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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).

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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

• 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
• Nationwide FlexDirect current account review
• Monzo bank review
• Starling bank review
• The best bank switching, cashback, interest & overdraft offers