First Direct £210 switch: the 45-day checklist
Open a 1st Account and, within 45 days, switch with CASS (at least 2 Direct Debits or standing orders), pay in £1,000, make 5 card payments and log on to the app or Online Banking. Accounts opened by 2 December 2026 get £210 (£175 plus a £35 boost); after that the £175 continues until first direct withdraws it. Note your opening date: every task counts from it.
Read our full assessment →Quick answer
Use the referral link for the First Direct offer. New eligible customers can get £210 after meeting the requirement: Within 45 days of opening: full CASS switch with at least 2 Direct Debits or standing orders, £1,000 paid in, 5 debit-card payments and a log-on to the app or Online Banking. Last verified 2026-10-11.
- Reward
- £210
- Referral code
- No code required
- Last verified
- 2026-10-11
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Time to claim
- 15-20 minutes
- Time to payout
- By the 20th of the month after the one in which you meet every condition (£175, plus £35 for accounts opened by 2 December 2026)
Ad / referral links — we may earn a bonus when you sign up.
How to claim
- Check you have never held a first direct product, haven't opened an HSBC current account on or after 1 January 2018, and meet the basics: UK resident over 18, no bankruptcy or IVA in the last six years, and a phone number and email address.
- Apply in the first direct app and open a 1st Account by 2 December 2026 to get the £35 boost on top of the £175, then request a full CASS switch.
- Within 45 days of opening, complete the full switch including at least 2 Direct Debits or standing orders.
- Within the same 45 days, pay in £1,000 (all at once or in parts), make at least 5 debit-card payments and log on to the app or Online Banking.
- Keep the account open: first direct pays by the 20th of the month after the one in which you meet every condition.
Eligibility & requirements
- UK resident over 18 who has never held a first direct product; excluded if you opened an HSBC current account on or after 1 January 2018. No bankruptcy or IVA in the last six years (or in progress), a phone number and email, proof of identity and address, and sometimes proof of income.
- Within 45 days of opening: a full CASS switch with at least 2 Direct Debits or standing orders, £1,000 paid in (one payment or several), at least 5 debit-card payments and a log-on to the app or Online Banking.
- Card payments in shops, online or by digital wallet count; gambling, credit-card or insurance payments, cash withdrawals and card-to-card payments don't.
- The £35 boost is for 1st Accounts opened between 14 September and 2 December 2026. The base £175 has no end date in the terms, but first direct can withdraw the offer at any time.
- On a joint account, at least one holder must switch from a sole account in their own name or a joint account in the same names.
- One payment per customer or joint account, by the 20th of the month after the one in which you complete every condition; the account must still be open on the payment date.
- Account opening and any overdraft are subject to status, and first direct runs a credit search. No fixed credit-score effect is promised.
Verification notes
- Minimum spend/deposit
- Within 45 days of opening: full CASS switch with at least 2 Direct Debits or standing orders, £1,000 paid in, 5 debit-card payments and a log-on to the app or Online Banking
- Last verified
- 11 October 2026
- Automated source check
- 15 September 2026
Provider terms can change without warning. Treat this as a verification snapshot and confirm the live terms before applying.
Pros
- A £35 boost on top of the £175 for accounts opened by 2 December 2026; the £175 continues after that.
- Direct Debits or standing orders both count towards the 2 the switch needs.
- The £1,000 can go in all at once or in parts, and any 5 ordinary card payments count.
Watch out for
- Any previous first direct product, or an HSBC current account opened since 1 January 2018, rules you out.
- Four tasks to finish within 45 days of the account opening.
- The £35 boost only applies to accounts opened by 2 December 2026.
- No branches of its own, and no interest on the current-account balance.
FAQ
- When is the £210 paid?
- By the 20th of the month after the one in which you complete every condition, according to first direct's live account page. The account must still be open on that date.
- Do all card transactions count?
- No. Gambling, credit-card or insurance payments, cash withdrawals and card-to-card payments don't count. Shop, online and digital-wallet payments do, with no minimum amount stated.
- What happens after 2 December 2026?
- The £35 boost only applies to 1st Accounts opened between 14 September and 2 December 2026. Accounts opened later get the base £175, which has no end date in the terms, while first direct keeps the offer open.
Related offers
Provider
Monzo
Monzo's referral terms give a new UK customer 30 days from entering their mobile number on the invite page to open an account, add money and make one card payment. Your reward is random: £10 for 94 people in 100, £20 or £50 for the rest, and only £5 in some cases. Open it for the account, not the bonus.
Requirement: Add money (any amount) and make one eligible Monzo card payment within 30 days
Easy10 minutesPayout No timeframe in the terms: Monzo shows the reward in the app once the referral is complete
Verified 11 October 2026
Provider
Chase UK
Chase pays you £50 when you activate a single-use referral code in the app and pay in £1,000 in total within 30 days of opening your first account. Chase only lets customers send codes to people they know, so request a private invite from this page rather than relying on a public code. Move the £50 out of Rewards before you ever leave Chase.
Requirement: Activate a personal single-use code and pay in £1,000 in total within 30 days of opening your first Chase account
MediumApproval and invitation availability varyPayout Added to your rewards balance straight away once you reach £1,000 (Chase emails you); redeem it before leaving Chase
Verified 11 October 2026
Provider
Zopa Biscuit
Open a Biscuit bank account through GetQuids' Zopa invite link and you get £20, provided you've never used the Zopa app or held a Zopa product. Enter your mobile number on the invite page first and finish within 30 days; the live invite terms control.
Requirement: None on this invite: open a Biscuit account through the link within 30 days of entering your mobile number
Easy5-10 minutes; opening can take up to 2 working daysPayout Within 30 days of qualifying
Verified 12 October 2026
Featured in these guides
UK bank switching bonuses: how to switch safely and get paid
How the Current Account Switch Service works, which switching offers are open now, the banking-group rules that decide who qualifies, and a checklist so the bonus actually arrives.
9 min readUK sign-up offers for beginners: budget, eligibility and evidence
A practical starting point for people in Britain: distinguish cash from vouchers, calculate costs and choose one suitable sign-up or cashback offer.
5 min readRelated comparisons
Added 16 June 2026 · Last updated 11 October 2026. Offers and terms change frequently - always confirm on the provider's site before applying.