The Royal College of Nursing (“RCN”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) offers a pilot Member Refer & Reward Programme (“Programme”) that allows existing members in the Northern region (“Referrers”) to refer individuals who meet the eligibility criteria to join the RCN. Eligible new members (“Referred Members”) will receive a 10% discount on their first year of membership, and the Referrer will receive a loyalty reward (as described in section 3.2 below) once the Referred Member’s application is successfully completed and accepted by RCN, and their first membership payment has been collected. For the avoidance of doubt, the first membership payment could either be payment of the entire annual membership fee up front or the first monthly instalment of the annual membership fee. By participating in the Programme, both Referrers and Referred Members agree to these Terms & Conditions. 

Any references to “you” refers collectively to both Referrers and Referred Members.

As set out on our website here, reference to existing members in the Northern region refers to nurses, health care assistants, assistant practitioners, trainee nursing associates, apprentices, nursing students and midwives across County Durham and Darlington, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Tees Valley.

To the extent that there is any conflict between a provision set out in these Terms & Conditions and the RCN Membership Terms & Conditions, the latter shall prevail.

2.1 Referrers: 

• Must be a current RCN member in good standing and with all applicable membership fees fully paid up, at the time of referral.
• Must not be an accredited representative of the RCN.
• Membership must be held in the Northern region only. 
• Cannot refer themselves. 

2.2 Referred Members: 

• Must be a Nursing Support Worker (NSW), Student Nurse (excluding first-year students as they already receive their first year of membership with RCN for free), or a Registered Nurse in the UK. 
• Must meet the eligibility requirements for membership as set out in the RCN Membership Terms and Conditions.
• Must not have held an RCN membership within the last 12 months. 
• Must apply using the unique referral link or code provided by the Referrer. 
• Must not have already received discounted RCN membership through this Programme.

3.1 Discount for Referred Members: 

• A 10% discount will be applied to the first year’s membership fee only. 
• The discount is non-transferable and has no cash value. 
• Discount will be applied automatically when joining via the unique referral link or code provided by the Referrer. 
• If Referred Members decide to join the RCN as a member via the unique referral link or code provided by the Referrer, the Referrer will receive a small loyalty reward (as described in section 3.2 below) from us by way of a thank you for sharing their referral link.  
• This offer cannot be combined with any other offer. 
• Direct debit details will be requested when the Referred Member joins the RCN. After payment of the entire first-year discounted membership fee has been collected by RCN, transfer to the relevant full payment plan (see our membership fees here) will be automatic upon transition, in accordance with the RCN Membership Terms & Conditions. The direct debit details supplied when joining will be used to collect the annual membership payment from that point onwards (which may be payable in monthly instalments) unless the Referred Member notifies us that their payment details have changed. Full details of the membership terms including their rights, obligations and payment terms are set out in the RCN Membership Terms & Conditions provided to Referred Members at the point of joining and is also available on our website here. 
• Referred Members can cancel their membership at any stage and in accordance with the RCN Membership Terms & Conditions . However, if the Referred Member cancels their membership before the first payment of their membership feehas been received by us, the Referred Member will no longer have access to the discounted membership and the loyalty reward (described in section 3.2 below) will not be provided to the Referrer. 

3.2 Loyalty Reward for Referrers: 

• Referrers will be provided with a loyalty reward as follows: the Referrers will receive a £10 loyalty reward for each eligible Referred Member they refer, which will be credited as 1,000 WOWPoints to their RCNXtra account.
• WOWPoints will be credited once the Referred Member’s first membership fee payment has been processed and their membership confirmed by RCN. 
• WOWPoints can be redeemed via RCNXtra at participating retailers (for more information on WOWPoints see here). 
• RCN is only able to track Referrers and the relevant Referred Members if the Referred Members use the Referrers unique referral link or code. If the Referred Member does not use the Referred Members unique referral link or code, RCN is under no obligation to offer this loyalty reward. By participating in the Programme, the Referred Member acknowledges that it is solely responsible for the responsible and appropriate use of its unique referral link or code.
• If the Referred Member cancels their discounted membership at any time before the first membership payment has been received by us, no loyalty reward will be credited to the Referrer. 

• Referrer accesses their unique referral link via the link shared with them in an RCN email and/or WhatsApp message.  
• Referrer must be logged in to their MyRCN account. 
• Referrer shares their unique link or code with individuals who may be eligible to become a member. 
• Referred Member clicks the link, chooses the correct membership category, and completes their application. 
• If RCN accepts the Referred Members application, the discount is applied automatically to the Referred Member’s first-year membership fee. 
• Referrer’s WOWPoints are awarded once the Referred Member’s new membership is confirmed by RCN and the Referred Member has completed the first payment of their membership fee.

• There is a maximum of 10 loyalty rewards (£100 in WOWPoints) available each 12 months per Referrer. 
• First year Nursing Students are not eligible for the Programme discount as they are eligible for free RCN membership for their first year. This means no loyalty reward is given if a first-year Nursing Student joins via a referral link. 
• Loyalty rewards cannot be transferred to another person or converted into cash. 
• RCN reserves the right to withhold loyalty rewards in cases of suspected fraud, abuse, or breach of these Terms & Conditions and/or the RCN Membership Terms & Conditions. 
• Participation in the Programme is subject to the general RCN Membership Terms & Conditions. 

A referral code or link is intended for sharing by Referrers with individuals who may benefit from our membership. We ask that members do not pay to promote their referral link and refrain from posting it on unrelated third-party review sites (e.g. Trustpilot). These platforms have their own rules, and we will remove links when they appear. If we notice misuse of the referral link, we have the right to not pay the loyalty reward and freeze the unique link associated with the Referrers account. 

This Programme is offered by RCN on a voluntary basis and provided entirely at RCN’s discretion. Therefore, RCN reserves the right to amend or withdraw the Programme at any time without prior notice. If at the time of withdrawal of the Programme by RCN, any Referred Members who have not yet completed the joining process and/or completed payment of the discounted membership fee will be notified that the discount is no longer available and informed of the relevant membership fee prior to any payments being taken. For the Referrers, any loyalty rewards already earned but not yet redeemed will remain available until their stated expiry date (if applicable). 

These Terms and Conditions will be available on RCN’s website and may be updated by RCN from time to time and without notice.

The Programme is offered on a voluntary basis and by opting to participate in the Programme, you agree that this is at your own risk. We have no liability to Referrers or Referred Members who are not eligible to participate in the Programme.

RCN is only responsible for losses Referrers or Referred Members suffer if we breach these Terms & Conditions. Notwithstanding this, we will not be liable for any losses which are:

1. Unexpected.It was not obvious that it would happen and nothing you said to us before you participated in the Programme meant we should have expected it (so, under the law, the loss was unforeseeable).
2. Force Majeure. Caused by a delaying event outside our control for example strikes, internet failure or unavailability of the RCN Members’ Portal (through no fault of our own), act of God, pandemic or epidemic, war, terrorism, riot, civil commotion, malicious damage, compliance with any law or governmental order, rule, regulation or direction, accident, breakdown of plant or machinery, fire, flood, storm or default of suppliers or subcontractors.
3. Avoidable. Caused by something you could have avoided by taking reasonable steps.

We do not exclude or limit our liability to you in any way that would be unlawful to do so including death or personal injury due to our negligence, or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.

Any personal data collected for participation in the Programme will be processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

You agree that you shall not at any time disclose to any person any confidential information concerning the business, affairs, clients or supplier of the RCN, the Programme or any information related to it, except as may be required by law, a court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental or regulatory authority.  Neither you nor the RCN shall use the other party’s confidential information for any purpose other than to perform its obligations under these Terms and Conditions and the Programme.

These Terms and Conditions are governed by English law. Wherever you live, you can bring claims against us in the English courts and if you live in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can also bring claims against us in the courts of the country you live in.  We can claim against you in the courts of the country you live in.

Nothing in these Terms and Conditions or the Programme is intended to create any partnership or joint venture between the RCN and you.

If a court or other authority decides that any provision of these Terms and Conditions is invalid, illegal or unenforceable, it shall be deemed deleted, without affecting the validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions of these Terms and Conditions.

For questions about the Programme or these Terms & Conditions, please contact the Membership team on 0345 772 610 or via our online enquiry form available here.