Compare savings accounts and ISAs

A savings account is a place to store cash you don’t need for day-to-day spending. It’s a way to build a pot of money towards a medium or longer-term goal. A big family holiday, new car or home deposit, for example. You’ll usually receive interest on the money you save too.

Savings accounts can help keep your savings separate from your everyday finances.

You can often open a NatWest savings account online by heading to the specific product page. However, you’ll need to read the terms and conditions first to check you’re happy with everything. And ensure you meet any eligibility criteria. For example, there may be a minimum age, and you might require a current account with us.

With an instant access savings account, you can withdraw your money whenever you need it. People generally open these as a first savings account, or to save for a rainy day – or for something they want to buy. They’re the opposite of fixed term accounts, which lock your money away for a set period.

Our fixed term savings accounts often offer better interest rates as you leave your money untouched.

However, the best fixed rate savings or instant access savings accounts will be different for everyone.

A cash ISA is an account where you don’t pay tax on savings interest. We offer two types of cash ISA savings accounts:

• Cash ISA. You’ll have easy access to your savings account, so you can withdraw money any time you want.
• Fixed Rate ISA. You get a guaranteed interest rate. But you must lock your savings in for a set period.

You can open and pay into a cash ISA provided you are 18 or over and live in the UK (for tax purposes). The current tax-free allowance is £20,000.

Compare ISAs

No product can claim to be the best savings account in the UK as it’ll be different for each person. For example, you might prefer an instant account, offering easy access to your money. Or a fixed term account, where you lock your savings away in exchange for a set interest rate.

Whether you’re looking for a high interest savings account or specific features, it’s helpful to compare your different options before applying.

If you need help to save money, we have a range of tools that could show what’s coming in, what’s going out and where you might save more:

Round Ups

Savings Goal Tool

Salary Calculator

Budget Calculator

Managing Your Money

In short, yes. Your eligible deposits with NatWest are protected up to a total of £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Learn how FSCS protects your money (PDF, 3.7MB).

Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. We know your money matters and maintain the same high standards as any bank or building society to keep it secure.

All our savings accounts pay interest directly into the account, unless specified otherwise. We calculate interest on savings daily for all accounts.

You can use our savings calculator tool above to compare interest rates and features on different NatWest savings accounts. You can also see when we pay interest on each account.

Interest is what your bank pays for holding a savings account with them. You could think of it as a reward for saving money.

Each account has a specific interest rate. This gives you an idea of the interest you might receive as a percentage of your savings balance.

Just remember that some accounts have fixed interest rates, which stay the same for a set period. Whereas others have variable rates that may go up or down. Understanding this difference might help you find the top savings accounts for your needs.