Several Kingston residents have expressed thanks to the building society Nationwide after receiving payments of £50 directly into their accounts this month.
The ‘Big Thank You’ payments, which began from 12 April, saw the company give over £600m back to more than 12m members as part of its ongoing ‘Fairer Share’ scheme.
Burwood Park resident and retired motorsport photographer Paula Hamilton began her working life at Midland Bank in 1963, one of the Big Four UK banks that later rebranded to HSBC UK.
Hamilton said: “I can’t remember any bank offering something like this to their clients so I’m very impressed.”
She added: “I will use the £50 towards paying for fuel when I go back to Goodwood Revival in September.”
The building society thanked its members for their support after it purchased Virgin Money last year.
Maeve Strachan, from Rydens, has been with Nationwide for 30 years. She said the service has always been good and compared to other banks she has accounts with, this is a “nice bonus”.
Sunbury Park resident Wendy Addison also praised Nationwide for offering good customer service amid the closure of many street banks.
“It is a great way of showing loyalty when all major banks are closing branches with no service,” she said.
Nicole Robinson said her son, 21, received the payment which will go towards his driving lessons and savings.
Those eligible for the one-off payments were members who hold a current or savings account with Nationwide, and did so on 30 September 2024, with at least £100 in their balance at one time. Other stipulations also applied.
