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Featured - Account Types
What type of savings account do you need?Find out about the different types of savings accounts available to suit a variety of needs.
Savings
ISAs
Residential
Buy to let
Specialist mortgages
Featured - Debt and your credit score
How debt impacts your credit scoreA healthy credit score has its benefits, so make sure you manage your debt correctly.
Loans
Featured - travel insurance
Travel insurance 2024Discover the best travel insurance policy for your next trip.
Home & vehicle
Health & travel
Featured - High interest current accounts
Find current accounts offering in-credit interest rates up to 5.00% AER.
Current accounts
Featured - Purchase Cards
Best purchase credit cardsExplore the best cards with a 0% introductory period.
Credit cards
Credit repair
Calculators & guides
Business savings
Business products
Business insurance
How much can I give as a cash gift?
How much can I give as a cash gift?Will your loved one's gift be tax affected?
Categories
Featured guides
Popular news
Latest news - by category
Other money & finance news
Featured Star Ratings categories
Other Star Ratings categories
The Financial Conduct Authority is set to extend Consumer Duty rules to closed products and services from the end of this month, but savers shouldn’t be complacent.
Savers may be missing out on greater returns as they let their hard-earned cash idle in poor-paying closed accounts, latest analysis from Moneyfactscompare.co.uk revealed.
Our team of experts reported a 0.31 percentage point difference between the average rate offered by a live easy access account (3.13%) and a closed easy access account (2.82%) at the start of July. This could be costing those with a balance of £10,000 an additional £31 in interest over 12 months.
A ‘closed’ product refers to an account or service that is no longer available to new business. In contrast, ‘live’ products are open to new customers.
While the gap between average live and closed easy access rates narrowed from 0.53 percentage points since the start of the year, it remains significantly larger than two years ago. In July 2022, the average closed easy access account paid 0.51% - just shy of the average live easy access rate (0.59%).
Graph: Average rates of live and closed easy access accounts between July 2022 and July 2024.
“Savers are being short-changed if they don’t proactively review and switch from their closed easy access accounts,” commented Rachel Springall, Finance Expert at Moneyfactscompare.co.uk. She encouraged consumers to “shake any apathy” towards moving their savings pots at the risk of being “left disappointed when their loyalty is not rewarded”.
Having introduced Consumer Duty rules for open products and services last year, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is set to extend the duty to closed products and services as of the end of this month (31 July 2024). According to the FCA, this will require banks and building societies to “demonstrate that they are providing fair value to customers in closed products and services”.
“In the months ahead, it will be interesting to see if any savings providers pull closed savings accounts or move customers onto different products as Consumer Duty rules on closed products come into force,” said Springall.
In the meantime, savers shouldn’t be complacent. Many of the UK’s biggest high street brands, including Barclays Bank, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, NatWest and Santander, continue to pay less than 2.00% on their most flexible live savings accounts.
Provider | Account | Gross rate |
Barclays Bank | Everyday Saver | 1.65% |
HSBC | Flexible Saver | 1.98% |
Lloyds Bank | Easy Saver | 1.40% |
NatWest | Flexible Saver | 1.74% |
Santander | Easy Access Saver | 1.70% |
Deals available to new customers with a £10,000 deposit that allow multiple withdrawals without penalty. |
Meanwhile, the very best easy access accounts offer around 5.00%.
“Despite using a trusted brand, the convenience of leaving cash in an easy access account can mean missing out on higher interest rates elsewhere, so it is imperative savers ditch and switch to a better return,” urged Springall.
“Building societies and challenger banks continue to work hard to entice new deposits and reward loyal customers so they are worth comparing against the more familiar high street brands.”
Whether you’re looking for an easy access account, fixed rate bond or notice account, our dedicated savings charts are regularly updated throughout the day to show the very best rates currently available.
All of our newsletters are available free by email to all Moneyfactscompare.co.uk users.
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Information is correct as of the date of publication (shown at the top of this article). Any products featured may be withdrawn by their provider or changed at any time. Links to third parties on this page are paid for by the third party. You can find out more about the individual products by visiting their site. Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will receive a small payment if you use their services after you click through to their site. All information is subject to change without notice. Please check all terms before making any decisions. This information is intended solely to provide guidance and is not financial advice. Moneyfacts will not be liable for any loss arising from your use or reliance on this information. If you are in any doubt, Moneyfacts recommends you obtain independent financial advice.
Flexible savings rates from the big banks continue to lag behind the market-leading accounts. However, their fixed bonds are more competitive.
Flexible savings rates from the big banks continue to lag behind the market-leading accounts.
Each week the Moneyfactscompare.co.uk content team round up and discuss the very best savings rates available in the UK. Compare and apply today.
Big banks continue to offer low returns on easy access accounts, while paying higher returns on fixed bonds.
The Moneyfacts Pick of the Week showcases the best of the latest products or rate changes to hit the consumer finance market.
This week's selection includes a re-launched 60-day notice ISA from The Stafford Building Society, and a two-year fixed rate mortgage from NatWest.
Flexible savings rates from the big banks continue to lag behind the market-leading accounts. However, their fixed bonds are more competitive.
Flexible savings rates from the big banks continue to lag behind the market-leading accounts.
Each week the Moneyfactscompare.co.uk content team round up and discuss the very best savings rates available in the UK. Compare and apply today.
Big banks continue to offer low returns on easy access accounts, while paying higher returns on fixed bonds.
The Moneyfacts Pick of the Week showcases the best of the latest products or rate changes to hit the consumer finance market.
This week's selection includes a re-launched 60-day notice ISA from The Stafford Building Society, and a two-year fixed rate mortgage from NatWest.
Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will never contact you by phone to sell you any financial product. Any calls like this are not from Moneyfacts. Emails sent by Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will always be from news@moneyfacts-news.co.uk. Be ScamSmart.
Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will never contact you by phone to sell you any financial product. Any calls like this are not from Moneyfacts. Emails sent by Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will always be from news@moneyfacts-news.co.uk. Be ScamSmart.
Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will never contact you by phone to sell you any financial product. Any calls like this are not from Moneyfacts. Emails sent by Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will always be from news@moneyfacts-news.co.uk. Be ScamSmart.
Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will never contact you by phone to sell you any financial product. Any calls like this are not from Moneyfacts. Emails sent by Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will always be from news@moneyfacts-news.co.uk. Be ScamSmart.
Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will never contact you by phone to sell you any financial product. Any calls like this are not from Moneyfacts. Emails sent by Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will always be from news@moneyfacts-news.co.uk. Be ScamSmart.
Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will never contact you by phone to sell you any financial product. Any calls like this are not from Moneyfacts. Emails sent by Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will always be from news@moneyfacts-news.co.uk. Be ScamSmart.