Nationwide prospects advised to ‘maximise probabilities’ of getting £100 bonus
Savers waiting for Nationwide announcements may miss eligibility deadlines unless they act
Nationwide customers need to keep their eyes peeled. The firm has been offering a free £100 payment to eligible customers through their Fairer Share scheme initiative since 2023. Whilst the building society has yet to confirm whether the programme will run in 2026, savers might need to take action immediately to qualify.
Previously, Nationwide has revealed the scheme only after eligibility cut-off dates have expired. In past years, the programme was unveiled in May with payments made in June, but, to qualify, customers were required to satisfy the eligibility requirements by March 31.
More than 4 million members received the £100 Fairer Share payment in 2025. Martin Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert emphasised that “now’s the perfect time” to act for customers attempting to “maximise your chances”.
They can achieve this by sticking to last year’s eligibility requirements on the basis that the building society will maintain identical criteria this year. Likewise, MSE observed people can presume Nationwide will also maintain the March 31st cut-off date for eligibility.
In 2025, customers needed to hold one of the following arrangements with Nationwide to be eligible:
- A qualifying current account and qualifying savings
- A qualifying current account and a qualifying mortgage
Customers were also required to use their current account before the deadline, though what this involved varied according to their specific account type. Take FlexPlus account holders, for instance – they simply needed to pay the monthly fee for keeping the account active.
In contrast, FlexOne, FlexStudent or FlexGraduate account holders were required to receive or make at least one payment during March 2025. Charges, interest and adjustments to the account balance weren’t counted as qualifying transactions.
Further details on qualifying usage are available on the Nationwide website. Account holders also needed to maintain at least £100 in their savings or owe a minimum of £100 on their Nationwide mortgage until the March 31 deadline. MSE suggested that those looking to boost their odds for the 2026 bonus should deposit £200 in savings “to be safe”.
Those not yet banking with Nationwide could pocket an additional £175 through the building society’s switching incentive. This brings the total potential free cash to £275.
To be eligible for both offers, savers must transfer their current account to Nationwide’s FlexDirect account by March 31, 2026 using the official Current Account Switch Service.
This particular account provides the £175 switching reward plus 5% interest on balances up to £1,500 and cashback of up to £5 monthly on debit card purchases for 12 months.
