New. Free £175 to switch bank AND 2% cashback on bills 

NatWest has launched the biggest cash combo for almost 18mths - and we rate its Reward account for bill-payers

Just as a number of switching bribes were disappearing, NatWest has re-entered the free cash bonus switch war with a bang, possibly as it's a good time to stand out from the crowd. Remember, switching's easy - it takes just seven working days and the new bank moves all your payments (eg, direct debits). Here are full details and alternatives... (All require you pass a not-too-harsh credit check.)

• New. NatWest: Free £175 + 2% bills cashback (worth £60/yr extra for many). NatWest pays new switchers to most of its accounts £125, and £50 if you're still with it in June 2020. Its customer service rating is a middling 43% 'great'.
  
  - Top account if you're a bill-payer (or have joint bill accounts). The standout is NatWest Reward* which, for a £2/mth fee, gives 2% cashback on most bills (incl energy, council tax, broadband) paid by direct debit. On average it's worth £60/yr after the fee - though some can earn £100+/yr. So all-in with the free cash you could bag £250+.
  
  - Top if you don't want to pay a fee. If you don't pay bills, don't bother paying £2/mth. Instead you can still get the £175 (but no cashback) by switching to the fee-free NatWest Select* account.
  
  - How to qualify. For the £175 cash on either account, request a switch by 7 Jun, pay in £1,500+ & log in online by 12 Jul, then use your debit card at least once per month. For the cashback, pay £1,500+ every month (that's just a way of making you pay your salary in, as long as it's £21,500+/yr - if less there's still a way round it). See full NatWest help.
  
  
• First Direct: Free £100, 90% 'great' service + 5% linked savings. New First Direct* customers get the cash plus access to a 5% regular savings account where you can save up to £300/mth in it for 1yr. Many also get a £250 0% overdraft. Note that you must pay in £1k+/mth (equiv £12,500/yr salary) for the bonus and to avoid a £10/mth fee.
  
  
• M&S: Free £100 M&S voucher with NO min pay-in (+ £80 vch after 1yr if you pay in £1,250/mth). Newbies who open an M&S Bank* account get the initial £100 and access to its 5% regular saver if within 3mths of opening they switch incl 4+ active direct debits and register for online banking & statements. For the £80, as well as meeting the min pay-in, you must keep the direct debits active. If you've an M&S credit card, you get a £120 vch after 1yr.
  
  
• Halifax: Free £50 before the switch completes + £85 after 6mths + £2/mth. Halifax pays newbies all this if they pay in £1,500+/mth (equiv £21,500/yr salary), use their debit card at least once in the first 6mths, pay out 2+ direct debits each month, go paperless and remain in credit.

For full eligibility info, incl exactly when the bonuses come, see Best Bank Accounts.

Bravo Wales. It's telling those with Alzheimer's, dementia, strokes & more they may be due £1,000s in council tax rebates - 10,000s elsewhere are entitled, but left in the dark
  

In 2016 we launched a campaign to ensure the 10,000s of 'severely mentally impaired' (SMI) people across Britain entitled to an SMI council tax discount (and their carers) would hear about it, and that - as many missed out due to poor info - it should be backdated. Thanks to the MSE campaigns team's top work, this week the Welsh Govt will follow all our suggestions to improve how its councils deal with the SMI discount. I'm launching it in Cardiff today (Wed) with the Finance Minister...

• The Severely Mentally Impaired discount can be worth £1,000s - here's how you get it. Like students and under-18s, in Eng, Scot and Wales (NI doesn't have council tax), those who have a severe mental impairment are 'disregarded' for council tax purposes. This means if they live alone they shouldn't pay any council tax, or more commonly, if they live with one other adult, often their carer, there should be a 25% discount (typically worth about £400/yr).  
  
  To qualify, someone must be medically certified as having a severe mental impairment (ie, one that severely and permanently affects their intellectual and social functioning), and be eligible for certain benefits. Eg, dementia, strokes and Parkinson's are all conditions that could result in someone having a severe mental impairment. Our How to claim SMI guide has full info.
  
  Some councils will backdate the payout. This can be huge - Tom tweeted: "@MartinSLewis Thank you. After seeing you talk about council tax exemption, I've claimed back £9,649.65 for my dad who suffered a stroke in 1999 and has lived alone since 2005. Thank you so much. This will make a big difference."
  
  

• New. Wales launches easy SMI application & backdating - but elsewhere councils still aren't good enough. In 2017 we investigated the SMI discount - shockingly 69 of 100 tested councils gave incorrect info to our mystery callers, with some front-line staff even unaware of the discount's existence. Take-up rates varied hugely, with some areas over 50 times more likely to get it than elsewhere. So we came up with a series of recommendations...
  
  Wales has now delivered on them all. Last year the Welsh Govt launched clear literature and a dedicated Welsh SMI webpage. Today it's worked with all 22 Welsh councils so there's one common, simple application form (which we helped design), and crucially there's now consistent backdating. Anyone eligible will get a rebate back to the point of an SMI diagnosis - full info in our Welsh Govt SMI changes news story.
  
  - What about Scotland & England? We've had encouraging noises from Scotland and are hopeful it'll soon follow Wales. There's a lot of work to be done in England, as we're reliant on the UK Govt. It would be easy to do though, as the law is identical to Wales - I just hope the Local Government Minister James Brokenshire is reading this.