The switch itself takes seven working days. The bonus takes between 30 and 90 days after that, depending on the bank and on how quickly you finish the requirements.
9 Sep 2026 · 4 min read
Two clocks run, and people confuse them. The first is the switch: seven working days, guaranteed by the Current Account Switch Service, on a date you choose. The second is the bonus, and it starts when the first one finishes.
The seven days are the easy part
You pick a switch date when you apply, your old account closes on it, your direct debits and standing orders move, and payments sent to the old account are redirected. There is nothing to chase in the middle of it.
Then the bank checks you did the rest
Nearly every offer has conditions attached to the new account: pay in a certain amount, keep two direct debits running, use the debit card a few times, log into the app once. The bank gives you a window to do them in — often 30 to 60 days — and it does not usually pay until the window ends or you have finished, whichever it prefers.
So the honest answer to "when do I get paid" is: about 30 days if you do everything in the first week, and up to three months if you leave the requirements until the deadline.
Finishing early genuinely pulls the money forward, except where the bank assesses on a fixed date — Santander does, so rushing there gains you nothing.
What to watch
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The pay-in has to arrive, not just be sent. Faster payments are instant; a transfer from a savings account might not be.
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Direct debits have to have collected at least once before the check, which takes about a week from setup.
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Miss one requirement and nothing is paid at all. Banks do not part-pay these.
What we do about it
The app shows the earliest realistic date for the first bonus and the latest one, per bank, on the plan itself — and it schedules the switches so you are not waiting on two payouts at once when you could have collected them in sequence. It will email you before a deadline rather than after it.
Want this worked out for your banks?
Six tap-only questions and Bank Switcher tells you which of these offers you can actually take, in the order that collects the most. Free, and about a minute.