--- title: "first direct takes its referral programme to the next level with Buyapowa" id: "16925" type: "post" slug: "first-direct" published_at: "2019-09-10T07:40:36+00:00" modified_at: "2024-08-23T09:39:25+00:00" url: "https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/first-direct/" markdown_url: "https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/first-direct.md" excerpt: "It’s hard to believe that 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of HSBC’s first direct hitting the scene. But, three decades before the challenger banks, fintech disruptors and open-banking of today’s landscape, there it was – changing everything with 24/7/365 always-open..." taxonomy_category: - "Banking & Finance" - "Use cases" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Banking" - "Client" - "financial services" - "first direct" - "Referral Program" taxonomy_translation_priority: - "Optional" --- [Back to Articles](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/) - [Banking & Finance](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/banking-finance/) , [Use cases](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/use-cases/) # first direct takes its referral programme to the next level with Buyapowa Last Modified: 23/08/2024 **3 min read** [https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/author/peter-cunningham/](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/author/peter-cunningham/) **Author:** [Peter Cunningham](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/author/peter-cunningham/) - Marketing Director of Buyapowa It’s hard to believe that 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of HSBC’s **first direct** hitting the scene. But, three decades before the challenger banks, fintech disruptors and open-banking of today’s landscape, there it was – changing everything with 24/7/365 always-open phone banking. And **first direct** has continued to innovate ever since, leading the way with online banking, SMS banking, mobile banking and even next-gen wizzbangery such as voice recognition to help verify customers’ identities. So, given the fact that **first direct** has always set the pace for technical innovation – coupled with the fact that referral marketing has been shown to slash FS-sector CPAs by as much as 50% – it’s no surprise that they’ve been running their own, self-built refer-a-friend programme for the past five years. But what *might* surprise you is that, after taking a look at the features, service and results the Buyapowa platform can offer, they’ve decided to relaunch their programme with us rather than continuing to go it alone. So, why Buyapowa? Well, in **first direct**’s case, there were five key reasons: 1. They know their strengths, and those lie in delivering a first-class banking experience for their 1.45 million customers – not in building refer-a-friend programmes. So, to take their programme to the next level, it made sense for **first direct** to team up with the experts, freeing up their internal development teams to focus on their core business. 2. By partnering with Buyapowa, **first direct** have joined a global network of top-tier clients, including the likes of Sprint, the AA, Travelex, Sixt and Vodafone. That means they won’t just benefit from our wealth of experience and know-how, they’ll also enjoy continual platform improvements and new features designed to maximise results for all our clients. 3. Speaking of which, advanced features cost a lot to develop. Absolutely, **first direct** could have continued to work on their own, self-built programme. But what about performance-focused features like gamification, omnichannel tracking, parallel programmes, sharing on Instagram, referral via SMS and contextual triggers that engage customers the right way at the right time? We’ve already built all those and more, so clients like **first direct** don’t have to. 4. It’s one thing to build a refer-a-friend programme, but optimising it is another challenge altogether – and that can only be achieved with the advanced analytics and testing facilities which come as standard for all Buyapowa clients. Most self-built solutions fall short in this regard, resulting in lacklustre programmes which quickly stagnate and fail. 5. Finally, banks simply aren’t like other businesses. They’re highly regulated and held to standards which often result in extremely complex systems and workflows. Ordinarily, that makes integration with third-party platforms impossible. But, while other referral platforms have been designed to suit retail brands, the Buyapowa platform was explicitly architected to serve highly-regulated industries, bending to our clients’ needs no matter how complex they might be. For **first direct**, that made all the difference. We’d love it to make all the difference for you, too. So, for a closer look at **first direct**’s exciting new programme, or to find out how our platform could supercharge your acquisitions, just [get in touch](https://www.buyapowa.com/contact-us/) . ## Free eBook Referral Codebreakers Fill in the form & Unlock the science behind the world’s most successful & influential referral marketing programs ##### Categories ## Related Articles ### [To everyone who’s ever been told, “You can’t email the customer base…”](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/email-customer-base/) - [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/email-customer-base/) 30/06/2026 • **4 min read** ### [Credit Unions Have Always Grown Through Trust. The Opportunity Now Is Making That Trust Scalable.](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/credit-unions-consumer-referral-research/) - [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/credit-unions-consumer-referral-research/) 26/06/2026 • **6 min read** ### [Referral Is Already Happening In Energy. Most Suppliers Just Aren’t Capturing It.](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/referral-uk-energy/) - [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/referral-uk-energy/) 26/06/2026 • **5 min read** ### [The Complete Online Gaming Blueprint](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/online-gaming-blueprint/) - [Gaming](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/gaming/) , [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/online-gaming-blueprint/) 26/06/2026 • **9 min read** ### [The Complete Banking Blueprint](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/the-complete-banking-blueprint/) - [Banking & Finance](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/banking-finance/) , [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/the-complete-banking-blueprint/) 25/06/2026 • **10 min read** ### [30 Tips to Generate More Customer Referrals](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/tips-encourage-customer-referrals/) - [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/tips-encourage-customer-referrals/) 25/06/2026 • **40 min read** ### [An Open Letter to Anyone Who Thinks Referral Marketing Hasn’t Changed](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/an-open-letter-to-anyone-who-thinks-referral-marketing-hasnt-changed/) - [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/an-open-letter-to-anyone-who-thinks-referral-marketing-hasnt-changed/) 24/06/2026 • **4 min read** ### [Referral, Loyalty & Switching Dynamics in Canadian ISPs](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/referral-loyalty-canada-isps/) - [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/referral-loyalty-canada-isps/) 14/06/2026 • **13 min read** ### [Referral & Switching Dynamics in US ISPs](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/referral-switching-dynamics-in-us-isps/) - [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/referral-switching-dynamics-in-us-isps/) 14/06/2026 • **16 min read** ### [How Do You Attribute Referrals as Part of the Marketing Mix?](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/referrals-attribution/) - [Uncategorised](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/uncategorised/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/referrals-attribution/) 14/06/2026 • **9 min read** ### [What Drives Better Performance: An Evergreen Referral Program or Promotional Referral Campaigns?](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/evergreen-referral-program-vs-promotional-campaigns/) - [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/evergreen-referral-program-vs-promotional-campaigns/) 14/06/2026 • **6 min read** ### [The Complete Installer & Engineer Blueprint](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/installer-engineer-blueprint/) - [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/installer-engineer-blueprint/) 14/06/2026 • **7 min read** ### [The Complete Community & Local Partner Blueprint](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/community-local-partner-blueprint/) - [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/community-local-partner-blueprint/) 14/06/2026 • **7 min read** ### [Referral, Loyalty & Switching Risk in the French Energy Market](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/referral-french-energy/) - [Energy](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/energy/) , [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/referral-french-energy/) 14/06/2026 • **13 min read** ### [Referral, Loyalty & Switching Risk in French Home Insurance](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/referral-french-home-insurance/) - [Insurance](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/insurance/) , [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/referral-french-home-insurance/) 14/06/2026 • **10 min read** ### [Referral, Loyalty & Switching Risk in French Car Insurance](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/referral-french-car-insurance/) - [Insurance](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/insurance/) , [Thought Leadership](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/category/thought-leadership/) [Read More](https://www.buyapowa.com/blog/referral-french-car-insurance/) 14/06/2026 • **3 min read** ## Free eBook Referral Codebreakers Fill in the form & Unlock the science behind the world’s most successful & influential referral marketing programs.