Martin Lewis issues urgent advice to Nationwide customers – claim £100 bonus now | Personal Finance | Finance
Money expert Martin Lewis has urged Nationwide customers to act now if they want to maximise their chances of receiving the building society’s potential £100 Fairer Share bonus in 2026. The MoneySavingExpert founder warned members not to leave it until the last minute, with March 31 historically acting as the cut-off date for qualifying activity.
Eligibility in previous years has depended on how customers use their accounts during the first three months of the year. The Fairer Share scheme has distributed billions of pounds to Nationwide members in recent years, funded by the building society’s profits because it is owned by customers rather than shareholders.
In recent payouts, eligible members typically received £100 each, with hundreds of millions of pounds shared annually.
Last year alone, around £385 million was paid to about 3.85 million customers, following similar large-scale distributions in earlier years.
Although Nationwide has not yet confirmed whether the scheme will return in 2026, it usually announces the decision with its full-year results in May, with payments historically made in early summer if approved.
Martin said existing customers should ensure they keep their Nationwide current account open and actively use it before the end of March.
The exact activity needed depends on the type of account, but generally involves paying money in and making outgoing payments or transactions during the qualifying period.
*** Ensure our latest news headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings. ***
Customers with packaged accounts typically qualify by continuing to pay the monthly fee, while student and graduate account holders may only need to make a single transaction.
He also stressed the importance of holding at least £100 in Nationwide savings or owing at least £100 on a Nationwide mortgage by the end of March.
MoneySavingExpert has previously suggested depositing £100 to £200 into savings to provide a buffer in case the criteria change slightly.
People who are not currently Nationwide customers could also benefit by switching. Nationwide has previously offered switching bonuses of up to £175 for customers moving to its FlexDirect account through the Current Account Switch Service.
However, switches usually take around a week, and customers still typically need to meet the savings or mortgage requirement to qualify for the Fairer Share payment.
Martin also warned that previous Fairer Share payouts have been treated as taxable savings income. While most basic-rate taxpayers are unlikely to pay tax due to the personal savings allowance, higher-rate taxpayers or those with significant non-ISA savings may need to consider the tax implications.
