A year ago Santander 123 halved its interest to 1.5% – now most should consider ditching it

Update Note: 12/12/2017. I wrote this blog just before November’s base rate rise, predicting then UK rates would rise and Santander 123 wouldn’t follow. Well UK rates did rise, and Santander’s confirmed it won’t follow. So everything below still stands. Some of the alternative accounts and rates have shifted slightly, but most are pretty similar – just click...

Martin Lewis

30 October 2017

Santander 123 rate’s dropping to 1.5% – should you ditch it?

This Tuesday 1 November, Santander 123 – the bank account that’s topped savings tables for over four years – will take a hammer to the interest it pays. It’s cutting its main interest rate from 3% to 1.5%, the one that applies to savings up to £20,000. So the key question for the four million people who...

Martin Lewis

28 October 2016

Santander 123 rate’s dropping to 1.5% – should you ditch it?

This Tuesday 1 November, Santander 123 – the bank account that’s topped savings tables for over four years – will take a hammer to the interest it pays. It’s cutting its main interest rate from 3% to 1.5%, the one that applies to savings up to £20,000. So the key question for the four million people who have it is – stick or ditch?

Martin Lewis

28 October 2016

If Santander 123 drops interest to 2% is it still worth it?

Update, 1 November: Santander has now slashed the headline rate paid from 3% to 1.5%. Read my Santander 123 slashed – should you ditch it? analysis for what to do if you’re one of its customers. The Santander 123 bank account has been my and this site’s top savings pick for four years. It pays 3% interest if...

Martin Lewis

27 July 2016

Santander 123 is now 3% TAX-FREE for most – is the £5/mth fee worth it?

Update June 2016: This was written in April 2016. We’ve updated the products mentioned here, but Martin’s analysis still stands – the MSE team. Santander 123 is the UK’s most switched to bank account – due to the high interest paid on savings, and cashback given on bills. And from tomorrow, it’ll become even more attractive as...

Martin Lewis

5 April 2016

Santander 123 is now 3% TAX-FREE for most – is the £5/mth fee worth it?

Important update 24 Jan 2020: Since I wrote this blog, Santander has announced it’ll be slashing the interest rate on its 123 account from 1.5% to 1% in May 2020. Read the 'Santander is now a dead duck' news story for full information.

Santander 123 is the UK’s most switched to bank account – due to the high interest paid on savings, and cashback given on bills. And from tomorrow, it’ll become even more attractive as the 3% interest it pays will be tax-free for many due to the new personal savings allowance.

Martin Lewis

5 April 2016

Santander 123 fee’s more than doubling – should you ditch it?

'Greed, pure greed!' Last September when Santander announced it would hike the fee on its hugely popular 123 account, many glued the horns of Beelzebub on it. Now the dust has settled, and the fee hike is nearly here – it hits next Monday 11 January – I want to do an updated number crunch to answer the most common question I'm getting, "Should I ditch it?"

Martin Lewis

5 January 2016