How to sign up to Chip: step by step, with the referral code

Signing up to Chip takes a handful of steps, all in the app. The order matters if you want the £50 referral bonus, because the referral has to be attached when you join, not afterwards. This guide goes through each step in order and flags the two things that most often stop the bonus paying: using a different email, and putting your money in the Easy Access Saver.

What do you need to sign up to Chip?

A smartphone, an email address, ID for Chip’s identity check, and a UK bank account to link. Chip’s website, including its Instant Access Account page, says you must be 18 or over, UK tax resident, and signing up in the app.

If you want the bonus, check that last line before you start. The £50 is only for people who have never held a Chip account before, at any time. If you are not sure, our five-question Chip bonus checker covers it along with the other conditions.

Step 1: Open the referral link on your phone and download Chip

Open our link on the phone you will use for Chip. Chip’s referral page asks for your email address. Enter it, then download the app from your phone’s app store. Chip’s terms give you 30 days to download after entering your email, but there is no reason to wait.

Opening the link on the same phone you sign up on keeps things simple: the referral is set up and the app is right there. If you are reading this on a laptop, you can still sign up; just use the code in the app instead (see making sure the £50 tracks below).

If you already have Chip installed from some time ago but never opened an account, update it first. Chip’s referral terms mention needing app version 4.56.0 or later.

Step 2: Create your account with the same email

When the app asks for your email, use exactly the same address you entered on the referral page. That match is what ties your new account to the referral. If you type a different address, even another one of yours, the referral may not attach and the bonus will not track.

Chip then asks for the usual personal details: your name, date of birth, address and so on. Type them as they appear on your ID, because the next step checks them against it.

Step 3: Verify your identity

Like every regulated UK savings provider, Chip has to confirm who you are before it can hold your money. Chip asks you to verify your identity in the app, and walks you through what it needs. Have your ID to hand before you start.

Most people get through this quickly. If Chip needs more information, it will tell you in the app. Do not open a second account or start again with a new email if it is taking a while; that can break the referral and cause more delay.

Step 4: Link your bank account

Chip asks you to connect a UK current account in your name. That linked account is where your deposits come from, where your withdrawals go, and what autosave looks at when it decides how much to move.

Chip’s website describes how it uses open banking, which generally means you approve the connection in your own bank’s app or website rather than giving Chip your banking password. The app shows you exactly what it is asking permission for, so read that screen before you approve it. If your bank is not supported or the connection fails, the app will tell you what to do next.

Before you go further, it is worth knowing where your money will sit. Chip is an app, not a bank, and your savings are held with partner banks and protected by the FSCS. Our page on whether Chip is safe explains who holds what.

Step 5: Pick an account (not Easy Access, for now)

For the bonus, pick the Smart Cash ISA, the Instant Access Account or the Prize Savings Account. Do not start with the Easy Access Saver: it does not count towards the £50.

Rates are variable. New-customer boosts last 12 months, then the standard rate applies.

Which one? If you have ISA allowance left this tax year, the Smart Cash ISA pays the most and the interest is tax-free. It is a flexible ISA, so taking money out and putting it back in the same tax year does not use up more of your £20,000 allowance; our guide to how flexible ISAs work explains why that matters. If your allowance is already used, Instant Access is the simpler choice, with unlimited withdrawals with no penalty. More on the ISA in our Chip Smart Cash ISA guide.

Easy Access pays more than Instant Access, which is exactly why it catches people out. If you want it, open it after the £50 has landed. Our comparison of Chip Instant Access vs Easy Access covers the withdrawal limits that come with it.

Step 6: Make your first deposit of £1,000 or more

Move £1,000 or more from your linked bank into your chosen eligible account. You can split it across more than one eligible account, but the total in eligible accounts is what counts. Doing it in one go, as soon as your account is open, is the safest approach.

Your 90 days hold starts once you are at £1,000. From then on, if your balance drops below £1,000 at any point, the 90-day countdown starts again from zero. And everything has to be done within 120 days of being referred, so you need to reach £1,000 by roughly day 30. That is why building up to £1,000 slowly with autosave is a risky way to qualify.

A small cushion above £1,000 helps. It means a fee or a mistaken withdrawal does not take you under and restart the count.

Step 7: Set up autosave (optional)

Autosave moves small amounts from your linked account into Chip automatically. It only ever adds money, so it will not harm your bonus. On the Basic plan it costs 45p per autosave. Recurring deposits, where you choose a fixed amount on a schedule, are free on both plans.

If you do not want to pay per save, a recurring deposit does a similar job for free. If you autosave a lot, the paid ChipX plan includes unlimited autosaves; our page on whether ChipX is worth it works out where the break-even sits. For how to tune and pause it, see our Chip autosave guide.

How to make sure the £50 tracks

Use the link on the phone you sign up on, sign up with the same email you gave on the referral page, or type the code in the app within 14 days of downloading.

• Link route. Open our link on your phone, enter your email, download within 30 days, and sign up with that same email.
• Code route. Download Chip, sign up, and type CHIP-XUD314 into the app within 14 days of downloading. Use this if you read about Chip on a laptop and sign up on your phone.
• Deposit into the right account. £1,000 or more into the Smart Cash ISA, the Instant Access Account or the Prize Savings Account. Not Easy Access.
• Leave it alone. At least £1,000 for 90 days in a row, all inside 120 days of being referred.

The £50 is paid into your Chip Instant Access Account (or Prize Savings Account if you do not have one), once all the conditions are met. It is paid at Chip's discretion. Our full guide to the Chip referral code has a worked example of the reset rule and what to do if the bonus does not arrive.

What are the common Chip sign-up mistakes?

Most problems with the £50 come from a small number of slips during sign-up. All of them are easy to avoid if you know about them in advance.

• Using a different email. If the email in the app does not match the one on the referral page, the referral may not attach.
• Downloading first and forgetting the code. If you installed Chip without a link, you have 14 days to type the code in. After that it is too late.
• Choosing Easy Access. It pays more than Instant Access but does not count. Money there does nothing for the bonus.
• Building up slowly. The 90 days only start once you reach £1,000, and everything must finish within 120 days. Small top-ups can leave you short of time.
• Dipping below £1,000. One withdrawal that takes you under restarts the count from zero.
• Having held Chip before. Any previous Chip account, even a closed one, rules out the bonus for both sides.

None of these stop you using Chip. They only affect the bonus. If one has already happened, Chip’s rates and features are still there to judge on their own merits.

How long does it take to sign up to Chip?

Usually one sitting, as long as your identity check goes through without extra questions. Most of the time goes on typing your details and approving the bank connection.

What can slow it down: a photo of your ID that is blurry or cropped, details that do not quite match your ID, or Chip asking for more information. If that happens, answer in the app and wait rather than starting a fresh account. Getting money in is then as quick as a transfer from your bank.

After you sign up

Three things worth doing once your account is open and funded:

1. Put two dates in your calendar. One for 90 days after your deposit, when the £50 should be on its way. One for 12 months after you open each account, when the new-customer boost ends and the rate drops to the standard rate.
2. Check where the money is. Make sure it is in an eligible account and that nothing will pull you below £1,000.
3. Decide on autosave. Leave it, tune it, or swap it for a free recurring deposit.

If you want a fuller view of what Chip is like to live with, including withdrawals, support and costs, read our first-hand Chip review. Current offer runs 1 October to 31 October 2026.