The latest news to help you get the most from your savings account.
Here’s our monthly update sharing changes at leading UK savings accounts, as well as some of the articles you might have missed on the site.
Some articles on the site contain affiliate links, which provide a small commission to help fund our work. However, they won’t affect the price you pay or our editorial independence. Read more here.
September’s savings news
Easy access rates on the up
Spring, owned by Paragon Bank, has launched a new 5% paying easy access saver. It’s only around for a limited time, and you’ll only get the rate on balances of up to £5,000, but it’s another great option at the top of the tables.
Not far behind, NatWest have launched a First Save brand, where you can get 4.55%, but on a much larger £1 million balance limit. However, after 12 months the rate will fall thanks to a 1.5% bonus.
Further easy access options are below, or check out regular updates on our best buy tables.
Premium Bonds rate increases to third ever highest
The Premium Bond draw at the start of September will see a new prize rate of 4.35% – the second hike in two months, and as big increase from August’s rate of 3.8%.
There are an extra 300,000 prizes to be won, with the total fund up by £60million. Though there are still only two £1m prizes, all the other levels have increased, except for the lowest £25 prize where there’s been a drop.
This means not only do you have a better chance of winning, you’re also likely to win a larger prize. Saying that, the most common prizes are at the lower end of things, at either £50 or £100.
Of course, it’s important to remember that the prize rate isn’t guaranteed. You could easily win less, if anything at all. That’s particularly the case for smaller deposits, even as much as a few grand. But as our annual comparison shows of real results, even those with the full £50,000 could fall short. Or you could win big! It’s all down to luck.
For those keen to get a guaranteed return instead, then there are strong options right now in both easy access and fixed rate bonds as high as 5%, and the best are listed below.
Really, it’s only those who have large amounts in cash and have used up their ISA allowance and expect to exceed or don’t have a Personal Savings Allowance where Premium Bonds are worth considering.
If you are keen to get in on the next draw, then the bad news is you need to have money invested in Premium Bonds for a full calendar month before they can win anything. So the earliest draw for new deposits will be October. And you’ll need to get your money in there before the end of August to qualify.
NS&I boost fixed British Savings Bond rates
Along with Premium Bonds, NS&I have also increased the return on their Income Bonds (interest paid monthly) and Growth Bonds (interest paid at the end of the fix, aka the maturity). The options are pretty decent, though can be beaten elsewhere.
Unlike Premium Bonds, you do pay tax on interest outside of your tax-free allowances with these accounts, so the only benefit versus other savings options is your money is protected by up to £1million – up from the standard £120,000 FSCS cover elsewhere.
Here’s what you can get:
- 1 year bond 4.82%
- 2 year bond 4.81%
- 3 year bond 4.83%
- 5 year bond 4.85%
Get the best of our money saving content every week, straight to your inbox
Plus, new Quidco customers get a high paying £18 welcome offer
September’s savings offers
Santander: up to £400 in hotel vouchers for transferring your ISA
Santander is offering hotel vouchers in exchange for transferring your ISA. It’s launched a range of new fixed rate accounts, and if you make a transfer of £25,000 or more, you can get vouchers that can be used at over 1.5 million hotels worldwide.
The accounts include:
- 1 year fixed rate ISA: 4.50% AER fixed
- 2 year fixed rate ISA: 4.50% AER fixed
- 3 year fixed rate ISA: 4.65% AER fixed
- 5 year fixed rate ISA: 4.70% AER fixed
If you transfer between £25,000 and £49,999.99, you’ll get a £200 voucher. If you transfer £50,000 or more, you’ll get two £200 vouchers.
There’s not currently an end date for the offer, but it can be withdrawn at any time.
Raisin: £150 welcome bonus
New Raisin customers can get a welcome bonus of £150. To get it, you need to register for a Raisin UK account using the code SUMMER150, open a fixed rate bond with a term of 2 years or longer and deposit a minimum of £15,000 by 27 August 2026.
The best paying 2 year account on the Raisin website is 4.7%. If you deposit £15,000, you’ll get a £150 bonus, so your effective APR would be 5.2% over two years.
The offer is only for new customers and terms and conditions apply.
We’ll share any other deals in our savings deals page if any more come along.
Can you earn extra on your savings?
Check out our list of the best savings special offers
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)
Top savings accounts for September 2026
Remember, these are the accounts at the top of the tables. We’ve more options in our best savings accounts page, which is updated every day by the team.
Easy & limited access picks as of 24/8/26
| Bank | Account | Rate | Notes |
| Top easy access requiring a current account | — | — | — |
| Santander | Edge Saver | 6% AER variable, includes 2.5% bonus for 12 months | Max £4,000 Needs Edge current account (£3 monthly fee) |
| Top easy access with balance restrictions | — | — | — |
| Spring | Accelerate Saver | 5% AER variable | Max £5,000 |
| Cahoot | Sunny Day Saver | 5% AER variable | Max £3,000 One year only |
| Top easy access without restrictions | — | — | — |
| First Save | Instant Access | 4.55% AER variable includes 12 month bonus | Max £1m |
| Cahoot | Simple Saver | 4.52% AER variable | Max £500,000 Rate lasts one year |
| Top non digital account | — | — | — |
| Hanley Economic Building Society | Dual access saver | 4.27% AER variable | Only two withdrawals a year Apply by online, post or branch |
| Tesco Bank | Internet Saver | 4.21% AER variable | Apply by online or phone |
Fixed savings accounts picks as of 24/8/26
| Bank | Rate | Notes |
| Top 3 month fix | — | — |
| Oxbury Bank | 4.69% AER fixed | |
| Top 6 month fix | — | — |
| Zopa | 4.5% AER fixed | |
| Top 12 months fix | — | — |
| MBNA | 4.85% AER fixed | |
| Top 18 months fix | — | — |
| Chetwood Bank | 4.9% AER fixed | |
| Top 2 year fix | — | — |
| Investec | 4.95% AER fixed | |
| Top 3 year fix | — | — |
| Investec | 5% AER fixed | |
| Top 4 year fix | ||
| Aldermore | 4.61% AER fixed | |
| Top 5 year fix | — | — |
| Afin | 5% AER fixed |
Fixed savings accounts picks for non digital applicants as of 24/8/26
If you don’t want to use online banking or apps, then these accounts pay the best for phone and post applications. You might find higher paying options that are branch only for local banks and building societies.
| Bank | Rate | Notes |
| Top 12 months fix | — | — |
| ICICI | 4.7% AER fixed | Online, phone or branch |
| Top 18 month fix | — | — |
| Tesco Bank | 4.5% AER fixed | Online or phone |
| Top 2 year fix | — | — |
| Scottish Building Society | 4.91% AER fixed | Online, post or branch |
| Top 3 year fix | — | — |
| ICICI | 4.8% AER fixed | Online, phone or branch |
| Top 5 year fix | — | — |
| Hinkley & Rugby Building Society | 4.82% AER variable | Post and branch |
Regular Saver accounts picks as of 24/8/26
| Bank | Rate | Notes |
| Requires a current account (12 months) | — | — |
| Lloyds | 8% AER fixed | Max £250 a month |
| Bank of Scotland | 8% AER fixed | Max £250 a month |
| Santander | 8% AER variable | Max £200 a month |
| Open to all | — | — |
| Halifax (if existing Halifax customer) | 8% AER fixed | Max £250 a month |
| Monmouthshire Building Society | 6% AER fixed | Max £500 a month |
The best monthly savings accounts
Check out our list of the highest paying regular or monthly savings accounts.
ISA: Easy access picks as of 24/8/26
| Bank | Rate | Notes |
| Top rates with no bonus | ||
| Hargreaves Lansdown (powered by Shawbrook) | 4.52% | |
| Top rates with bonus | ||
| Trading 212 | 4.56% including bonus (via our link only) | Flexible New customers only |
| Top for transfers | ||
| Chip | 4.55% | New customers only (lower rate for existing) |
| Vanquis | 4.3% | |
| Top for non-digital | ||
| Coventry Building Society | 4.25% | Allows transfers 4x access Online, post, phone or branch |
ISA: Fixed savings ISAs picks as of 24/8/26
| Bank | Rate | Notes |
| Top 12 months fix | — | — |
| AlRayan via Meteor | 4.72% expected return fixed | |
| Top 2 year fix | — | — |
| Vida | 4.77% AER fixed | |
| Top 3 year fix | — | — |
| Vida | 4.8% AER fixed | |
| Top 5 year fix | — | — |
| Marsden Building Society | 4.87% AER fixed |
ISA: Fixed savings ISAs for non-digital picks as of 24/8/26
| Bank | Rate | Notes |
| Top 12 months fix | — | — |
| UBL | 4.7% AER fixed | Online, post or branch |
| Top 2 year fix | — | — |
| Hinkley & Rugby Building Society | 4.76% AER fixed | Post or branch |
| Top 3 year fix | — | — |
| Skipton Building Society | 4.55% AER fixed | Online, post, phone or branch |
| Top 5 year fix | — | — |
| Hinkley & Rugby Building Society | 4.82% AER variable | Post or branch |
Lifetime ISA: Cash picks as of 24/8/26
| Bank | Rate | Notes |
| Moneybox | 4.25% AER fixed | Includes one year bonus for new customers |
| Plum | 4.2% AER fixed | Includes one year bonus for new customers |
The best Easy Access Cash ISA savings accounts
Check out our list of the highest paying easy access Cash ISAs
