KBC offers two free flights or €100 cash to students
Mark Whelan
Staff Writer

KBC Bank Ireland has announced an attractive new offer to entice students to open a current account with the bank. Students who sign up to an account with KBC before October 31st will get the choice of €100 cash or two free return flights to Europe, including taxes.


KBC has made its move in the battle for the hearts, minds and current account loyalty of Ireland’s students. Across the country, thousands of soon-to-be-freshers are brimming with excitement at the prospect of beginning their college years. With leaving cert points, accommodation searches, making friends and finding a debs date to worry about, deciding which bank to join is probably not at the front of new students’ minds right now….but maybe it should be!

The number of people switching current accounts is very low (only 0.26% of all current account holders switched banks in 2013), with many sticking with whichever bank convinced them to sign up in college well into their adult years.

So, it’s easy to see why KBC is very keen to lure students onto its books now. And they’ve put together a pretty enticing package to do so, including an offer of €100 cash or two free European flights to students who open a current account before October 31st.


Passports at the ready

So, here’s how it works. If you’re a full time student, over 17 and enrolled in an Irish third-level institution, you can sign up for a KBC Student Current Account and avail of the ‘fly or cash’ offer now.

Once you open your account, you’ll get the choice of one return flight to Europe (including taxes) or €40 cash to begin with.

If you opt for the free flights, you can get your first return plane ticket right away. Then, if you complete ten debit card transactions with your new current account before the end of 2015, you’ll get a second free European flight, again with taxes covered.

If you don’t fancy travelling alone, you can hang on to your first free flight until you get your second, and offer that to a travel buddy.


Free cash

If you prefer the feel of hard cash to hard airplane seats, or if you could do with a little help with those hefty college book costs, you can choose free money instead of flights.

You’ll be given €40 cash upon opening your KBC current account, and will get another €60 if you complete ten debit card payments before the end of the year.


College costs causing concern

This offer should be very appealing to students who fancy a bit of adventure at this exciting time of their lives, as well as those who are concerned about college costs. And it turns out that more than half of all students have such concerns.

In advance of announcing its ‘fly or cash’ offer, KBC surveyed Irish students about their attitudes towards money. Over half are worried about their cost of living expenses, while one in three are worried about rent costs. Six in ten students spend most of their money on food, while one in three say that transport is their biggest expense.

With these concerns and costs in mind, the lure of €100 cash will be very appealing to many students, while the thought of a couple of trips to Europe with the help of KBC will be hard to resist for adventurous souls.


What’s the best Student Bank Account?

In the coming weeks, we will review all student current accounts on offer this year, and award the title of ‘Best Student Bank Account for 2015’. Competition will be tough as banks improve their incentives, but KBC is sure to be in the shake up with its ‘fly or cash’ offer.

If you're already dreaming of strolls along the Seine or tours of the Colosseum, you can sign up for a KBC Student Current Account with us now!