September’s savings round-up & news

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.

September’s savings update video

September’s savings news

Chip closes +1 but launches new savings account

The autosaving app Chip closed the +1 account to new customers at the end of August and has replaced it with an easy-access account. The rate on this new account is lower at 0.7% (versus 1.25%), but as with the previous account, you need to factor in a £1.50 fee every four weeks to get the interest.

Here’s my full analysis of the account and my thoughts on whether you should move your money.

Raisin offers £50 bonus

The savings marketplace Raisin (essentially a website connecting you to a handful of savings account providers, often with exclusive rates) has changed its bonus offering for new customers.

You’ll now get £50 for signing up to Raisin and then depositing at least £10,000 in one of the accounts you open via them. This money has to be saved for at least six months to get the bonus.

This means if you put exactly £10,000 in an account and leave it there for half a year, you’ll earn the equivalent of a 1% bonus. If it’s there for 12 months (and some of the better deals are on 12-month fixes, it’s a 0.5% bonus.

Obviously, if you put more money in one of the accounts or fix it for longer then you’ll still only get £50. Sign up here.

Fixed rates reach 1.5%

There’s been even more movement over the last month on 12-month fixed-rate accounts, with 1.5% available from various accounts recently. The best buy account tends to flip between half a dozen or so different providers every day or so – you can see which one is the current leader in my guide to the best savings accounts.

Where to put your savings in September 2021

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. But right now I’d look at the following easy access accounts:

Best places to save £1,000

Amount saved	Account	Rate	Notes
Up to £1,000	Virgin Money M Plus current account	2.02%	Can only earn interest on the first £1,000 saved

Best places to save £1,001 to £6,000

Amount saved	Account	Rate	Notes
£1,000	Virgin Money M Plus current account	2.02%	Can only earn interest on the first £1,000 saved
Up to £5,000	Club Lloyds current account	0.6% to 1.5%	Two direct debits are required to get the interest on balances up to £5,000 You’ll also get a choice of free cinema tickets or movie rentals.

Best places to save £6,001 to £11,000

Amount saved	Account	Rate	Notes
£1,000	Virgin Money M Plus current account	2.02%	Can only earn interest on the first £1,000 saved
£1,001 to £10,000	Tandem easy access	0.65%	App-only account

Best places to save £11,001 to £16,000

Amount saved	Account	Rate	Notes
£1,000	Virgin Money M Plus current account	2.02%	Can only earn interest on the first £1,000 saved
£10,000	Investec via Raisin 32 days notice	0.8%	If you’re new to Raisin and put in £10,000 for at least six months you’ll get a £50 bonus on top
Up to £5,000	Club Lloyds current account	0.6% to 1.5%	Two direct debits are required to get the interest on balances up to £5,000 You’ll also get a choice of free cinema tickets or movie rentals.

Best places to save more than £16,000

Amount saved	Account	Rate	Notes
£1,000	Virgin Money M Plus current account	2.02%	Can only earn interest on the first £1,000 saved
Between £5,000 and £50,000	Premium bonds	1%*	Once you have £5,000 in Premium Bonds it should win more than the best easy-access account (currently 0.65%) Once you’ve got at least £10,000 in Premium Bonds your average win rate will probably be better than the Club Lloyds account