Savings interest rates are on the decline, but there is one sector of the market still boasting highly competitive returns – regular accounts. Lloyds Bank is one of the top 10 providers offering a deal in this sector exceeding the Bank of England’s Base Rate, and savers can launch it with just £25.
Regular savings accounts typically require people to deposit a set amount each month and make minimal to no withdrawals. They’re great for disciplined savers who want to build their savings over time and benefit from higher interest rates than standard accounts. Lloyds Bank’s Club Lloyds Monthly Saver comes with a 6.25% AER/gross, fixed for 12 months.
The deal is only available to Club Lloyds current account holders who have not already opened one of these accounts in the last 12 months, and customers must be UK residents aged 18 or over.
A minimum deposit of £25 is required to launch the account, after which savers must invest £25 to £400 every month by one standing order. This allows for a maximum total contribution of £4,800. Based on the current rate and the maximum contribution, the account would earn £150 in interest over a year.
What’s more, unlike most regular accounts, customers can benefit from easy access to their cash, with no penalties applied to early withdrawals.
Just one Club Lloyds Monthly Saver is available in a person’s sole name or jointly held.
What else is out there?
For those who don’t have a Club Lloyds current account and want to invest in a regular saver, Principality Building Society offers the current market-leading rate: 7.5% Annual Equivalent Rate (AER). The account runs for six months, and interest is paid on maturity.
Savers can invest up to £200 per month, allowing the pot to grow to a total of £1,200, and withdrawals are not permitted until the account matures. But, while it may have a market-leading AER, its six-month term limits the total interest earned. With a maximum investment of £200 per month, savers will end up with £1,227.53, including £27.53 in interest.
First Direct places just behind with a 7% AER over 12 months. The account allows a higher deposit of £300 per month, which totals up to £3,600 in savings over the course of a year.
At the end of the term, savers will have £3,736.50, including £136.50 in interest. Although the interest rate with First Direct is lower, the longer term and higher deposit limit make it a potentially better option than the Principality Building Society account.
However, due to the larger deposit allowance, neither of these accounts exceeds the potential for Lloyds Bank’s returns, despite it offering the lower interest rate of the three. At the moment, savers can amass the largest amount of interest in one year with Lloyds Bank.
Following the Bank of England’s latest Base Rate cut to 4.25% last Thursday, savers are being urged to lock in higher interest rates while they’re still available.
Sarah Pennells, consumer finance specialist at Royal London, said: “In the coming days and weeks, it’s likely we’ll see rates on easy-access and fixed-term savings accounts begin to fall, meaning savers may need to shop around more actively to get the best return.
