What is Burner Account?
Slang for a basic current account opened purely to be switched away from for a bonus. You open it with one bank, then switch it to another to claim the bonus. The burner account itself doesn't need to be anything special — a free basic account is fine.
"Burner account" is switching-community slang for a current account whose only job is to be switched away. Because most switch bonuses require a full CASS switch of an existing account, serial switchers open a spare account somewhere, then switch that account — rather than their main one — into the bank paying the bonus.
The account itself can be as plain as possible: a free, no-frills current account works, and it doesn't need a salary or long history. Once the CASS switch completes, the burner account is closed automatically as part of the process — which is where the name comes from; the account is used once and gone.
A few practical details sit around the concept. Some bonus terms require the switch to bring across active direct debits, which means setting them up on the burner before switching. And opening current accounts can involve a hard credit check depending on the bank, so the pace at which burners are opened shows up on a credit file.