The latest news to help you get the most from your savings account.
Here’s my monthly update sharing changes at leading UK savings accounts, as well as some of the articles you might have missed on the blog.
April’s savings update video
April savings news
Interest rates sneak up again, but they’re still well below inflation
Another month, another Bank of England base rate increase, rising to 0.75%. That’s an increase of 0.25%, and a total of 0.65% up since early December. We’ve seen easy access accounts and fixed-term accounts grow as a result.
And despite this, your savings are still losing out compared to inflation. The latest figures show inflation has hit 6.2%, and could reach 10% later in the year.
Chase offers 1.5% AER
The new “best buy” savings account for the bulk of your cash is from Chase Bank. Holders of the app only current account can now also open up to 10 savings accounts each offering 1.5%. There’s a total savings balance of £250,000 across all accounts you open, though bear in mind FSCS protection is only to £85,000. Here’s more on how it works.
I’d still stick with Virgin Money’s M Plus Current Account on balances up to £1,000 as you’ll get a higher 2.02%, boosted to 5.02% for bank switchers.
And you might also want to look at Claro’s app (2% on up to £3,000) and regular savers from Natwest, RBS and Nationwide (more on these in a bit).
ISA deadline approaches
You’ve got until 5 April to pay up to £20,000 into an ISA for this financial year. This can be across any one or combination of a Cash ISA, Lifetime ISA, Stocks & Shares ISA and Innovative Finance ISA.
If you’re thinking of using one as a place to stash your cash then you probably can get better rates elsewhere. The Personal Savings Allowance (PSA) means basic rate taxpayers can earn £1,000 tax-free in non-ISA accounts, and higher rate taxpayers can earn £500. Here’s more on how it works.
Natwest and RBS regular savers improve
The top-paying account is still the Digital Regular Saver from Newest and RBS, with a rate of 3.04% on the first £1,000 saved. Since it launched you’ve been limited to saving up to £50 a month, but in March that jumped up to £150.
This means you can reach the £1,000 limit in seven months if you’re starting from scratch, while those who have had the account for a while will be able to increase their deposits. Here’s my full analysis.
You can have this account with both Natwest and RBS, but you do need a current account with one or both of the banks before applying. Right now there’s a £150 switching offer available with both, so it’s a good time to apply.
Santander 123’s interest boost not enough
Among the banks boosting their rates is Santander on the 123 account. It now pays 0.5% rather than 0.3%. However, as my analysis shows, this isn’t enough to justify switching from the Santander 123 Lite.
Featured investing offer
Customer rating
3.8/5
- Offerfree £50 in fractional shares*
- Annual fee£0
- Investment stylesShares, funds or ready-made portfolios
- Minimum deposit$50
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Interest on uninvested cash 3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
- Fractional shares Yes
- Foreign exchange fee 0.7%
- Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
- Offer You need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes, FRN 583263
- Risk warning The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
- Accounts available General investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
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Where to put your savings in April 2022
Make sure you check for updates in my regularly updated savings best buy article, and of course you might have existing accounts closed to new customers with better rates.
Of course you can fix your money for better rates, or if you’re happy to have your money in lots of different places you can mix and match the options. But if you’re looking for relative simplicity right now I’d look at the following easy access accounts:
Best places to save up to £4,000
The best option for the first £1k is Virgin Money as it is truly easy access. The next £3k is with the Claro app, but this is just for Apple devices.
This combination gets you the highest interest rates and some extra freebies.
| Amount saved | Account | Rate | Notes |
| £1,000 | Virgin Money M Plus current account | 2.02% (5.02% if switch to Virgin) | Can only earn interest on the first £1,000 saved (additional joint account is allowed) |
| £3,000 | Claro app | 2% | Only via Claro app |
Best places to save more than £4,000
So you’ve filled up Virgin and possibly Claro too? I’d then look at Chase for the rest.
| Amount saved | Account | Rate | Notes |
| Up to £250,000 | Chase Bank | 1.5% | Smartphone required |
Best places for ongoing savings
If you are saving money every month then these accounts will beat the above accounts.
| Max amount saved per month | Account | Rate | Notes |
| £150 | Natwest Digital Regular Saver | 3.04% | Current account required. You can save up to £1,000 and get 3.04% interest. It’s a flexible account so you can take money out and pay it back in. There’s also no set end date like with many regular savers |
| £150 | RBS Digital Regular Saver | 3.04% | You can have both the RBS and Natwest accounts, though you’ll need a current account with both |
| £200 | Nationwide Flex Regular Saver | 2.5% | This lasts for 12 months and then closes. Current account required. |
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