Co-op Refer a Friend is back (May 2023)

Bridlington1

ForumUser7 said:

Ed-1 said:

ForumUser7 said:

Ed-1 said:

wiseonesomeofthetime said:

My son applied in February 2023 and his application was being reviewed.

Still no account, still no update, still no action.

I wouldn't recommend this outfit to anyone!

Someone I referred for the February offer opened a donor account with Barclays to switch into a new Coop account and Barclays closed the donor account with immediate effect as soon as they were notified about the switch request (weeks after the account was opened) and banned them from banking with them. So it's not just Coop. And a warning to others not to use Barclays for donor accounts.

Do you know the reason given for closure with immediate effect? I don't think switching an account out would usually permit the bank to do that - unless they suspected fraud

I don't know. It was their first time attempting to switch and now they think it's fraud to do that!

Barclays is pretty poor at handing complaints (IMO), but perhaps your friend should raise a complaint with them claiming consequent financial loss due to the loss of getting the switching bonus. Barclays is within their rights to close the account and ban them, but the timeframe they did this in does not seem fair or reasonable.

By the sounds of things it has failed their "secondary checks" so I doubt they would uphold that complaint. Complain by all means but it would likely be a waste of time.

I was in a similar position myself not so long back. I opened my Barclays account on 7/11/22. It was closed with immediate effect on 25/11/22. I complained and all I got back was the £4 cost of the bus fare to complain in branch.

Alex9384

ForumUser7 said:

@bridlington1 They've specifically added a clause this time. Perhaps ammunition in your FOS case, to show they weren't clear enough last time? Probably download the PDF in case it is taken off the internet at any stage.

OK, I'm going to ask them who is a "new customer" and I'm curious what they say.

dcs34

Presumably as with their previous offers (let's not open that can of worms...) once the new customer has their account details and switch date, they can complete the referral form. No need to wait for the switch to actually happen.

pecunianonolet

Never been with Coop bank and not clear on the cashminder account the mention. 

Can I open a Cashminder account and refer my OH with a current account, complete all the requirenments and we both get the 125 reward or do I need to open a current account and refer my OH to open a current account? If it works with cashminder it would avoid a hard search.

Bridlington1

pecunianonolet said:

Never been with Coop bank and not clear on the cashminder account the mention. 

Can I open a Cashminder account and refer my OH with a current account, complete all the requirenments and we both get the 125 reward or do I need to open a current account and refer my OH to open a current account? If it works with cashminder it would avoid a hard search.

It says on the website:

Please note that our Cashminder and Student accounts are not part of the Refer a Friend Switching Offer.

So I would interpret it to mean that you wouldn't be able to refer your OH if you open a cashminder account.

Alex9384

Obviously, a new customer can be someone who has held a Coop account in the past.

pecunianonolet

Bridlington1 said:

pecunianonolet said:

Never been with Coop bank and not clear on the cashminder account the mention. 

Can I open a Cashminder account and refer my OH with a current account, complete all the requirenments and we both get the 125 reward or do I need to open a current account and refer my OH to open a current account? If it works with cashminder it would avoid a hard search.

It says on the website:

Please note that our Cashminder and Student accounts are not part of the Refer a Friend Switching Offer.

So I would interpret it to mean that you wouldn't be able to refer your OH if you open a cashminder account.

It also says on the website:

Please note: you can still refer someone for the Refer a Friend offer if you hold a Cashminder account, Student account, Current Account Plus, Privilege or Privilege Premier account, but the person opening the new account needs to open a Current Account or Everyday Extra account to be eligible for this offer.

So this is why I am confused if I have to open a current account and get a hard search or if I would be fine with a cashminder account. Ideally, I can open a cashminder account and OH opens a current account and switches a dummy account in, pay in the required amount, sort DD and we both get the incentive. 

Further down on the website they say:

I’m referring a friend

If you're an existing customer with a Co-operative Bank current account and you’re interested in referring someone as part of this offer, you can ask them to search ‘The Co-operative Bank Refer a Friend’ online to find this page, or visit their local branch, where they can read the offer terms and conditions.

So you can both get your £125 payment, make sure they first follow the steps to qualify for the offer, and after the switch is complete that they remember to complete the referral form.  


So does that mean that I can refer with a cashminder account but only the person, my OH in this case, will receive the incentive?

Just not clear at all to me.

Bridlington1

pecunianonolet said:

Bridlington1 said:

pecunianonolet said:

Never been with Coop bank and not clear on the cashminder account the mention. 

Can I open a Cashminder account and refer my OH with a current account, complete all the requirenments and we both get the 125 reward or do I need to open a current account and refer my OH to open a current account? If it works with cashminder it would avoid a hard search.

It says on the website:

Please note that our Cashminder and Student accounts are not part of the Refer a Friend Switching Offer.

So I would interpret it to mean that you wouldn't be able to refer your OH if you open a cashminder account.

It also says on the website:

Please note: you can still refer someone for the Refer a Friend offer if you hold a Cashminder account, Student account, Current Account Plus, Privilege or Privilege Premier account, but the person opening the new account needs to open a Current Account or Everyday Extra account to be eligible for this offer.

So this is why I am confused if I have to open a current account and get a hard search or if I would be fine with a cashminder account. Ideally, I can open a cashminder account and OH opens a current account and switches a dummy account in, pay in the required amount, sort DD and we both get the incentive. 

Further down on the website they say:

I’m referring a friend

If you're an existing customer with a Co-operative Bank current account and you’re interested in referring someone as part of this offer, you can ask them to search ‘The Co-operative Bank Refer a Friend’ online to find this page, or visit their local branch, where they can read the offer terms and conditions.

So you can both get your £125 payment, make sure they first follow the steps to qualify for the offer, and after the switch is complete that they remember to complete the referral form.  


So does that mean that I can refer with a cashminder account but only the person, my OH in this case, will receive the incentive?

Just not clear at all to me.

I see what you mean now.

Since the terms do explicitly say "you can still refer someone for the Refer a Friend offer if you hold a Cashminder account" I would interpret that to mean that the term "Please note that our Cashminder and Student accounts are not part of the Refer a Friend Switching Offer" is referring to the account that is being referred (the one your OH would open) so it is this account that could not be a cashminder account. Therefore implying that you could open a cashminder account and then refer your OH. 

Given that Co-op aren't exactly known for being the clearest in their Ts&Cs though I would probably just play it safe and open a normal current account if I were you and then refer your OH, at least this way you are certain to receive the £125.

wizzywig27

I know referrals aren’t allowed on here, but any idea how I find a referral, point me in the right direction? 

Can I sign up then refer my partner, thus receiving £250 in total and she receives £125?

Bridlington1

wizzywig27 said:

I know referrals aren’t allowed on here, but any idea how I find a referral, point me in the right direction? 

Can I sign up then refer my partner, thus receiving £250 in total and she receives £125?

You can refer your partner if you want. In my case I just started asking anyone I know if they had a Co-op account. I eventually found a lecturer at my uni who had a Co-op account so they referred me.