Savings Accounts

The Bank of England has increased the base rate from 3% to 3.5%. This rate is used by the central bank to charge other banks and lenders when they borrow money – and so it influences what borrowers pay and what savers earn.

NS&I will increase its Premium Bond prize-fund rate to 3% from 2.2% for its January 2023 draw and beyond, with an extra £80 million in higher-value prizes up for grabs. The odds of winning will remain the same at 24,000-to-one, but there will more than three times as many prizes between £5,000 and £100,000 available.

PCF Bank has stopped offering personal savings accounts and loans to new customers, and plans to exit the UK banking market – but there's no immediate change for existing savers or borrowers.

Family Building Society has unveiled a two-year fixed savings account that tracks the base rate. The launch comes as the market braces for further interest rate rises from the Bank of England as the central bank attempts to curb rising inflation. 

If you're not paying tax on your savings interest, cash ISAs have no benefit – so many should ditch them for higher-paying standard accounts. That's the message from MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis in the third episode of the latest series of ITV's The Martin Lewis Money Show Live.

HSBC has upped the rate of its Online Bonus easy-access savings account to 3%, beating the top market rates. You'll need to have (or get) an HSBC current or savings account, however, and the rate is significantly dented if you withdraw money. Here’s how it compares. 

Chase, the app-based bank account, is boosting the interest rate on its linked easy-access savings account to 2.1% – its first rate rise since the bank's launch last year. New and existing savers will automatically get the new rate from Monday 24 October – but you can already get higher easy-access rates elsewhere.

Barclays has launched a new linked "Rainy Day Saver" savings account for Blue Rewards members, which pays 5.12% interest on balances of up to £5,000 – over double the top open-to-all easy-access account. You need to jump though a number of hoops to get it though. Here's what you need to know.

NS&I will increase its Premium Bond prize-fund rate to 2.2% from 1.4% in its October draw, increasing the odds of a win from 24,500-to-one to 24,000-to-one. The change means there will be around 100,000 extra chances of winning in the October draw – with a small increase in the number of larger prizes available and a drastic increase in the number of £50 and £100 prizes on offer.

Savings app Chip will start charging customers using its standard free account for certain features, including its popular 'auto-saving' function, from 12 October. Below we explain what's happening and alternative accounts to consider.