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This comparison simply includes all savings accounts.

first direct
1st Account first direct
Open With £1
Account Type Current Account
Features £175 welcome bonus when you switch

SPECIAL OFFER - Switch to a 1st Account and bank £175*.

Why we like it

Get access to a Regular Saver Account - Put away between £25 and £300 for a fixed 12 month term. If you save £300 every month for 12 months and qualify for the 7.00% AER/gross p.a. interest rate, you'll earn approximately £136.50 interest (gross). Interest is calculated daily and paid 12 months after you opened the account. AER stands for Annual Equivalent Rate. This shows you what the rate would be if interest were paid and compounded each year. Gross is the rate of interest if interest were paid and not compounded each year. No partial withdrawals allowed. Early closure will result in interest being paid at the standard account variable rate. £250 interest-free overdraft (subject to status). No minimum monthly funding and no monthly account fee. No first direct fees for when spending abroad, withdrawing cash from the UK or when making a debit card payment in a foreign currency in the UK. Mobile banking app. UK based contact centre. Representative Example: How does our overdraft compare? The representative APR shows the cost of borrowing over a year, so you can use it to compare the cost of our overdraft against other overdrafts and ways of borrowing. 0% EAR variable on the first £250, 39.9% EAR variable thereafter, giving a representative rate of 30.5% APR variable (assumed arranged overdraft £1,200). For customers with an offset mortgage linked to a 1st Account, the interest-free limit will not apply. *Open a 1st account on or after 9th September and before offer is withdrawn. Switch your everyday banking to using the Current Account Switch Service (CASS). Deposit a minimum of £1,000 (in single or multiple deposits) in your account and within 45 days of opening your first direct 1st Account. Complete a full CASS switch including at least two Direct Debits or Standing Orders must be made within 45 Days of us opening your first direct 1st Account. Register and Log onto digital banking, within 45 days of us opening your first direct 1st Account. Use your new 1st account debit card at least 5+ times. Be a new customer to first direct, who has not previously held a first direct product, or has opened an HSBC current account on or after 1 January 2018

Details

Minimum Deposit for Offer Interest Paying
Minimum Age 18
UK Resident Yes

Best Current Account Switch

Switching your bank account has never been easier and many banks are providing attractive incentives to lure in new customers.

Switching your current account can be carried out online in a simple and streamlined way which requires minimal effort on the customer’s part. The switching service will move all of your money, direct debts and standing orders over to your new account, usually within seven days.

There are many accounts on offer and finding the best one for you can be challenging, but higher rates of interest and cashback rewards are just two common incentives which can make it worth your time.

Which Current Account Should I Switch to?

Current Accounts Best for Interest

One of the best accounts for interest on lower amounts is the TSB Classic Plus Account. This account has one of the lowest minimum monthly pay-ins at £500 per month, so is well-suited to anyone who finds it difficult to meet the minimum payments of some other accounts.

They also offer one of the highest rates of interest on balances of up to £2,000. Interest is paid monthly and to earn it you simply pay in a minimum of £500 a month and register for Internet Banking, paperless statements and paperless correspondence.

Bonus:

  • One of the biggest incentives on offer is the opportunity to earn 5% cashback a month on the first £100 of contactless payments. This includes Apple and Android Pay, up until 30 September 2017

Other accounts that offer great interest on lower amounts:

  • Nationwide Flexplus account. This account currently offers the highest rate on the market, however, this is for one year at a fixed rate of 5% before falling to 1% in subsequent years

Currently, the account paying the highest amount of interest for larger deposits is the Santander 123. This is a great account for those with savings above £10,000. Although Santander are currently planning to cut the Santander 123 headline rate, it will still be a great option for bigger savers.

Bonus:

  • You are also able to have two accounts in your name, but one must be joint – meaning couples can save £60,000 between them

Current Accounts Best for Switch Rewards

There are some great switch rewards on offer at the moment.

One example, the Halifax Current Account, has some great reward features including a £100 switch reward, paid in to your account before your switch is complete.

Bonus:

  • If you’re able to pay £750 or more in to your account, pay out at least 2 different direct debits and stay in credit each month, you could earn £5 each month with their Reward Current Account

Combine this option with the Switch Reward and you could earn £160 in a year. This is one of the few accounts that pay both a switching bonus and an ongoing reward.

Some other accounts which also offer excellent Switch rewards include:

  • First Direct, Co-operative and HSBC. These accounts are all offering £100 or more for switching

Current Accounts Best for Cashback

There are some great cashback accounts to switch to at the moment. The NatWest Reward Account is one of the best options as there are no monthly payments on this account making it very suitable for those who are unable to meet the high minimum payment requests of some other accounts.

There is, however, a charge per month of three pound. The rewards you can earn on this account are similar to the Santander 123 account in that you can earn cashback on your household bills.

As this account is a cheaper option than the Santander account, it’s a great choice for those who pay a lot of household bills out of one account and would like to see some return on that.

Other accounts offering cashback deals:

  • TSB are currently offering 5% of cashback on the first £100 of contactless purchases

This is a brief overview of some of the excellent current accounts on offer at the moment, but please use our website to find out further details on each of these accounts and more.




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Simplysavingsaccounts.co.uk is a trading style of Fair Investment Company Ltd.

We've been comparing savings and current accounts for many years so you can trust you're in good hands.