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January 21, 2026   |   Deals

Travel deals

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From flights to trains to taxis, here are some great travel deals, discounts, voucher codes and offers we’ve uncovered.

I’ll update with any special sales and codes when they happen. Also do read my guide to getting the best value when booking hotels.

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.

Coach deals

National Express flash sale: 50% off

National Express is currently running a flash sale, offering 50% off travel when you book 15 or more days in advance and 25% off when you book 3 to 14 days in advance. You need to use the code FLASHSALE to get the offer.

You have to book by 23 January to get the offer and travel between 23 January and 22 May 2026.

Airport travel is included in the offer too.

Get 50% off

Bike and cycling deals

Santander Cycles: 50% off a month pass (ended)

Santander Cycles is offering 50% off a month pass between 16 and 23 September 2025. This means you’ll pay £11.50 rather than £23 for unlimited 60 minute rides.

To get it, just use the promo code CFD25

You can rent a bike with the Santander Cycles app or just use the machine next to a docking station.

Rides lasting 60 minutes are free, but you’ll have to pay if you go over — on a pedal bike, this is an additional £1.65 for another hour, while an e-bike is £3 for another hour. However you can avoid this by docking your bike and renting it again within the hour.

Find your nearest bikes

Bus, tube and tram deals

£3 bus fare cap

Bus fares have been capped at £3 one way in England from January 2025. Not all bus companies are taking part – you can see a detailed list of the companies and routes here.

Find out if your local bus company is participating

Train deals and discounts

Train & railcard discounts

From £5 off through to flash sales, we’ve listed the best train ticket savings in a separate deals page here.

Our top train offers and deals

Flight deals and discounts

We’ll update here with any decent sales when they happen. Also, read our guide to saving money when booking flights.

Wizz Air: All You Can Fly subscription (expired)

If you travel a lot, then this new membership from Wizz might appeal. You’ll pay £599 a year for unlimited flights.

In sounds good, but there are a number of catches:

  • Booking only starts in September 2024
  • There’s an extra 9.99 Euro fee on each flight
  • You can only book seats on flights that depart in the next three days, making return trips a little risky
  • It doesn’t include handheld or checked bags (so they’re extra)
  • Only one personal item is included (max. size 40 x 30 x 20 cm)
  • If you miss three flights your membership will be cancelled without a refund
  • It’ll automatically renew each year unless you cancel

Overall it sounds like more hassle than it’s worth, especially when you consider there are cheap tickets available in advance from Wizz and other airlines.

However, if you’re retired or have the flexibility to travel regularly and at the drop of a hat, it could be worth a look.

Get Wizz Air’s subscription

Petrol and motoring deals

Halfords: free 5-point winter car check and bike check

Halfords is offering motorists a 5-point winter car check, which includes:

  • Headlight and brake light check
  • Wiper blade condition check
  • Battery health check
  • Windscreen chip check
  • MOT due date reminder (UK only)

If you’ve got a bike, you can also get a free bike safety check. Halfords says there’s no obligation to get an estimate for repairs or servicing, if any issues do come up.

You’ll need to book in advance on the Halfords website.

Get free car and bike check

Halfords: Free 10-point car check and £5 voucher

If you join the Halfords Motoring Club for free, you can get a free £5 voucher to spend online or in-store at Halfords and a free 10-point car check, worth £15. 

There’s a Premium tier for £49 per year that gets you your MOT (worth £44.99), 2 10-point car checks, a free fitting of wiper blades or headlights and 5% off at the autocentres and in-store. 

This is generally a pretty good deal, but definitely worthwhile if you’re having enough work on your car to make the most of the 5% off, don’t know how to change your headlights or windscreen wipers and would usually do your MOT at Halfords. 

Sign up for Halfords Motoring Club

Taxi and minicab deals

Money off your first Uber journey

Use the code 5ngkw on the Uber app to get a discount on your first ride. This is for first-time users only.

Get Uber

Loyalty travel deals

Uber Member Days: 20% back on car hire, flights and trains (and more deals) (ended)

Subscribers to Uber’s ‘Uber One’ membership can get additional benefits from 16 May to 23 May as part of its new promotion ‘Uber Member Days’. 

Plus, you can get a month trial for free until 23 May, even if you’ve tried it before. Although after this, it’ll renew at £4.99 per month or £49.99 per year. We have a full guide on the membership, but it’s worth noting that this gets you Disney+ if you get the annual membership, so it’s worthwhile if you pay for Disney+ anyway. 

Offers for Uber Member Days include:

  • 20% back in Uber credits for car hire (max £250 back)
  • 20% Back in Uber Credits on Trains
  • 20% Back in Uber Credits on Flights
  • 25% off selected alcohol at Waitrose
  • 50% off snacks from selected supermarkets
  • 50% off Pizza Express items
  • Free Courier Trip (up to £10 off)
More about Uber One

January 19, 2026   |   ArticlesReview

NatWest 5.25% Digital Regular Saver review – is it worth it?

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NatWest is reducing the rate on this savings. Is it still worth it?

This monthly saver from NatWest (and also RBS) has had one of the highest interest rates since it launched in 2020 – but with a catch. The Digital Regular Saver is designed for those starting off their savings journey, and as such there’s quite a small monthly limit you can put away. Just £150.

And as rates begin to drop elsewhere, NatWest have followed suit and cut the rate here too Here’s what you need to know and whether it’s worth it.

How much can you save in the NatWest or RBS Digital Regular Saver?

Since late 2022, the maximum you can earn interest on will be £5,000. This is a big jump from the previous maximum of £1,000.

But it’s not as simple as adding all that cash to the account in one go. You can save between £1 and £150 a month into the account (at launch it was just £50).

If you keep the interest in the account, it’ll take two years and seven months of saving the full £150 to reach a balance of £5,000 (including the accumulated interest payments).

For those already with £1,000 saved in the account, it’ll be just over two years until you reach £5,000 (again including interest paid each month).

Unlike other regular savers accounts it won’t close after 12 months so you’ll continue to earn interest on your savings beyond this. You can also keep adding money once you get to the £5,000 cap, but I wouldn’t bother.

Another difference to normal regular savers is that you can take the money out whenever you want, not just when it matures. But taking £150 out doesn’t mean you can put extra back in. That £150 monthly deposit limit stays at £150 regardless.

The only way to add more than the £150 each month, and get to that £5,000 sooner, is to use a round-up function on your debit card.

How much money can you earn?

In January 2026, the rate fell to 5.25%, following a cut in May 2025 to 5.5% AER. This was a fall from a rate of 6.17% that was set in February 2023.

If you save the full £150 a month for the first year that’ll net you £51 in interest. Keep going until you reach £5,000 (deposits and interest) and the total interest will have been around £335.

However any new deposits will earn far less. Money saved beyond £5,000 will only earn 1%. This can easily be beaten elsewhere. Confusingly if you do have more than £5,000 in the account it’ll show the combined interest rate on the app as your earning rate. Don’t worry about this – you’re still getting the full whack on the initial balance up to £5,000.

It’s worth remembering the interest rate is variable. So though it’s changing to 5.25%, that could change again at any time.

The best savings accounts

Check out our list of the highest paying regular, easy-access, fixed and ethical savings accounts

Who can get this account?

You can only open one of these regular savers if you have a NatWest or RBS current account. There are free ones, or you can look at the NatWest or RBS Rewards account.

How many accounts can you have?

There’s only one per person, which means you can’t get another, even as a joint account.

However the same account is offered by both NatWest and RBS, and you can open up an extra current account and then digital regular saver at the other bank to get two.

Account summary

NatWest / RBS Digital Regular Saver (5.5%)

Account nameDigital Regular Saver
Interest rate 5.25% AER
Max monthly deposit£150
Min monthly deposit£1
Max amount earn interest on£5,000
Account closesNo
WithdrawalsEasy access with no penalty
RequirementsMust have a NatWest or RBS current account
Must have a standing order of at least £1 every month from your Natwest current account
More on the account at NatWest

How to open an account

If you have an account you need to go to your online banking or app to open the saver. I did this via my app and it took just three minutes. There’s an “Apply” button on the bottom right, and then tap the savings option. It’s all self-explanatory from there.

You need to set up a standing order of between £1 and £150 from your NatWest account, though you can cancel this once you reach £5,000.

Should you open a NatWest Digital Regular Saver?

Andy’s Analysis

Even with the rate cut, it’s still a decent paying account. And the likelihood is that other rates will fall too in the coming months.

However, I’d focus first on the fixed rate regular savers from First Direct and Club Lloyds as they’ll guarantee you a higher rate (for now – it very possible they’ll drop soon too). The problem is these all require a current account with those banks, and opening these will entail a credit check. That’s not an issue for most, but it’s something to be aware off.

If you don’t fancy that, and already have a NatWest or RBS current account then absolutely, I’d go for this Digital Regular saver instead (or as well).

Though there are similar paying regular savers, the big difference here is you will continue to earn interest on this one after 12 months. So in time it could be a better earner. Ideally you’d do both this and a strong competitor.

Of course, let’s not forget if you have a larger lump sum it’s better to prioritise opening up one of the best paying savings accounts.

Latest bank switch offers (A-Z)

As of 27/02/2026

Click links for further details and analysis

The best bank switch bonuses

Check out our list of all the bank switch offers you can get when opening a new current account

the best bank switch offers on a blue background
January 14, 2026   |   Articles

How do 0% purchase cards work?

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We explain how to get the most out of them.

The right credit card can let you spread the cost of a big purchase, or a string of smaller ones, interest free over months or potentially even years. Just make sure you follow our three rules to make the most of them.

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.

What is a 0% purchase card?

A 0% purchase card lets you spend money on it for a set period before any interest is added to your balance.

The set period runs from a few months to potentially years – with the longest 0% purchase card on the market at the time of writing being 25 months.

That means if you need to buy something big, or have a string of expenses coming up, you can spread the cost over a long time without being charged interest.

I used one after moving into my current flat, as I knew I needed to buy a lot of furniture and other essentials in a short time and this let me spread that cost out.

Crucially, you will still need to make payments and will be sent a bill every month – it’s not free money after all – but there won’t be any interest added to your bill while you’re in the introductory period.

How 0% purchase cards work

You apply for an interest-free credit card the same way you do a standard credit card. That means you’ll need to be over the age of 18 and pass a credit check.

You won’t be told your credit limit until you’re accepted, with this often determined by a combination of your credit report and income, after that the card will be posted to you along with the PIN for it. Once you activate the card, you’re free to start spending on it.

After this, the cost of any purchases get added to your credit card balance. No interest is charged on this balance until after the end of the 0% period.

Once a month, you’ll receive a bill from your card provider, which you’ll need to pay to avoid penalties. However, everything you pay will go towards clearing that balance, rather than paying any interest.

You can choose how much the payment is as long as it’s more than the minimum amount – which is normally a small percentage of the overall amount.

What happens when the 0% purchase period expires

The month after your introductory period ends, interest is charged on whatever balance is left on the card.

This will be at the card provider’s standard rate – typically about 25% APR at the moment, but some cards can charge significantly more.

Any new purchases or payments made on the card also will have interest charged at them at the same interest rate.

What are the risks of 0% purchase cards?

The first thing to say is that any application for credit leaves a mark on your credit report. 

It’s not a huge factor, but it could affect your eligibility for other products, so it’s best not to apply for new cards ahead of taking out something like a mortgage.

Applying for several products in a short time, for example if you are rejected by one provider and re-apply to another or apply for several things at once, is also seen as a worrying sign by lenders. 

It can look like you’re desperate for money, and so put them off from wanting to deal with you.

Once you have the card, you need to make sure you aren’t late or miss any of the monthly payments. A missed payment not only risks you having your 0% period invalidated, it also leaves a mark on your credit report that lingers for years.

Not every purchase will be interest-free, either. Taking money out of the cash point, for example, will have interest charged on it immediately. Make sure you read the terms and conditions of the card to check what’s excluded.

Finally, you need to have a plan for when the 0% period expires. Ideally, you’d have cleared the balance by then, but if you haven’t, you’ll be left with an expensive debt.

If you don’t have the money on hand to clear the balance, you could try a transfer to another card – which could reset your 0% period – but be careful about fees associated with these.

What else should I consider instead of a 0% purchase card?

There are a fair few other options if you’re looking to spread the cost of payments without being charged interest.

The first is to save up for it first, instead of paying for it afterwards. Of course, you might not always have the time to do this.

The second option is a money transfer card. These send money directly to your bank account for you to use however you like. That money is added to the credit card’s balance, and frequently come with a 0% introductory period similar to purchase cards.

The big difference is that you’ll need to ask for the full amount at once, and you’ll be charged a fee of about 4% of the total amount when you make the transfer.

Finally, some banks still offer 0% overdrafts – although these are either limited in time to about 12 months, or for smaller amounts of £500 or less.

The three rules for using a 0% purchase card

Overall, 0% purchase cards can be a fantastic option to spread the cost of something expensive.

But to get the most out of them, you need to make sure you:

  1. Check your eligibility BEFORE applying 
  2. Set up an affordable standing order and stick to it
  3. Make a plan for when the 0% period expires

Read more about credit cards

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January 14, 2026   |   Deals

Beauty & health deals

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From freebies to money off, here are some great deals on health and beauty

From free trips to the gym to money off skincare and beauty products, here are some of the best health and beauty offers available at the moment.

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.

Nuffield: free 7 day pass

You can get a free seven-day pass at Nuffield gyms. It’s available at selected gyms only, and to get it, you need to sign up via the website and enter your postcode to choose a gym. You’ll be asked for some basic details and will be able to choose a date for the seven days to begin.

Get a free seven-day pass

Everyone Active: free day pass

You can get a free day pass at Everyone Active gyms

This gets you free use of the gym, pool and fitness classes at your local Everyone Active leisure centre for one day. You can’t use it at Coral Reef Waterworld or Moorways Water Park.

To get it, you just need to sign up for it on the website, then download the app and show the pass when you visit.

Get a free one-day pass

The Gym Group: free day pass via Lidl Plus

Until the end of January, you can get a day pass at The Gym Group via the Lidl Plus app. You just need to go to your Lidl app and scroll down to ‘Partner offers’ on the home page.

Then you can select ‘redeem this offer’ and reveal a code. Go to The Gym Group website and find the day passes section to redeem your code.

Get a free day pass

Body Shop discounts

£5 Body Shop voucher on your birthday

Love My Body members get sent a £5 voucher on their birthday every year. You can sign up for the scheme (for free) here.

Join the Love My Body club

Grüum beauty deals

Grüum: skincare and/or haircare bundle for £3.95

You can get two or three full-sized products from Grüum (worth up to £43) for just the cost of delivery (£3.95).

There are several bundles to choose between, although some are often out of stock. The options include skin cleansers, shampoo bars, body wash bars and body oils, to name a few.

You have to pay £3.95 for delivery, but for a couple of products, that’s not bad.

Get a skincare bundle for £3.95

Holland & Barrett offers

£3 free spend via Holland & Barrett loyalty scheme

Sign up to the H&B Rewards for Life scheme and you’ll get 300 bonus points straight away – worth £3.

You’ll then earn 4 points for every pound you spend, and vouchers are sent out four times a year (minimum 50 points needed).

Get £3 to spend at H&B

Liberty beauty deals

Liberty: Subscription box offer

You can get an unusual beauty subscription box from Liberty. If you deposit £25 per month into your Liberty “beauty bank” (essentially buying store credit), then you get a “Discovery Box” four times a year for £5 per month, worth a total of £300 per year. 

You’ll still have the credit in your account that you deposited (except the £5 fee for each box), but it can’t be refunded or withdrawn.

What’s in the beauty box?

The box is called The Beauty Drop. You get four per year full of trial-sized products. They’re sent in January, April, July and October and they’ll be worth up to £300 throughout the year. 

Remember that just because Liberty would sell the products for £300, it doesn’t mean they’re worth that for you.

The drawbacks

Your typical bank account has protection – you’re protected by up to £85,000 if your bank goes bust. However, your money in the “beauty bank” at Liberty isn’t protected. This means that if Liberty were to go bust, the money you have in the account likely won’t be refunded to you, much like a gift card.

You could mitigate this by spending the money you deposit as soon as you can and not letting a large balance rack up, but Liberty’s high prices might prevent this. 

Sign up for The Beauty Drop

Boots offers

There are often regular offers and savings at Boots so we’ve set up a page just for those deals.

Lush beauty deals

Lush: £3 Lush Club bonus (ended)

If you join Lush’s UK loyalty club then new or existing account holders can get a £3 welcome voucher if they sign into the latest version of the app before 8 October 2024.

You don’t need to do anything to trigger the coupon, though do check if it’s showing in the banner on the app or in the ‘Rewards’ section of the app.

You’ll be able to use the £3 in-store or on purchases via the app. It’ll last three months from activation.

More on the offer

Space NK offers

Space NK: up to 20% off with £5 charity donation (ended)

This is a decent opportunity to stock up on beauty essentials (and luxuries) as you can get up to 20% off at Space NK until 2 June 2025

You must donate £5 to the charity Switchboard LGBT+ via Space NK’s link, and then you’ll get a unique code to use.

This includes rarely discounted brands such as Diptyque – only a handful of items are excluded, which you can see here. You can’t use the deal on gift cards or sale items either.

It ends 11.45pm on 2 June 2025

Shop at Space NK

Health deals

Vision Express: free eye test with £50 spend (expired)

Download the Lidl Plus app, and in the partner offers section you’ll find you can claim a free eye test (worth £30) and get 30% off frames, as long as you spend £50 on prescription glasses at Vision Express.

Ends 10 October 2025.

More on the offer

M&S deals

Beauty: £330 beauty advent calendar for £60 (ended)

You can get a £330 M&S beauty advent calendar for £60 when you spend £35 on full-price clothing, homeware or beauty.

The Beauty Advent Calendar 2025 includes a selection of 25 products, including some full-size products across bath and body, skincare, haircare and make-up.

Now, just because M&S say it’s worth £330 it doesn’t mean it actually is. You can see the entire contents here, so use that to work out whether it’s not just worth paying £60 for.

And of course, try to buy something you actually need to want for the initial £35 spend. Sale and clearance items are excluded from this qualifying spend.

Save on the M&S Beauty Advent Calendar
January 5, 2026   |   Best Buy

The best cashback or reward debit and credit cards (January 2026)

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Earn as much as 5% back when you spend from the likes of American Express, Chase and Barclaycard.

You can earn cashback or rewards via both debit and credit cards. In most instances the best option is the one that pays the best rate.

If you’re worried about managing a credit card it makes sense to use a debit card more. However, credit cards do have extra perks like added consumer protection or for deposits when hiring a car.

Cashback can be spent as you wish, while rewards normally need to be transferred into vouchers and spent at specific retailers.

We’ve outlined the best options so you can earn as you spend.

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.

Best cashback debit cards

The highest ongoing rate on debit cards is via the PayPal+ scheme, where there’s 1% up for grabs at home and abroad. It’s easy to use and there are ways to increase the value of the points you earn.

Trading 212 offers a lower rate of 0.5% but it’s often boosted to a higher 1.5% if you auto-invest. You’ll also earn the cashback on overseas spending. It has a cap of £15 a month.

PayPal+
1% cashback
Boosted to 1.5% if reach Gold or Black tiers
No fee
Fee-free abroad and earn cashback
> PayPal+ card review
Trading 212
0.5% cashback
Boosted to 1.5% if you auto-invest until 28 Feb 2026
Max £15 cashback a month
Cashback payable daily
£5 for physical card
Fee-free abroad and earn cashback
> Trading 212 card review
> Customer reviews of T212 on Smart Money People

Other cards

Chase offers 1% back on groceries and some travel costs, though you’re capped at £15 a month in cashback.

We’ve not listed cards which offer money back from time to time on a changing list of retailers. This includes Monzo, Halifax and Santander. These are worth a look but are really just pot luck as to whether something is available when you want to buy something.

Occasionally there’ll be a short lived cashback offer on other cards, and we list them on our banking deals page.

Best cashback and reward credit cards

There are different types of cashback credit card, so we’ve split this section into:

  • Best American Express cashback cards
  • Best Visa or Mastercard cashback cards
  • Best supermarket or retailer cashback cards
  • Best airline rewards cards

Andy’s cashback credit card rules

A really important rule if you are using a cashback credit card.

Always pay off the balance in full every month

There’s no point using a cashback credit card if you’re going to get charged interest on your purchase. So make sure you set up a Direct Debit to clear the full balance.

If you can’t afford to do that, then a credit card probably isn’t your best option except for emergencies. I’ve written more about clearing credit card debts, so do read that.

It’s also worth doing an eligibility check before you apply if you can. This gives you a sense of whether you’ll be accepted, though not a guarantee.

Read more about these credit card rules.

Best American Express cashback and reward credit cards

The three Amex credit cards I’d look at for everyday earning are the Cashback, Nectar or Preferred Rewards Gold card.

Amex Cashback Amex NectarAmex Preferred Rewards Gold
0.75% on first £10,000 a year
then 1.25% 		2 Nectar points per £1 (equivalent to 1%)1 point per £1 (equivalent to 0.5%)

Bonus points for every £5,000 spend (boosts equivalent rate to up to 0.75%)
5% welcome bonus (up to £150) in first three months20,000 welcome bonus if you spend £2,000 in two months (worth £100)20,000 standard welcome bonus if you spend £3,000 in two three months (worth £10)

Often boosted to up to 40,000 points (£175)
Cashback payable at end of yearPoints redeemable instantlyPoints redeemable instantly
£25 a year feeFree in first year

£30 a year afterwards		Free in first year

£195 a year afterwards
Also £10 back at Deliveroo each month, 4 free Priority Passes
Bonus £25 via referral (typical)Bonus £20 via referral (typical)Bonus £70 via referral (typical)
> Amex Gold credit card review
> Customer reviews of Amex over on Smart Money People> Customer reviews of Amex over on Smart Money People> Customer reviews of Amex over on Smart Money People
> Check your eligibility for an American Express credit card> Check your eligibility for an American Express credit card> Check your eligibility for an American Express credit card

Our analysis

The highest paying of all credit and debit cards without restrictions is the American Express Nectar, which earns you the equivalent of 1% back. Of course you are earning Nectar points, but as long as you sometimes shop at Sainsbury’s or Argos that shouldn’t be an issue. It’s free in the first year.

If you want pure cash, then go for the American Express Cashback card. You will pay £25 a year for this, but you can wipe that out in the first year by applying via a referral link You’ll be earning 0.75% on spending up to £10,000, and then a higher 1.25% if you go beyond this. This resets every 12 months.

There is a free but lower paying (at 0.5% on first £10,000, then 1%) version called American Express Everyday Cashback. However you must spend at least £3,000 a year to get any cashback on that.

Alternatively you could look at the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold credit card. You’ll only earn one Amex point (worth 0.5% if you swap it to a gift card), though it’s boosted for every £2,500 you spend above £5,000, pushing potential earnings to 0.75%. This card is initially free, but very expensive from the second year onwards, so it’s certainly only for one year. I’d also wait for when the welcome bonus is increased.

Other Amex cards

The focus of this guide is ongoing earning from spending, whether as cashback or Amex Reward points, however we’ve a longer guide to all American Express cards, their features and their welcome bonuses, including the Platinum card.

Extra Amex offers

Check out this article with details of boosted referral bonuses and other extra offers with your American Express card.

Best Visa and Mastercard cashback and reward credit cards

If you want a back up credit card that’s not American Express, then the following are worth a look. They’re also all fee-free for spending overseas, which is something the Amex cards don’t offer.

Lloyds UltraBarclaycard RewardsSantander Edge NatWest Travel Reward
1% for first year, 0.25% after0.25%

1%1% on UK travel spending (including trains, planes, car rentals, hotels, buses & more)

0.1% elsewhere
Max £10 cashback a month
Cashback paid each JanuaryCashback paid monthlyCashback paid monthlyCashback paid after 35 days
No feeNo fee£4 monthly feeNo fee
Fee-free abroadFee-free abroadFee-free abroadFee-free abroad
VisaVisaMastercardMastercard
> Lloyds Ultra credit card review> Santander Edge credit card review
> Customer reviews of Barclaycard credit cards over on Smart Money People> Customer reviews of Santander credit cards over on Smart Money People> Customer reviews of NatWest credit cards over on Smart Money People
> Check eligibility for the Barclaycard Rewards credit card> Check eligibility for a Santander credit card> Check eligibility for a NatWest credit card

Our analysis

The new Lloyds Ultra card is a top paying 1% card for 12 months, and then a lower but hard to beat 0.25% afterwards for a non-Amex card. It’s also fee free to use abroad.

Alternatively, the Barclaycard Rewards pays a solid 0.25% cashback on spending at home or abroad, and is fee free.

The Santander Edge credit card can pay more at 1%, though since there’s a £4 monthly fee and you’re capped at £10, you’ll only earn a maximum of 0.6% back. Spend less or more than £1,000 and that effective rate drops.

I’ve included the NatWest Travel Reward credit card, but it’s only advantage over other cards is you can earn 1% back on holiday planning at home, such as hotels and flights – though you’d get the same with the Amex Nectar as long as the retailer accepts it.

Other cards

  • NatWest Reward: 1% at supermarkets, 0.25% elsewhere (£24 annual fee unless a NatWest customer) Also available from RBS
  • Virgin Money Everyday Cashback: 0.25% capped at £15 a month. Fee-free abroad

Best supermarket and retailer specific cashback and reward credit cards

These cards will earn you a decent rate at core UK retailers and supermarkets like Amazon and John Lewis. You’ll also earn on spending elsewhere, but those rates can usually be beaten by other cards listed above.

Amazon Barclaycard RewardsJohn Lewis PartnershipM&S Bank Rewards
1% at Amazon (2% on big sales)

0.5% elsewhere for the first 12 months, then 0.25%
5 points per £4 spent at John Lewis or Waitrose (equivalent of 1.25%)

1 point per £10 spent elsewhere (equivalent of 0.1%)		1 points per £1 at M&S (equivalent of 1%)

1 points per £5 at elsewhere (equivalent of 0.2%)
£20 welcome credit (sometimes boosted)Regular welcome offersRegular welcome offers
Max £15 cashback a month
Redeem credit in multiples of £5Redeem vouchers in multiples of £5Vouchers paid quarterly
No feeNo feeNo fee
> Amazon Barclaycard Rewards review
> Customer reviews of Amex over on Smart Money People> Customer reviews of John Lewis credit cards over on Smart Money People> Customer reviews of M&S Bank over on Smart Money People
> Check your eligibility for an Amazon credit card> Check your eligibility for a John Lewis credit card> Check your eligibility for a Marks and Spencer Bank credit card

Other cards

  • Asda Money: 0.75% back at Asda, 0.2% elsewhere

Best airline reward credit cards

Fee-free versions of the following cards are available, though you’ll earn far fewer points all round.

British Airways American Express Premium PlusBarclaycard Avios PlusVirgin Atlantic Reward+
1.5 Avios per £1 spent1.5 Avios per £1 spent1.5 point per £1 spent
30,000 bonus welcome Avios if you spend £3,000 in three months

Often boosted to 60,000 points		25,000 bonus welcome Avios if you spend £3,000 in three months18,000 bonus points with first spend
Spend £15,000 to get a companion voucherSpend £10,000 to get a cabin upgrade voucherSpend £10,000 to get a companion or cabin upgrade voucher
£300 a year£20 a month£160 a year
> Barclaycard Avios review
> Customer reviews of Amex over on Smart Money People> Customer reviews of Barclaycard credit cards over on Smart Money People> Customer reviews of Virgin Money cards over on Smart Money People
> Check your eligibility for an American Express credit card> Check your eligibility for a Barclaycard credit card> Check your eligibility for a Virgin Money credit card

Our analysis

As well as earning points as you spend, the draw with these cards are welcome offers and 2-4-1 vouchers. However the latter can require huge amounts of spending – and then even more to get enough points to use alongside the vouchers, especially on non-economy seats.

Unless you are going to be spending a lot, or want to save long term for a dream trip, I prefer using cashback card and having the flexibility to shop around for deals on flights.

You can also earn points on some American Express cards, such as the Nectar, Reward, Gold and Platinum that can covert to many different airline schemes.

The best credit card deals

Check out my list of the best credit card offers and promotions

Read next

January 1, 2026   |   Deals

Cashback site welcome bonus offers

Written by

Get new member bonuses of up to £47.50 combined

If you want to boost your savings when shopping online, there’s a simple way to make money – cashback.

If you’re new to cashback sites, you can nab sign-up offers giving you close to £50 in free cash when you first buy something.

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.

How cashback sites afford to give you money

Retailers often pay a commission to websites that help them make a sale. Cashback sites simply pay you a cut of this money if you shop with them.

How to get even more money from the cashback sites

Since there are a few of these sites, they’re all competing for you to shop via them – which means they all give incentives to get you to sign up.

So even if you’ve already registered with one, you can sign up with another and shop away.

They all have different custom cashback rates at different shops, so it’s worth signing up for them all and shopping around for the one which will give you the most money.

Right now you could earn a free £30 for doing your shopping as normal, and get further cashback on top. Here are the best ones:

New customer offers

TopCashback: £20 bonus when you spend £10

You can get an exclusive £20 new member bonus. You need to spend £10 via one of the retailers listed on TCB to get this bonus (excluding takeaways). You must go via this link or the button below.

Read the full terms and conditions when you click through. Ends 31 March 2026.

Sign up to TopCashback for a £20 bonus

Quidco: £18 bonus when you spend £10

The best deal is for subscribers to our free newsletter who get access to an exclusive £18 first-time bonus when they spend £10. You’ll also get the cashback offered by the retailer on top.

Once you sign up, you’ll need to click on the sign-up confirmation email that will be sent immediately. If you don’t see it, please check your spam folders as it could be there, and then add our email address to your safe senders list.

Then look for a special email that will be sent to you with the exclusive Quidco sign-up link. Make sure to read the terms and conditions on Quidco’s website before making your first purchase to ensure it tracks.

This offer is due to end 31 March 2026, but will hopefully be extended.

Sign up for our newsletter

JamDoughnut: get £4 for signing up

We’ve managed to snag a cheeky boosted welcome offer for Be Clever With Your Cash readers. You can get £4 extra cashback – double the standard welcome bonus.

It’ll be paid as two sets of 200 points when you make your first purchase.

The first 200 points you get are standard for first-time users of JamDoughnut, while the extra 200 points are for coming through our link. The first 200 points will be instant, while the second ones will take a few days to be added by the JamDoughnut team.

You might be prompted to enter a code. You don’t need to do this as the link will track. But if you want to, then add BCWYC.

Sign up for JamDoughnut
Read our review of JamDoughnut

Cheddar: £2 for signing up

You can get £2 when you sign up for cashback app Cheddar using the referral code CLEVER2 and buy your first prepaid card. You’ll also get boosted cashback rates for two weeks.

You have to make the purchase within 14 days of signing up using the invite code to get it.

Read our review of Cheddar
Sign up for Cheddar

Airtime: £2 when you sign up

Another decent cashback site is the app Airtime. New member bonuses are much smaller. You’ll get £2 for signing up with code FGUHNUQH when you spend £5 within seven days. Sometimes these are boosted.

Get the Airtime welcome promo code

Quidco: £10 back when you spend £5

If you’d rather not get our newsletter then you can get £10 back with a £5 spend via the sign-up link below.

Sign up to Quidco and get a £10 welcome bonus

Existing customer bonuses

From time to time both Quidco and TopCashback offer an extra bonus. You need to activate these deals and they generally only run for a short period of time – often just one day.

Airtime tends to have promo codes you need to enter on the app to get the extra offer.

The best are generic promos which you can gain with any spending. Sometimes they might be for specific retailers or types of service (eg travel or broadband). I’ll share any decent ones I spot here.

Things to watch out for

Cashback is never guaranteed. If your purchase doesn’t track (i.e. there isn’t a record of you buying the item via the cashback site) you won’t get the money.

Here’s how to increase your chances you will get the money:

  • Read the (short) terms and conditions for the sign-up deals, and also the individual shop promotions.
  • Be careful using voucher codes. If they aren’t listed on the cashback page they might stop you getting cashback.
  • Make sure you don’t already have a browser window open for the retailer.

Read next

January 1, 2026   |   Deals

Quidco bonuses: up to £18 for new members

Written by

Get free cash when you shop at thousands of shops or other bonuses with these Quidco sign-up bonus offers.

We’re big fans of cashback and – even better – you can often get a bonus when you sign up for the first time.

Quidco is one of the big cashback sites, and we’ll list the best deals here, as well as any other specific cashback deals we think you can’t afford to miss.

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.

What is Quidco?

Quidco is a cashback website that lets you earn money back when you shop through its platform. It works with thousands of retailers across different categories, including fashion, tech, travel and groceries. When you make a purchase through Quidco, a percentage of what you spend is tracked and later paid out as cashback, which you can withdraw to your bank, PayPal, or as a gift card.

First time Quidco user offers

There are regular retailer-specific offers that come and go which could save you £10 or £15 if you buy at those shops. But the two generic offers below are far better as they mean you can spend your money wherever you want on whatever you want.

£18 bonus cashback when you spend £10

The best deal is for subscribers to our weekly newsletter who get access to an exclusive £18 first-time bonus when they spend £10. You’ll also get the cashback offered by the retailer on top.

Once you sign up, you’ll need to click on the sign up confirmation email that will be sent immediately. If you don’t see it please check your spam folders as it could be there, and then add our email address to your safe senders list.

Then look for a special email that will be sent to you with the exclusive Quidco sign-up link. Make sure to read the terms and conditions on Quidco’s website before making your first purchase to ensure it tracks.

This offer is due to end 31 March 2026, but will hopefully be extended

Sign up for our newsletter

Get £10 cashback when you spend £5, plus extra cashback (ended)

This is an ongoing offer that can get you the cashback on any purchase, as long as you spend £5 or more. So if you spend £5 at any of the 5,000+ retailers listed on Quidco – which is pretty much all of them –  you’ll get £10 back plus whatever the cashback rate is. There are so many shops you’ll definitely find a way to get your cashback.

Ends 31 December 2025.

Sign up to Quidco and get a £10 bonus

Existing Quidco customer offers

It’s worth looking for bonus cashback deals which can pop up from time to time. You need to click to activate these offers. We’ll add them below when we see them.

Quidco Flashback offers

Often Quidco has boosted cashback known as Flashback that runs for 24 hours. Sometimes we can share them in advance, although they could change or be cancelled. Always check the Quidco homepage for the full terms and conditions. You might also have to activate some offers.

Already with Quidco?

TopCashback also offers new member bonuses. Check out the latest here.

Free cashback offers

Some deals will give you money without actually spending any money:

£3 bonus when you install Quidco reminder (ended)

If you use Chrome as your internet browser you’ll be able to earn a £3 bonus by installing the Quidco Reminder extension, then using it to activate cashback while shopping and spend at least £3. There are a handful of retailers excluded which are listed in the terms and conditions when you click through. The offer comes and goes.

Read next

January 1, 2026   |   Deals

Best credit card offers and promotions (January 2026)

Written by

The best offers and promotions for credit cards from 0% interest through to introductory bonuses.

Used responsibly, credit cards can help you earn money on purchases, give you stronger consumer protections, make holidays cheaper, help you clear debts or spread the cost of a big purchase. 

Everyone’s situation will be different, so these are just the best cards out there – you might have to settle for a shorter deal or lower rate of cashback.

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.

Cashback card welcome bonuses

When you’re opening a card, especially a cashback or rewards based card, it’s worth seeing if there’s a welcome offer. And even better, checking to see if it’s boosted.

Santander: no fee for first year of Edge credit card (ended)

Those with a Santander current account can get the Edge credit card without its usual £4 monthly fee for the first year. The card lets you earn 1% back on your spending, up to £10 per month, giving you a cap of £6 oer month that you can make with the account, but with this offer, you can save £48 per year and make up to £120 in cashback. We have a full review of the Santander Edge credit card with all the info on cashback you can earn.

To get it, you need to open a Santander Edge credit card between 11 November and 13 January 2026, set up a Direct Debit and use your credit card 10 times or more over the first 3 months to qualify.

For this, you’ll get £48, which will cover the monthly fee for the first year.

Read our review of the Santander Edge credit card

Barclaycard Avios: boosted welcome offer (ended)

The usual 25,000 welcome Avios is boosted until 15 January 2026 on the Barclaycard Avios Plus credit card.

In addition you can get 10,000 more points and a year of Apple TV.

To get all the points you need to spend £6,000 in the first six months. This spend will also earn you another 9,000 points, giving you a total of 44,000 points, which is worth £220 if converted into Nectar points.

However, the card does come with a £20 monthly fee. You could cancel the card once you’ve hit the threshold to reduce the impact on your profit.

Existing Barclaycard customers won’t be able to apply.

Read our review of the Barclaycard Avios
Check your eligibility for the Barclaycard Avios credit card

Best American Express welcome offers:

We’ve more details on the latest offers in my dedicated guide to American Express offers, but here are the top picks for the bonus available for new cardholders.

Boosted Amex welcome offers

All the latest Amex welcome offers

Amazon: £20 welcome offer

Sign up for the new Amazon Barclaycard and you’ll get £20 in Amazon credit added to your Amazon account.

You’ll also earn 1% at Amazon and 0.5% elsewhere, dropping to 0.25% after a year.

Existing Barclaycard customers won’t be able to apply.

Read our review of the Amazon Barclaycard
Check your eligibility for the Amazon credit card

John Lewis: double points for 60 days

If you apply for a new John Lewis Partnership card you’ll get double points at John Lewis or Waitrose for the first 6 days, meaning you’ll get the equivalent of 2.5% back.

After this, you’ll earn 1.25% back (5 points per £4 spent) in Waitrose or John Lewis. You’ll get 0.25% back (1 point per £5 spent) at all other retailers.

There’s no end date for this deal.

Check if you’re eligible for the John Lewis Partnership credit card

M&S: 5x points for six months

If you apply for a new Marks & Spencer credit card, you can get five points on M&S spending instead of one, for six months. Every £100 spent gets 500 points which works out as £5 as a voucher.

There is no closing date for this offer but the terms and conditions state it can be withdrawn at any time.

Check your eligibility for an M&S credit card

Read next

Best 0% Purchase & Balance Transfer welcome deals

Before you get a 0% balance transfer card make sure you read my guide to how to properly use them to reduce the cost of debts.

Bonus cashback: Up to £25

Cashback sites Quidco and TopCashback offer between £20 and £30 to successful applicants for credit cards from Tesco, TSB, HSBC and Barclaycard. Rates can change, so check out both sites.

For balance transfer cards this could work out better than the no-fee option. So, for example, if the transfer fee is 0.9% and you transfer £2,222 or less then the cashback you earn will wipe out the fee.

These rates can change so it’s worth checking each site to see which pays the most.

New to cashback sites? Get an additional bonus of up to £20

Quidco new members can get £18 when they spend £10, while TopCashback new members can get £20 when they spend £10. Find out how to get these bonuses

Sign up for cashback sites

Best fee-free travel welcome deals

Most credit cards are expensive to use overseas, but a few are fee-free on transactions and withdrawals.

Best credit building credit card welcome deals

If you’ve got a poor credit rating then spending on a credit card and then clearing the debt completely each month can help boost your score.

I’ve written in detail about this type of card, so make sure you check it out.

Barclaycard Forward: £15 cashback

If you’re eligible for the Barclaycard Forward card, then you can apply via Quidco to get £15 cashback.

More on cashback sites

Tesco Foundation: £25 cashback

You can get £25 cashback when applying for the Tesco Foundation card via TopCashback.

More on cashback sites

Get paid to switch bank

Check out the latest bank switching incentives, plus the current accounts with the best rewards, cheapest overdraft and highest interest.

best bank switching offers

Expired deals

Asda Money: up to £50 cashback (expired)

If you open a credit card with Asda Money by 6 January 2025 then you can get 5% back in your Asda Pounds in your first 60 days, up to £50.

You’ll also earn 0.75% on your Asda spend and 0.2% everywhere else.

This is only available for new customers, or those who’ve not had an Asda credit card in the last 12 months. You’ll need to stay within the terms of your credit agreement to get the Asda Pounds.

It’s worth noting that recent offers have paid more, with £50 or £100 available in cashback in 2024.

Read our review of the Asda Money credit card
Check your eligibility for the Asda Money credit card

Virgin Atlantic Reward+: Up to 36,000 bonus points boost (ended)

If you collect Virgin Points rather than Avios, this offer until 13 October 2025 will earn you double the usual welcome points when you spend £3,000 within the first three months.

CardFeeRequirementWelcome bonusBoosted points
Virgin Atlantic Reward+£160 a yearSpend £3,000 within 90 days18,00018,000

You’ll get 18,000 points with your first purchase with this card, and then another 18,000 when you spend £3,000 in the first 90 days of having the card. You also need to link your Flying Club number to your credit card by 11 January 2026.

You’ll be eligible for the offer as long as you’ve not held this Virgin Atlantic card in the last six months. If you have the free version of the card you will be able to get this offer.

With the card, you earn 1.5 Virgin Points for every £1 spent on card purchases and 3 Virgin Points for every £1 you spend directly with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays.

The offer ends on 13 October 2025.

Is it worth it?

This is a significant boost on the previous one last Spring.

Bear in mind there’s a £160 annual fee, and you won’t get a refund if you cancel it after getting the bonus.

You can use the points against flights, as well as on the Virgin Red site, including for train tickets or gift cards at Costa, Nike and Pizza Express. You’ll get half a penny (0.5p) per point, so those 36,000 points will be worth £180.

You can also swap for things like Virgin Wine and Greggs’ sausage rolls!

Check your eligibility for a Virgin Atlantic Reward+ credit card

HSBC: 0% purchase card plus £60 cashback offer stack (expired)

With the HSBC Purchase Plus card, you can get £35 cashback from Quidco when you apply and use the card within 90 days. If you’re not on the Premium level of Quidco (£1 a month – more here), that this drops to £25.

And on top of this HSBC will give £25 cashback if you spend £100 on the card once accepted. That part ends 16 December 2024.

The card itself offers up to 20 months of spending at 0%, and up to 17 months for a balance transfer, with a fee on the latter of 3.49%. If you use the card for purchases you must pay off at least the minimum each month, even though it’s at 0%.

Remember, even though you need to go via Quidco to get this offer, you should check your eligibility first on the HSBC site. If you decide to proceed with the application, close the HSBC website down, and start again via Quidco.

If you’re new to Quidco, you could get up to £20 as a welcome bonus as well, though you’ll need to you use this for other shopping as it requires a minimum spend.

Get a Quidco welcome bonus
Check your 0% HSBC card eligibility

Barclaycard: £20 bonus and £15 cashback (expired)

With the Barclaycard Platinum credit cards, you can get £15 cashback from Quidco when you apply and use the card within 90 days.

And on top of this Barclaycard will give £20 cashback if you spend £500 on the card once accepted. That part ends 6 February 2025.

The card itself offers up to 22 months of spending at 0%, and up to 19 months for a balance transfer, with a fee on the latter of 3.45%. If you use the card for purchases you must pay off at least the minimum each month, even though it’s at 0%.

Remember, even though you need to go via Quidco to get this offer, you should check your eligibility first on the Barclaycard site. If you decide to proceed with the application, close the Barclaycard website down, and start again via Quidco.

If you’re new to Quidco, you could get up to £20 as a welcome bonus as well, though you’ll need to you use this for other shopping as it requires a minimum spend.

Get a Quidco welcome bonus
Check your 0% Barclaycard card eligibility

Halifax Clarity: £20 cashback (expired)

Sign up for a new Halifax Clarity credit card and make a transaction within 90 days to get a £20 bonus added to your card.

The Halifax Clarity won’t charge you for spending or using an ATM, but it will charge interest on cash withdrawals.

Check your eligibility for a Halifax Clarity credit card

Yonder: 6 months free (expired)

If you sign up for Yonder, you can get yourself 6 months free (usually £15 per month). 

Yonder is a reward credit card that lets you earn points to dine out (mainly in London). Travel insurance is included. A nice draw is that it doesn’t necessarily check your credit report as it prioritises open banking data when making a decision on accepting or rejecting your application.

You don’t have to stick around after the free trial and cancel before the 6 months are up. 

Check your eligibility for a Yonder credit card

December 29, 2025   |   ArticlesBest Buy

Best Current Accounts 2026

Written by

These banks accounts are my top picks for the year

I’ve got 25 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 (you can also check out a full list of the latest offers).

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.

Best dummy current account for switching

If you’re looking to take advantage of switching deals, it’s often worth setting up a dummy account you’ll use purely for this purpose.

Winner: Chase

A couple of reasons why Chase wins here. First, there’s no hard credit check when you first apply. Second, once you have one account, you can set up nine more in the app – and it’s these ones you’ll want to use to switch away.

Just be sure not to switch away your only Chase account as that’ll close your whole account down and you won’t be able to reopen it. Here’s more on how to use Chase for switching.

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 and Chase

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.

Featured switching deal
Our top pick

Santander £200 switch offer

Customer rating 3.8/5
  • Switch bonus
    £200
  • Offer ends
    Unknown
  • FSCS Protected? Yes
  • Bonus requirements Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close your old account within 60 days of starting the switch
  • Deposit requirements Deposit £1,500 in the first 60 days from opening the account
  • Direct debits transferred over Set up two Direct Debits before or after the switch from a selected list of household bills
  • Existing customers? Can't have held any Santander current account on 1 January 2025
  • Restrictions Can't have received a switching bonus from Santander already, offer limited to once per person
  • Eligible accounts Open a new or hold an existing Everyday, Edge, Edge Up or Edge Explorer current account
View Deal

Best bank account for spending

Thanks to changes to Chase’s cashback last year, there are no longer any accounts which I’d recommend to use for your spending. Instead you’re better off using a cashback credit card, or the debit card from PayPal.

However, there is a runner up.

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.

Our podcast

Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Editor-at-Large Andy Webb and Deputy Editor Amelia Murray.

Episodes every Thursday.

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Andy and Amelia with the text "Cash Chats Personal finance podcast"

Best bank account for your bills

Winner: Santander Edge

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

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

All three 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 for the Edge Up really cuts into your returns. The Edge Explore costs £17 but includes extra insurances, so it could be worth a look.

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 6% paying Edge Saver.

Runner up: Biscuit by Zopa

You can also get cashback on some bills via Zopa. It’s capped at £30 a year, the equivalent of £2.50 a month, but it covers any direct debit, so you could well use this as well as the Edge to pick up bills that are missed off.

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: Club Lloyds

Sadly the Halifax Reward account was gutted in September and no longer gives £5 a month.

So my top pick for 2026 is the account from Club Lloyds. You can choose 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. A couple could benefit from three accounts – one personal account each and a joint one too.

As long as you deposit £2,000 a month into the account you avoid the monthly fee. This is easy to do. There’s more in my full Club Lloyds review.

Runner up: Monzo Perks

This account from Monzo offers much more, but you have to pay £7 a month to access the perks. That can be great value if you need what you get. This includes:

  • a Vue cinema ticket every month
  • a Greggs treat every week
  • an annual railcard
  • Uber One membership

You also get extra Monzo budgeting features which I think are great. More in our Monzo Perks review.

The best bank switch bonuses

Check out our list of all the bank switch offers you can get when opening a new current account

the best bank switch offers on a blue background

Best packaged bank account

From inclusive insurance and breakdown cover to extras, sometimes it’s worth paying a fee each month for a packaged account.

Winner: Santander Edge Explorer

This account is the Edge, which I already like, plus some extras. It costs £17, £14 more than the Edge, but is cheaper than most other packaged accounts. And in return, you’ll get travel, breakdown and phone cover, 1% cashback on some debit card spending, 1% cashback on bills and access to the 6% Edge Saver. Here’s my full Santander Edge Explorer review.

Runner up: Virgin Money Club M

This account goes up from £12.50 a month to £14 from 1 February 2026, but it’s still one of the cheapest packaged options. You’ll get worldwide family travel insurance and phone cover, as well as UK and European breakdown cover for the account holders (so it’s worth opening it as a joint account). That’s decent value if you need two or three of those policies. Here’s our full Virgin Money Club M review.

Best bank account for savings

Current accounts often give you access to higher rates than elsewhere, though with limits. Here’s our guide to the best savings accounts.

Winner: First Direct

For ongoing savings the highest paying account is a regular saver that’s only open to First Direct current account holders. It pays 7% AER – and that’s fixed for 12 months. You can only add up to £300 a month into this regular saver. Read more about other regular savers here.

Winner: Santander Edge

The highest interest rate on larger balances at the moment is from Santander. As long as you have the Edge current account you can open the Edge Saver. This offers 6% 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.

The best savings accounts

Check out our list of the highest paying regular, easy-access, fixed and ethical savings accounts

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: First Direct

You can currently get a £250 0% buffer from First Direct. That’s not amazing, but it can be useful if you occasionally go a little below zero.

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.

App and perks: Monzo Perks

As long as you would spend £84 a year the perks included, the extra budgeting features on an already excellent app make Monzo Perks on of my top account for 2026. The only let down is on savings rates and there are never any switching deals.

Cashback and savings interest: Santander Edge or Edge Explorer

As long as you pay bills, you may as well get cashback on these. On top there’s access to the 6% paying Edge Saver account. The app is average though. If you need travel insurance and breakdown cover, the Edge Explorer is a good upgrade.

Interest and freebies: Club Lloyds

It’s too early to say whether First Direct Perks will be worth it in the long time, so I also 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%.

Ethics and loyalty: Nationwide

Finally, if you want your bank to be doing some good AND get something in return, Nationwide is well worth a shout thanks to the annual Fairer Share payment. It’s not guaranteed for 2026 but it should be worth £100 and offer access to a decent 18 month fixed saver.

Read next: other bank reviews