How ReferBonus works

What referral codes actually are

Almost every fast-growing consumer brand — banks, investment apps, energy suppliers, recipe boxes — runs a refer-a-friend scheme. An existing customer shares a unique code or link; when a new customer signs up through it, the brand rewards both people. For the brand it's cheaper than advertising, because they only pay when someone actually joins. For you it's the easiest free money going: if you're opening the account anyway, arriving via a referral simply adds a bonus.

Why both sides get paid

Referral rewards are marketing spend, not fees. A bank that pays £25 to each side of a referral is spending £50 to acquire a customer it might otherwise have paid far more to reach through advertising. That's the whole trick — there is no catch, and nothing is added to your price. The only thing to watch is the qualifying conditions: most offers require a small action like a first purchase, a minimum deposit or a completed switch before the bonus pays out. We list those conditions on every offer page so you know exactly what to do.

How we choose and check offers

We track referral schemes across banking, cashback, food, investing, energy, mobile and shopping, and only list offers we'd use ourselves. Each page shows the reward, the steps to redeem, the key terms and a "last updated" date. Schemes change at short notice, so we still recommend confirming the current terms on the brand's own site before you commit.

How we make money

Some links on ReferBonus are our own referral links. When you sign up through one, the brand may pay us the referrer-side reward — that's the entire business model, and it's the same scheme you're benefiting from on the other side. It never changes what you pay or what you receive, and it never affects which offers we list or how we describe them.

A note on investment and crypto offers

Free-share and crypto bonuses involve investment products. Your capital is at risk — values fall as well as rise, and cryptoassets are largely unregulated in the UK with no FSCS protection. Never sign up for an investment product just for a bonus, and never invest money you can't afford to lose. ReferBonus is not a financial adviser and nothing here is financial advice.