This comparison simply includes all savings accounts.
Tax FREE Fixed Rate Bonds
Why we like it: Which? Recommended Savings Provider. No notice period. Deposit from £100. Interest paid monthly or annually. Apply in minutes. Your eligible deposits with RCI Bank UK Limited are protected up to a total of £85,000 by the Financial Services. Compensation Scheme (FSCS)
Why we like it: Instant access to your savings. Unlimited deposits and withdrawals. Interest paid monthly, either to a linked current account, or adding it to your Online Flexi Saver account. Easy application process, you just need a UK mobile phone and UK driving licence or passport. Manage account online. Maximum balance £250,000. Must be aged 18 or older and have a UK address. Must have a linked UK current account. Your eligible deposits with Investec Bank are protected up to a total of £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)
Why we like it: Save from £1. Unlimited payments and withdrawals. Interest paid annually. Open in a single or a joint name. Maximum deposit £500,000. Open and manage account online. FSCS Protected. Must be UK resident. Must be aged 16 or older
Why we like it: Unlimited payments and withdrawals. Interest paid annually. Open in a single or a joint name. Maximum deposit £250,000. FSCS Protected. Winner of Platinum Feefo Trusted Service Award in 2024. Must be UK resident and be aged 18 or older
Why we like it: Choose monthly or annual interest payments. Unlimited deposits and withdrawals. 24/7 access to your savings. Open and manage online. After 12 months the rate will revert to the underlying rate, currently 1.45% gross/AER variable. Post Office Online Saver is provided by Bank of Ireland UK. Must be UK resident. Must be aged 18 or older. FSCS protected
Why we like it: All funds deposited into the RCI Bank E-Volve Savings 14 Day Notice Account will be used to fund pure electric vehicles and charging facilities. Interest paid monthly or annually. Manage account online. UK-based support, seven days a week. Which? Recommended Savings Provider. Unlimited withdrawals subject to 14 days notice. Must be UK resident. Must be aged 18 or older. Your eligible deposits with RCI Bank UK Limited are protected up to a total of £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)
Why we like it: The interest rate tracks the Bank of England (BoE) Base Rate. Interest is calculated on the minimum daily balance and applied to the account on the first day of every subsequent month. Open and manage account online. Your eligible deposits are protected up to £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. The maximum deposit you may pay into any one OakNorth Account is £500,000. The maximum amount (excluding the interest) that you will be allowed to hold on deposit with OakNorth Bank across multiple accounts is also £500,000. Unlimited withdrawals, subject to 95 days notice. Available to individuals, aged 18 or over, who are UK residents
Why we like it: Unlimited deposits and withdrawals. Interest paid monthly: can be added to your Notice Saver or paid to your linked account. Easy application process, you just need a UK mobile phone and UK driving licence or passport. Manage account online. Maximum balance £250,000. Withdrawals subject to 90 days notice. Must be aged 18 or older and have a UK address. Must have a linked UK current account
Why we like it: 3 penalty-free withdrawals in a 12 month period. 3.82% AER (variable tracker) + 0.68% AER 12 month boost. 3.75% gross variable tracker. Interest paid monthly. Deposit and withdraw almost instantly. No fees or charges for holding account. FSCS eligible on your deposits. After 3 withdrawals within a 12 month period the rate will revert to either 3.40% AER (variable tracker with boost applied) or 2.72% AER (variable tracker) for the remainder of the 12 month period since opening the account. Must be UK resident. Must be aged 18 or older
Why we like it: 9 month term, minimum deposit £1,000, no withdrawals permitted. FSCS Protected
Why we like it: Interest paid on maturity. Automatic repayment to your linked account. Maximum deposit £250,000. FSCS Protected. Must have a UK residential address and be aged 18 or older. No withdrawals permitted
Why we like it: 1 year term, minimum deposit £1,000, no withdrawals permitted. FSCS Protected
Due to the record low interest rates offered in the majority of savings accounts, more and more people are forced to consider locking up their savings for longer periods of time to receive higher interest.
Fixed rate bonds offer higher interest rates in exchange for tying up savings for a longer period of time. Typically, the term of a fixed rate bond can vary from 1 year, 2 years, 3 years or 5 years. As a general rule, longer fixed rate bonds offer the highest interest.
Personal Savings Allowance
A concern for many, looking to receive a significant amount of interest on their savings, is the amount of tax they may have to pay on the interest they receive.
In April 2016 a new Personal Savings Allowance was introduced, which meant that basic rate tax payers receive their first £1,000 on their savings tax free and high rate taxpayers can receive their first £500 of interest tax free.
Therefore, if you are unlikely to earn more than £1,000 in interest, you will be able to explore the many fixed rate bonds on the market and not have to worry about paying tax on your interest.
Cash ISAs
If your savings will earn more than £1,000 in interest over the course of a year, it may be prudent to consider putting your savings into a cash ISA.
Cash ISAs allow you to earn tax-free interest up to a certain yearly limit. The current tax year limit is £20,000. This may be an attractive prospect if you have a large amount of savings and are likely to earn a significant amount of interest on your savings.
It should be noted that cash ISAs do not always have the highest interest rate, however the prospect of tax-free interest may make up for the lower rate.
