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Top savings accounts
Up to 1.75% easy access or up to 3.4% fixed
Savings rates have been creeping up lately, with the highest rates we've seen for more than a decade. Yet it's never been more important to maximise every penny of savings interest. With inflation roaring, in real terms money in savings is shrinking. To mitigate the impact, you need as high a rate as possible. We've the top easy-access, notice and fixed-rate accounts below.

This is our main savings guide, but there are other options that can pay even more...
Lifetime ISA: 25% bonus for first-time buyers aged 18 to 39
Help to Save: 50% bonus on savings if you're on a low income
Cash ISAs: The likely winner if you pay tax on savings interest
Regular savings: Up to 3.5% interest if you can save monthly
Children's savings: Earn up to 3% on kids' savings
Current accounts: Earn up to 2% on smaller sums
What is a savings account?

A savings account is simply an account for you to put money in and earn interest.
Savings interest is paid tax-free and most won't pay any tax on it at all. Basic-rate taxpayers can earn £1,000/year tax-free and higher-rate taxpayers £500, so it's only those with very large amounts of savings who would need to worry about this – and that's less than 5% of us. Find full info in our Personal savings allowance guide.
Your savings are safe – up to £85,000 is protected per bank or building society
Every bank or building society we mention in this guide is fully UK-regulated, which means you get £85,000 per person protection in the event it goes bust (£170,000 for joint accounts). The only thing to watch out for is some banks are linked to others, meaning this protection is shared. See Are your savings safe? for full info.
Help choosing the right savings account
There are many different types of savings account and if you're not sure what each one does, the choice can be confusing. This guide focuses on the top-pick 'standard' savings accounts, but there are other ways to boost your return. Here are our tips to decide where's best to put your money...
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Easy-access savings
The main idea with easy-access accounts is that you pay cash into them, they pay you interest while the money's in the account and you can withdraw whenever you want – especially useful if you'll need to dip in to them to meet the ongoing financial challenges.
But interest rates are usually lower than on fixed savings accounts, because you pay for the flexibility. And since the rates are variable, it's worth checking your rate regularly to make sure you're getting the best possible returns.
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Easy-access accounts – what we'd go for
All the top easy-access accounts are variable rate, so monitor the interest in case it drops (or, here's hoping, rises).
Shawbrook Bank pays the top standard easy access rate of 1.75% (min £1,000).
Alternatively, the Virgin Money M Plus Saver* pays 1.71% on up to £25,000, though it's linked to a current account, so you need to open that first to get it. However, the current account does have many perks – it pays 2.02% interest on up to £1,000, comes with a top debit card for overseas use, and if you switch to it from your existing bank, gives 20,000 points (worth £100ish) to spend on a variety of experiences, gifts or flights (though if you're switching, other accounts offer up to £160 free cash).
As this is a bank account rather than savings, it does need a full credit check to open. This isn't usually a big deal, but best to hold off if you're due an important credit application.
Provider | Rate (AER variable) | Unlimited withdrawals? | Min/max deposit | How to open |
---|---|---|---|---|
Top savings accounts. Here are the highest paying traditional savings accounts. | ||||
Shawbrook Bank | 1.75% | Yes (min £500) | £1,000/ £85,000 | Online |
Virgin Money M Plus Saver* | 1.71% (via a current account – full info) | Yes | £0/ £25,000 | Online |
Tandem* | 1.65% | Yes | £0/ £250,000 | App (no joint accounts) |
Cynergy Bank | 1.6% (includes a fixed 0.15% 12-month bonus) | Yes | £1/ £1m | Online |
Ways to boost your interest. It's possible to beat the rates above with these non-standard accounts. | ||||
(current account, low max deposit) |
5% | Yes | £0/ £1,500 | Online |
Al Rayan Bank |
1.8% (expected profit) |
Yes | £5,000/ £1m | Online |
Hampshire Trust Bank via Flagstone (online savings marketplace) |
1.41% + £30 bonus for some | Yes | £10,000/ £85,000 | Online (no joint accounts) |
All have Financial Services Compensation Scheme savings protection of up to £85,000 (Virgin Money's is shared with Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank).
Remember, cash in all the accounts above is protected up to £85,000 per person, per financial institution. If you've more than £85,000 it's best to spread savings across several different banks just in case one gets into difficulty.
Want to know how much you'll earn in easy-access savings? Find out with our Savings Calculator. Simply plug in the rate, how much you'll save and how long for and it'll tell you how much you'll earn.

Quick questions
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Notice savings accounts
Notice accounts require you to give, er, notice before you can withdraw your cash. They're good for people who know they'll need their money, but don't know when. A good example might be if you're a first-time buyer. You know you'll need your saved cash for the deposit, but you might find your dream home in two months or in 10. A (shortish) notice account could let you get a boosted rate, but would also let you access your cash in time to exchange.
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Notice accounts – what we'd go for
You can boost your savings interest if you're willing to lock your cash away for a short period – from 1.65% with Zopa's 31-day notice account to 2.15% with OakNorth's 120-day notice account.
Though do take a look at the table for alternative non-standard accounts which can beat these rates.
Provider | Rate (AER variable) | Notice | Min/max deposit | How to open |
---|---|---|---|---|
Top notice accounts. Here are the highest paying traditional notice accounts. | ||||
OakNorth Bank | 2.15% | 120 days | £1/ £500,000 | Online/ app (joint accounts must be opened online) |
2.12% | 90 days | |||
Zopa | 1.65% | 31 days | £1/ £50,000 | App (no joint accounts) |
Ways to boost your interest. It's possible to beat the rates above with this non-standard account. | ||||
Allica Bank via Flagstone (online savings marketplace) |
2% + £30 bonus for some | 95 days | £10,000/ £85,000 | Online (no joint accounts) |
(online savings marketplace) |
1.61% + £25 bonus for some | 32 days | £10,000/ £85,000 | Online (no joint accounts) |
All have Financial Services Compensation Scheme savings protection of up to £85,000.
Want to know how much you'll earn in a notice account? Find out with our Savings Calculator. Simply plug in the rate, how much you'll save and how long for and it'll tell you how much you'll earn.

Quick questions
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Fixed-rate accounts
With fixed savings you can't usually withdraw your money until the end of the term. And in return, you get a better rate – and that rate's guaranteed. This is because the bank gets the certainty of holding your cash for a set amount of time, and in exchange, you get the certainty of the interest rate it offers. Therefore, you should only lock away what you definitely won't need access to.
Fixed savings rates have been creeping up over the last few months. And, as City expectations are for more Bank of England rate rises, many expect the rates you can get on fixed savings to continue to rise. As such, you may not want to fix for too long right now. We've the top fixes from six months to five years below, plus our MSE analysis of what we'd go for at each level...
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Six-month fixed savings – what we'd go for
Currently we're seeing fixed rates rising, meaning what you can get this week is likely to be beaten next. If this trend continues, it may be wise to fix for a short period, so your money's getting interest, but it's not locked away for too long. We've some decent six-month options in the table below.
Provider | Rate (AER) | Min/max deposit | How to open |
Top standard six-month fix. Here is the highest paying traditional account. | |||
Atom Bank | 2% | £50/ £100,000 | App (no joint accounts) |
United Trust Bank | 1.96% | £5,000/ £1m | Online |
Ways to boost your interest. It's possible to beat the rates above with these non-standard accounts. | |||
(credit union account) |
2.02% | £1,000/ £85,000 | Online (no joint accounts) |
2.01% (expected profit) |
£1,000/ £1m |
Online | |
Shawbrook via Flagstone (online savings marketplace) |
2% + £30 cashback for some | £10,000/ £85,000 | Online (no joint accounts) |
National Bank of Egypt via Raisin (online savings marketplace) |
2% + £25 cashback for some | £10,000/ £85,000 | Online (no joint accounts) |
All accounts have Financial Services Compensation Scheme savings protection of up to £85,000.
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One-year fixed savings – what we'd go for
OakNorth Bank pays the top rate of 2.85% (min £1) or, if you prefer to receive your interest monthly, Charter Savings Bank pays a slightly lower 2.83% (min £5,000).
Though do take a look at the table for alternative non-standard accounts which can beat these rates.
Provider | Rate (AER) | When can I get the interest? | Min/max deposit | How to open |
Top standard one-year fixes. Here are the highest paying traditional accounts. | ||||
OakNorth Bank | 2.85% | At maturity | £1/ £500,000 | Online/ app (joint accounts must be opened online) |
Charter Savings Bank | 2.83% | Monthly or at maturity | £5,000/ £1m | Online |
Monument Bank* | 2.83% | At maturity | £25,000/ £400,000 | App (no joint accounts) |
Ways to boost your interest. It's possible to beat the rates above with these non-standard accounts. | ||||
(credit union account) |
2.86% | At maturity | £1,000/ £85,000 | Online (no joint accounts) |
(online savings marketplace) |
2.85% + £30 bonus for some | At maturity | £1,000/ £85,000 | Online (no joint accounts) |
(online savings marketplace) |
2.85% + £25 bonus for some | At maturity | £1,000/ £85,000 | Online (no joint accounts) |
All accounts have Financial Services Compensation Scheme savings protection of up to £85,000.
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Two-year fixed savings – what we'd go for
OakNorth Bank pays the top rate of 3.17% (min £1) or, if you prefer to receive your interest monthly, Shawbrook Bank pays a slightly lower 3.12% (min £1,000).
Though do take a look at the table for alternative accounts via online savings marketplaces which can beat this rate.
Provider | Rate (AER) | When can I get the interest? | Min/max deposit | How to open |
Top standard two-year fixes. Here are the highest paying traditional accounts. | ||||
OakNorth Bank | 3.17% | At maturity | £1/ £500,000 | Online/ app (joint accounts must be opened online) |
Monument Bank* | 3.15% | Annually or at maturity | £25,000/ £400,000 | App (no joint accounts) |
Shawbrook Bank | 3.12% | Monthly, annually or at maturity | £1,000/ £2m | Online |
Ways to boost your interest. It's possible to beat the rates above with these non-standard accounts. | ||||
(online savings marketplace) |
3.15% + £25 bonus for some | At maturity | £1,000/ £85,000 | Online (no joint accounts) |
Hampshire Trust Bank via Flagstone (online savings marketplace) |
3.09% + £30 bonus for some | At maturity | £10,000/ £85,000 | Online (no joint accounts) |
All accounts have Financial Services Compensation Scheme savings protection of up to £85,000.
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The top standard three-year and five-year fixed rates are currently only slightly higher than the top two-year fixed rate. And with UK interest rates predicted to rise further, the longer you fix, the longer you forgo the ability to ditch and switch to a better rate.
However, if you do want a longer fix, OakNorth Bank pays the top three-year fixed rate at 3.23%, while Shawbrook Bank pays the top five-year fixed rate at 3.4%.
Three-year fixed rates
Provider | Rate (AER) | When can I get the interest? | Min/max deposit | How to open |
Top standard three-year fixes. Here are the highest paying traditional accounts. | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
OakNorth Bank | 3.23% | At maturity | £1/ £500,000 | Online/ app (joint accounts must be opened online) |
Shawbrook Bank | 3.22% | Monthly, annually or at maturity | £1,000/ £2m | Online |
DF Capital | 3.2% | At maturity | £1,000/ £250,000 | Online (no joint accounts) |
Ways to boost your interest. It's possible to beat the rates above with these non-standard accounts. | ||||
QIB UK via Raisin (online savings marketplace) |
3.2% + £25 bonus for some | At maturity | £1,000/ £85,000 | Online |
All accounts have Financial Services Compensation Scheme savings protection of up to £85,000.
Provider | Rate (AER) | When can I get the interest? | Min/max deposit | How to open |
Top standard five-year fixes. Here are the highest paying traditional accounts. | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Shawbrook Bank | 3.4% | Monthly, annually or at maturity | £1,000/ £2m | Online |
United Trust Bank | 3.35% | At maturity | £5,000/ £1m | Online |
Monument Bank* | 3.3% | Annually or at maturity | £25,000/ £400,000 | App (no joint accounts) |
All accounts have Financial Services Compensation Scheme savings protection of up to £85,000.
Want to know how much you'll earn in fixed-rate savings? Find out with our Savings Calculator. Simply plug in the rate, how much you'll save and how long for and it'll tell you how much you'll earn.

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Boost savings interest
We've a way of boosting the returns you get even further – but it's a bit more complicated than opening a standard savings account...
Get up to £30 cashback when you save via a 'savings marketplace'
Flagstone and Raisin are 'savings marketplaces', which means that they offer savings accounts from the various banks that they partner with. Each currently has a separate cashback offer – Flagstone pays an automatic £30 cashback, while with Raisin you can CLAIM £25 cashback (Raisin's is a bit of a faff, but can still be lucrative).
To qualify for either cashback, you need to be a new customer to the savings marketplace you're opening a savings account through, sign up via our links and have at least £10,000 to save. Here's how it all works...
Flagstone's automatic £30 cashback
- Open one of the accounts below via our links before Friday 30 September and then fund it with at least £10,000 within 60 days.
- Keep £10,000+ in the savings account for at least six months – the £30 cashback is then automatically paid into your Flagstone holding account within the first five days of the next calendar month.
Our top-pick Flagstone accounts
After factoring in the cashback, all of the accounts below can beat the top rates that are available with standard savings accounts, depending on how much you save. Note that Flagstone has two options: one with management fees and one without. We only ever feature (and link to) the one without fees. For full info, see our analysis of the top easy-access, notice and fixed-term accounts.
- Easy access: Hampshire Trust Bank 1.41% AER variable*
- Notice: Allica Bank 95-day 2% AER variable*
- Six-month fix: Shawbrook 2% AER fixed*
- One-year fix: OakNorth Bank 2.85% AER fixed*
- Two-year fix: Hampshire Trust Bank 3.09% AER fixed*
All of these accounts have £85,000 UK savings safety protection and are available to individuals only – Flagstone doesn't currently offer joint savings accounts.
Raisin's £25 cashback which you must CLAIM
- Open one of the accounts below via our links and then fund it with at least £10,000.
- Email 'bonus@raisin.co.uk' from the email you used to register, with 'Raisin UK Bonus' as the subject and your full name in the email.
- The £25 cashback is then paid within 14 days of Raisin receiving your email. The exception is if you open an easy-access or notice account, in which case you'll need to keep £10,000+ in the account for at least six months – the cashback's then paid within 14 days of the six-month period ending.
Our top-pick Raisin accounts
After factoring in the cashback, the accounts below can beat the top rates that are available with standard savings accounts, depending on how much you save. For full info, see our analysis of the top notice and fixed-term accounts.
- Notice: Investec 32-day 1.61% AER variable*
- Six-month fix: National Bank of Egypt UK 2% AER fixed*
- One-year fix: QIB UK 2.85% AER fixed*
- Two-year fix: QIB UK 3.15% AER fixed*
- Three-year fix: QIB UK 3.2% AER fixed*
All of these accounts have £85,000 UK savings safety protection and are available to individuals only – Raisin doesn't currently offer joint savings accounts.
Want to complain about your savings provider?
If your savings provider has given you the incorrect interest rate, or you haven't received your interest at all, then you don't have to suffer in silence. It's always worth trying to call your provider first to see if it can help, but if not...
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Clever ways to calculate your finances