I’ve been paid £3k in FREE cash – one trick takes five minutes and anyone can do it, it’s helped me save £28k

HOLLY Murray loves a freebie – and she’s really good at getting them. In fact, she’s managed to get £3,000 in free cash with a trick that takes just five minutes. It’s one of many savvy saving techniques she has used to save up £28k in just four years – and anyone can do them. The economic student, 22, says she loves a freebie and is really good at finding them Credit: Holly Murray She is a ‘super switcher’ – swapping bank accounts regularly to cash in on bonuses Credit: Holly Murray Economics student Holly, 22, from south west London is a ‘super switcher’ – where you swap bank accounts regularly to cash in on switching bonuses. Banks will often offer new customers free cash to tempt them into moving over in a bid to win more business. These bonuses can be worth hundreds of pounds – and Holly is a master at claiming them. Over the past three years, she has switched banks 15 times and made £3,000. She started in 2023, when she was a fresher at Cardiff University and she is now in her fourth year of studying. “It’s a fun little side hustle that I was able to do at uni easily,” she says. Holly learned about bank switch bonuses from Martin Lewis’s MoneySavingExpert website and started doing them as an easy way to get a cash boost for very little effort. She has claimed free cash bonuses up to £200 from NatWest, Ulster Bank, Lloyds, First Direct, Halifax and Santander, to name a few, and has also received referral bonuses of up to £50 from banks like Chase and Monzo. Holly would always keep her main bank account, which she would not change, and would then open a secondary bank account, which she attached a few direct debits too. She would then check every month to see if there were any offers on the MoneySavingExpert website for switching to a new bank and would switch her secondary bank account to wherever had the best deal. “Some banks offer £100 or £200 for opening a student bank account, and some banks do referral schemes where you can earn £50 for referring a friend,” she said. “It’s definitely worth it, you can make £200 for five minutes of work,” she said. Switch to Santander and earn £180 cash + up to £150 in vouchers Santander is offering new customers £180 for switching bank accounts, plus a £150 hotel voucher. *If you click on this link we will earn affiliate revenue To earn just the cash bonus, you will need to follow Santander’s instructions and switch to one of its bank accounts below. Everyday current account Edge current account Edge Up current account Edge Explorer current account For the £150 hotel voucher, follow this link instead and open an Edge Explorer account. There’s no minimum spend and the voucher can be used in the UK and worldwide at over 1.5million hotels through the TLC booking site. Terms and conditions apply. To access the offer open one of these Santander current accounts, set up 2 household direct debits and pay an initial £1.5K transaction within 60 days. Offer may be withdrawn at any time. Santander UK plc. Registered Number 2294747. Registered in England and Wales. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Financial Services Register number is 106054. How Holly built up £28k Holly also uses other savvy methods to make cash. She has made £3,000 from selling her clothes on Vinted. She said: “I have a lot of clothes, and I often ask friends and family members for bags of their old clothes that they’d usually take to the charity shop. “It’s a very easy side hustle, and it really adds up.” She also takes up seasonal work during the Christmas and summer holidays, earning around £7,000 working behind the bar at a local pub – £6,000 of which she popped in her savings. She also saved up £5,000 working over her gap year. Each year at university, Holly gets a £4,600 maintenance loan, which covers the bulk of her £6,000 a year rent in her university accommodation. She covers the remaining £1,400, plus other expenses such as food, with the money she makes from her bar job. But she’s able to save between £50 to £200 a month into her savings thanks to her cash switches and Vinted reselling, as well as money she makes from her bar job. She has three accounts she saves into: a stocks and shares Isa with the investment platform Hargreaves Landsdown, although she has since switched to Trading 212 as there are no platform fees to pay; a Lifetime Isa with Hargreaves Landsdown, and an easy access savings account with Chip. She currently has a huge £28,100 in savings. Of this, £12,600 is in her Lifetime Isa. This is a tax-free savings account where, if you are saving for a new home, you can save £4,000 a year into your account, and the government adds a 25% bonus, worth up to £1,000, to your savings. She has a £2,000 bonus from the government so far. She also has £11,700 in a stocks and shares Isa – this means she doesn’t pay any tax on the money she makes from her investments, and she can save up to £20,000 a year into it. Of this, £4,000 is investment growth she’s pocketed. She also has £3,800 in her easy access savings account, which has an interest rate of 4.2%. “I try to keep at least the bulk of the money I need in the short term in my Chip account, because at least then it makes me an extra £15 a month,” she said. She hopes to build her savings to £100,000 over the next five years. “Investing is empowering, because it does give you a sense of control over your future and of your finances”, she said. “At this age, it can open doors for you, and it can really make you feel proud.” How to switch banks the right way and make £1,000s Switching banks is a great way of making free cash – but make sure you’re doing it properly. You can technically switch banks as many times as you like, although a lot of banks only pay out on switching offers once. That means if you switch over, get a bonus, move bank accounts again and then try to return, you are unlikely to get paid for a second time. However, don’t switch banks if you’re applying for credit soon, like a mortgage. These swaps show up on your file – and banks may view multiple switches in a short period of time as a red flag. Make sure you’re reading terms and conditions correctly. There is usually a minimum amount you have to pay into the account or direct debits to set up to qualify for the bonus. If you don’t hit this, then you won’t get the bonus – and the switching would have been for nothing. Never switch banks purely for a bonus. Look at its ratings and reviews – does it provide good customer service? Is the app easy to use? Is there a branch near you? Beware of signing up to banks which charge a fee for your account – this will eat into your switching bonus. How to be a freebie hunter GET looking for freebies - you could save hundreds of pounds. Many brands will reward customers with a freebie on your birthday. You can tuck into free food, bag free products and more when it’s your special day. Sign up to all your favourite brands newsletters or loyalty schemes to make sure you don’t miss out. Costa, Greggs, Krispy Kreme and Sephora all offer treats for free on your big day. Another way to get your hands on freebies is by offering to test products. You can trial everything from make-up and perfume to food and cleaning products. And lots of big name brands will give free products for testing to those on their panels. Boots, Tesco and Elemis are some brands to keep an eye out for these deals. If your kids have World Cup fever, McDonald’s Fun Football is hosting a special wave of free sessions this summer. McDonald’s Fun Football already offers more than 300,000 hours of free football to children nationwide through sessions delivered by FA-qualified coaches in 320 locations. Keep an eye out on freebies during the school holidays. Many leisure centres run free swimming sessions for children during the school holidays. Schemes vary by area, but councils including Liverpool, Merton in London, County Durham and East Lothian offer free swimming for children and young people at selected leisure centres.