Cash ISAs: The Best Currently Available List

badger09

Looter wrote: »

I was wondering why the ISA interest rates have been tumbling since April whilst the BOE interest rate has stayed the same. Do you think we might see some 4%+ rates around April time again?

Depends how much money the banks need to raise from retail deposits;)

ninetynine

db3745 wrote: »

I see this got no response in July, but having been with Nationwide forever, while seeing rates get thinner, my ISAs' 3.1% expire end of September, and finally it looks like I'll have to bite the bullet.

Metro has caught my eye at 3.25% for a year fixed, but I have no knowledge or experience of them. Having taken a while to get accounts set up in the recent past with Saffron and others, I want to avoid pain if I can. I'd be glad of readers' experience and know-how.

I have just transferred my ISA from Barclay's to Metro. There were a few hiccups along on the way but they have now been fixed. The transfer was done within 11 working days.

The hiccups were:
* Money being put into my Metro ISA and then being withdrawn (this was done by them and not me).
* Them not putting in the full amount (they put in money in the double figures when it should have been quadruple figures). When I phoned them, they had no idea what was going on and I asked if they could just reassure me that my money was safe and that the rest of it would be deposited into my account. I was completely shocked when the lady I spoke to said 'we can't guarantee your money is safe' (you're a bank, love!) and I immediately asked to speak to a supervisor. He assured me my money was safe and would be deposited in my account the following working day - which it was. (But not before they paid in too much money and then had to remove it again!) All's well that ends well, I suppose...
* They are terrible at getting in touch with you. They told me they would call me back on several different occasions and I never heard from them!

innovate

Kazza, is it worth mentioning that the "top buy" ING ISA doesn't come with FSCS protection? It's got the dutch 100K Euro protection but people might not be aware of this fact, and of the difference to FSCS.

PopKiss

For information, just had a letter from M&S Money today. The rate on their (variable) Advantage Cash ISA drops from 3.0% to 2.75% on 11/12/2012. Looking at the current rates for instant access Cash ISAs, I imagine this M&S product will still feature.

Thrupnybit

Thrupnybit wrote: »

In process of opening this account, transfer form arrived in post yesterday less than two working days after I started the process online. Hoping the good service continues.

Update on progress: transfer complete and money in Sainsburys ISA on 1 October, so (evening of) 19 Sept -1 Oct for whole process. Happy.

chrisw

Thrupnybit wrote: »

Update on progress: transfer complete and money in Sainsburys ISA on 1 October, so (evening of) 19 Sept -1 Oct for whole process. Happy.

Just got forms through but now dropped to 2.8%

Kazza242

innovate wrote: »

Kazza, is it worth mentioning that the "top buy" ING ISA doesn't come with FSCS protection? It's got the dutch 100K Euro protection but people might not be aware of this fact, and of the difference to FSCS.

No problem. I've added the additional info.

molerat

I have a Northern Rock 3.35% 1yr fixed maturing shortly and am thinking of putting into my Santander Direct 9 3.3% and wait it out until April and see what happens.

dragilex

Well I read about the Sainsburys 3.01% ISA today at work, looked at the Sainsburys website got excited. Just sat down with my laptop to look at the website again and poop, it's now ended and the rate is back to 2.80%

Lesson learned. Read the weekly email on Wednesday, not Tuesday the following week.

alikat55

I recently came across the above account online which is currently paying 3.25% (including 0.5% first year bonus), guaranteed until the end of this tax year, and it can be opened with a minimum of £1. I will be receiving proceeds from an endowment policy next February and was wondering whether to invest a very small amount into this account now and then top it up with the rest of my yearly cash ISA allowance in February or wait until February (March or April) to see if another cash ISA with a better rate is available at that time and, if so, open that one instead. If I wait until February, though, and there is nothing better than 3.25% around, the Coventry account may no longer be available to new investors or the rate may have reduced, so I will have lost out.

Whilst I know that nobody can foresee the future and know for sure what the better option would be, I suspect that the first option is probably the one to go for as it is probably unlikely, given the current economic climate, that there will be anything else available that is better (or significantly better) between Feb and April next year, and, in the worst case scenario, I could always transfer the funds into any such other account from next April 6 anyway or shortly thereafter (subject to 60 days notice) without losing out very much.

Does anyone have any comments/suggestions in this regard please?