Switch over to free benefits with the Co-operative Bank

The Co-operative Bank is offering customers complimentary access to its market leading Privilege and Privilege Premier Packaged Current Accounts for a 12-month period.

This equates to a subscription fee saving of up to £114 and access to a range of practical, usable benefits worth up to £600, including:

Worldwide travel insurance 
Mobile phone insurance 
Exclusive discounts on a range of financial products

Customers can also choose an additional benefit bundle, dependent upon their individual lifestyle needs, including Safeguard, which incorporates identity theft insurance and bag and contents insurance, Traveller, which provides airport lounge passes and lost passport and luggage recovery and Gadget, which protects portable devices and gadgets.

The offer is available to new and existing customers who use the bank's dedicated switching team to make their Co-operative Bank current account their main bank account. Access to the offer requires a minimum monthly payment of £800 into the account.

John Hughes, Business Leader, Retail Products at The Co-operative Bank, said: "Over the last six months, we've experienced a surge in customers switching their current account from other major providers to us.

"This incentive has been launched to enable new and existing customers, to experience our market leading range of packaged current accounts, associated benefits and exemplary levels of customer service for themselves.

"We also recognise that switching current accounts can be a time consuming process, that's where our dedicated switching team comes in, they'll take care of everything, making it simple and hassle-free."

Commenting on the offer, Andrew Hagger from Moneynet.co.uk, added: "It's refreshing to see this long term ‘try before you buy' approach being used and letting customers decide for themselves, rather than relying on short term cash incentives to tempt people to switch banks.  

"The latter can lead to people switching for the wrong reason and not for the underlying features of an account. The ability for customers to try out the benefits on offer free of charge for a full 12 months will give them a real opportunity to see if this is an account that will work for them in the longer term, and something they feel offers real value."

The Co-operative Bank offers two packaged accounts, and customers will be offered complimentary access to the account that best fits with their individual banking requirements.  

Customers can take advantage of this incentive until 20 November 2010 online at co-operativebank.co.uk.