Martin Lewis urges people born in these years to get £100 Santander freebie | Personal Finance | Finance

Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis is urging people born in certain years to get a £100 freebie from Santander. Martin said that those aged between 20 and 25 as of June 30 this year – so those born after June 30, 1999, or born in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and before June 30 2005 – could claim a freebie from Santander worth £100.

All you need to do is be aged 20-25 on June 30 this year, open a Santander savings account and put £50 in it (you can take it back out later) and then you’ll get a free 16-25 railcard worth £100. Taking to Twitter, Martin said: “Are you aged 20 to 25? If so there’s a trick right now that can get you a free £100 railcard via the bank Santander.

“I’m Martin Lewis from MoneySavingExpert.com and I want to talk you through how you claim this.

“This is specifically for people who will be 20 to 25 on the 30th of June this year, June 30 2025.

“The railcard you can get is a free four-year railcard, what used to be called a young person’s railcard, now a 16 to 25 railcard, and if you bought it yourself it would cost you £100.

“And it gets you a third off most rail fares. Now you can do this as long as you’re a UK resident and Santander hasn’t given you the railcard freebie before. Which it only would have done if you had the Santander student bank account.

“This isn’t just for students though, this is for anyone aged 20 to 25.”

Martin told his followers that in order to be eligible, Santander is trying to entice people to open one of its savings accounts, adding: “It wants you to put £50 in one of its savings accounts by the end of May – though I would do it right now in case there’s so much demand it’s costing it too much and it pulls it sooner – and you need to keep it there until at least the 30th of June, or when you get the railcard, whichever is later.

“You also need to set up its online or mobile banking by the end of May, no big deal that one.

“Do that, you’ve got £50 saved, you’ll get a little bit of interest, and you’ll get a free railcard.

“So this is a no-brainer for most people.”

Martin said the Simple 1.2% Easy Access Saver will qualify you for the free railcard, if you just put £50 in it, then once the railcard arrives you can just take it back out.

But if you actually want to save, its 4.25% fixed one year Cash ISA is the best rate, although you need £500 to open it, you’ll get the better rate and you also get the railcard.

You can also open a 6% Santander Edge account, but you need to open or have the Santander Edge current account.