Barclays offering £1,000 free cash bonus under new account deal - how to claim

Patrick O'Donnell
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:51:35 +0000

Barclays is offering new customers the chance to pocket up to £1,000 in cash incentives through a pair of switching promotions running until the end of April.

Those who qualify for the bank's Premier Current Account can secure a £400 bonus by moving their banking to Barclays via the Current Account Switching Service.

Additionally, savers transferring their ISA holdings to the bank could earn rewards reaching £600.

The dual offers arrive as ISA season approaches, giving eligible customers a limited window to maximise their potential returns by combining both incentives before the April 30 deadline passes.

To access the Premier Current Account, applicants must demonstrate either a gross annual income of at least £75,000 or maintain a minimum of £100,000 in eligible Barclays investments and savings.

Premier account holders benefit from the full Blue Rewards package at no extra cost, which includes complimentary Apple TV+ access, cashback on purchases, and improved savings rates.

Claiming the £400 reward requires completing three steps: opening the account through the Barclays app, executing a full switch with a minimum of two active direct debits, and depositing at least £4,000 within 30 days.

Crucially, applicants must not have held a Barclays current account as of February 17, 2026.

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The ISA transfer promotion rewards customers who shift at least £10,000 from external providers into one of Barclays' fixed term cash ISA products.

To qualify, participants must already hold or open a Barclays current account before initiating the transfer.

Barclays' current ISA offerings feature rates among the most attractive available, with the Premier 1-Year Flexible Cash ISA paying 3.85 per cent AER tax-free and the standard 1-Year Flexible Cash ISA returning 3.80 per cent AER tax-free.

Both fixed term products permit up to three penalty-free withdrawals during the term, each capped at 10% of the account balance, providing flexibility alongside competitive returns.

The Barclays promotions land amid robust bank switching activity across Britain, with recent figures from the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) revealing that those aged 25 to 40 represent the most mobile demographic.

This age bracket accounted for 150,380 switches during the final quarter of 2025, comprising 43 per cent of total volumes despite representing just 22 per cent of the UK population.

Birmingham recorded the highest regional switching activity with 9,395 moves, followed by Newcastle upon Tyne and Manchester.

John Dentry, the product manager at Pay.UK, said: "Competition in the banking market is clearly hottest among the younger generation of adults, potentially driven by competing financial pressures felt during this time in life."