How Long a UK Current Account Bank Switch Takes
A full Current Account Switch Service move normally takes seven working days from the agreed switch date process, but opening the new account and receiving a promotional bonus can extend the overall timetable.
The standard CASS switch is seven working days
The Current Account Switch Service is designed to complete a full current-account switch in seven working days once the new account is open and a switch date has been agreed. During the process, the new bank arranges the transfer of the balance and regular payments and closes the old account on the switch date.
The seven working days exclude weekends and bank holidays. If a period includes a bank holiday, the calendar time can therefore be longer than seven days. The banks agree the switch date with the customer rather than simply starting the clock the instant an application is submitted.
New payment arrangements created at the old bank during the seven working days leading up to the switch date are not automatically moved. CASS says those new arrangements should be set up on the new account instead. That rule is one reason to avoid changing regular payments during the final switching week.
Opening the new account can add extra time before CASS starts
The seven-day service does not include every possible identity, fraud-prevention or account-opening check. A bank may open an account immediately, or it may request documents or carry out additional checks before the destination account is ready to receive a switch.
If you need a switch completed before a salary date, house move or promotional deadline, allow time for the new account to be approved first. Do not count backward exactly seven working days from the deadline and assume the account-opening stage will take no time.
A debit card can also arrive after the account itself opens. Nationwide currently says a new debit card may take around 8 to 10 days to arrive, which matters because its switch offer requires a debit-card payment within the qualifying window. Operational timing around the switch can therefore be longer than the CASS transfer itself.
What happens on and after the switch date
On the switch date, the old account closes, the available balance is transferred and regular payment arrangements are moved. Payments accidentally sent to the old account afterward are redirected to the new account, and the payer can be notified of the new details.
Check the new account on the first day and during the first payment cycle. Confirm the expected balance arrived, important Direct Debits are present and incoming salary or pension payments are reaching the new account. Keep old statements before closure because access to historical documents can vary after the donor account disappears from online banking.
The Current Account Switch Guarantee covers the core switch process and provides for correction of problems caused by switching. If a delayed or failed switch causes charges or lost interest, contact the new bank with evidence of the loss and the affected payment.
A bonus can take much longer than the bank switch
The promotional timetable is separate. Lloyds currently says its £200 is paid within 14 working days of the switch starting, while Nationwide pays within 10 days of all requirements being met. first direct pays by the 20th of the following month after all qualifying criteria are completed.
NatWest can take up to 30 days after the customer completes its qualifying activity. Santander's current public timetable is longer: it checks eligibility 60 days after the initial switch request and then pays within the next 30 days, so the cash can arrive around 90 days after the original request.
A customer can therefore have a fully functioning new account after the seven-working-day switch but still wait weeks for the incentive. Do not describe a missing bonus as a delayed CASS switch unless the account transfer itself is also incomplete.
When a switch takes longer and what to do
Delays can arise before CASS begins because of account-opening checks or because information at the old and new banks does not match. During the actual switch, payment or balance-transfer problems should be raised with the receiving bank, which is responsible for managing the switch under the service guarantee.
Keep the agreed switch date, account-opening messages and any error notices. If the old account remains open unexpectedly or a payment instruction fails to move, contact the new bank promptly rather than trying to repair both accounts independently.
For a promotional switch, also preserve evidence that the request was made before any offer deadline. A bank may honour an already accepted switch after withdrawing a campaign if its terms say so, but that promotional protection is separate from the CASS service-level timetable.
BankOfferScout editorial view
The editorial lens on How Long a Bank Switch Takes is deliberately practical: model the dates on which actions, payments or transfers must occur, then judge eligibility, deadlines, switching mechanics and the ongoing value of the destination account. This reduces the chance that a temporary headline benefit dominates a decision it should not control.
We stress-test the comparison for assuming a marketing date and an operational completion date are the same. If two options are close, simpler conditions and a better fit for normal behaviour can be more valuable than a marginal numerical edge that is easy to lose.
Before acting on How Long a Bank Switch Takes, verify processing windows, cut-offs, deadlines and escalation routes using the provider switching page, incentive terms and destination-account tariff. If the answer depends on a rule outside the provider, confirm it through the Current Account Switch Service or another authoritative process source. BankOfferScout supplies the decision framework rather than freezing live product data in time.
Sources and related guides
CASS timing and live promotional examples were checked on 30 September 2026. Future updates should keep three timelines separate: account opening, the seven-working-day CASS move and any later bonus-payment period. If the service standard changes, update the core process and every article that relies on it. If only a bank's promotional timing changes, update that example without implying that the CASS service itself has become faster or slower.
- CASS - personal switching process
- CASS - common questions
- Lloyds - seven working days and offer
- Nationwide - current switch timing
- Santander - current bonus timetable
Related BankOfferScout guides: Future reviews should also distinguish a delay in opening the receiving account from a failure inside the seven-working-day switch itself. Those are different stages and can require different evidence when making a complaint.
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