Our savings picks: This is Money’s five favourite best buy cash Isas – there are now NO easy-access deals paying 1%
Our assistant editor Lee Boyce picks his five favourite cash Isas for savers in 2020 – essential reading to help you choose a top savings account for your money.
This top Isa round-up has keeping our readers updated on the best savings deals since 2014 – and is kept up-to-date throughout the year – bookmark it for the very latest developments.
How an Isa works and why you should have one
Each year in April, savers are given a fresh Isa allowance that qualifies for tax-free interest.
For the 2020/21 financial year, starting 6 April 2020, the limit is £20,000.
Piggy five: We round-up the best tax-free deals – and it is slim pickings at the moment
You can transfer Isa money whichever way you wish between an investment account to savings account, whereas previously you could only shift it from saving to investments.
Although cash Isas don’t currently offer fantastic rates, it is still worthwhile opening one to shield money away from the taxman.
Isa rules state you can only contribute to one Isa per tax year.
You can also transfer an old Isa for better returns. Here’s a quick guide to Isa saving.
It is possible to switch your current year’s cash Isa if you move the entire amount, but it is far simpler to get your choice right in the first place.
Rates are low and that makes the best Isa more important
Banks and building societies should be apologising to savers for the slim pickings on offer here.
The best buy easy-access rate on a tax-free account has plunged under 1 per cent for the first time while no major bank comes close to featuring on the list.
Savings rates really are dire at the moment and unfortunately, institutions are doing little to shelter savers from the assault of the low interest rate environment.
The coronavirus crisis cut to 0.1 per cent for the base rate, launch of a new funding scheme to pump cheap money to banks, and expansion of quantitative easing, has made things even worse.
Many now ask themselves why bother?
Yet when rates are low it becomes even more important to make sure you are getting as much as you can from your savings.
We also think an Isa is still worth having, despite the new tax-free savings interest allowance of £1,000 a year for basic rate taxpayers and £500 for higher rate taxpayers.
It’s tough to get that much interest now, but one day rates will rise.
Money sheltered in an Isa will deliver a tax-free income, even above that £1,000 level and if you are building up a long-term pot, you may one day be very grateful for that.
And who knows if the personal savings allowance will be around forever – it is much more likely to disappear than the Isa wrapper.
You may also want to look into stocks and shares version of an Isa – how to choose the best (and cheapest) DIY investing Isa.
HOW WE PICK OUR FAVOURITE FIVE ISAS
Lee Boyce: This is Money’s savings expert
Our five favourite Isas round-up is a permanent feature of This is Money.
It comes complete with an explanation detailing why we’re happy to pick each account.
This page will be kept updated as and when new deals pop up or old ones get scrapped.
Our team work tirelessly to stay on top of the latest rate changes, but banks and building societies can pull deals without telling us.
If you spot a deal here that is not longer available please email us at editor@thisismoney.co.uk
Remember, you can open an Isa or transfer (provided you’re not tied to a fixed-term) at any time during the year.
Note that we don’t just copy the best rates from the savings tables – we scour the market for all-around winners.
This is a taster of the top deals. For the best rates, visit our savings rates tables, which are comprehensive and independently compiled.
Our five favourite Isas:
Paragon, triple-access, 0.65% [full details]
– Facts: £1 to open
– Transfers in: Yes
– This is Money says: We’ve now unfortunately reached a point in which an easy-access account paying less than 1 per cent interest is considered the best buy. It is also not strictly easy-access, allowing you to withdraw money three times without penalty. Has FSCS protection.
Principality, one-year fix, 0.65% [full details]
– Facts: £500 to open
– Transfers in: Yes
– This is Money says: This is the best rate that you can get for 12 months and open online. It pays the same as Paragon above and can also be opened in branch. Loughborough Building Society has a 0.8 per cent rate, but can only be opened in branch or by post, while Newcastle has a 0.75 per cent rate only available in branch.
Al-Rayan Bank, two-year fix, 0.75% [full details]
– Facts: £1,000 to open
– Transfers in: Yes
– This is Money says: For a spell, the best two-year fix was below that being offered as an easy-access account – you can now get a smidgen more interest for fixing for 24 months with Al-Rayan, which has Financial Services Compensation Scheme protection. It can be opened online, by post, phone or in branch. The rate is the ‘expected profit rate’. It can be beaten by Newcastle and Monmouthshire Building Societies, but these need you to visit a branch.
Skipton BS, easy-access, 0.6% [full details]
– Facts: £1 to open
– Transfers in: Yes
– This is Money says: This account from Skipton Building Society comes with a 0.2 per cent bonus that drops off after a year. It can be opened in branch, by post or over the telephone.
Shawbrook Bank, five-year fix, 1.25% [full details]
– Facts: £1,000 to open
– Transfers in: Yes
– This is Money says: The overall best rate on an Isa requires fixing until 2025 and it comes from Shawbrook Bank.
THIS IS MONEY’S FIVE OF THE BEST SAVINGS DEALS