How long should you keep a switch bonus account open?

Until the bonus is paid. Banks only pay into an account that is still open on the day. What each bank says, and what to do if the money doesn’t arrive.

6 Nov 2026 · 4 min read

Until the bonus is in your account. Every bank we cover only pays into an account that is still open on the day it pays, so closing it early, or switching it on to the next bank, loses the money.

The wait after you meet the conditions runs from 10 days at Nationwide to 60 days at HSBC. Our post on how long a bonus takes explains the two clocks.

What each bank says

Nationwide says "The account must be open when we make the payment." It pays within 10 days of you meeting the requirements.

NatWest pays "within 30 calendar days after completing these steps, provided the account remains open".

HSBC pays "within 60 days of meeting all qualifying criteria", and only "if you remain an eligible HSBC Bank Account customer with an open account".

first direct pays if you "still have your new 1st Account" when you meet its criteria, "before the 20th of the following month".

Santander says "you must continue to hold both your Regular Saver and Everyday Current Account, including 2 active household Direct Debits, on the date we make the switcher offer payment." It pays 90 days after you ask to switch.

Barclays wants "an open sole Barclays Bank Account when we pay your switch reward". The £30 monthly payments need the account open for up to five months after that.

Keep the account, and anything the offer asked for, open until the bonus has been paid.

Keep the direct debits running

Santander checks your direct debits on the day it pays, and its Regular Saver has to stay open too. At the other banks the direct debits count when they come across with the switch. Leaving them running until the bonus arrives covers you at all of them.

Then move it on

Once the bonus is paid, the account can be the one you switch to the next bank. One account moving from bank to bank is how most people collect several bonuses. Our post on spare accounts covers it.

If the bonus doesn’t arrive

Wait until the bank’s own payment date has passed. Count from the day you met the last condition.

Check each condition against the terms on the day you applied, including the pay-in, the number of direct debits that came across with the switch, the card payments and the app login.

Contact the bank with the date you opened the account, the switch date and what you did, and ask whether it has you down as qualifying.

If it says no and you think you met the terms, make a complaint. The bank has eight weeks to give you a final answer. After that, or if you disagree with it, you can take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free.

What we do about it

Bank Switcher puts a step after each switch to wait for the bonus, with when the bank says it pays, before the account moves on to the next bank. This is general information and isn’t financial advice.

Keep reading

How long does a bank switch bonus take to arrive?

Do you need a spare bank account for switch bonuses?

Which bank switch bonus should you do first?

Nationwide switch offer

NatWest switch offer

HSBC switch offer

First Direct switch offer

All UK switch offers, compared

Get this worked out for your banks

Six tap-only questions and Bank Switcher tells you which of these offers you can take, in the order that collects the most. Free, and about a minute.

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