Brit Gas & E.on fixes?, free £200+ ban k switch, 9p Snickers, Tesco treble up ends, STOOZING is back, 3.88% easy access

New. Get OVER £200 to switch bank
Now FOUR banks pay, as the price war heats up. Unless yours tickles your tummy... ditch, switch & EARN. It's easy

There's at least a certain honesty to it... when banks fancy new customers, they blatantly pay for them. And right now they're lusting, with four fighting it out. This week, through this link, First Direct* pumped its free £175 offer by adding a £30 Amazon voucher too.

So unless your current bank treats you divinely, why not make a little extra cash while there's so much choice? In Martin's Twitter poll, a whopping 60% of the 31,000 voters hadn't switched, even though 85% who had said it was pretty easy and hassle-free.

As Patrick tweeted: "@MartinSLewis. I didn't do it for ages, as although people said it was easy it seemed like something that would mess up. Couldn't have been more wrong, hassle-free and easy to do."

How to switch. Use the new bank's seven (working) day switch service and it auto-moves all direct debits & standing orders, closes your old account and forwards any payments made. See switching help. PS: It's worth downloading a few years' statements before switching.

To switch, you must usually be a new customer (or at least not had an account / switched cash from it for a few years), be switching from a different banking group and pass a not-too-harsh credit check. You can switch single and joint accounts. Full info & options in Best bank accounts.

1. New. First Direct free £175 + £30 Amazon voucher
Key perks: Top service, 7% regular savings, £250 0% overdraft
MSE customer service poll rating: 90% 'great'

It's been top or near top in every service poll we've ever done, so the fact First Direct's 1st Account*, through this link, now gives the highest upfront amount - £175 free cash, plus you can claim a £30 Amazon voucher (instructions emailed within 90 days) - makes it a strong option.

You also get access to its linked regular saver, which pays 7% fixed interest for a year on up to £300/mth, and many get an ongoing £250 0% overdraft.

Eligibility: Pay in a total of £1,000+ within three months (you can always withdraw it immediately). The £175 is then paid within 28 days.

2. NatWest & RBS free £200 cash
Key perks: £36/yr cashback, 6.17% linked regular saver
MSE service rating: NatWest 62% 'great', RBS 46% 'great'

Sister banks NatWest's Reward* and RBS's Reward* accounts are top for cash, as you can get £200 plus £3 monthly cashback (you actually get £5/mth cashback, but with a £2/mth fee). You also get access to its 6.17% regular saver, where you can pay in up to £150/mth.

- Eligibility: Pay in a total of £1,250 (you can always withdraw it immediately) and log in to the app within 60 days to get the £200. The cash will be paid within seven days of that.

To get the cashback, each month you must pay in £1,250+ (equivalent to a salary of £17,500 going in), log in to the mobile app and pay out 2+ monthly £2+ direct debits. For just the £200 without an ongoing minimum monthly pay-in, switch to the NatWest Select*, RBS Select* or Ulster Select accounts.

3. Lloyds free £150 cash
Key perks: 1yr Disney+ or 6 cinema tix etc, and 6.25% reg saver
MSE service rating: 50% 'great'

While Club Lloyds pays less free cash, it's no Mickey Mouse account... well, actually it is if you fancy the perks. The big one at the moment is a year's Disney+ which you'd pay £80 for, and is available even if you're an existing subscriber to the streaming service.

Alternatively, you can choose six free cinema tickets (worth £35 to £65, depending on where in the UK you are) or a magazine subscription (worth £30 to £50) or a Coffee Club & Gourmet Society Membership (worth about £65). You also get access to its linked regular saver paying 6.25% interest, fixed for 12 months, on a decent up to £400/mth.

- Eligibility: To get it all, you need to pay in £2,000+/mth (equivalent to having a salary of £31,500 going in) or there's a £3/mth fee which would lower the gain. The free cash should arrive within a couple of weeks after switching.

4. HSBC free £200 cash
Key perks: 5% linked regular saver
MSE service rating: 37% 'great'

The HSBC Advance* account is fee-free with no minimum monthly pay-in required. You can open a linked 5% regular saver and put in up to £250/mth.

- Eligibility: Switch 2+ direct debits or standing orders within 30 days, then pay in a total of £1,500+ within 60 days (you can always withdraw it immediately). You'll then get the cash within 20 days.

Overdrafts are a danger debt, with almost every bank now charging a typical 40% - dwarfing most credit-card rates. You can switch when overdrawn, though there's no guarantee the new bank will match your existing overdraft - or even offer you an overdraft at all.

So use the bank's OVERDRAFT ELIGIBILITY CHECKER before applying to get an indication of whether you'll likely qualify. The main options are below, but full info's in Top overdraft accounts.

Four quick tips to help with overdrafts...

It's not just about making your overdraft cheaper - you should also try to pay it off. Full info in Cut overdraft costs, but briefly...

1) Aim to repay a fixed monthly amount. Eg, if you're £500 overdrawn, 'paying' £100 means you'd be £400 overdrawn at month-end. A budget can help.
2) Consider moving direct debits to just before payday. Then you're overdrawn for less time, so costs are lower.
3) Can you reclaim past bank charges? See Bank charge reclaiming.
4) Struggling with all debt? Get free help from Citizens Advice, National Debtline or StepChange. It can make a huge difference.