special offers from banks

nutty1

when do banks start offering free gifts to students for opening an account

Helix

Natwest told me they start in June so I assume other banks will start around this time as well.

jaffacakes_2

HSBC are offering an mp4 player or 10 albums from cd-wow.

HTH

ames123_2

I did the 10 cds from HSBC and they sent you a code for 2 cds a month, ones was for one in the charts (£8.75) and the other for a bargain basement cd (5.99 or 6.99 I can't remember). I got this for 5 months I think. But the codes also worked on other things and were valid for a year so it was very useful. I don't know if it is the same now though.

si1503

As soon as you can show them an accepted UCAS form, and confirmation of your course dates you'll be able to open a student account, hence receive any free gifts for opening one.

Broke_Student

si1503 wrote: »

As soon as you can show them an accepted UCAS form, and confirmation of your course dates you'll be able to open a student account, hence receive any free gifts for opening one.

Yes, but some banks are not giving away any free gifts at the moment. The new offers will be available closer towards September. I doubt they will send you the new freebies as they come out if you decide to open your account early.

kevinbarry

I've just published a book entitled Going to University: the Secrets of Success - April 2007 - and in one part I said:


"Many university entrants will have to open their first bank account. You
may find a bank stall at the Fresher Fair but you should not automatically
sign up. It is common for a bank to offer money to the students’ union to
be allowed to set up a stall and you might easily get a better deal elsewhere.
Shop around: as you will probably go into debt, you need to know about
those all-important overdraft limits and interest rates. These will matter
more to you than their bribes – that enticing free Ipod or MP3 player may
look attractive but you might save so much in lower interest rates at a
different bank that you could buy your own kit and still come out ahead.

On the other hand, some banks offer free travel vouchers which can be
valuable if you live some distance away from Uni."

It's worth checking out a few banks!

Ytaya

It can also be worth opening an account for a freebie you want, and then switching to the bank with the overdraft you want Now that's making full use of the resources available!

kevinbarry

Another useful tip:

It is a good idea to borrow a small amount from a bank, say £100, but do not
spend it. Instead, use it all to repay the loan on time. If you do this once or
twice, it starts to build you a good credit rating so that when you really do
need money you can get it more easily.

After you graduate, if you approach a bank to borrow and have no credit rating they are less likely to be accomodating.

silaslang

Other than the 10 cds from HSBC (the mp4 player isnt very good) Natwest usually offer one of the best deals, A student railcard, webcam and microphone.

yeslek

last year lloyds gave away an ipod shuffle

that was the best freebie IMO