From 1st April, the Advance Union membership fee is set to increase to £8.90 per month. The decision to raise the fees was approved by the NEC on 28 January 2026. This may come as a surprise to many but we have not taken this decision lightly.

Why increase member subs now?

• We’ve kept subscriptions as low as possible for as long as we can – Subscriptions have not been raised since 2007.
• It works out to about 7p per day increase.
• A £2.20 monthly increase is now necessary to protect the level of support and representation members expect.

This small increase directly provides member benefits, such as:

• Stronger legal support and professional casework capacity

• Better training for reps and workplace organisers

• More effective bargaining campaigns

• Faster response times when members need help

Our reasoning

• The Union didn’t rush into this decision; it took 18 months to complete a strategic review.

• We tried to avoid it by cutting costs where we could.

• It’s about maintaining standards, not padding budgets, and we remain one of the best-value unions in our sector.

• If the fee had maintained increases in line with inflation since 2007, it would now be  £13.31.
• Membership fees still remain lower than most unions in the finance sector.

We appreciate that some members may be under financial pressure, which is why a strong union matters — and why we’ve limited the increase to £2.20, which will not be reviewed until January 2028. If we continue to grow, future increases will be avoided.

The Union leadership team is very cost-conscious and seeks to save money on unnecessary expenses wherever it can. The Union finances are regularly audited and the small price increase will enable us to deliver the services our members expect.