Accounts must be opened at one of the bank’s branches or by telephone.

The offer is an extension of an initiative offering a similar incentive to internet users opening an account online.

Ewan Edwards, head of current accounts at Alliance & Leicester, said: “The £25 bonus is only a start – applicants will find the value of the other Premier benefits quickly mount up.

“In fact, we reckon a customer switching from one of the ‘Big Four’ will typically save around £140 within the first 12 months of opening a Premier account.”

Benefits of the Premier Current Account include free annual world-wide travel insurance (worth around £80), an overdraft rate of 0 per cent for one year and a credit interest rate of 2.12 per cent AER.