This comparison simply includes all savings accounts.
Best Savings Accounts You Cannot Access
Why we like it: Interest paid at maturity. ISA transfers also allowed in. 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. No withdrawals permitted
Why we like it: ISA transfers in allowed. FSCS Protected. Must be UK resident and aged 16 or older. Withdraw cash early if you need to (subject to loss of interest)
Why we like it: ISA transfers in allowed. FSCS Protected. Must be UK resident and aged 16 or older. Withdraw cash early if you need to (subject to loss of interest)
Why we like it: Interest paid annually. ISA transfers also allowed in. 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. No withdrawals permitted
Why we like it: ISA transfers in allowed. FSCS Protected. Must be UK resident and aged 16 or older. Withdraw cash early if you need to (subject to loss of interest)
Why we like it: Interest paid annually. ISA transfers also allowed in (some providers charge a transfer fee). Open and manage online. FSCS Protected. Must be UK resident and be aged 18 or older. Withdrawals permitted subject to 90 days loss of interest. Online ISA is provided by OneFamily, savings in Post Office Cash ISAs are deposited with Bank of Ireland UK
Why we like it: Terms and Conditions: You must be 18 or over and a UK Resident. Currently you can only subscribe to one Cash ISA with NatWest Bank per tax year. You must hold the account solely in your name. NatWest's FRISA rates are 4.00% AER/Tax-free p.a. (fixed) for 1 year and 4.00% AER/Tax-free p.a. (fixed) for 2 years. Rate available until 5pm on 11th December 2024 for new customers and 16th December 2024 for existing customers. Offer may be withdrawn early due to limited availability. Interest is calculated daily and paid annually to your ISA on the first business day in April and on the Maturity Payment Date. You can withdraw money from your account up to 3rd January 2025. If you want to make a withdrawal after this time and before the Maturity Date, you must close your account by giving written notice in branch. ISA subscription limits apply. If you make a payment into your Fixed Rate ISA you will not be able to make any further payments for that tax year into any other cash ISA with NatWest or Royal Bank of Scotland. Early Closure Charge applies. The Early Closure Charge will be the lower of the amount of interest earned on your account or 90 days’ interest. The Early Closure Charge will be deducted from the balance of your Fixed Rate ISA. The interest payable on the money held in your account is tax-free. The tax treatment may be subject to change in the future and depends on your individual circumstances.
Why we like it: Terms and Conditions: You must be 18 or over and a UK Resident. Currently you can only subscribe to one Cash ISA with NatWest Bank per tax year. You must hold the account solely in your name. NatWest's FRISA rates are 4.00% AER/Tax-free p.a. (fixed) for 1 year and 4.00% AER/Tax-free p.a. (fixed) for 2 years. Rate available until 5pm on 11th December 2024 for new customers and 16th December 2024 for existing customers. Offer may be withdrawn early due to limited availability. Interest is calculated daily and paid annually to your ISA on the first business day in April and on the Maturity Payment Date. You can withdraw money from your account up to 3rd January 2025. If you want to make a withdrawal after this time and before the Maturity Date, you must close your account by giving written notice in branch. ISA subscription limits apply. If you make a payment into your Fixed Rate ISA you will not be able to make any further payments for that tax year into any other cash ISA with NatWest or Royal Bank of Scotland. Early Closure Charge applies. The Early Closure Charge will be the lower of the amount of interest earned on your account or 90 days’ interest. The Early Closure Charge will be deducted from the balance of your Fixed Rate ISA. The interest payable on the money held in your account is tax-free. The tax treatment may be subject to change in the future and depends on your individual circumstances.
Why we like it: Terms and Conditions: You must be 18 or over and a UK Resident. Currently you can only subscribe to one Cash ISA with Royal Bank of Scotland per tax year. You must hold the account solely in your name. Royal Bank of Scotland's FRISA rates are 3.80% AER/Tax-free p.a. (fixed) for 1 year and 3.40% AER/Tax-free p.a. (fixed) for 2 years. Rate available until 5pm on 11th December 2024 for new customers and 16th December 2024 for existing customers. Offer may be withdrawn early due to limited availability. Interest is calculated daily and paid annually to your ISA on the first business day in April and on the Maturity Payment Date. You can withdraw money from your account up to 3rd January 2025. If you want to make a withdrawal after this time and before the Maturity Date, you must close your account by giving written notice in branch. ISA subscription limits apply. If you make a payment into your Fixed Rate ISA, you will not be able to make any further payments for that tax year into any other cash ISA with Royal Bank of Scotland or NatWest. Early Closure Charge applies. The Early Closure Charge will be the lower of the amount of interest earned on your account of 90 day’s interest. The Early Closure Charge will be deducted from the balance of your Fixed Rate ISA. The interest payable on the money held in your account is tax-free. The tax treatment may be subject to change in the future and depends on your individual circumstances.
Why we like it: Interest paid annually. ISA transfers also allowed in. 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. No withdrawals permitted
Why we like it: Interest paid annually. ISA transfers also allowed in (some providers charge a transfer fee). Open and manage online. FSCS Protected. Must be UK resident and be aged 18 or older. Withdrawals permitted subject to 180 days loss of interest. Online ISA is provided by OneFamily, savings in Post Office Cash ISAs are deposited with Bank of Ireland UK
Why we like it: Terms and Conditions: You must be 18 or over and a UK Resident. Currently you can only subscribe to one Cash ISA with Royal Bank of Scotland per tax year. You must hold the account solely in your name. Royal Bank of Scotland's FRISA rates are 3.80% AER/Tax-free p.a. (fixed) for 1 year and 3.40% AER/Tax-free p.a. (fixed) for 2 years. Rate available until 5pm on 11th December 2024 for new customers and 16th December 2024 for existing customers. Offer may be withdrawn early due to limited availability. Interest is calculated daily and paid annually to your ISA on the first business day in April and on the Maturity Payment Date. You can withdraw money from your account up to 3rd January 2025. If you want to make a withdrawal after this time and before the Maturity Date, you must close your account by giving written notice in branch. ISA subscription limits apply. If you make a payment into your Fixed Rate ISA, you will not be able to make any further payments for that tax year into any other cash ISA with Royal Bank of Scotland or NatWest. Early Closure Charge applies. The Early Closure Charge will be the lower of the amount of interest earned on your account of 90 day’s interest. The Early Closure Charge will be deducted from the balance of your Fixed Rate ISA. The interest payable on the money held in your account is tax-free. The tax treatment may be subject to change in the future and depends on your individual circumstances.
Why have a Savings Account that you cannot access?
You will not have instant access to this savings account but the interest rate will be higher as a result, and you can avoid paying tax on the interest.
What is a fixed rate ISA?
Fixed rate ISAs allow you to earn a guaranteed rate of interest on your savings without paying tax on that interest. They are normally offered over 1-3 years with the level of interest staying the same for the entire period of the ISA.
With a fixed rate ISA, you agree not to access yours savings during the life of the product. Legally ISA providers do have to allow you access to your money if you need it, but they can (and normally do) charge heavy penalty fees for this.
Alternatives to fixed rate ISAs:
A popular alternative is tracker rate ISAs which give you a rate of interest which is tied to a base rate (often the Bank of England base rate) plus a set extra percentage. If the base rate moves up, your interest rate will move up in line with it.
A tracker ISA means that if interest rates increase, so will the rate you earn on your savings.
However, the starting rate on a tracker ISA will tend to be lower than for a fixed rate ISA, so the better option will normally depend on how likely you think it is that interest rates will rise over the lifetime of the ISA.