Atom Bank app crashes as savers stampede to beat deadline for 2% rate

The crash happened after MoneySavingExpert.com exclusively revealed that savers had until 11.59pm yesterday (9 March) to sign up for the app-only bank's savings account before it reduced the rate to 1.8%.

Atom's 2% rate easily beat the next-best offering from OakNorth Bank (1.62%).

The bank imposed the deadline on applications just two weeks after it boosted the rate and a surge in customer demand resulted in Atom's app crashing yesterday morning, with savers voicing their frustration on Twitter:

See our Top Savings Accounts guide for full info on how to get the best return for your cash.

Did savers miss out on the 2% rate because of the crash?

A spokesperson for Atom Bank told us that the app was only down between 8am and 10am yesterday, and claimed customers would not have missed out on applying as they would've had most of the day to do so.

The spokesperson said: "Yesterday morning some customers experienced issues with the app due to very high demand for our fixed saver accounts. The issue was quickly resolved and all customers can download and access the app as normal."

Nevertheless, if you were unable to access the 2% rate because of issues with Atom's app, let us know by emailing news@moneysavingexpert.com.

What are the other Atom Bank rates?

As well as the slashed 2% one-year account (now 1.8%), Atom recently launched three longer-term products – all of which offer the best rate on the market for that length of fix:

• Two-year fix – 2.1% (next best, OakNorth Bank at 1.66%)

• Three-year fix – 2.2% (next best, Secure Trust Bank at 2%)

• Five-year fix – 2.4% (next best, Vanquis Bank at 2.21%)

With all four Atom accounts, interest is paid annually or monthly. There's a minimum deposit of £50, while the upper limit is £100,000 (although the Financial Services Compensation Scheme will only protect savings worth up to £85,000).