You won't be able to access the funds from Premium bonds immediately in the case of an emergency. One option would be to make sure you have either a credit card and/or overdraft if you need funds asap.
Others have provided links to the best easy access accounts. Cynergy or Chase (or plenty of others) are ease to use and would do the job and provide 3%+ in interest.
If the OP opens up a direct saver with £1 they can get their PBs the next working day if they cash to that and withdraw.
You won't be able to access the funds from Premium bonds immediately in the case of an emergency. One option would be to make sure you have either a credit card and/or overdraft if you need funds asap.
Others have provided links to the best easy access accounts. Cynergy or Chase (or plenty of others) are ease to use and would do the job and provide 3%+ in interest.
If the OP opens up a direct saver with £1 they can get their PBs the next working day if they cash to that and withdraw.
That's true - it's just one working day faster than if you wait for a 'normal' PB withdrawal.
All methods of withdrawal from NS&I can easily be beaten by some of the other savings accounts mentioned. Though with the likes of Kroo and Chase, you will be limited by their daily withdrawal limits, and their fraud prevention algorithms can also block your withdrawal, or even your entire account. Not sure whether Cynergy does withdrawals on working days or how fast/slow they are. AFAIK, accounts without daily withdrawal limits, 24 x 7 processing, and nearly zero risk of blocking are Tandem and CHIP. Tandem withdrawals usually arrive within 20 minutes, and CHIP is more or less instant.
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All methods of withdrawal from NS&I can easily be beaten by some of the other savings accounts mentioned. Though with the likes of Kroo and Chase, you will be limited by their daily withdrawal limits, and their fraud prevention algorithms can also block your withdrawal, or even your entire account. Not sure whether Cynergy does withdrawals on working days or how fast/slow they are. AFAIK, accounts without daily withdrawal limits, 24 x 7 processing, and nearly zero risk of blocking are Tandem and CHIP. Tandem withdrawals usually arrive within 20 minutes, and CHIP is more or less instant.