Already banking with NatWest or RBS does not stop you, and neither does a switch bonus you have already taken. The exclusions here are written around student and graduate accounts, and none of them mention switching.
NatWest
£100 Free Cash
Student Current Account£100profit
20mins to complete
Offer overviewChris · Your personal guide
You get:
£100 free cash. NatWest pays this within 10 working days of opening the account.
A four year tastecard is included with the account. That is a separate perk and it is not part of the £100.
To qualify:
Open a NatWest student account. No other criteria to meet, nice!
NatWest's account terms also ask that this becomes your main account, with your student finance, wages or other regular income paid in. That is a rule for holding the account, not a condition of the £100.
Switching FAQs
Opening this does not block the current NatWest switch offer, but only by timing. That offer asks that you did not hold a NatWest current account as of 6 May 2026, and this student account did not open until 1 July 2026.
Do not read that as permanent. The next switch offer will set a later cut off date, and this account will block it. If a switch bonus matters more to you than £100, do the switch first.
Switch terms change often. Check the current ones before you count on doing both.
Key terms
+£100
Credit checkHard check
To qualifyOpen the account. There is nothing to pay in and no card payments to make. NatWest's account terms separately ask that it becomes your main account.
Eligibility
- Qualifies:Students only
- Does not qualify:Student offer from NatWest at any time from 1 July 2022
- Does not qualify:More than one Student account across NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank
Step by Step Guide
Start here
Apply for a NatWest student account
15 mins
- 1Click the button below and apply for the NatWest student account
- 2RBS runs the same offer, so apply at whichever of the two you want to bank with
Only one of the two pays out, so there is nothing to gain from opening both.
This involves a hard credit check, which will show on your credit file.
Up next · 2 steps
Set it up as your main account
4 mins
- Have your student finance, wages or other regular income paid into the account
This is one of NatWest's rules for holding a student account, not a condition of the £100. It also means this account does not sit well alongside a student account at another bank.
Receive £100 free cash
1 mins
- NatWest pays the £100 within 10 working days of opening your account
Working days, not calendar days, so a bank holiday inside the window pushes it back.
3 steps to £100
Quick review
NatWest
Wondering whether NatWest is worth it beyond the bonus? Here is our honest take.
Switching banks for the cash? NatWest has two switch deals running on Quidsy right now, with the bigger one paying £250 free cash. Both have low-friction criteria. Just pay in £1,250 and log into the app, no direct debits or card targets. Check eligibility, you can't have had a NatWest current account recently.
Last updated
Chris' verdictYour personal guide, QuidsyNatWest is a solid, no-surprises bank switch. The standard £200 offer has fewer hoops than most, no direct debits, no card-transaction targets, just pay in £1,250 and log into the app. That makes it one of the more straightforward switches to complete.
If you bank with a Premier-eligible income, the £250 Premier switch is the higher path, though it asks for a £5,000 pay-in. The 7% Digital Regular Saver is a genuine bonus on top if you want to park some savings.
On the downside, there's a hard credit check, and the current accounts don't pay any interest on your balance. The 2021 AML fine is also worth knowing about, even though it doesn't change how your deposits are protected today. But as a switch-and-earn offer, NatWest is clean and simple. If you already have a NatWest account, check if RBS works instead, separate brand, identical switch offer mechanics.
National Westminster Bank Plc is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. FRN 121878. Eligible deposits are protected by the FSCS up to £120,000 per person.