NatWest account switching: CASS, payments and checks
NatWest’s current £200 switch offer can improve the first-year arithmetic, but the conditions are separate from the seven-working-day CASS mechanics. Plan the account first, then treat the bonus as an extra rather than the reason to keep the account.
NatWest’s current £200 switch offer can improve the first-year arithmetic, but the conditions are separate from the seven-working-day CASS mechanics. Plan the account first, then treat the bonus as an extra rather than the reason to keep the account. NatWest currently offers £200 on eligible switches to Select or Reward for customers meeting its eligibility rules.
A full CASS switch is deliberately mechanical, but your finances are not. The service can move many regular payments and close the old account; it cannot decide whether the new account is good value or whether a linked service outside the current account needs attention. For this page, that framework is applied specifically to NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits.
Choose the switch type and prepare the old account
First decide whether you want a full CASS switch or simply a second account. A full switch normally closes the old current account; keeping both requires a different approach. NatWest currently offers £200 on eligible switches to Select or Reward for customers meeting its eligibility rules. Do not start the process until you are comfortable with the old account disappearing on the completion date. For NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits, apply this point to the live NatWest terms and your own numbers.
Use the live NatWest page for the final figure rather than assuming the number in this guide will remain unchanged. In this article, apply that check to NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits.
Prepare the old account as if it were changing address. Clear unexplained pending card payments, download statements you may need, and make sure personal details match at both banks. If the old account is overdrawn, work out how that debt will be repaid rather than assuming the new bank inherits it. For NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits, apply this point to the live NatWest terms and your own numbers.
For a fair comparison, change only one variable at a time. Keep the same balance, transaction count, borrowing amount or holding period when you compare NatWest with an alternative; otherwise the cheaper-looking result may simply come from different assumptions. In this article, apply that check to NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits.
What CASS moves and what still needs manual attention
CASS is designed to move the core current-account plumbing: the balance and many regular payments. NatWest says the reward is paid within 30 days after the conditions are met. A full CASS switch itself takes seven working days. That automation is valuable, but it is not a reason to stop checking. Keep a list of salary, benefits, important Direct Debits and annual subscriptions so you can verify them afterwards. For NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits, apply this point to the live NatWest terms and your own numbers.
A useful test is to write the downside beside the benefit. In this article, apply that check to NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits.
Some relationships sit outside the switch. Open Banking permissions, merchant card subscriptions, linked savings, investment services and finance agreements may need separate action. Build a short 'manual move' list before the seven-working-day clock starts. For NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits, apply this point to the live NatWest terms and your own numbers.
Do not count a feature twice. In this article, apply that check to NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits.
Timing, incentives and the first week after the switch
If NatWest is offering cash or another incentive, read the offer as a separate contract. The offer requires a full CASS switch, £1,250 paid in within 60 days and kept in the account for 24 hours, plus a mobile-app login. Note every deadline and exclusion. A switch can complete successfully while the incentive fails because one pay-in, Direct Debit or app-login condition was missed. For NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits, apply this point to the live NatWest terms and your own numbers.
Keep a small buffer for timing. In this article, apply that check to NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits.
Choose a completion date that avoids the day before rent, mortgage, payroll or a major annual bill. Seven working days is predictable; your merchants are not. Leaving a few quiet days around the switch makes it easier to spot a payment that did not behave as expected. For NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits, apply this point to the live NatWest terms and your own numbers.
The product should fit the next year, not only the month in which you apply. In this article, apply that check to NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits.
Statement checks, evidence and final closure controls
Worked example: If you choose Reward, the ongoing core economics are roughly £5 monthly Rewards against a £2 fee when conditions are met. The £200 switch payment improves year one, but it should not hide whether the account works in year two. The point is to compare temporary value with the permanent economics of the account. If the ongoing fee, overdraft cost or service model is wrong for you, a one-off payment rarely fixes that for long. For NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits, apply this point to the live NatWest terms and your own numbers.
Write down the decision rule before you shop. That keeps the comparison disciplined. In this article, apply that check to NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits.
After completion, check the closing balance, first new-bank statement and the next cycle of every important Direct Debit. Keep screenshots or PDFs of the switch confirmation and incentive terms until the bonus is paid and the first full billing month has passed. For NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits, apply this point to the live NatWest terms and your own numbers.
Finally, save the page or PDF used for the decision and the date you checked it. In this article, apply that check to NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits.
- Download recent statements from the old bank
- Check addresses match at both banks
- List Direct Debits, standing orders and salary
- Record linked apps and services CASS will not move
- Read every incentive condition and deadline
- Check the first full billing cycle after completion
Sources and verification
- NatWest - official website
- Current Account Switch Service
- Financial Services Compensation Scheme
- MoneyHelper
Oliver Grant - Editorial view
Use CASS for convenience, not as a substitute for choosing the right account. With NatWest, the switch itself is the easy part; the work is checking overdrafts, linked services and the economics after any incentive. I would not move a long-standing main account for a bonus unless the destination account would still be acceptable with the bonus set to £0. Applied to NatWest switching offer and CASS 2026: fees and Direct Debits, the final check is whether the product still works when its temporary promotion is removed.
NatWest: Switching guidance prioritises the bank’s current offer terms and Current Account Switch Service material. Incentives, exclusions and account fees can change during 2026.