Locking your money away could get you a higher rate – here are the best fixed rate Cash ISAs
Fixed-rate Cash ISAs are a type of ISA that lets you lock in your money for a period in exchange for a slightly higher rate than you’d get with easy access accounts. Below we compare the best fixed rate Cash ISAs across every term length, from one to five years.
If you’d prefer the flexibility of an easy access ISA, we have a table of the best easy access Cash ISAs available, too.
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Best one year fixed rate Cash ISAs
- AER (fixed)4.2% (effective 4.7% with £100 bonus)
- Minimum£1
- Offerup to £500 cashback*
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Offer Get a bonus of up to £500 if you're a new customer and you deposit or transfer new funds to iFast. You get £100 if you deposit £20,000 - £49,999, £250 if you deposit £50,000 - £99,999 and £500 if you deposit £10,000 or more
- Rate details The effective rate assumes that you will deposit £20,000 and get £100 cashback
- Expected rate (fixed)4.95%
- Minimum£1,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Castle Trust Bank 1 year fixed ISA
- AER4.95%
- Minimum£1,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Shawbrook Bank 12 month fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)4.94%
- Minimum£1,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Hodge Bank 12 month fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)4.92%
- Minimum£1,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
Close Brothers Savings 1 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)4.91%
- Minimum£10,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Best 18 month fixed rate Cash ISAs
TSB 18 month fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)4.7%
- Minimum£1
Secure Trust Bank 18 month fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)4.7%
- Minimum£1,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Manchester Building Society 18 month fixed ISA
- AER4.55%
- Minimum£1
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Newcastle Building Society 18 month fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)4.55%
- Minimum£1
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Best two year fixed rate Cash ISAs
Tandem 2 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)5.08%
- Minimum£0
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Shawbrook Bank 2 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)5.06%
- Minimum£1,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Close Brothers Savings 2 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)5.05%
- Minimum£10,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Allows transfers in? Yes
Castle Trust Bank 2 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)5.04%
- Minimum£20,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
Best three year fixed rate Cash ISAs
Tandem 3 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)5.13%
- Minimum£0
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Close Brothers Savings 3 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)5.11%
- Minimum£10,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Allows transfers in? Yes
West Brom Building Society 3 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)5.1%
- Minimum£1
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Vida Savings 3 year fixed ISA
- AER5.05%
- Minimum£1,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
Castle Trust Bank 3 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)5.05%
- Minimum£20,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Aldermore 3 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)5.03%
- Minimum£1,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Best four year fixed rate Cash ISAs
- AER (fixed)4%
- Minimum£1,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
United Trust Bank 4 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)4%
- Minimum£5,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Allows transfers in? Yes
UBL 4 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)3.91%
- Minimum£2,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Allows transfers in? Yes
Zopa 4 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)3.8%
- Minimum£1
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Allows transfers in? Yes
Best five year fixed rate Cash ISAs
Shawbrook Bank 5 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)5.25%
- Minimum£1,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Tandem 5 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)5.13%
- Minimum£0
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Castle Trust Bank 5 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)5.12%
- Minimum£1,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Allows transfers in? Yes
Close Brothers Savings 5 year fixed ISA
- AER (fixed)5.12%
- Minimum£10,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
Vida Savings 5 year fixed ISA
- AER5.11%
- Minimum£1,000
- FSCS Protected? Yes
- Transfer in existing ISA? Yes
What are Cash ISAs?
Individual Savings Accounts, or ISAs, are tax-free savings products. They’re not the only way to earn interest without paying tax, but they can still be worth looking at to get the best rates on your cash.
You can add up to £20,000 of new money each financial year across all ISAs you hold, though Lifetime ISAs are limited to £4,000 within that. This limit is known as your ISA allowance, and there are some rules to using one.
If you’re moving money from an existing ISA, it’s vital you transfer the money to the new ISA rather than withdraw it and then deposit it. Not all accounts allow transfers in, but we’ve included the information in our tables when they do.
How to compare fixed rate Cash ISAs
The headline rate is the obvious place to start, but it’s worth comparing fixed rate Cash ISAs on a few other things too:
- Whether the provider accepts transfers in from existing ISAs, so you can consolidate old accounts
- The exact penalty for early access, since this varies by provider and by term length
- Minimum opening deposit, which can range from £1 to £1,000+ depending on the provider
- Whether interest is paid monthly or at the end of the term, which affects when it counts towards your Personal Savings Allowance
Our tables above include this information alongside the rate, so you can compare fixed rate Cash ISAs properly rather than just chasing the top number.
How long can you fix your savings for?
You can fix your savings for anything from six months to five years. However, you need to be sure you won’t need access to that cash over that time, as you’ll pay a penalty to do so. For a one year fix it’s normally 90 days interest.
The longer you fix, the greater the risk you’ll lose out if rates were to rise. But at the same time, they’re protected if rates were to fall.
It’s worth knowing when longer fixes will pay you the interest. With most it’s at the end of the fix, meaning all that interest will count towards your personal savings allowance for the year you receive it.
Which fixed term should you choose?
Choosing a term length usually comes down to your view on where rates are heading, and how certain you are you won’t need the money:
- Shorter fixes (1 year or less) suit those who think rates might rise, or who aren’t sure they won’t need access to the cash
- Longer fixes (3 to 5 years) suit those who want to lock in a rate they’re happy with and won’t need the money in the meantime
- Splitting savings across a couple of term lengths (a ‘ladder’) can balance the two, so not all your cash is locked away at once
Whatever you choose, only fix money you’re confident you won’t need before the term ends. The early access penalty can wipe out several months of interest.
What other types of ISA are there?
Fixed rate cash ISAs aren’t the only ones you can get — there are also easy access Cash ISAs, and you can get limited access ones, too. There are also other types of ISA, including Stocks & Shares ISAs, Junior ISAs and Lifetime ISAs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best fixed rate Cash ISA right now?
This changes regularly as providers adjust rates. Check the tables above, which we update daily, for the current best rate by term length.
Can you take money out of a fixed rate Cash ISA early?
Usually yes, but you’ll typically pay a penalty equivalent to a set number of days’ or months’ interest, which varies by provider and term length.
Is a fixed rate Cash ISA better than an easy access Cash ISA?
Fixed rate ISAs usually pay a higher rate in exchange for locking your money away, so they suit savings you won’t need during the term, while easy access suits money you might need sooner.
Fundamentally, they offer certainty – you will get this rate for this amount of time – at the cost of flexibility.Can you add more money to a fixed rate Cash ISA after opening it?
It depends on the provider – some allow further deposits during a set window after opening, while others only accept a single lump sum, so it’s worth checking before you commit.
What happens when a fixed rate Cash ISA matures?
Most providers will write to you before maturity with renewal options, but if you don’t respond, your money is usually moved into a lower-paying variable rate account – so it’s worth diarising the date and shopping around again.
Expert thoughts on fixed rate Cash ISAs from Be Clever With Your Cash
The biggest mistake with fixed rate Cash ISAs isn’t guessing wrong about where rates will be headed in the future, it’s locking away money that turns out to be needed before the fix ends. The early access penalty, often 90 days’ interest or more, can wipe out a meaningful chunk of the benefit of fixing in the first place. Before committing, it’s worth being genuinely confident the money won’t be needed, rather than assuming it probably won’t.
Laddering – splitting savings across a few different term lengths rather than fixing everything at once – is an underused strategy for anyone nervous about committing. It smooths out the risk of locking in a rate right before a better one appears, while still capturing most of the benefit of fixing over an easy access account.
Maturity dates also deserve more attention than they usually get. Providers are required to write ahead of a fixed ending, but it’s easy to miss the letter or assume the account will simply renew at a similar rate. In practice, un-actioned maturities often roll into a much lower variable rate. Setting a calendar reminder a few weeks before the maturity date is a small habit that can protect you from a meaningful loss of interest.
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