Starling Bank has launched a new bonus scheme giving customers the chance to receive £3,000 if they meet its salary payment rules. Ten customers will be selected at random every month, with each winner receiving £250 a month for 12 months.
However, customers will not automatically be entered into the draw simply because they have a Starling current account. They must opt into the scheme and receive an eligible salary payment of at least £1,500 a month by Bacs into their personal current account by the final day of the month. Customers must also be UK residents aged 18 or over, and there is a limit of one entry per person each month.
Tax-free bonus paid monthly
Starling said the £3,000 bonus will be tax-free and paid directly into a dedicated ‘Good with Money’ space in the winner's account. The bank has launched the scheme after research it commissioned found just 11 per cent of people save money each month, despite 45 per cent saying they want to develop good savings habits.
Bernadette Smith, Chief Customer and Banking Officer at Starling, said: “We want to help our customers build good money habits, and saving money regularly is one of the most effective skills to learn. Our bonus scheme aims to give select customers a head start on building a savings fund, while other customers can get a boost from our market leading savings rates.”
Eligibility conditions for entry
According to the terms supplied by Starling, customers need to meet several conditions to be entered. They must be aged 18 or over and live in the UK, hold a Starling personal current account and opt into the scheme. An eligible Bacs salary payment of at least £1,500 must then be received into the account by the last day of the month.
People who meet the requirements will receive one entry into that month's selection, with 10 eligible customers chosen at random. Each winner receives £3,000 in total, but it will not be handed over as one lump sum. Instead, Starling will pay £250 each month for a year.
Separate 5% savings rate offer
The bank is separately offering some new customers a variable savings rate of 5.00 per cent AER, or 4.878 per cent gross, on balances of up to £25,000. However, the introductory rate comes with separate eligibility conditions.
It is available to people opening a new Starling personal Easy Saver account within 30 days of opening a new personal current account. The personal current account must have been opened from October 1, 2026, and customers who closed a personal current account after September 30 are not eligible for the introductory offer. Interest is paid monthly and customers are limited to one personal Easy Saver account.
Starling said the bonus scheme is intended to encourage people to build a regular savings habit. Its research was carried out by Mortar Research among 2,040 nationally representative respondents in December 2025.
