Nationwide Building Society customers keen to ensure they would be eligible for a £100 payout via its Fairer Share Payment scheme in 2026 - if it happens for a fourth year in a row - should take steps now to ensure they do not miss out. 

Last year, a total of £400million was paid to 4million Nationwide members, up from £385million for 3.85million members the year before. 

The building society is yet to release details of whether there will be a similar scheme in 2026, but for the last three years, certain eligibility criteria have applied. 

To qualify for the payout, members typically need a qualifying active Nationwide current account, plus either a qualifying Nationwide savings account, or cash Isa - or a Nationwide mortgage.

In the last three years, to qualify, customers needed to have had at least £100 in a Nationwide savings account or a cash Isa, or £100 left on a Nationwide mortgage at the end of any day in March.

But if you have a FlexAccount, FlexDirect or FlexBasic account, there is an extra condition you must ensure you meet in order not to be caught out. 

In two out of three months of January 2025, February 2025 and March 2025, you would have needed to receive at least £500 into your current account - and transfers in from other Nationwide accounts you hold do not count.

In addition, you needed to make at least two payments out of your current account.

So, you would have needed to receive a total of £1,000 into the current account from a non-Nationwide account, and make no less than four payments across two of those three months.

There is still time to do this, just, but if you did not meet any of those conditions last year you could also have qualified by making at least 10 payments out of the current account in two out of three months of January 2025, February 2025 and March 2025 - for a total of 20 payments out of the account across two months. 

These conditions did not apply to any new customers who switched their current account to these Nationwide current accounts between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2025. 

Thy also did not apply to the FlexPlus account, which carries an £18 monthly fee or the FlexOne, FlexStudent or FlexGraduate current accounts.  

FlexPlus customers needed to have paid their account fees, while FlexOne, FlexStudent or FlexGraduate must have made one payment in or out in March.

For the current account to be eligible, based on last year's rules, it needs to be active and used in the first three months of this year and has to be open by 31 March at the latest. 

Customers with a Nationwide current account should also ensure they have at least £100 in a Nationwide savings account or cash Isa at some point next month. 

For a mortgage, there needs to be at least £100 owed on it.

Last year, Nationwide said: 'You will have had qualifying savings if you had at least £100 in total in one or more personal savings accounts or cash Isas with Nationwide at the end of any day in March 2025.'

A list of Nationwide's savings accounts can be found here. Accounts that should qualify include Instant Access Saver, Flex Instant Saver, FlexOne Saver, Flex Regular Saver and its suite of cash Isas.

Nationwide is currently offering a £175 cash bribe to new customers who switch to one of its current accounts, but the deal ends on Wednesday 4 March. 

It means new Nationwide customers could stand to make £275 between now and June 2026... if the Fairer Share payment returns for a fourth time.