You’ll often get a better interest rate on your savings if you take out a fixed rate bond rather than an easy access account, but how long should you lock your money away for?
Despite the fact interest rates remain relatively high, many of us are still having to play ‘spot the interest’ on easy access savings accounts, so you’ll probably have to lock your money away if you want a better return. Banks and building societies regularly launch one, two three, four and five-year fixed rate savings accounts. The question is how long should you lock your savings away for and who’s paying the best rates of interest at the moment?
What are fixed rate savings bonds?
Savings accounts that pay out a fixed rate of interest for several years are often called ‘fixed rate bonds’. In fact, they’re not bonds in the true sense of the word – they’re just fixed rate accounts. A true bond is an IOU for a loan you’ve given either to a company or the government. You can find out more about how those types of bonds work in our guide What are bonds and how do they work?
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How long should you lock your money away for?
Interest rates are widely expected to fall over coming months. This means you can currently earn higher returns if you choose a shorter-term one-year fixed rate savings account rather than a five-year account (see all the top rates below). However, rates on shorter term accounts have fallen in recent weeks. According to Moneyfactscompare.co.uk, the top one-year and two-year fixed bonds fell month-on-month in October, with the top three-year, four-year and five-year bonds remaining unchanged.
Caitlyn Eastell, spokesperson at Moneyfactscompare.co.uk, said: “The gap between top short-term and long-term is closing as rates are slashed. It is possible that the savings market could be facing more uncertain times ahead, with the fast-approaching Autumn Budget and volatile repricing, which may cause providers to drop rates further.
“It is a sign of good competition that many of the top deals are continuing to be dominated by challenger banks as they are more likely to go against the cutting trend, but this may be less likely as there are still expectations of another cut to base rate before the year is up. Savers who are eager to lock into a guaranteed rate should do so swiftly before they face another plunge.”
Whilst seeking out the best returns is crucial, you’ll also need to think about when you’ll need access to your money. Not all bonds will let you get at your money early, or you might be charged a hefty penalty if you need to take your money out before the end of the fixed rate term. If you don’t think you can tie your money up for several years, you might want to consider a savings bond with a shorter term, say one, two or three years. If you’re saving for a long-term goal however, such as home improvements or a new car, you may prefer to tie your money up for five years so that you can’t dip into your savings and use them for something else.
Where to get the best fixed savings rates
There are several websites where you can search for the best savings rates. These include Savingschampion.co.uk and Raisin UK’s marketplace for savings, where you can choose from a wide selection of high interest-paying accounts from 40 banks and building societies including challenger banks and those not found on the high street. Learn more in our guide Where can I find the best savings rates?
One year fixed rate savings
If you only want to leave your money tied up for a year you can currently get up to 4.76% interest, but rates are changing all the time, so you may want to get your skates on if you spot a deal you like. Here are some current best buys:
- Smart Save’s 1 Year Fixed Rate Saver pays 4.76% AER on a minimum deposit of £10,000 for a year. No access within the term. Interest is paid on maturity.
- Cynergy Bank’s 1 Year Fixed Rate Bond pays 4.75% AER on a minimum amount of £1,000 for one year. No access within the term. Interest is paid on maturity.
- Habib Bank Zurich’s 12 Month Fixed Rate eDeposit pays 4.75% AER on a minimum deposit of £5,000 for a year. No access within the term. Interest is paid on maturity.
Savings made easy with Raisin UK
Raisin UK provides a free savings platform where you can apply to open savings accounts with over 30 banks and building societies. Enjoy competitive interest rates from FSCS-protected banks.
Three year fixed rate savings
Here are some of the three year fixed rate savings bond current best buys:
- Smart Save’s 3 Year Fixed Rate Saver pays 4.55% AER on a minimum of £10,000 for three years. No access within the term. Maximum balance allowance is £85,00. Interest must be rolled over unless balances exceeded £85,000.
- Oxbury’s Personal 3 Year Bond Account – Issue 12 pays 4.54% AER on a minimum of £1,000 for three years. No access within the term. Interest is paid annually.
- JN Bank UK’s Fixed Term 3 Year pays 4.52% AER on a minimum of £1,000 for three years. No early withdrawals. Interest rate is calculated daily and paid annually into your fixed-term account.
Five year fixed rate savings
- Smart Save’s 5 Year Fixed Rate Saver pays 4.46% AER on a minimum amount of £10,000. No access within the term. Maximum balance allowance is £85,000. Interest must be rolled over unless balances exceeded £85,000.
- Oxbury’s Personal 5 Year Bond Account (Issue 9) pays 4.45% AER on a minimum amount of £1,000. No access within the term. Interest is paid annually.
- Hodge’s 5 Year Fixed Rate Bond (Online only) pays 4.42% AER on a minimum amount of £1,000. No access within the term. Interest is paid annually or monthly.
(NB rates correct as at 18.11.24)
Are my savings safe?
All banks that operate in the UK have to be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and must be a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme unless their headquarters are outside the UK.
- If their headquarters are outside the UK they can be covered by their home country’s compensation scheme. For example, Hoist Finance AB has its headquarters in Sweden and so funds deposited are protected by the Swedish Depositor Compensation Scheme, up to a maximum of the GBP equivalent of SEK 1,050,000, or around £89,000. However the maximum deposit size for its fixed rate savings bonds is limited to £75,000, so under the compensation limit’s maximum.
- If that scheme is less generous than the UK’s savings compensation scheme, they must top up the compensation they offer. This does have the disadvantage of meaning you may have to go to two different compensation schemes to get your compensation if a bank were to fail.
If the bank’s home country’s compensation scheme is more generous than the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme it doesn’t need to top up. That means you’d have to apply for all your compensation from a scheme based outside the UK. Learn more about what protection you have in our guide Are my savings safe?
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