Savings Accounts For 6 Months

Compare Savings Accounts For 6 Months

When putting your money into a savings account, you need to consider how long you intend to save for and how much of a return you would like to see. You can then compare the different types of savings accounts available to see which ones best match you saving goals.

If you are looking for 6 month savings accounts options see the table above.

Current Accounts

Current accounts generally offer the best rates of interest for smaller sums of money. However, if you go over your account’s interest limit, your remaining balance will likely earn you nothing. 

To get the best deal, you may have to shop around and be willing to transfer your current account to a new provider. It’s also worth bearing in mind that some current accounts offer a better interest rate during an introductory period which then drops dramatically once that period is over.

For example Post Office offer 1.30% with their Online Saver for the initial 12 months of opening the account. Following the introductory period, the interest rate reverts back to their underlying rate of 0.25%. This may be a good option for short term interest, as you could benefit from the competitive interest rate before it drops.

Instant Access Savings Accounts

This type of account allows you to earn interest on your savings while still giving quick access to your money when necessary. Some instant access accounts come with a card that lets you draw money out at cash points, others require you to take money out in branch or transfer it to a current account online or by phone.

Please be aware there may be a limit on how many withdrawals you can make per year without losing some of your interest.

Easy Access Savings Accounts

Essentially the same as instant access accounts, except there may be a few days' delay when you wish to take money out. This is to allow withdrawal and transfer requests to be processed.

Some providers also refer to their instant access accounts as easy access accounts.

Notice Savings Accounts

These are similar to easy access and instant access savings accounts, except you have to give a certain amount of notice before removing funds. Common notice periods range from 40-95 days. The longer the notice period you are willing to give, the higher the interest rate you will usually receive.

Notice savings accounts may be a solution for shorter term savings. Providing you are prepared to tie up your savings for a longer period of time, you could benefit from the higher rate of interest and give notice towards the end of the 6 months. By doing this, it may allow you to receive higher tax-free returns than other savings accounts.

Regular Savings Accounts

If you want to put away a little bit of money each month over a longer period, a regular savings account is likely to be the best choice. This kind of account usually requires you to deposit a minimum amount each month and will normally specify a maximum you can put in each month as well. There may also be a limit on how many withdrawals you can make each year.

Regular savings accounts often offer very attractive rates of interest, but it is important to note that, because you are only slowly building up capital, your initial yearly returns may be modest. This means that, while they can be used for short term savings, regular savings accounts are usually a better choice for longer term savings.

If you choose to put your capital into a regular savings account, you are compromising higher rates of interest to receive more freedom and flexibility; if your aim is to get the best interest over the course of 6 months, this may not be the best method to do so.

Fixed Rate Bonds

Fixed rate bonds tend to offer attractive rates of interest, which will be guaranteed for the life of the bond (typically 1-5 years). The caveat here is that you cannot usually take money out of the bond until it matures (i.e. reaches the end of the fixed interest period).

This means most fixed rate bonds are not ideal for short term savings, although some providers do offer fixed rate bonds with terms as short as 3 months which may be worth considering.

However, the interest rates on offer for shorter term fixed rate bonds are similar to those available in more flexible accounts. Therefore, unless you are able to find a fixed rate bond that gives you a significant financial advantage, it may be better to use one of the aforementioned accounts above or a cash ISA.

Cash ISAs

UK tax payers normally have to pay tax on any interest they earn on their savings. However, a cash ISA allows you to earn interest, tax-free, on deposits up to an agreed yearly limit. For the 2017/18 tax year that amount is £20,000.

There are two main types of cash ISAs – instant access and fixed-term. Instant access cash ISAs allow you to withdraw money whenever you need without paying a penalty, making them ideal for short term saving. Fixed-term cash ISAs have similar conditions to fixed rate bonds, so you may be unable to withdraw money until they reach the end of their term or have to pay a penalty in order to do so.

Cash ISAs do not always offer the best interest rates, so you will need to assess whether any tax savings will outweigh the benefits of the higher interest rates provides by other types of accounts.

Find the best short term savings account for you

With so many different brands and products on the market, it can be hard to figure out which offer the best deals for you. The comparison table at the top of this page is regularly updated with the most attractive deals on short term savings accounts from across the industry. This makes it easy for you to contrast the features of different accounts with 6 month options and find the right one for your saving needs.