Nationwide’s £100 “Fairer Share” Bonus: What We Know (and What We Don’t) Right Now
Every spring, like clockwork, rumours about Nationwide’s £100 bonus drift through personal-finance forums and kitchen-table conversations. Some members barely notice; others all but plan their holiday budget around it. Last year, remember, 3.85 million customers woke up to an extra hundred quid in their accounts—almost £400 million in total. The year before that, it was roughly the same song, slightly smaller chorus.
So, what about 2025?
Well, here’s the short version: we’ll find out on 29 May. That’s when Nationwide publishes its full-year results, and it’s those results that decide whether the “Fairer Share” pot is healthy enough for another round. No profits, no payment—simple as that, though it never feels simple when you’re waiting.
“The Fairer Share Payment is our way of rewarding those members who choose us for their everyday banking as well as having savings or a mortgage with us,” a spokesperson reminded everyone—polite, but also a little non-committal, if we’re honest.
How Does This Differ From That £50 “Thank You” Payment?
If you bank with Nationwide you might still be grinning from the recent £50 windfall that followed its Virgin Money takeover. Nice surprise, different bucket. The £100 Fairer Share is a separate scheme altogether, tied to the building society’s annual performance rather than a one-off acquisition boost.
Who Might Qualify This Time?
Let’s tread carefully—Nationwide hasn’t released the 2025 rulebook yet. Still, last year’s checklist gives us a decent crystal ball:
- Hold (and use) a Nationwide current account
• Must be open by 31 March 2025.
• Keep it active: either pay in £500 or make ten outbound payments in the first three months of the year. Internal transfers to your own Nationwide savings don’t count—easy to forget. - Keep a foot in savings or mortgages
• At least £100 in a Nationwide savings pot or £100 outstanding on a Nationwide mortgage. A surprising number of people tripped over this bit in 2024. - Stay a member until the cash arrives
• Obvious, yet worth saying: close the account too soon and you wave goodbye to the bonus.
If the timetable follows last year’s pattern, eligible members should get an email (or a neat little app notification) around 31 May, with the £100 landing sometime between 13 and 28 June. But—and there’s always a but—none of that is nailed down until the board gives its thumbs-up on results day.
A Quick Reality Check
Will everyone who banked with Nationwide get the bonus? No. Will those who tick every box definitely receive it? Almost certainly…but only if the society’s profits co-operate. That built-in “maybe” can be frustrating, especially when the cost of, well, everything keeps inching up. Then again, business realities don’t bend to wishful thinking, and the Fairer Share promise has always carried that results-dependent asterisk.
Practical Next Steps (Just in Case)
- Scan your statements. Did you meet the £500-in or ten-payments-out rule by the end of March?
- Check your savings balance. A stray withdrawal that dips you below £100 could be an accidental deal-breaker.
- Keep the account open. Sounds obvious, yet every year a handful of people accidentally close or switch right before payday.
- Ignore click-baity ads. The internet loves to “confirm” bonus dates it can’t possibly know. Stick to Nationwide’s own channels.
Final Thought
We’re all waiting, and waiting is rarely fun. But perhaps there’s a sliver of comfort in how transparent the process is: strong year → possible £100; weak year → maybe not this time. Until 29 May we’re in the limbo of almost, might, fingers crossed. So keep your account in good standing, breathe, and let the numbers do what they do. Come the end of the month, we’ll either be celebrating—or politely reminding ourselves it was never guaranteed.
