How all savers could get up to £275 from Nationwide’s bonus this year

Nationwide customers could once again be in line to receive £100 cash this year as the building society is expected to roll out its highly-anticipated annual bonus.

For the past three years, the retail bank has given its members an exclusive ‘fairer share’ bonus – and its not too late for customers of other banks, who could even secure as much as £275.

Last year, over £400 million was paid to four million Nationwide members, up from £385 million to 3.8 million members the year before.

The building society has not yet released details of this year’s bonus, but criteria for the last three payments gives a good idea of who can benefit.

Writing in his weekly email, money expert Martin Lewis says there are some key steps Nationwide members can take to ensure they qualify for the 2026 bonus.

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Firstly, the Nationwide account must be open by 31 March 2026 at the latest, as this is the last time the bank will check who qualifies. It’s also advisable not to close the account after this, as only current members can receive the payment.

Next, this account must be used within the first three months of the year. This could mean paying at least £500 in to the account, or making at least ten payments out of it (or both, to be safe). Payments out can include bank transfers and standing orders, but not transfers to other Nationwide accounts in your name.

But there is one more criteria that may catch many people out. In previous years, Nationwide members also had to have either a savings account or mortgage with the bank to receive their bonus. There also had to be at least £100 in the savings account, or at least £100 owed on the mortgage.

Nationwide offers a range of savings accounts, with common choices being the Flex Instant Saver, offering three per cent interest on unlimited withdrawals, or the Flex Regular Saver, offering 6.5 per cent with a maximum of three withdrawals.

Provided that all the requirements have been met, members should be contacted by 31 May. They can then their payment to come through from mid- to late-June 13 June, based on previous years’ timings.

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For customers of other banks, there may still be a way to get Nationwide’s 2026 member payment AND a £175 bonus on top – but they have to act within the next few months.

This is because Nationwide is also still offering a £175 bonus for switching to them from another bank. This can be done in just seven working days, and will open an account which offers a year of five per cent interest on up to £1,500 and up to £5 a month cash back.

In previous years, anyone who had switched to the bank between 1 January and 31 March did not even need to meet the criteria for payments in or out to qualify.

However, it should be noted that this advice applies to the previous payments. Nationwide has not yet confirmed any details for the Fairer Share Payment in 2026.

Nationwide says it will reveal details of this year’s payment scheme in May after its board has assessed the bank’s financial performance for the past year.

The building society said: “We'd like to make Fairer Share Payments every year, but it depends on how we perform financially.

“For any future payments, we may change the eligibility criteria and the amount we pay.”