How to switch your bank account (and bag a switching bonus)
Most people have been with the same bank longer than they’ve had their phone number — and change providers for that far more often. Yet switching current accounts is now genuinely painless, it’s free, and banks will frequently pay you to do it. Here’s how it works and why it’s worth 20 minutes of your time.
This is information, not financial advice. It explains how bank switching works in the UK. It doesn’t recommend any particular bank or account.
Switching is nothing like it used to be
The thing that kept people stuck — the fear of a missed direct debit or a lost salary payment — was fixed over a decade ago by the Current Account Switch Service (CASS), a free service run by Pay.UK and used more than 12 million times.
You don’t contact your old bank at all. You apply to the new one, choose a switch date, and the service does the rest:
- It moves your direct debits and standing orders across automatically.
- It moves your incoming payments — including your salary — to the new account.
- It redirects any payment sent to your old account to your new one, so a payer using your old details isn’t a problem.
- It closes your old account on the switch date.
The whole thing takes seven working days, and it’s backed by the Current Account Switch Guarantee: if anything goes wrong because of the switch — a charge, lost interest, a payment that fails — the bank refunds you. You pick the date, so you can line it up to avoid a big bill going out mid-move.
The free money bit: switching bonuses
Banks compete hard for current-account customers, because once you’re in you tend to stay — and they can sell you savings, loans and mortgages later. To tempt you, they regularly dangle cash switching bonuses, which in recent years have often topped £150.
That’s real money for a task that takes minutes. The main strings to watch for:
- You usually must switch using CASS (not just open an account).
- You’ll often need to move a couple of direct debits across and pay in a minimum amount within a set window.
- Sometimes you must stay for a few months or log into the app.
Meet the conditions and the bonus is yours. Miss one and you get nothing, so read the offer before you start.
Don’t be dazzled by the bonus alone
A bonus is a one-off. The account is forever (or until your next switch). So weigh the day-to-day too:
- Overdraft cost — if you ever dip into the red, the rate matters far more than a bonus.
- In-credit interest or rewards — some accounts pay interest or cashback on bills.
- Linked savings — some current accounts unlock a market-leading regular saver.
- The app and service — the thing you’ll actually touch every day.
The best switch is an account you’d be happy with even without the bonus.
A few things that trip people up
- Don’t close the old account yourself. Let the switch do it — closing early can break the process.
- Watch anything not covered by a direct debit. CASS moves direct debits and standing orders, but a recurring card payment (some subscriptions, gym memberships) is tied to your card number, not your account. Update those manually.
- You can’t switch a linked savings or ISA balance through CASS — it covers current accounts only.
- Serial switching is allowed but visible. Chasing every bonus is fine, but each switch is recorded, and a few banks limit bonuses to new customers only.
Worth doing today?
If you’ve never switched, the odds are you’re leaving both money (a bonus) and quality (a better account) on the table. Check who’s paying right now, pick an account you’ll like living with, and let the switch service carry the load.
Work out your monthly take-home first →
Last checked 23 July 2026. The switch service rules are current; specific bonus offers change constantly, so always confirm the latest terms with the bank.
Sources
Just so you know: this guide is information and journalism, not financial advice, and we don't recommend specific financial products. Your circumstances are your own — if you need personal advice, speak to a suitably qualified adviser. Information was correct at the "last updated" date above but things change; always check the linked primary sources.