A Natwest card and Just Eat card with food in the background
A Natwest card and Just Eat card with food in the background

Get £100 Cash, £120 Worth Of Just Eat Vouchers & Amazing Perks When You Open This Student Bank Account

This article is a sponsored post in partnership with Nationwide.

Live your best life at uni with a bank account that supports you every step of the way.

Are you starting uni this September? If you’re an incoming fresher you probably have loads of things on your mind and your bank account might not be one of them— but that’s ok, as we’re here to help you out with that and make sorting out your finances much easier.

As an incoming student, you probably haven’t given a whole lot of thought to banking yet but it’s one of those things you need to sort out before the term starts and it might seem like just another admin task but trust us when we say what bank account you open matters.

That’s because not all student bank accounts are the same and we’re going to tell you why Nationwide is the best bank for students— and you don’t just have to take our word for it as Nationwide won Student Account Provider of the Year at the 2024 Moneyfacts Awards!

The Nationwide FlexStudent account comes with loads of freebies, perks and benefits so here are all the reasons why you should open an account before you start uni this year.

You’ll get given £100 as a reward for joining

Yep, when you open a FlexStudent account you’ll be given £100 for joining. All you have to do to get your free £100 is make sure you’ve paid £500 into your account before the 13th of December 2024. 

Don’t worry if you don’t have a part-time job yet as you don’t need to pay the £500 all at once and your student loan counts towards this, so when you get your first student loan instalment you’ll qualify.

You also don’t have to keep your balance at £500 so don’t panic and think you can’t spend any of your money— you just need to make sure a total of £500 has been paid in by December, you’re free to spend your money as you please!

Once you’ve paid in £500, you’ll get your free £100 top-up within 14 calendar days. So whether you want to use this to buy yourself some new clothes for uni or just on going out this freshers, you’ll have Nationwide to thank for the extra spending money.

You’ll get £120 worth of Just Eat Vouchers

As a student, you’ll soon find that Just Eat becomes your best friend and you’ll probably indulge in one too many takeaways during freshers. If you haven’t quite nailed how to cook yet or can’t resist cheesy chips after a night out you might find the amount of money you’re spending on food adds up fast.

Luckily, Nationwide will help you out with that as when you open a StudentFlex bank account you’ll also get £120 worth of Just Eat vouchers* which means you won’t have to rely on Pot Noodles or beans on toast for dinner every day.

The vouchers will be spread out as £10 a month for 12 months, which means you’ll be able to treat yourself every month throughout your first year— which is a great pick me up if you’re having a bad day.

You’ll get an interest-free overdraft

This might not seem that important right now, but trust us when we say that once you start uni you’ll be grateful for the buffer. With the cost of living crisis, everything is extra expensive right now and it can be easy to quickly whizz through your student loan allowance or payments from your part-time job.

If you find yourself out of money before your next payday or loan instalment, your arranged overdraft will be there as a way for you to borrow money without being charged any interest. 

You’ll still have access to your interest-free overdraft for up to 3 years. But remember that overdrafts are designed to be used for short-term borrowing, so you’ll need to pay it back eventually.

You can apply for an overdraft of up to £1,000 during your first year, £2,000 during your second year and £3,000 during your third year which means your bank account will support you as you progress through your degree.

Plus, you don’t need to worry about having to pay back your overdraft as soon as you finish uni as once you’ve graduated your FlexStudent account will automatically change into a FlexGraduate account and you’ll still have access to your interest-free overdraft for up to 3 years.

You’ll get access to support to help you manage your money

Money can be a tricky subject. If you’re worried about your finances in any way or feel like you could benefit from some advice on how to improve your spending habits, Nationwide have all the answers you need and are always happy to help.

With over 600 branches across the UK, you’ll be able to chat with someone face to face to discuss your money concerns and get any support you need.

Oh, and let’s say you lose your card on a night out but later find it at the bottom of your bag– you can freeze and unfreeze your card straight from the Nationwide app to give you peace of mind that no one else can use it, but you won’t need to cancel your card straight away if you’ve just misplaced it.

How to open a FlexStudent bank account

So, now you know why you should open a Nationwide FlexStudent bank account here’s what you need to know about actually setting up your account and receiving the perks.

There are a couple of requirements you need to meet in order to sign up:

  • You must be 18 or older
  • You’ll need to have been a UK resident for at least 3 years
  • You can’t have another student bank account (if you do you’ll need to close it before you can move to Nationwide)
  • You’ll need to have an unconditional offer or a confirmed conditional place on a full-time UCAS course of at least 2 years
  • You’ll need to start your course within the next 5 months
  • If you’ve already started you can open an account if you joined less than 12 months ago
  • You’ll need to pay in at least £500 a term (your student loan should cover this)
  • You can’t have benefitted from a FlexStudent incentive before

If you meet all the requirements you can open a StudentFlex account easily online and can double-check all the technical terms and conditions before you sign up.

So, now all that’s left to do is make sure you’ve got your new bank account set up with plenty of time before you move to uni and your first term starts.

Remember that you’ll only get your £100 cash and Just Eat vouchers* once your first student loan payment has landed in your account, so take out some of the stress of moving to uni for the first time and get your bank account sorted now!

This article is a sponsored post in partnership with Nationwide

*Terms and eligibility criteria apply. To get the £100 cashback and 12 monthly Just Eat vouchers at £10 each, you must apply on/after 16 July 2024, pay at least £500 into the account by 13 December 2024, and have an open account. You can’t have received a FlexStudent incentive before. Limits and conditions apply to the overdraft, and you will need to pay in £500 a term to keep it. Time limited offer. We can withdraw it any time without notice. Full terms at nationwide.co.uk/ flexstudent”