Best savings rates - National Savings

By This Is Money
Updated: 11:51 EST, 15 December 2014

Why these are the web's best savings tables: they are completely independent and unique...

Accounts with catches are stripped out or shown separately
Compiled by savings expert Sylvia Morris (see below)
Unlike other web tables, providers do not have to pay to appear.

NATIONAL SAVINGS & INVESTMENTS
Account	Rate	Fixed/ Variable	Notice/ Term	Tax Position
(1) Interest paid monthly
(2) These bonds will go on sale in January available to those aged 65 or over. Interest is paid at the end of the term. Maximum investment £10,000 per bond.
Investment Account	0.75	V	No notice	Interest paid gross but still taxable
Income Bond	1.25	V(1)	No notice	Interest paid gross but still taxable
Direct Isa	1.50	V	none	Tax-free
Direct Saver	1.10	V	No notice	Interest paid gross but still taxable
Children's Bonds Issue 35	2.50	F	5 yr	Tax-free
Premium Bonds	1.35	-	No notice	Tax-free
Fixed rate bonds on sale from January 2015
65+ Bond - 1 year (2)	2.80	F	One year	Interest paid after 20% tax deducted
65+ Bond - 3 year (2)	4.00	F	Three year	Interest paid after 20% tax deducted

All our best savings rates tables...
Fixed-rate accounts
Phone/postal accounts
Best cash Isas
Junior Isas and children's savings accounts
Child Trust Funds (CTFs)
National Savings
Monthly income savings accounts
Offshore accounts
Accounts for older savers (50+)

General savings (internet, branch-based)

ALSO: Premium Bonds winning numbers table

Dear Reader,

These tables are unique on the web. They are independent and providers are not forced to pay to appear, which is typically the case at bigcomparison sites.

Sylvia Morris

They are completely unbiased - we simply show the best rates around and don't do 'featured deals'.

We've gone a step further, too. To feature in the best buys on variable rate accounts in our savings tables, an account must give you easy access to your money and come with no hidden catches.

In the past we have refused to include accounts where the rate is boosted by a short-term bonus or those with over-restrictive conditions so you only earn the advertised rate if you make three or less withdrawals a year.

But with interest rates so low, most of today's best deals have some sort of clause built in, whether that's a bonus or a restriction on withdrawals.

For that reason, we've included decent bonuses as long as they last for at least 12 months. This is to avoid your having to switch your account too often when short-term bonuses run out.

If there is a restriction on withdrawals we have made this clear in the notes on each account.

We also ignore old-style 'notice' accounts where the bank or building society can demand you give up to six months' notice that you want to take our money out while it can change the rate at any time without warning.

All banks and building societies are registered with the Financial Services Authority and signed up to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, either directly (protecting up to £85,000) or via its passport scheme (where the compensation limit depends on the bank's home country. In Europe it is €100,000).

Sylvia Morris, This is Money savings tables expert

If you have a question about the tables email sy.morris@dailymail.co.uk and editor@thisismoney.co.uk

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