Martin Lewis explains £100 Nationwide Fairer Share payouts

Martin Lewis has shared his top tips for bagging a £100 Nationwide Fairer Share bonus in 2026 <i>(Image: MAREK SLUSARCZYK)</i>
Martin Lewis has shared his top tips for bagging a £100 Nationwide Fairer Share bonus in 2026 (Image: MAREK SLUSARCZYK)
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Martin Lewis has shares his advice for anyone hoping to pick up a Nationwide Fairer Share bonus this year, which is previous years has been £100.

In 2025, around £400 million was paid to four million Nationwide members and the year before that it was £385 million to 3.85 million people.

In a post on social media, the Money Saving Expert Founder said: "Nationwide customer? Here's how to max your chances of getting its FREE Fairer Share £100 loyalty bonus if it does it this year as it has the last three..."

He linked to a post on his Money Saving Expert website, which said: "In previous years, the scheme has been announced in May and paid in June, though whether you got it depended on if you met the qualifying criteria in the first three months of the year – so now's the perfect time to maximise your chances."

Nationwide customer? Here's how to max your chances of getting its FREE Fairer Share £100/yr loyalty bonus if it does it this year as it has the last three... https://t.co/8RgUU1X2xG

— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) January 7, 2026

The post continues: "We don't yet know if Fairer Share payments will definitely happen again in 2026 – Nationwide told us that, as in previous years, the final decision "will be announced as part of [its] full year results in May"."

Assuming the building society keeps the same criteria as last year (there are no guarantees, but it's a decent bet):

  • Firstly, don't close your Nationwide current account. Well, at least not until 31 March 2026.

AND...

  • Secondly, use your current account in the first three months of this year. For this step, what you'll need to do to qualify depends on which current account you have

The post, available here, lists the details of each account. It concludes: "Finally, ensure you have at least £100 in savings OR owe at least £100 on a mortgage with Nationwide in March 2026. If you don't have either of those, stick £100 (or maybe £200 to be safe in case it changes its terms) into one of its savings accounts."

Not with Nationwide? Get £175 to switch to it before March 31

If you're not already a Nationwide customer, you could get £175 if you apply for FlexDirect.

You need to:

  • be 18 or over
  • be a UK resident
  • agree the account is for personal use only
  • hold no more than 4 existing sole or joint Nationwide current accounts
  • register for our Internet Bank during your application.

To get the 12-month interest and cashback offers, you'll need to pay in at least £1,000 each month, not counting transfers from other Nationwide accounts or Visa credits.

You won't get the offers if you've had a FlexDirect account before. But you will get the offers on a new joint account, as long as you have not shared a FlexDirect account with that person before.

You must use the official Current Account Switch Service (CASS) by requesting the switch through Nationwide. You'll see the option to do this when applying.


Recommended reading:


What is the Nationwide Fairer Share £100 bonus?

In 2023, 2024 and 2025, the £100 Fairer Share payment It hasn't been conformed this year, but a post on the Nationwide website shows it's a big part of how the bank likes to thank customers for their loyalty.

"This payment is a favourite across the UK, bringing big smiles to members everywhere," they say, in a post which also shares the deal's previous terms and conditions .

"Giving back is part of what makes us different and a good way to bank. And we love how it gives people that full-body buzz and inspires mini bedroom discos.

"Members with a qualifying current account, plus a qualifying savings account or qualifying mortgage, received the £100.

And they needed to have met these criteria when we last checked on 31 March 2025.

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