Paying for a bank account never used to sit well with me, after all, you are effectively letting them use your money. £31 a month then is a joke right?! well, not if you scratch past the surface. Let’s take a closer look at the NatWest Premier Rewards Black Account.
Let me start by saying the eligibility criteria is high. You have to match at least one of the below, as well as be a permanent UK resident.
| Income | Savings or Investments | Mortgage Borrowings |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum individual income of £100,000 or £120,000 joint income paid directly into your NatWest account. | A minimum of £100,000 in savings or investments held with NatWest. | £500,000 of mortgage borrowing with NatWest. |
So what do you actually get for that £31 per month (that, by the way, can’t be paid annually)?
Worldwide Travel Insurance
As the title says worldwide travel insurance with annual cover for trips up to 90 days (31 days for winter sports). This covers you, your other half and any dependents living at your home address under the age of 18 (or under 23 if in full-time education). It’s pretty much your typical policy of £10 million per person for medical and emergency expenses, £50k for legal expenses, £2 million personal liability per event and up to £2500 per person on personal items that are lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed whilst your on holiday.
Although I haven’t had to use the policy it ticks all the boxes and is underwritten by UK Insurance LTD who own Direct Line, Privilege, Churchill, etc. After a quick look online LV offer a similar policy which is £222.84
Concierge Service
Now, this is something I use almost on a regular basis. The NatWest 24/7 Black Concierge Service. Booking the three Michelin starred “The Eight” restaurant in The Grand Lisboa in Macau. Sourcing tickets for Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder at The Staples Center in LA. Sorting out transfers to and from a hotel in Brisbane. All things the team has been able to do for me with little lead time and pretty much no effort on my part. Obviously, it’s nice to have and the fact they can sort most things out pretty much anywhere in the world is always good when you’re on different continents from week to week.
Worldwide Airport Lounge Access
With instant membership to the Dragon Pass scheme, you have access to over 970 lounges around the world. If you don’t have status with an airline or alliance you are flying with having a Dragon Pass card is very useful. Lounges for me are a must when travelling, they make the whole process much better, fun in fact. Lounges typically run at around £30-40 for 3 hours access so 6 flights a year on airlines that you don’t carry status on and things soon add up. If you have a joint account then both of you get your own cards, if it is an individual account you can take a guess but it’s at a cost of £20 per visit (which isn’t great). They also allow you to pre-book lounges for £5 if you are travelling at peak times and think the lounge may get full. I’ve yet to see a lounge get full. You do also have to bear in mind that they usually give access to paid-for lounges which typically are nowhere near the quality of dedicated airline lounges.
You can buy this direct from Dragon Pass for £268
UK & European Car Breakdown Cover
Provided by Green Flag your covered for any privately registered vehicle you travel in within all of the UK and Europe. Its the one where if they can’t get your car sorted, they will still get you to your destination. and if you breakdown in Europe they’ll get it home for you. You can use it up to a maximum of 5 times a year but if you’re using it that many times, I think you need to take a long look at what you’re driving around in.
That’s £80 when buying direct
Ticket Booking Service
Black Ticket Service, put simply you get 25% off up to 6 tickets per event four times a year through Ticketmaster UK. So things like Taylor Swift at The O2, Josh Warrington at Leeds, Creamfields, James Acaster, etc.
Then you have things like mobile phone insurance, discount at cinemas, preferential rates on travel money, etc, stuff that I deem as having pretty much no value.
Rewards
You get 2% back on your household bills when paying by direct debit. Those include Broadband and TV, Council Tax, Home and Mobile Phone, Gas, Electricity and Water. You also get 1% back at their partner retailers but as there are only 10 partner retailers and none of them are worth mentioning I won’t bother.
I think for those of you who meet the criteria and are somewhat of a social butterfly who likes to travel as an individual or a family this could be the perfect account for you. Is there £372 a year saving to be had, most certainly. 4 trips a year, once or twice a year at the theatre and you’re quids in.