Nationwide is expected to announce details of a new 'Fairer Share' bonus to its members this week, as reported by This is Money last week. Last year, Britain's largest building society distributed £340 million to 3.4 million customers.
The mutual will reveal on Thursday, when it announces its annual results, whether it will offer a loyalty bonus to its members.
Nationwide has 16 million members, which means that around a fifth of them received a £100 bonus last time, based on specific qualifying criteria.
Some members then felt unhappy that their own loyalty was not recognised. Conversely, some couples received a double payment - £100 each - if they had both a joint account and mortgage.
Nationwide's final payment could be even larger, as the mutual's profits are underpinned by higher interest rates. It could choose to change the qualifying criteria from last year. The potential size of this year's bonus will depend on the profits made.
The details, which will be released on Thursday, come a day after Virgin Money shareholders decide whether to accept Nationwide's controversial £2.9 billion takeover bid.
Who Might Benefit Nationwide's Fairer Share Bonus (and Who Might Not)?
The £100 bonus was awarded last year to those members eligible who had a current account and at least £100 in a savings account, or had at least £100 of mortgage outstanding at 31 March 2023.
James Blower, financial expert at Savings Guru, said: 'I expect similar conditions this year. This means that if you have paid off your mortgage before 31 March this year, you may not be entitled to a bonus - if conditions remain unchanged this year.
It also means that long-standing Nationwide members who have paid off their mortgage in full and have no savings with Nationwide could potentially miss out on a bonus.
Individuals with less than £100 saved in a Nationwide savings account by 31 March this year may also miss out on a bonus, if requirements remain unchanged from last year.
Other current account holders who didn't make the cut last time could ensure they had saved £100 or more in a Nationwide account this time to qualify for the payment.
Some Could Receive £300 in Free Cash
At the same time, some clever current account holders could receive £300, even if they haven't shown great loyalty to Nationwide.
A year ago, for example, if you had £100 held in a savings account with Nationwide on 31 March, as well as a current account, you would have received the loyalty payment.
Nationwide launched a Switch Bonus from 21 September to 21 December 2023, offering a £200 incentive, which proved very popular.
If the saver then opened a savings account and deposited just £100 into it by the end of March, based on last year's criteria, they would be entitled to the payout - £300 of free money in just a few months.