If you’re looking for a mortgage, how about one with a free iPad, laptop or washing machine thrown in? That’s effectively the deal on offer from the Halifax, which this week announced it is offering first-time buyers and home movers a £500 Currys PC World gift card when they successfully apply for a mortgage between 20 June and 14 August.
If that doesn’t appeal there are plenty of other freebies being offered by financial services firms aimed at enticing people to sign up for their products and services – from cinema tickets and eye tests to flights and Amazon gift cards. Plus, of course, cold, hard cash.
Freebies arguably aren’t quite what they used to be. Back in 2004, the West Bromwich building society made headlines when it offered a free Rover 25 car with a list price of £7,995 with its “Brum Brum” mortgage. A year later Scarborough building society launched a home loan that came with a 42-inch plasma tv with a recommended retail price of £3,299. But there are still plenty of deals out there.
Don’t be overly swayed by giveaways – do your research, take advice if necessary, and choose a mortgage/bank account/insurance policy etc based on whether it suits your financial needs and is competitively priced, rather than the “carrots” on offer. Nevertheless, it’s fun to look at what sort of bribes are being dangled in front of consumers.
Mortgages
It’s not unusual for lenders to throw in extras to entice borrowers to take out their mortgages – in fact it seems to have become the norm. According to financial data provider Moneyfacts.co.uk, the number of UK mortgage deals offering some sort of incentive, usually in the form of cashback, a free valuation and/or free legal fees, stands at 2,785. That’s up from 1,678 five years ago. However, the number of mortgage deals offering cashback has fallen back a little in the past few months.
The £500 gift card that the Halifax is giving successful applicants is enough to buy a pretty decent smart tv or a £499 iPad Pro, Apple’s high-end professional tablet. But it’s fair to say that while Halifax’s mortgage rates are not bad, they are not table-topping. For example, its cheapest standard two-year fix is priced at 1.64%, while its cheapest five-year fix is 2.24% (both require a 40% deposit). Meanwhile, HSBC this week launched a two-year fix priced at an eye-catching 0.99%, and it has a five-year fix with a rate of 1.99% (with both, the minimum deposit is 35%). However, direct comparisons are tricky because those HSBC deals have a hefty £1,499 booking fee attached, while the Halifax deals come with a £495 product fee.
The Halifax’s gift card offer is available online, in branch and over the phone to first-time buyers and home movers who complete on a qualifying mortgage, but excludes buy-to-let and applications through the bank’s Halifax Intermediaries arm. You need to apply before 14 August.
Insurance
How about a free eye test? As of this month, following a link-up between a national optician chain and insurer Aviva, you can claim a free eye test by downloading a voucher which can be redeemed at any of the 390-plus Vision Express stores across the UK. This offer is available to Aviva customers and non-customers when they register for free with the insurer’s MyAviva system, which can be accessed online or through an app.
Meanwhile, Nationwide is handing out £30 Amazon gift cards to people buying a new combined buildings and contents policy in a branch, over the phone or online, while the Yorkshire and Norwich & Peterborough building societies are offering a £50 Love2shop gift card, which can be spent at many high street retailers, to those taking out their home insurance.
Bank accounts
You can pocket up to £200 by moving your current account to another provider. HSBC will pay you £150 if you move to its Advance account (which has no monthly fee), and a further £50 a year later, provided you’ve registered for mobile/online banking. With this account you must pay in at least £1,750 per month. This offer is due to end on 10 July. Other banks offering cash handouts include the Co-operative Bank (£150), the Halifax (£125 – this offer ends on 18 July) and First Direct (£100).
It’s not just cash on offer. Lloyds Bank has a current account called Club Lloyds where you get to choose one “lifestyle benefit” a year, of which possibly the most appealing is six cinema tickets (choose between Vue or Cineworld). This account is free if you pay in £1,500 a month and also pays up to 4% credit interest, though you only get that rate if your balance is between £4,000 and £5,000. If your balance is £2,000 to £3,999 you earn 2%, while on £1 to £1,999 you get 1%.
Credit cards
Lots of cards offer goodies such as cashback. One of the more generous ones is the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card, where you get 20,000 bonus Membership Rewards points provided you spend £2,000 in the first three months. That’s enough for a return flight from London to scores of destinations including Amsterdam, Ibiza, Oslo or Venice. This card has no annual fee in the first year but after that it is £140, so as Martin Lewis’s MoneySavingExpert.com website advises, make sure you cancel the card to avoid paying this.
Energy
Some companies will hand out goodies to people signing up for their gas and electricity. British Gas’s HomeEnergy Reward June 2017 tariff, which fixes prices until 30 June 2017, comes with a £50 Amazon gift card. Meanwhile, npower energy customers can get a three-month Now TV “entertainment pass” – though be aware that this automatically renews at £6.99 a month unless cancelled.
And finally ... hotdogs
There are various other schemes that give away goodies both big and small. For example, with Ikea Family, the Swedish retailer’s free-to-join loyalty scheme, each time you swipe your card at the till when you buy something you are guaranteed to win a prize. It could be a trip to Sweden, a photo shoot or a Swedish dinner party, though it’s statistically more likely to be a low-value prize such as a “food surprise” - ie, a doughnut or a hotdog. The promotion runs until 7 August, and two stores – Croydon and Edmonton – aren’t participating.
Meanwhile, health insurer VitalityHealth (formerly PruHealth) allows its members to earn points by doing exercise, in return for which they can get weekly rewards such as a free drink at Starbucks or a free Vue or Cineworld cinema ticket.
