Best Current Accounts 2024

If you’re looking to change your bank account, or even get one or two more in your name, then these current accounts are my latest top picks.

I’ve got 22 different personal current accounts right now. Yes, that’s far too many for most people, but trying them all out really helps me recommend to you the good from the bad.

You could just switch your existing account to get a better deal, or you could open a handful to take advantage of the different offers. Personally I’d look to have at least two accounts just in case of tech failures stopping you from getting access to your cash.

But there are other reasons to look around, from improved banking experiences to rewards to cashback to interest on savings.

To help you decide I’ve shared below my top picks of the best current accounts (click here for a full list of the latest offers).

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You can watch my video round up of the top offers, or keep reading

Best bank account app

Banking apps are improving all the time and the best have features such as freezing your card if it’s lost and features to help you save.

Winner: Starling

Recent improvements to the Monzo and Revolut apps made this a close call this year. Chase is decent too. But Starling still edges ahead. All of these digital only banks have features to help you track spending and manage your card, but I think not only does Starling do it best, it does a little more on top.

You can use it on both app and desktop, you can pay in cheques with your phone, you can deposit cash at Post Offices and more.

Runner up: Monzo/Chase/Revolut

It’s worth taking a look at these other digital banks as often it’s personal preference which makes one stand out over the other. You might prefer them to Starling.

Runner up: Natwest

If you’re after a high street bank then the app I like the best is from Natwest (or RBS which is basically the same). You can do most things you need to do, and it’s clearly set out. A nice extra is you can use it to take cash out at Natwest or Tesco ATMs if you don’t have your card.

Best bank account for spending

I’d normally suggest using a specialist credit card for your spending so you’re earning a little cashback with every purchase and also one that won’t charge you for spending abroad – and there’s a current account that does both of these.

Winner: Chase Bank

You can make 1% back on spending for the first 12 months you have with Chase Bank, which is as good as it gets right now (unless you opt for the stoozing method of spending and saving).

It is capped at £15 a month, so that’s on your first £1,500 a month. Some spending categories are excluded (like adding money to savings or credit cards, and buying cars or gambling).

I tend to transfer money across rather than use it as my main bank. That’s no bad thing as it helps you control your spending!

There’s also 5% interest on roundup payments and it’s fee free to use abroad. Here’s my full Chase Bank UK review.

Runner up: Starling / First Direct (Overseas spending)

There are a few accounts that won’t charge you to spend or take out cash abroad, so if you don’t have a Chase account it’s worth having one. The top ones with no limits are from either Starling or First Direct. Here’s more on spending abroad.

Runner up: Monzo

Though many banks offer additional cashback offers linked to specific retailers, Monzo has the easiest one to view and manage. Here’s our review of the feature. You can also spend overseas fee-free, though are limited on cash withdrawals.

Best bank account for your bills

Winner: Santander Edge

Only Santander will give you money back each month on direct debits for your bills – but sadly the better paying Santander 123 and 123 Lite accounts are no longer open to new customers (if you’ve already got either, then keep using it).

Instead you can choose between the Edge and Edge Up accounts, and it’s the former that will probably earn you more cashback each year.

Both give 1% back on household bills such as Council Tax, energy and broadband, though the Edge costs £3 a month vs the Edge Up’s £5 monthly fee. That extra £24 a year really cuts into your returns.

Though the earnings aren’t as much as they once were, this cashback via the Edge is better than nothing, and you’ll also get access to the 8% paying Edge Saver.

Runner up: Chase

You can also get cashback on some bills via Chase Bank’s debit card (not direct debits), and also use this to earn money back on other regular subscriptions such as TV and music streaming.

Runner up: Monzo/Starling

If you’re more worried about budgeting than cashback then both Starling and Monzo will let you segregate money into separate pots and then assign one to pay bills direct from it.

Best bank accounts with rewards

Some accounts will pay you each month, either in cash to your account or with a freebie. You often have to pay a monthly fee and meet other criteria.

Winner: Halifax Reward

Though it takes a little more effort than the runner up, I’ve gone for Halifax as you’ll get a better return.

You can get either £5 a month, 12 cinema tickets or 24 movie rentals as long as you jump through a few hoops. The main one to watch is spending at least £500 on a debit card each month, though there’s a hack to get around this. Plus you can have three of these accounts, so there’s potentially £180 a year to make.

Runner up: Club Lloyds

You’ll get less each month from Club Lloyds – either 6 cinema tickets or a year of Disney+ with Ads – but once you’ve set up standing orders you can just leave the account alone. Here’s my full Club Lloyds review.

Best bank account for savings

Current accounts often give you higher rates than elsewhere, though with limits. Here’s my look at the best savings accounts.

Winner: Santander Edge

The highest interest rate at the moment is from Santander. As long as you have the Edge current account you can open the Edge Saver. This offers 7% on up to £4,000 – though that previously mentioned £3 a month fee needs to be factored in if it’s not covered by cashback. The rate also drops by 2.5% after a year.

Runner up: Nationwide

For ongoing savings the highest paying account is a regular saver that’s only open to Nationwide current account holders. It pays 8% AER. You can only add up to £200 a month into this regular saver. Read more about other regular savers here.

Runner up: Kroo

I don’t think having your money separate to your main current account is a problem (in fact it has benefits). But if you want to earn on money that is in there (so not in a separate account), you can get a decentish rate of 4.35% at Kroo (though it’ll fall when the base rate drops) and 3.25% at Starling (up to £5,000).

Best bank account with an overdraft

If you use an overdraft you’re probably paying around 40% in interest – far more than it’d cost to borrow elsewhere. So they’re best avoided. But if you are overdrawn then it makes sense to reduce that cost ASAP.

Winner: Nationwide FlexDirect

The best account for a 0% overdraft is Nationwide’s Flex Direct. If you’ve not had the account before you can ask for an overdraft when you apply (you can check what you’d get beforehand), and if successful you’ll get the buffer for 12 months. Here’s my review of the full account.

Runner up: First Direct

You can currently get a £250 0% buffer from First Direct

Runner up: Monzo/Starling

If you really need to use an overdraft then you might be able to get as low as 15% of 19% with these digital banks.

Best ethical bank account

Winner: Triodos

This account tops the charts on Ethical Consumer’s list of ethical current accounts and it’s hard to beat. However it does come with a £3 a month fee and the app is limited. Here’s my full review.

Runner Up: Nationwide, Starling or Co-op

These banks also score well. As it’s a building society, Nationwide is committed to putting the bulk of its lending towards mortgages so it can’t invest heavily in non-ethical practices. It also has positive policies in place to avoid this.

Starling has the edge over its challenger bank rival Monzo, while Co-op is the top-ranked from the other high-street banks.

Best “I only want one” bank

If you don’t want to have multiple accounts, and really want everything in one place, then these banks combine multiple extras.

Winner: Chase

The up to 1% cashback on spending makes it the account that’ll be most profitable over a year (up to £180). Alongside this you can get a decent (though easily beatable) 4.1% on savings, 5% on roundups and fee-free spending abroad. The app too is good, if not the best.

Runner up: Santander Edge

We all pay bills, so we may as well get cashback on these, and there’s also 1% back on supermarket and transport spending. On top there’s access to the 7% paying Edge Saver account. The app is average though.

Runner up: Club Lloyds

I think Club Lloyds is also worth a shot. The app is pretty good, and the six cinema tickets or year of Disney+ with Ads is potentially worth £60 a year and there’s a decent (though not best buy) monthly saver at 6.25%.

Read next: Other bank reviews

• Halifax Reward account review: Is it any good?
• Club Lloyds review
• Chase Bank UK review
• Santander Edge vs 123 vs 123 Lite review: Cashback current accounts compared
• Barclays Blue Rewards review
• Virgin Money M Plus current account: Is it any good?
• Nationwide FlexDirect current account review
• Monzo bank review
• Starling bank review
• The best bank switching, cashback, interest & overdraft offers