Discounts · Uni-Verse Cardiff

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Open to our first 1,000 users. One lucky winner gets £100. Entries close on 30 April 2027.

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Free to enter. Open to the first 1,000 users to verify their @cardiff.ac.uk email. One entry per account, plus one extra entry for each verified student you refer. Entries close at 11:59pm on 30 April 2027. The winner is then picked at random from all entries, and we'll contact them by email. Full giveaway rules

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Money

Student bank accounts compared

What each bank’s student account offers, taken from the banks’ own websites. Checked 5 Nov 2026. Offers change, so always check the bank’s site before you apply.

An overdraft isn’t money you’re given. The amounts below are overdraft limits: how far below £0 the bank lets your account go. Nothing is paid to you when you open an account, and every pound you use from the overdraft is borrowed and has to be paid back.

All banks

🚆 Free railcard

🎁 Other perks

BarclaysStudent Account

Overdraft limit (interest-free): Up to £500 in your first term, £1,000 in year 1, £1,500 from year 2
Perk: No fees to open or use the account
You need: Lived in the UK for 3+ years

Full details on the Barclays website

HSBCStudent Bank Account

Overdraft limit (interest-free): Up to £1,000 from the start, rising to up to £3,000 by year 3
Perk: Access to a 5% AER Regular Saver (£25–£250 a month)
You need: 18+, lived in the UK for 3+ years, 16-digit UCAS code

Full details on the HSBC website

Lloyds BankStudent Current Account

Overdraft limit (interest-free): Up to £1,500 in years 1–3, up to £2,000 in years 4–6
Perk: Fee-free spending abroad, plus cashback offers with selected retailers
You need: Lived in the UK for 3+ years, 4-digit UCAS code

Full details on the Lloyds Bank website

NationwideFlexStudent

Overdraft limit (interest-free): Up to £1,000 in year 1, up to £3,000 by year 3
Perk: 600+ branches across the UK
You need: Lived in the UK for 3+ years, 4-digit UCAS code

Full details on the Nationwide website

NatWestStudent Account

Overdraft limit (interest-free): Up to £500 when you open it, £2,000 from your second term, up to £3,250 from year 3
Perk: Free 4-year tastecard (2-for-1 meals, cinema and café deals)
You need: Must be your main account (student finance or wages paid in), lived in the UK for 3+ years, 16-digit UCAS code

Full details on the NatWest website

SantanderEdge Student Current Account

Overdraft limit (interest-free): £1,500 in years 1–3, up to £2,000 by year 5
Perk: Free 4-year 16-25 Railcard (a third off rail fares)
You need: Pay in £500+ every 4 months, live in the UK permanently, course of 2+ years

Full details on the Santander website

TSBStudent Account

Overdraft limit (interest-free): Up to £500 for the first 6 months, £1,000 from month 7, £1,500 from month 10
Perk: 5% AER interest on up to £500 in the account
You need: Lived in the UK for 3+ years, full-time course of 2+ years

Full details on the TSB website

How student overdrafts work

It’s not free money. An overdraft lets you spend below £0, and whatever you use is a debt you have to pay back.
It’s interest-free only up to the bank’s limit. Go over it and you can be charged.
The limits above are maximums. The bank decides what you actually get, and it can be lower.
It’s borrowed money, so it has to be paid back. When you graduate, it usually becomes a graduate account and the interest-free limit shrinks each year until it’s gone.
Staying within your arranged limit shouldn’t hurt your credit score, but going over it can.
You can normally only have one student account at a time.
Most need a UCAS code and 3+ years living in the UK. International students can usually open a standard account instead.

This is general information, not financial advice, and Uni-Verse doesn’t earn anything from these links. For free, impartial help with money, try MoneyHelper, the government-backed guidance service.