Need someone with a big brain, lol.

luke_pa

Or should i open a longer term ISA for a better rate. Do we think that the BOE base rate is going to go up anytime soon?

If not you think put last years allowance and my £3000 all into the santander 3.3% instant access? because all im losing is a tenner compared to the santander 1 year fixed rate at 3.5%, yes?

psychic_teabag

The AA are offering an instant-access ISA offering the same rate as Santander's 1-year fix. Doesn't accept transfers, so you'd still have to split last-year's ISA and the new money.

Another option is to look for a regular saver paying 5% or more : even though that's taxable, it would be equivalent to an ISA at 4%. If you find a reg. saver that allows a withdrawal before maturity, you can move the balance to an ISA in March just before the 2012/13 ISA allowance expires.

luke_pa

Dont like the idea of AA because it was online then went to post then back to online and really dont want to use postal, lol.

psychic_teabag

Accounts already opened as internet didn't become postal. It was just that they changed the account available to new applications to be postal for some reason. The account currently available is internet.

I don't know for sure, but maybe postal accounts allow money to be pushed in by bank transfer. And you probably wouldn't be withdrawing, but transferring out at the end, and that's done by contacting the new provider. So you may never actually have to deal with the account through the post (after it's opened at least). I also dislike postal, but was still considering the AA acct for the above reasons (but then they switched back to internet, so it didn't matter anyway).

luke_pa

Ok thankyou could i put money in weekly with AA? Are they the best on the market atm (exept over 18 accounts)

psychic_teabag

Yes, I should think you can pay in weekly. When you open the account, it says payments must be by direct-debit "pull" from the linked acct, but when you go to the deposit menu, it gives you an acct / sort code you can push money into, so you ought to be able to set up a standing order or something.

They are about the best I know of, other than the nationwide flexclusive one and the notts regular-saver one. Cheshire also have one at the same rate, but I think it is postal.