.

Boosted Amex welcome offers

All the latest Amex welcome offers

Amazon: £50 welcome offer

You’ll get a £40 Amazon Gift Card if approved, plus activate your Amazon Barclaycard in the Barclays or Barclaycard app* for an extra £10 Amazon Gift Card.

You’ll also earn 1% at Amazon and 0.5% elsewhere, dropping to 0.25% after a year.

Existing Barclaycard customers can apply to switch from their current card to the Amazon version, but will lose any existing card benefits.

Read our review of the Amazon Barclaycard
Check your eligibility for the Amazon credit card

Barclaycard Rewards: Boosted 1% cashback for 12 months when you apply in-app (ended)

Barclaycard is boosting the cashback on purchases to 1% for 12 months if you apply in app and 6 months if you apply using Barclaycard.co.uk, Barclays.co.uk or a comparison site.

The cashback rate reverts to 0.25% after the promotional period ends. T&Cs and exclusions apply.

There are no fees for using this card abroad.

The offer ends 10am on 28th May 2026.

Find out more about the Barclaycard Rewards offer

Virgin Atlantic: Up to 36,000 bonus welcome points (ended)

Virgin Atlantic has two offers running. Up to 36,000 points on its Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit Card (which comes with a £160 annual fee) and up to 6,000 points for its Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card (with no annual fee).

The Reward+ card offers 18,000 welcome bonus points with your first card spend, made within 90 days of taking out the card. An extra 18,000 bonus points if you apply by 18 May 2026 and spend £3,000 or more within 90 days of taking out the card. You also get 1.5 Virgin Points for every £1 spent on everyday purchases and 3 Virgin Points for every £1 spent direct with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays. There’s also a flight upgrade or companion ticket if you spend £10,000 or more a year on purchases. Terms apply.

The Reward card offers 3,000 welcome bonus points with your first card spend, made within 90 days of taking out the card and an extra 3,000 bonus points if you apply by 18 May 2026 and spend £1,000 or more within 90 days of taking out the card. As an ongoing rate it offers 0.75 Virgin Points for every £1 spent on everyday purchases and 1.5 Virgin Points for every £1 spent direct with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays. You get a flight upgrade or a companion ticket if you spend £20,000 or more a year on purchases. Terms apply.

Offer ends 18 May 2026. 

Check your eligibility for the Virgin Atlantic credit card

Santander: no fee for first year of Edge credit card (ended)

Those with a Santander current account can get the Edge credit card without its usual £4 monthly fee for the first year. The card lets you earn 1% back on your spending, up to £10 per month, giving you a cap of £6 oer month that you can make with the account, but with this offer, you can save £48 per year and make up to £120 in cashback. We have a full review of the Santander Edge credit card with all the info on cashback you can earn.

To get it, you need to open a Santander Edge credit card between 11 November and 13 January 2026, set up a Direct Debit and use your credit card 10 times or more over the first 3 months to qualify.

For this, you’ll get £48, which will cover the monthly fee for the first year.

Read our review of the Santander Edge credit card

Barclaycard Avios: boosted welcome offer (ended)

The usual 25,000 welcome Avios is boosted until 15 January 2026 on the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card.

In addition you can get 10,000 more points and a year of Apple TV.

To get all the points you need to spend £6,000 in the first six months. This spend will also earn you another 9,000 points, giving you a total of 44,000 points, which is worth £220 if converted into Nectar points.

However, the card does come with a £20 monthly fee. You could cancel the card once you’ve hit the threshold to reduce the impact on your profit.

Existing Barclaycard customers won’t be able to apply.

Read our review of the Barclaycard Avios
Check your eligibility for the Barclaycard Avios credit card
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John Lewis: double points for 60 days

If you apply for a new John Lewis Partnership card you’ll get double points at John Lewis or Waitrose for the first 6 days, meaning you’ll get the equivalent of 2.5% back.

After this, you’ll earn 1.25% back (5 points per £4 spent) in Waitrose or John Lewis. You’ll get 0.25% back (1 point per £5 spent) at all other retailers.

There’s no end date for this deal.

Check if you’re eligible for the John Lewis Partnership credit card

M&S: 5x points for six months

If you apply for a new Marks & Spencer credit card, you can get five points on M&S spending instead of one, for six months. Every £100 spent gets 500 points which works out as £5 as a voucher.

There is no closing date for this offer but the terms and conditions state it can be withdrawn at any time.

Check your eligibility for an M&S credit card

Read next

Best 0% Purchase & Balance Transfer welcome deals

Before you get a 0% balance transfer card make sure you read my guide to how to properly use them to reduce the cost of debts.

Bonus cashback: Up to £25

Cashback sites Quidco and TopCashback offer between £20 and £30 to successful applicants for credit cards from Tesco, TSB, HSBC and Barclaycard. Rates can change, so check out both sites.

For balance transfer cards this could work out better than the no-fee option. So, for example, if the transfer fee is 0.9% and you transfer £2,222 or less then the cashback you earn will wipe out the fee.

These rates can change so it’s worth checking each site to see which pays the most.

New to cashback sites? Get an additional bonus of up to £20

Quidco new members can get £18 when they spend £10, while TopCashback new members can get £20 when they spend £10. Find out how to get these bonuses

Sign up for cashback sites

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Best fee-free travel welcome deals

Most credit cards are expensive to use overseas, but a few are fee-free on transactions and withdrawals.

Best credit building credit card welcome deals

If you’ve got a poor credit rating then spending on a credit card and then clearing the debt completely each month can help boost your score.

I’ve written in detail about this type of card, so make sure you check it out.

Barclaycard Forward: £15 cashback

If you’re eligible for the Barclaycard Forward card, then you can apply via Quidco to get £15 cashback.

More on cashback sites

Tesco Foundation: £25 cashback

You can get £25 cashback when applying for the Tesco Foundation card via TopCashback.

More on cashback sites

Get paid to switch bank

Check out the latest bank switching incentives, plus the current accounts with the best rewards, cheapest overdraft and highest interest.

best bank switching offers
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Expired deals

Asda Money: up to £50 cashback (expired)

If you open a credit card with Asda Money by 6 January 2025 then you can get 5% back in your Asda Pounds in your first 60 days, up to £50.

You’ll also earn 0.75% on your Asda spend and 0.2% everywhere else.

This is only available for new customers, or those who’ve not had an Asda credit card in the last 12 months. You’ll need to stay within the terms of your credit agreement to get the Asda Pounds.

It’s worth noting that recent offers have paid more, with £50 or £100 available in cashback in 2024.

Read our review of the Asda Money credit card
Check your eligibility for the Asda Money credit card

Virgin Atlantic Reward+: Up to 36,000 bonus points boost (ended)

If you collect Virgin Points rather than Avios, this offer until 13 October 2025 will earn you double the usual welcome points when you spend £3,000 within the first three months.

CardFeeRequirementWelcome bonusBoosted points
Virgin Atlantic Reward+£160 a yearSpend £3,000 within 90 days18,00018,000

You’ll get 18,000 points with your first purchase with this card, and then another 18,000 when you spend £3,000 in the first 90 days of having the card. You also need to link your Flying Club number to your credit card by 11 January 2026.

You’ll be eligible for the offer as long as you’ve not held this Virgin Atlantic card in the last six months. If you have the free version of the card you will be able to get this offer.

With the card, you earn 1.5 Virgin Points for every £1 spent on card purchases and 3 Virgin Points for every £1 you spend directly with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays.

The offer ends on 13 October 2025.

Is it worth it?

This is a significant boost on the previous one last Spring.

Bear in mind there’s a £160 annual fee, and you won’t get a refund if you cancel it after getting the bonus.

You can use the points against flights, as well as on the Virgin Red site, including for train tickets or gift cards at Costa, Nike and Pizza Express. You’ll get half a penny (0.5p) per point, so those 36,000 points will be worth £180.

You can also swap for things like Virgin Wine and Greggs’ sausage rolls!

Check your eligibility for a Virgin Atlantic Reward+ credit card

HSBC: 0% purchase card plus £60 cashback offer stack (expired)

With the HSBC Purchase Plus card, you can get £35 cashback from Quidco when you apply and use the card within 90 days. If you’re not on the Premium level of Quidco (£1 a month – more here), that this drops to £25.

And on top of this HSBC will give £25 cashback if you spend £100 on the card once accepted. That part ends 16 December 2024.

The card itself offers up to 20 months of spending at 0%, and up to 17 months for a balance transfer, with a fee on the latter of 3.49%. If you use the card for purchases you must pay off at least the minimum each month, even though it’s at 0%.

Remember, even though you need to go via Quidco to get this offer, you should check your eligibility first on the HSBC site. If you decide to proceed with the application, close the HSBC website down, and start again via Quidco.

If you’re new to Quidco, you could get up to £20 as a welcome bonus as well, though you’ll need to you use this for other shopping as it requires a minimum spend.

Get a Quidco welcome bonus
Check your 0% HSBC card eligibility

Barclaycard: £20 bonus and £15 cashback (expired)

With the Barclaycard Platinum credit cards, you can get £15 cashback from Quidco when you apply and use the card within 90 days.

And on top of this Barclaycard will give £20 cashback if you spend £500 on the card once accepted. That part ends 6 February 2025.

The card itself offers up to 22 months of spending at 0%, and up to 19 months for a balance transfer, with a fee on the latter of 3.45%. If you use the card for purchases you must pay off at least the minimum each month, even though it’s at 0%.

Remember, even though you need to go via Quidco to get this offer, you should check your eligibility first on the Barclaycard site. If you decide to proceed with the application, close the Barclaycard website down, and start again via Quidco.

If you’re new to Quidco, you could get up to £20 as a welcome bonus as well, though you’ll need to you use this for other shopping as it requires a minimum spend.

Get a Quidco welcome bonus
Check your 0% Barclaycard card eligibility

Halifax Clarity: £20 cashback (expired)

Sign up for a new Halifax Clarity credit card and make a transaction within 90 days to get a £20 bonus added to your card.

The Halifax Clarity won’t charge you for spending or using an ATM, but it will charge interest on cash withdrawals.

Check your eligibility for a Halifax Clarity credit card

Yonder: 6 months free (expired)

If you sign up for Yonder, you can get yourself 6 months free (usually £15 per month). 

Yonder is a reward credit card that lets you earn points to dine out (mainly in London). Travel insurance is included. A nice draw is that it doesn’t necessarily check your credit report as it prioritises open banking data when making a decision on accepting or rejecting your application.

You don’t have to stick around after the free trial and cancel before the 6 months are up. 

Check your eligibility for a Yonder credit card

Updated July 28, 2026   |   Deals

Book offers & deals

Zoe Roddy | Updated by Adil Sheikh
This is where we’ll share top deals to save money on books

You know the feeling when you get a great book. And it’s even better if you’ve managed to get that paperback or hardback on a special offer or deal.

If you want to read some of our general tips to help you save money on books, then check out this article. For specific offers or launches of big titles we’ll share details below.

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.

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eBook offers

Kindle deals

There are so many ways to save on Kindle books, We’ve written this separate guide.

Our Kindle deals page

Audiobook offers

Apple Books: free children’s audiobooks

Apple is offering more than 50 free children’s audiobooks until 21 July 2026 to celebrate the National Year of Reading. You don’t have to do anything to get them — just go into the Apple Books app, head to audiobooks and you’ll see a banner that will take you to the offer.

Once they’re in your library, they’re yours for good.

Go to Apple Books

BookBeat: 90 day free trial

You can 30 hours of free audiobooks via this offer for new BookBeat users.

After the trial it’ll cost £5.99 a month for 20 hours of listening with the basic plan, you’ll pay more for plans with further hours. You can cancel anytime.

Try BookBeat for 90 days

Audible deals

We’ve a separate page for Audible deals, and a guide to how to save money with the service too.

Our Audible deals page

Spotify deals

Premium Spotify users can get 15 hours of audiobooks every month. Here are the top Spotify deals.

Our Spotify deals page

Updated July 28, 2026   |   Articles

Electricity bills to fall as VAT scrapped on domestic use

James Andrews | Updated by Adil Sheikh

The average household will save £45 a year after the change – which is coming in October

New prime minister Andy Burnham has said he’s scrapping VAT on domestic electricity – this is what’s changing and how it’s likely to affect your bill – as well as some other ways to save on energy.

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.

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What’s changing?

Currently there’s a 5% VAT charge added to energy bills – both gas and electricity.

But one of the first policies announced by new prime minister Andy Burnham was the plan to scrap this, unless you’re in Northern Ireland.

“We’re taking immediate action to cut taxes on energy bills, put more money in people’s pockets and bring back hope,” Burnham said.

“I said I wanted to give people breathing space, and that’s what I’m announcing on my second day as prime minister.”

This policy will come into effect from October 1.

The removal of VAT won’t be possible in Northern Ireland under the terms of the UK’s Brexit deal, however the government said it would provide cost of living support funding of equivalent value instead.

Energy companies do not have to automatically reduce bills as a result of this move, but the expectation is that they will pass along these savings.

The removal of VAT affects all domestic tariffs – whether they are fixed, variable or pre-pay.

How much will my bill go down?

The government estimated this will save the average family £45 a year in electricity bills.

Of course, if you use more electricity than average you will see bigger savings, while the reverse is also true.

The people who will benefit the most are those whose entire bill is electricity, while those with dual-fuel or heating oil set ups will save less.

The simple way to work it out is to knock 5p off your electricity bill for every pound you spend on it. So if your bill is £40 a month, you’ll save £2.

Where’s the money coming from to cut VAT on electricity?

The government estimates this change will cost it £850 million, which they are funding from cuts to other programmes.

New Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey said: “This measure is funded this year from cancelling the Digital ID programme, and it will help bring down inflation while supporting households in every postcode.”

The digital ID programme was set to cost £1.8 billion over the next three years. The keen-eyed among you will realise that only covers two years of a permanent cut to electricity bills.

The rest of the money will come from savings that were due to be “identified from within existing budgets through reprioritisation, which will now be redirected towards this measure”.

The government added that any further action will be taken at the Budget, and that all decisions “will be funded and also consistent with the government’s fiscal rules”. 

How else can you save on electricity?

Here are the most effective ways to save money on electricity – regardless of whether there’s VAT on it or not:

Switch to a cheaper provider

Comparing energy providers and switching is the simplest and most effective way to save money on bills. Comparison site Uswitch calculates that if you’re on a standard variable tariff you can save £200 a year on your bills by switching to a cheaper provider.

Upgrade your appliances

Older appliances tend to use more energy than newer ones – check out the energy rating on new gear before you buy, A is the best score and means the appliance is the most energy efficient.

Switching to LED lights also provides a big saving if you haven’t already done that.

Use your appliances more efficiently

This is about getting the most bang for you buck from what you have now. The dishwasher uses the same amount of power and water whether it’s full or empty – so try and only run full loads. If you’re making tea, boiling more water than you need, only for it to sit in the kettle to cool down afterwards, is a waste too.

Obviously this goes triple for things like leaving lights on in empty rooms, or the TV, radio or music player running in the background when you’re not there.

Look for energy-free options

If you can use a drying rack or washing line instead of the tumble dryer, then you don’t need to pay to run the appliance. Cold-brew coffee can be made overnight without needing to run the kettle or coffee machine at all.

Finally, if you’re heading away on holiday, turning things off at the plugs rather than leaving them on standby can mean savings too.

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Updated July 28, 2026   |   Articles

Why you need more than one bank account and how many bank accounts you can have

Andy Webb | Updated by Adil Sheikh

Having one bank account isn’t just risky, it could be costing you cash.

Lots of people only have one current account. And if they’ve not yet switched it for some free cash, they’ve probably had it for a long time.

But limiting yourself to a single bank account — whether it’s through loyalty, indifference or simply not knowing you can have multiple current accounts — is a bad idea.

And opening up new accounts can bring benefits when managing and accessing your money – and even making some extra cash.

Keep reading or watch this video to see why I think you should have more than one account. 

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.

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Can you have more than one current account?

Let’s get this cleared up first. Yes, even though many think they can only have one, there’s actually no limit to how many current account you can open from different banks. You might even be able to have more than one from the same institution.

Due to my job, I’ve got a number of current accounts, but most of you won’t need anything near that many. In fact even just having two can be enough. 

And there’s very little risk in opening and running multiple accounts. I’ve shared a few things to consider further down the article.

10 reasons to have more than one current account

Here are the main reasons I think you should open up extra accounts.

If your bank has technical issues

We rely so much on online and app banking nowadays that not having access for even a few hours can be much more than an inconvenience.

This week Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland apps were all down thanks to the Amazon Web Services downtime, and that’s not the first time something like this has happened.

A debacle with TSB a few years ago, where systems were down for a couple of days saw people unable to access their wages or pay their rent. Though the length of time the TSB systems were down has been an isolated incident, occurrences of website crashes and app downtime for hours are increasingly frequent at a number of banks.

The risk of this happening to your bank is the number one reason why I think you should have at least two current accounts. In this second account, you should put enough money in that you can cover essentials for a few days. If you can put more, even better.

Make sure that this second account isn’t part of the same group as your other one, as these tend to share technical systems. So If you’ve got a Halifax account, make sure the second isn’t Lloyds, and vice versa. And the same goes for Natwest and RBS. First Direct and HSBC have different systems, but it can’t hurt to do the same.

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To separate your savings

When I was younger ,I was guilty of just having all my money in one account — savings and spending. This meant that I didn’t ever really know how much I had in savings, and it was possible to “accidentally” dip into those funds with everyday spending.

The answer to avoid this is to open up a separate account and move all your savings over. Then set up a standing order to regularly move more money each month.

You could, of course, put this cash in a normal savings account, but the top rates right now are in a handful of current accounts.

The best savings accounts

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

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To keep your overdraft debt separate

This trick also works if you have a huge overdraft. If you’re regularly in the red, it can be hard to track how much if you’re also spending out of the same account.

But if you open a separate account for your everyday spending, you can begin to treat and manage the overdraft debt as you would any other owed money, such as a loan or credit card. That’ll help you focus on clearing it (especially since you’re likely paying a huge 40% interest on that cash).

To protect your cash from scammers

Sadly, there are more and more scams aimed at your bank accounts. From fake phone calls through to phone thefts, you’re at risk if you have all your cash sitting on one place.

Of course, if a crook does get access to one account, they might also be able to access others at the same time, so make sure your accounts are protected in advance.

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To manage your money with someone else

Every couple manages their money differently. Some only have their own accounts and that can work fine, but joint accounts are particularly good for joint expenses.

You need to have a chat with your partner about what works best for you, and it could be a joint account is a bad idea — especially since it will link you on things like your credit report.

For help with budgeting

I think it’s worth having a separate account too for your everyday spending. You only move over the cash you want to part with, whether on a weekly or monthly basis. Ultimately this will stop you overspending and also help you keep track of where your cash is going.

There are certain accounts that make this a lot easier. Monzo, Chase, HyperJar and Starling are all really good accounts for this as they also have additional pots or spaces to further break down your spending.

To make some money

If you only want a maximum of two bank accounts, a really good option is to make sure one of them is going to be making you money.

There are plenty of accounts offering freebies such as Disney+ and cinema tickets or even money each month. The more of these you have the more you’ll get.

The best is probably a cashback current account. One from Chase will pay you cashback on supermarket and transport spending via the debit card.

To keep switching

I’ve made a lot of cash by switching from bank to bank and nabbing incentive bonuses each time. Now some people struggle with the idea of switching once, let alone repeatedly, and in part that’s because they like the bank they are with.

Well you can get around this by having a separate account that you just use for switching. The offers come and go, but there’s no harm having an account ready for when offers appear.

The best bank rewards and switch bonuses

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

the best bank switch offers on a blue background
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If you need to go into a branch

I’d also try to ensure one of your accounts — and again this can work if you only have two accounts — has a branch that you can physically walk into if you need to. 

Though I rarely need to go into a branch these days, there are times I do. If you need to take out a large amount of cash, sign forms or pay in cheques, a branch might be necessary. However, some banks allow you scan cheques via the app.

Yes, you can cover a lot of this online or over the phone, but I like the option to go into a branch if I feel the need. And if you’ve multiple accounts, it’s easy enough to make sure one of those is local.

For fee-free overseas spending

A final one to add to your wallet is an account that offers fee-free spending abroad, such as Chase, Starling, HyperJar, First Direct or Monzo. We have a full guide to specialist travel cards to help choose one.

How many current accounts can you realistically have?

There’s no legal limit to how many current accounts you can have, but in practice a few things cap it:

  • Most banks will only let you hold one personal current account with them at a time (sometimes plus a joint account)
  • Each new application involves a credit check, and too many in a short space of time can affect your credit score
  • Banks can decline an application if they think you’re opening accounts purely to game switching offers

In practice, most people get the bulk of the benefit from two to four current accounts. Going beyond that, it’s really only worthwhile if testing and reviewing accounts is part of your job.

Do multiple current accounts affect your credit score?

Before applying for a new account, make sure your credit report is up to date and there aren’t any obvious warning signs. This is because you will be credit checked each time you open an account (except with Monzo, Chase or Starling).

It’s worth spacing the applications out rather than doing them all at once. And if you’re thinking of applying for a mortgage in the next six months, it’s wise to just hold off until that has gone through. But the risk is minimal.

I’ve written more about how bank switching impacts credit scores here.

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Opening up additional current accounts

It’s very easy. You simply pick which account you want to open and go through the application process. You’ll enter details about your address history and income, and share ID such as your passport or driving licence.

Some accounts will let you do this completely online, and will absolutely be the case for digital only banks such as Monzo, Starling and Virgin Money. You’ll probably need to upload photos of ID.

Others might require you to visit a branch with ID to complete the process. I can’t say which ones will and won’t ask for this, but this happened for my Natwest and Barclays applications.

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

Episodes every Monday.

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How to manage multiple current accounts

Some benefits that come with additional accounts require things like additional direct debits or minimum payments in every month. But there are tricks to manage this.

You might also struggle to keep tabs of your many accounts, but some banks let you add on accounts from other banks. Password managers such as Bitwarden allow you to safely store all those different passwords and usernames.

And those only really become issues if you are having lots of accounts. If we’re talking about opening just two, three or maybe four accounts you shouldn’t have any problems.

Frequently asked questions

Can you have two current accounts?

Yes, there’s no limit on how many current accounts you can hold, even with the same bank, though most people only need two or three.

How many bank accounts can you have?

There’s no official cap on how many bank accounts you can have. Some people hold dozens for testing or reward purposes, but two to four accounts covers most people’s needs.

Is there a limit to how many current accounts you can open?

No official limit exists, though individual banks may decline extra applications and each new account triggers a credit check.

Does having multiple current accounts cost anything?

Most standard current accounts are free to hold, so having several doesn’t cost anything by default. Fees only apply if you choose a packaged or premium account.

What happens if you stop using a current account?

Dormant accounts are usually left open by the bank, though it’s worth formally closing any you no longer need to keep your finances tidy and reduce the number of accounts a fraudster could target.

Can you have a joint account as well as your own current account?

Yes, most people hold a personal current account alongside a joint account with a partner, and banks generally treat these as separate products.

Expert thoughts on having multiple bank accounts from Be Clever With Your Cash

Two accounts is a sensible starting point for most people — one for everyday spending and bills, and one that quietly earns something in the background, whether that’s interest, cashback or rewards. The biggest single benefit isn’t complexity for its own sake; it’s simply not having all of your money sitting with a single bank when its app or website goes down.

Technical failure risk is the one most commonly underestimated. There have been serious outages at major banks in recent years, some lasting days rather than hours, leaving customers unable to access wages or pay rent. Splitting money across two providers — ideally ones that don’t share the same underlying banking infrastructure, as is the case with Halifax and Lloyds — turns a single outage into an inconvenience rather than a crisis.

The other underrated benefit is psychological rather than practical. Separating spending money from savings, or an everyday balance from an overdraft being cleared, makes it much harder to accidentally dip into money earmarked for something else. It’s a simple structural trick, but remains one of the most effective ways to actually stick to a budget.

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Updated July 28, 2026   |   Deals

Home and garden deals

BCWYC Team | Updated by Adil Sheikh

Save on your home essentials from furniture to paint

If you fancy spending the weekend putting up shelves or sorting out the garden, here are the best home, garden and DIY sales and offers.

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.

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Current deals

Decathalon: return used tent for gift card refund

As part of its ‘No Tent Left Behind’ campaign Decathlon is letting customers buy tents, use them for a few months, and return eligible them for a refund on a gift card or up to 50% as a cash refund.

It says some 250,000 tents are left at festivals each year, which mostly go into landfill. And in a bid to reduce waste it’s promising to accept the return of any Decathalon branded tents bought between 23 May and 6 September 2026.

It encourages customers to enjoy the tent at their summer festivals but for it to accept a return, the tent mustn’t be damaged, stained, torn, contaminated, altered or in poor condition.

You must sign up to be a Decathalon Member by the time you bring the tent back (by 6 September), to get the credit or refund. Proof of purchase is a must.

Get free tent

B&Q: Summer clearance event

The B&Q clearance sale has significant savings across every department. Whether you are looking for garden clearance, kitchen clearance, bathroom clearance, or tool clearance, there are thousands of items on sale.

The clearance sale runs until 27th of July.

See the deals

Argos: 25% off DIY and decorating

You can save up to 25% on selected garden DIY & decorating products at Argos.

There are discounts on everything from garden hoses to planters, sheds and lawn mowers. There are also deals on DIY tools including drills, sanders, saws and even decking.

The offer is available until 11th August 2026.

See the deals

Bensons for Beds: 20% off any bed when you buy a mattress

Benson Beds summer clearance event means discounts across the board – including a standing deal to drop the price of any bed by 30% when you also buy a mattress.

Get 20% off

Ikea: Family Card extra savings

If you sign up for the Ikea Family card you’ll be able to get exclusive discounts at your local store including 10% extra off sale items.

More on the Ikea Family Card

B&Q: £5 off £30 spend

Sign up for the B&Q Club online (it’s free) and you’ll get a voucher to save £5 off a £30 spend.

Sign up to the B&Q Club

Expired deals

Emma Bridgewater: Free mug with £40 spend (expired)

If you’ve not used the Emma Bridgewater site before and want to spend at least £40 then follow this referral link to claim a free 1/2 pint mug, worth £19.95.

Get a free mug

The Wildlife Trust: free seeds (ended)

You can get a free wildlife pack including free seeds — there’s a kids’ pack and an adults’ pack available.

(Get a free Wildlife pack

Hobbycraft: £5 off £15 spend (expired)

If you have the Hobbycraft loyalty app then you can get £5 off a £15 spend until the end of October. You’ll find the voucher in your app or if you’re shopping online, you can use the code HC515 to get the discount.

It can’t be used to sign up for workshops or subscriptions or to buy gift cards

Download the Hobbycraft app

Ikea: £15 off £50 spend and free breakfast (ended)

Wear your pyjamas to Ikea this Saturday 7 September and you’ll get a £15 off voucher to be used against a £50 spend and a free breakfast. There are also other activities running, but they’re store-dependent.

The breakfast available includes one of: a small cooked breakfast, a small vegetarian breakfast, a children’s breakfast, a breakfast bacon roll, a breakfast sausage roll or a breakfast vegetarian roll. You can’t get the cooked breakfasts at the Hammersmith store.

You can only get the breakfast between 9:30am and 11am on 7 September 2024 and you’ll need one of the vouchers that will be distributed at the store on the day and an Ikea Family Card, which is free to sign up for.

See events at your local Ikea

Etsy: £5 off £30 spend (ended)

You can currently get £5 off a £30 spend at Etsy when you use the code SMALL5 until 30 April 2024.

The £30 excludes tax and shipping and you can only buy from shops that accept Etsy payments.

Shop at Etsy

Updated July 7, 2026   |   Articles

How do I open a bank account?

Rebecca Goodman | Updated by James Andrews

We explain exactly what you have to do and what documents you need to open a bank account in the UK – and what the different sorts of account can offer you

A bank account is an essential product to have, it’s a place where you can receive money – your wages, benefits, pension or money sent from friends and family members – and where you can pay your bills. 

There are lots of bank accounts available, from basic accounts where you can send and receive money to premium accounts where you’ll also have access to extra services such as insurance – for a fee.

You can also earn money for opening a new current account, up to £500 in some cases, although it’s only worth doing this if the new account works for you, not just for the free cash.

Here we look at how to open a bank account, what you need to open one, the fees to watch out for, and where to complain if you’re not happy.

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.

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What bank account do I need?

There are lots of different bank accounts available, here are some of the most common you might come across.

  • Basic bank accounts: If you have a poor credit score or a low income, you may not be able to open a standard current account, but you should be able to open a basic bank account. This allows you to pay for services and receive money. You will get a debit card and can set up standing orders and direct debits, there shouldn’t be any fees to pay or minimum amounts to deposit, but you usually won’t get any overdraft facilities or extras either.
  • Standard current accounts: There’s a huge range of current accounts to choose from, and many of these have great switching offers for new customers (currently up to £500). They are a step up from the basic accounts and usually offer an overdraft but also require a basic credit check to be passed. There may be certain requirements to opening a current account – such as having to deposit a minimum amount each month or a specific number of direct debits to set up, and fees to pay if you go overdrawn.
  • Packaged current account: Lots of current accounts are free, but if you choose a paid-for account you may have access to things like interest paid on cash balances, linked savings accounts, and insurance products. 
  • Student accounts: These work like standard current accounts, but include student-friendly perks. The most notable of these is an interest-free overdraft to help with bills, but free travel cards, streaming services and other benefits are included to tempt would-be customers.
  • Joint accounts: You can open a joint account with your partner, a friend or a family member and they can be a handy way of paying for joint expenses – such as household bills. Just be careful if you’re also getting an overdraft or any other borrowing as you will both be jointly responsible for paying this back.
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What do I need when I open a bank account?

You will need to show some documents when you open a bank account, usually proof of your identification and address. 

Banks have to check that the person opening the account is real, and that fraud isn’t taking place, and they do this by checking things like their ID.

This is the case no matter how you apply for the account – online, in a branch, by post or by phone.

Exactly what you need will depend on the account you’re opening but the following are normally required:

  • Your details: Name, date of birth, marital status, profession, contact details
  • Proof of ID: A passport or driving licence
  • Address: Your current address and proof of this, usually with a recent utility bill
  • Income: Depending on the account you may need to show how much you’re paid or how much you usually receive each month in income

What happens when you open a bank account?

Once you’ve chosen a bank account you’d like to open, and you’re confident you meet the requirements of the account, you will need to apply for it. You can do this online, via an app, in a branch, by post, or by telephone, depending on the account.

The process for opening a bank account usually goes like this…

  1. You will need to give the details requested to the bank
  2. It will carry checks out to make sure you meet its requirements (including a credit check in some situations)
  3. If you’re accepted, your bank account will be opened and you’ll be sent a debit card and PIN
  4. Once the account is open you’ll be given an account number and a sort code and can start sending and receiving money straight away.
  5. If you’re waiting for a switching incentive, there may be an initial period before this is paid out.

You may need to pass a credit check to open a bank account

You may need to pass a basic credit check if you’re opening a current account with an overdraft. This is so the bank can assess how risky it is to them to give you this money to borrow. If you have a poor credit score you could choose an account without an overdraft or a basic bank account instead.

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How much will it cost to open a bank account?

Basic bank accounts are free and so are lots of current accounts but you may have to pay for some packaged bank accounts or premier accounts. 

Before you sign up to a paid-for account, it’s important to look at what’s included for the fee. You may be given access to insurance, for example, or fraud protection services. But it’s only worth switching to an account like this if you’ll use the extra things included and that you can’t get them cheaper elsewhere.

While you may be able to open an account for free, there are also fees to watch out for. These could be applied for:

  • Going into your overdraft
  • Making a late payment
  • Using your debit card abroad at an ATM or to make a purchase

How to switch your bank account

If you’re switching bank accounts, you can use the free Current Account Switch Service (CASS). It will automatically switch your bank account over, including any direct debits or standing orders that are in place. It also guarantees that if you are charged anything for a missed payment during the switch, this will be refunded to you.

Once you’ve initiated the switch, it will then take seven working days to complete.

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
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How to complain if you’re not happy

If you have a problem with your bank account or provider, such as you’re charged a fee you don’t think is fair, you can complain. In the first instance you’ll need to make a complaint with the bank itself. 

If, after eight weeks, it hasn’t responded to you or you’re not happy with the response, you can go to the free Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). It is an independent organisation and it can look into your complaint. If it finds the bank to be in the wrong, it may ask it to put things right, and this could include paying you if you’ve lost out on interest or if you’ve incurred fees.

FAQs

  1. Which bank account is easiest to open in the UK?

    Basic bank accounts are open to almost everyone and can be opened quickly and easily. However, they are very simple accounts and won’t include things like an overdraft or any extra features such as cashback on purchases or interest paid on balances.
    They are offered by Barclays , the Co-operative Bank, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group (including Halifax and Bank of Scotland), Nationwide Building Society, NatWest Group (including Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank), Santander , TSB and Virgin Money.

  2. Do I need to go into a branch to open a bank account?

    You may be able to open a current account via an app, an online website, by letter or by phone. It all depends on the bank account and provider you’ve chosen. It’s usually quicker to open an account online or via an app as it can be automatically set up if you pass all the requirements.

  3. Can I open a bank account without a permanent address?

    You can open a bank account without a permanent address in some cases. Some banks, including HSBC, offer ‘No Fixed Address’ accounts in connection with homelessness charities. Often with these accounts the address listed on the bank account will be a bank branch or a post office. 


  4. Can I open a bank account without photo ID?

    You may be able to open a bank account without photo ID but you will usually need to show something else to prove who you are, such as a birth certificate or a recent utility bill.

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