How to get to eBucks Level 5 with new rules
FNB customers may find it slightly easier to move up its eBucks Rewards Levels with the changes to the programme on 1 July 2026.
FNB announced several upcoming enhancements to eBucks this week, including two new partners and higher discounts on devices bought through its eBucks partner store.
The bank also reduced the points needed to reach each eBucks level by 500 points across its Premier, Private Clients, and Private Wealth products.
The Level 5 thresholds dropped from 10,000 to 9,500 points for Premier, from 12,000 to 11,000 for Private Clients, and from 13,500 to 13,000 for Private Wealth customers.
However, that is only one part of the equation. With each major adjustment to the programme, FNB also revised the earnings criteria.
Over the last few years, these have included significant reductions or complete removals of points for certain criteria.
The most recent changes implemented in November 2025 were particularly frustrating for users, as it was the first time in many years that the earnings criteria changed twice over an annual period.
MyBroadband assessed the upcoming adjustments to see whether it will be easier or more difficult to reach the topmost Level 5 on FNB Premier from July 2026.
FNB told MyBroadband that this is the most popular account type used by customers whose eBucks earnings are determined by their Reward Level.
One of our first observations was that FNB removed the 500 points customers could easily earn by having 80% of their qualifying spend on a virtual card.
Virtual cards are supported for both online and in-person payments through a digital wallet. They can be linked to a debit or credit account, making transacting seamless.
The bank introduced this option several years ago, initially giving customers up to 3,000 levelling points if they performed over 80% of their online and in-person transactions in a month with a virtual card.
That was reduced to 1,500 points in July 2025 and cut again to 500 points in November 2025, which made it significantly more difficult for Premier and Private Clients to attain Level 5.
New ways to earn without spending more money
The only remaining points collection benefit for those who continue to keep over 80% of their qualifying spend on virtual cards is earning additional eBucks through Smart Spend rewards from online purchases.
On that front, FNB has also increased the spending thresholds required to receive Smart Spend payouts and reduced the maximum returns.
On the positive side, the bank has increased the total amount of points users can earn with basic and free in-app actions by 500 points.
Firstly, an extra 250 points are up for grabs for those who view the “Track My Rewards” tab, although FNB now also requires users to enter the “Earn More eBucks” section.
This can be done in less than 30 seconds from logging into the app. An extra 250 points are available to those who engage with at least two of the four Nav>Money features in the app.
The additional 500 points offset the removal of the 500 points that are no longer available through virtual card spend.
All the other earning criteria that carry no additional cost have remained largely the same, including the minimum deposit amounts.
That said, it will not be possible for most people to reach Level 5 without at least taking up one or two products or services that attract a fee.
In the table below, we have summarised the criteria which are easiest to achieve and the points awarded for each to increase Premier customers’ eBucks Rewards Level.
| Criteria | Revolving facility with a limit of R5,000. Use R2,500 and repay monthly to avoid interest. | Additional spending required | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1. Have a minimum monthly deposit of at least R5,500 into your account. 1.2. Have a minimum monthly deposit (excluding inter-account transfers) of R16,500 into your account. 1.3. Have average deposits over 12 months of at least R16,500 into your account 2. Initiate at least 10 debit transactions on your account per month. | Earn a salary of at least R16,500 and have it deposited into your account. Have a total of 10 transactions from the following types each month: – Debit card purchases – Electronic and manual payments – eWallet payments – Debit orders – Bank you Change transfer – Cash deposit – ATM or till cash withdrawal – EFT – Prepaid airtime, electricity, lotto, or TV licence purchases | No | 2,000 |
| Engage with 2 or more of the following Nav>Money tools monthly: – My Net Worth -Credit Status -Track My Spend -Have at least three budget categories set up in Smart Budget and access them monthly | Visit two of the first three options monthly: – My Net Worth -Credit Status -Track My Spend | No | 500 (previously 250) |
| View the “Track My Rewards” and “Earn More” tabs on the FNB App once every month | View the “Track My Rewards” tab on the FNB App every month | No | 500 (previously 250) |
| Have an FNB Fusion Account with a credit limit and an active credit card with a credit limit | If you have a Premier Current account, switch to Fusion for R15 less per month. | No, saving of R15 | 2,000 |
| Manage your property or use one of the available services under the nav» Home tab on the FNB App once a quarter. | Search for any property in this tab and view some listings early in a quarter. | No | 500 |
| Have an unsecured Revolving Facility with a mininum required limit and average usage equal or greater to 50%, with FNB Debt Protection Plan. | Pay bills with a combined value over R1,000: – Cellular contract bill – DStv bill – Municipal utility bill – Insurance bill – Funeral cover | No | 500 |
| Pay your municipal, electricity, cellular, or other accounts supporting EasyPay and Pay@ via FNB Pay Bills. | Ensure all bills are paid on time, and credit is not increasing exponentially | No | 1,000 |
| Buy 3 or more different products every month (with a combined minimum purchase value of R300) from these categories under the “Buy” tab on the FNB App: Electricity, Lotto, Airtime and Bundles, Gaming and Vouchers. | Buy 3 of the following with a minimum combined value of R300: – Prepaid data bundle or airtime – Prepaid electricity – Netflix voucher – Showmax voucher – Apple App Store or Google Play Store voucher – Spotify voucher – Makro voucher – Uber voucher | Yes — only if not using products either way | 500 |
| Maintain a healthy Credit status on nav» Money with a Light Green or Dark Green status | Ensure all bills are paid on time and credit is not increasing exponentially | No | 500 |
| Total points | 8,000 Level 3 | ||
| Additional options with limited extra costs — Minimum 500 extra points for Level 4, 1,500 points for Level 5 | |||
| Grow your FNB Savings account by at least R1,400 per month, excluding interest, profit, and other returns, and make a scheduled payment | Schedule payment or transfer of R1,400 into Savings Account every month | Yes | 500 for one 1,000 for both |
| Have a family account | Add a spouse or partner under the My Family tab on the FNB app and open and maintain a bank account for them | Yes — discounted 50% of the main account holder’s monthly fee | 1,000 |
| Linked FNBy Account | Add your child under the My Family tab on the FNB app and have a linked FNBy transactional account OR have a linked FNBy Savings account with a balance that grows by R200 each month | No — Free for under 18s | 1,000 |
| FNB Funeral plan | Have an FNB Funeral plan with at least 2 lives covered and pay monthly premiums from FNB Fusion Premier or Premier Current account | Yes — Starting under R100 per month | 500 |
| Have an active FNB Islamic Current account and maintain | R30,000–R49,999: 1,000 R50,000+: 2,000 | ||
| Total optional points | Up to 5,500 Level 5 | ||
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