Natwest is currently giving away cinema tickets. What perks are its rivals offering?
Packaged bank accounts are one thing – you pay a monthly fee for a package of perks or benefits which you may or may not use enough to make the fee worthwhile.
But some banks offer their current account customers freebies with no strings attached. We’ve taken a look at what’s on offer.
Film First
Natwest has introduced Natwest Film First. The new scheme gives Natwest current account customers exclusive access to some of the biggest and best film previews for free throughout the year.
This month customers can see action-thriller Haywire directed by Steven Soderbergh. Each customer can get two tickets (four if it’s a family film) but you’ll need to act quick. There are only a limited amount of tickets and viewings each month and when I checked the site tickets for Haywire were selling out fast.
[SPOTLIGHT]However, there will be free tickets to a different film each month and Natwest customers can sign up to a newsletter which tells them which films are being screened for free, and when and where.
Simply Rewards
Nationwide offers its Simply Rewards scheme to all its credit and debit card customers. It offers discounts at selected retailers when customers use their Nationwide credit or debit card.
Customers need to log on to the Simply Rewards website using the first six digits of their card number. They can then view the offers and must pay using their Nationwide credit or debit card. There are no points to collect, no fees to pay and no statements to wait for.
Nationwide says the discounts are “up to 50%” but only a few discounts are this high – most are more around the 20% mark. There’s quite a lot of variety though; West End theatre shows, Kwik Fit, Hertz Car Rental and Virgin Holidays amongst others.
Nationwide’s Flexaccount customers also get free European travel insurance up to age 75. To get the cover, you must switch direct debits and standing orders from another account to the Flexaccount, and pay in at least £750 each month. You can pay to upgrade to cover worldwide travel, or winter sports holidays.
Dogs, keys and coin counting
Metro Bank offers some innovative perks, aiming to set it apart from rival banks. One unique aspect of the Metro Bank account is a spare-keys service designed specifically for Londoners – the bank holds a spare set of your house and car keys and commits to get them to you within two hours if you need them.
It also has Magic Money Machines in all its branches. The machines sort and count loose coins so it’s a good place to go if you want to convert your collection of coppers into crisp notes. You can also win prizes if you guess the value of the coins you put in. (My tip would be to count the coins at home first, then your “guess” will be spot on).
Metro Bank also loves dogs. So pop into a branch with Fido or Rover and he’ll get a bowl of water and a bone. And probably a big fuss made of him.
Metro Bank has public toilets in its branches too – perfect if you’re caught short while doing your banking.
Cash and exclusive offers
Halifax’s Reward current account pays accountholders £5 a month each month they pay in £1,000 or more. So if you have the account for a year and pay in £1,000 each month you’ll receive £60.
Go overdrawn, however, and you’ll be charged £5 per day so make sure you stay in credit.
Meanwhile the Co-op offers exclusive mortgage deals to its current account customers. These include a five-year fixed rate a 3.39% which isn’t bad. However, there are hundreds of mortgage deals on the market so it’s a good idea to shop around before making a decision.
Packaged current accounts
The deals mentioned in this article are for either all a bank’s current account customers or available on fee-free current accounts. However, most banks offer a choice of packaged current accounts whereby you pay a monthly fee and in return receive a number of benefits or perks.
Robert Powell looks at packaged accounts here and questions whether they’re really worth shelling out for.
More: Compare current accounts with lovemoney.com | HSBC Bank Accounts pays 6% on your cash | Get a 0% overdraft