The Old Regular Savers Discussion Thread 28/12/24-29/1/26

Pickledonionlover

20122013 said:

Pickledonionlover said:

PowerSavingMode said:

Bridlington1 said:

clairec666 said:

Bridlington1 said:

For the RS nerds among you, I thought I'd mention this:

It appears there's been something of a ``RS drought" of late. The eagle-eyed among you might've noticed that that there hasn't been a single RS launched that is eligible to enter p1 of my thread since 14th November.

If I am not mistaken the previous longest gap between eligible RSs being launched was in May, when there were no eligible RSs launched between 15th and 29th May inclusive.

If another RS isn't launched by the end of the month then that'll be the longest I've gone without adding a new RS to the list since I took over the thread, this could well happen given 1st December is Monday and it's rare RSs are launched over the weekend.

Moreover if you look at the accounts that have been added to p1 of the thread in most recent to oldest:
14/11/25- Newcastle & Manchester Festive RSs are branch opening only so most shan't've been able to open them.
11/11/25- The two Skipton RSs exclude those who hold RSs already unless they close their RSs first so I can imagine most shan't've opened them.
10/11/25- Mkt Harborough is branch opening only so again few shall've opened it.

You have to go back to 3rd November before you find a RS being launched that everyone was immediately eligible for and that could be opened online, but even that was only at 5% and its appeal may be limited given that it doesn't allow early withdrawals/closure.

Yes, I was thinking it had been quiet. Which is quite useful for me actually, because I don't really have the capacity for any extra accounts right now. Hopefully there'll be some good accounts that pop up in January, as my TSB 6% is maturing and their current offer is only 5%.

From a mathematical/statistical viewpoint, there will always be natural peaks and troughs in activity throughout the year, but it might also be influenced by the upcoming base rate review.

I must confess I'm running short of spare funds. I currently have a lot of capacity at 6% (driven largely by having Loughborough's 1YSS at 6% gobbling up £2k/mth) which is drawing a lot of funds out of my lower RSs to the point where I am now nibbling into the NatWest/RBS DRSs.

December's RSs are proving to be a difficult balancing act in my case. I've just about managed to fund my accounts north of 5.5% this month but with next month's maturities I have are only enough to cover those north of 6% and about half of those at 6%. Then there's the complication that the BOE base rate could fall again next month, if it does then I'll be needing to speculate which accounts shall fall and by how much, possibly choosing to fund marginally lower RSs speculatively (as I sometimes did when interest rates were on the rise a few years back).

It's a nice problem to have though.

Yes, indeed. 

Might I ask if anyone is bothering to fund cash ISAs — whether to fund regular savers or not?

At present, I am mostly using a flexible CASH ISA to fund my regular savers. As a F/T (unpaid) carer now, I only have income from regular savers and as much tax-free income from my small private pension as I can afford, plus occasional income withdrawn from a considerably smaller S&S ISA.

As the equivalent (accessible) savings product with a savings rate to beat the CASH ISA I have is 4.975%, I am wondering whether it is worth bothering transfer out to another flexible ISA with a higher rate (one that offer the equivalent of a 5.525% non-ISA saver -- for now!) as my bonus rate ends mid-Feb 2026. But I think I am overthinking and confusing myself...

Perhaps it makes more sense to just fund save RS accounts at 5% and above, as I often dip down to £0 in the CASH ISA funding RS accounts at the beginning of each month and then replacing said funds as others mature.

Exactly what I do.

I pay circa £13k each month from a Virgin flexible ISA at 4.11% (equivalent to 5.13%) to a third party C/A to cover the RS.

So my threshold for new (and current ) RS is this 5.13%.

On Monday I'll have £50 left in the ISA but that'll get bumped up to circa £12k with maturities this next month.

👍 

will there be tax to pay from the interested earned from the RS? even though the funds are from a Flexi Cash ISA?

The funds are taxable (if you exceed your own threshold) only for the period its in the RS i.e. not whilst it's within the ISA

molerat

20122013 said:

will there be tax to pay from the interested earned from the RS? even though the funds are from a Flexi Cash ISA?

Any interest earned outside the ISA is taxable.

surreysaver

20122013 said:

Pickledonionlover said:

PowerSavingMode said:

Bridlington1 said:

clairec666 said:

Bridlington1 said:

For the RS nerds among you, I thought I'd mention this:

It appears there's been something of a ``RS drought" of late. The eagle-eyed among you might've noticed that that there hasn't been a single RS launched that is eligible to enter p1 of my thread since 14th November.

If I am not mistaken the previous longest gap between eligible RSs being launched was in May, when there were no eligible RSs launched between 15th and 29th May inclusive.

If another RS isn't launched by the end of the month then that'll be the longest I've gone without adding a new RS to the list since I took over the thread, this could well happen given 1st December is Monday and it's rare RSs are launched over the weekend.

Moreover if you look at the accounts that have been added to p1 of the thread in most recent to oldest:
14/11/25- Newcastle & Manchester Festive RSs are branch opening only so most shan't've been able to open them.
11/11/25- The two Skipton RSs exclude those who hold RSs already unless they close their RSs first so I can imagine most shan't've opened them.
10/11/25- Mkt Harborough is branch opening only so again few shall've opened it.

You have to go back to 3rd November before you find a RS being launched that everyone was immediately eligible for and that could be opened online, but even that was only at 5% and its appeal may be limited given that it doesn't allow early withdrawals/closure.

Yes, I was thinking it had been quiet. Which is quite useful for me actually, because I don't really have the capacity for any extra accounts right now. Hopefully there'll be some good accounts that pop up in January, as my TSB 6% is maturing and their current offer is only 5%.

From a mathematical/statistical viewpoint, there will always be natural peaks and troughs in activity throughout the year, but it might also be influenced by the upcoming base rate review.

I must confess I'm running short of spare funds. I currently have a lot of capacity at 6% (driven largely by having Loughborough's 1YSS at 6% gobbling up £2k/mth) which is drawing a lot of funds out of my lower RSs to the point where I am now nibbling into the NatWest/RBS DRSs.

December's RSs are proving to be a difficult balancing act in my case. I've just about managed to fund my accounts north of 5.5% this month but with next month's maturities I have are only enough to cover those north of 6% and about half of those at 6%. Then there's the complication that the BOE base rate could fall again next month, if it does then I'll be needing to speculate which accounts shall fall and by how much, possibly choosing to fund marginally lower RSs speculatively (as I sometimes did when interest rates were on the rise a few years back).

It's a nice problem to have though.

Yes, indeed. 

Might I ask if anyone is bothering to fund cash ISAs — whether to fund regular savers or not?

At present, I am mostly using a flexible CASH ISA to fund my regular savers. As a F/T (unpaid) carer now, I only have income from regular savers and as much tax-free income from my small private pension as I can afford, plus occasional income withdrawn from a considerably smaller S&S ISA.

As the equivalent (accessible) savings product with a savings rate to beat the CASH ISA I have is 4.975%, I am wondering whether it is worth bothering transfer out to another flexible ISA with a higher rate (one that offer the equivalent of a 5.525% non-ISA saver -- for now!) as my bonus rate ends mid-Feb 2026. But I think I am overthinking and confusing myself...

Perhaps it makes more sense to just fund save RS accounts at 5% and above, as I often dip down to £0 in the CASH ISA funding RS accounts at the beginning of each month and then replacing said funds as others mature.

Exactly what I do.

I pay circa £13k each month from a Virgin flexible ISA at 4.11% (equivalent to 5.13%) to a third party C/A to cover the RS.

So my threshold for new (and current ) RS is this 5.13%.

On Monday I'll have £50 left in the ISA but that'll get bumped up to circa £12k with maturities this next month.

👍 

will there be tax to pay from the interested earned from the RS? even though the funds are from a Flexi Cash ISA?

You pay tax on interest that is earned outside an ISA. You do not pay tax on interest earned within an ISA. 
Hence why taxable interest is multiplied my 0.8, and non-taxable interest by 1.25 to obtain the non-taxable/taxable equivalent (assuming basic rate tax)

Bob2000

FIRST DIRECT.
l opened my second FD regular saver last night at 9.33pm, after my first  one mature a month or so ago.
After completing the application via my app, it stated it will take three working days to be available to see and fund.
I've just gone on the app, and it's already there! There is currently  no money in my current account, so will the automatic standing order be initiated tomorrow?

saverkev

Bob2000 said:

FIRST DIRECT.
l opened my second FD regular saver last night at 9.33pm, after my first  one mature a month or so ago.
After completing the application via my app, it stated it will take three working days to be available to see and fund.
I've just gone on the app, and it's already there! There is currently  no money in my current account, so will the automatic standing order be initiated tomorrow?

First Direct

Initiated tomorrow as 30th Nov is non banking day and I imagine in future on the 30th - you can check standing orders from the current account in the app
I did not have sufficient funds when I renewed my RS this year. I phoned them and had to wait until the next scheduled payment date for them to take that month and the missing month

allegro120

Bob2000 said:

FIRST DIRECT.
l opened my second FD regular saver last night at 9.33pm, after my first  one mature a month or so ago.
After completing the application via my app, it stated it will take three working days to be available to see and fund.
I've just gone on the app, and it's already there! There is currently  no money in my current account, so will the automatic standing order be initiated tomorrow?

They say up to 3 days, but it tend to appear straight away. Yes, most likely your SO will be initiated tomorrow, so you might need to transfer money to DF tomorrow.

Bob2000

@saverkev
@allegro120

Ok, thanks for replying. 

LZC

Bob2000 said:

FIRST DIRECT.
l opened my second FD regular saver last night at 9.33pm, after my first  one mature a month or so ago.
After completing the application via my app, it stated it will take three working days to be available to see and fund.
I've just gone on the app, and it's already there! There is currently  no money in my current account, so will the automatic standing order be initiated tomorrow?

I think so but if not you can cancel your standing order and set up a new standing order. 

Bridlington1

A summary of changes to the listings on the first page of The Top Regular Savers Discussion Thread between 1st November 2025 and 30th November 2025:

A link to this post is included on the first page of The Archived History Of Regular Savers Thread *** NO CHAT*** thread.

I have now cleared out the recently NLA regular savers list on the first page of The Top Regular Savers Discussion Thread.

The Regular Saver Timeline Spreadsheet has also been updated to reflect the below.

The following accounts have been added between 1/11/25 and 30/11/25 (see first page of The Top Regular Savers Discussion Thread for details):

Manchester BS Festive Regular Saver at 6.5%~~~ Launched 14/11/25
Newcastle BS Festive Regular Saver at 6.5%~~~ Launched 14/11/25
Skipton BS Regular Saver (Issue 2) 5.5% ~~~ Launched 11/11/25
Skipton BS Member Regular Saver (Issue 5) at 6% ~~~ Launched 11/11/25
Market Harborough Fixed Term Regular Saver (30.11.2026) at 5.8% ~~~ Launched 10/11/25
Suffolk BS Online 1 Year Fixed Rate Regular Saver (31.01.2027) at 5% ~~~ Launched 3/11/25
Suffolk 1 Year Fixed Rate Regular Saver (31.01.2027) at 5% ~~~ Launched 3/11/25
Hinckley & Rugby BS Christmas Saver 30 Day Notice at 5% ~~~ Launched 1/11/25

The following accounts have been removed between 1/11/25 and 30/11/25:

~~~~~~NLA 1/11/25 ~~~~~~Chorley BS Regular Saver (30.09.2026)~~~ Launched 1/10/25
Interest rate: 5.15% gross p.a. variable
Monthly payment: £25-£400 per calendar month
Miss any payments: Yes, miss as many as you like
Penalty-free withdrawals: None, but the account can be closed early without penalty
Age of applicant: Age 18 years old or older
How to open account: Branch, post or online
Length of account term: Matures on 30/9/26
Maximum balance: N/A
Deposits on non-working days: Treated as having been received the next working day.
Special conditions: Initial deposit must be received by 31/10/25. Only one Regular Saver and one Seasonal Saver can be held in any 12 month rolling period.

~~~~~~NLA 1/11/25 ~~~~~~Chorley BS Regional 2 Year Flexible Saver (30.09.2027)~~~ Launched 1/10/25
Interest rate: 5.15% gross p.a. variable
Monthly payment: £25-£400 per calendar month
Miss any payments: Yes, miss as many as you like
Penalty-free withdrawals: 2 withdrawals per year excluding early closure. If more than 2 withdrawals are made within a 12 month period the account shall be closed.
Age of applicant: Age 18 years old or older
How to open account: Branch, post or online
Length of account term: Matures on 30/9/27
Maximum balance: N/A
Deposits on non-working days: Treated as having been received the next working day.
Special conditions: Initial deposit must be received by the 31/10/25. Only one Regular Saver and one Seasonal Saver can be held in any 12 month rolling period. Must live in one of the following postcode areas (CA, FY, PR, LA, WN, BL, L, WA, BB, CH, M, SK, CW, OL).

~~~~~~NLA 3/11/25 ~~~~~~Suffolk 1 Year Fixed Rate Regular Saver (30.11.2026) ~~~ Launched 8/9/25
Interest rate: 5% AER Fixed
Monthly payment: £10-£500 per calendar month
Miss any payments: Yes, as many as you like
Penalty-free withdrawals: None
Age of applicant: At least 16 years old
How to open account: Branch/post
Length of account term: Matures 30/11/2026
Maximum balance: None stated other than £500,000 across all Suffolk BS accounts
Deposits on non-working days: Treated as having been received the next working day.
Special conditions: N/A

~~~~~~NLA 3/11/25 ~~~~~~Suffolk BS Online 1 Year Fixed Rate Regular Saver (30.11.2026) ~~~ Launched 8/9/25
Interest rate: 5% AER Fixed
Monthly payment: £10-£250 per calendar month
Miss any payments: Yes, as many as you like
Penalty-free withdrawals: None
Age of applicant: At least 16 years old
How to open account: Online
Length of account term: Matures 30/11/2026
Maximum balance: None stated other than £500,000 across all Suffolk BS accounts
Deposits on non-working days: Treated as having been received the next working day.
Special conditions: N/A

~~~~~~NLA 6/11/25 ~~~~~~Market Harborough BS Limited Edition Regular Saver (04.11.2026) - Branch Exclusive ~~~ Launched 3/9/25
Interest rate: 6% gross p.a. fixed
Monthly payment: £10-£300 per calendar month
Miss any payments: Yes, you can miss one payment
Penalty-free withdrawals: No withdrawals permitted however if more than one monthly payment is missed during a calendar year the account will be transferred to the easy access account and interest rate at that time.
Age of applicant: Any age; for under 18s, the account must be opened by an adult in the capacity of Trustee.
How to open account: Branch only
Length of account term: Matures 4/11/2026
Maximum balance: £4,500
Deposits on non-working days: Treated as having been received the next working day.
Special conditions:  Customers may only have two Limited Edition Regular Saver accounts open at any time, either solely or jointly, with a combined maximum deposit of £300 per month not exceeding the maximum balance of £4,500. Further deposits into this product may be prohibited at any time. When they do this, they will update the relevant section within the ‘Current interest rates for withdrawn products’ page of mhbs.co.uk. They will not personally notify you when they do this. 

~~~~~~NLA 6/11/25 ~~~~~~Market Harborough Fixed Term Regular Saver (30.09.2026) ~~~ Launched 28/7/25
Interest rate: 5.8% gross p.a. fixed
Monthly payment: £10-£250 per calendar month
Miss any payments: Yes, you can miss one payment
Penalty-free withdrawals: No withdrawals permitted however if more than one monthly payment is missed during a calendar year the account will be transferred to the easy access account and interest rate at that time.
Age of applicant: Any age; for under 18s, the account must be opened by an adult in the capacity of Trustee.
How to open account: Branch only
Length of account term: Matures 30/9/2026
Maximum balance: £3,750
Deposits on non-working days: Treated as having been received the next working day.
Special conditions: Customers may only have two Fixed Term Regular Saver accounts open at a time, either solely or jointly, with a combined maximum deposit of £250 per month not exceeding the maximum balance of £3,750.00. Further deposits into this product may be prohibited at any time. When they do this, they will update the relevant section within the ‘Current interest rates for withdrawn products’ page of mhbs.co.uk. They will not personally notify you when they do this. 

~~~~~~NLA 11/11/25 ~~~~~~Skipton BS Regular Saver (Issue 1) ~~~ Launched 15/7/25
Interest rate: 5.5% AER variable from 12/8/25 (tracks 1.5% above the BOE base rate for 12 months)
Monthly payment: £0-£200 per calendar month
Miss any payments: Yes, miss as many as you like
Penalty-free withdrawals: No withdrawals except for account closure
Age of applicant: Aged 16 and over
How to open account: Branch, online, post or telephone
Length of account term: 12 months from date of first deposit
Maximum balance: £2,400
Deposits on non-working days: Treated as having been received the next working day.
Special conditions: This account is available to those who don't already hold a product from our Regular Saver range (either a Member Regular Saver, Branch Member Regular Saver, Regular Saver or a Branch Regular Saver) at the time of application. Any unused monthly allowances can be rolled over to future months, up to a maximum of £2,400 over the 12-month term. Joint accounts are not allowed. You can only hold one Regular Saver account (either a Regular Saver or a Branch Regular Saver) in your name at any one time. If the Bank of England Base Rate changes, the new interest rate on your account will apply without notice, no more than 14 days after the change is effective.

~~~~~~NLA 11/11/25 ~~~~~~Skipton BS Member Regular Saver (Issue 4) ~~~ Launched 21/1/25
Interest rate: 6% AER variable from 12/8/25 (tracks 2% above the BOE base rate for 12 months)
Monthly payment: £0-£250 per calendar month
Miss any payments: Yes, miss as many as you like
Penalty-free withdrawals: No withdrawals except for account closure
Age of applicant: Aged 16 and over
How to open account: Branch, online, post or telephone
Length of account term: 12 months from date of first deposit
Maximum balance: £3,000
Deposits on non-working days: Treated as having been received the next working day.
Special conditions: You need to hold a continuous membership with Skipton Building Society (a Savings Share account or a Mortgage) starting on or before 20th January 2025 with a minimum balance of £1. Any unused monthly allowances can be rolled over to future months, up to a maximum of £3,000 over the 12-month term. Joint accounts are not allowed. This account is available to those who don't already hold a product from Skipton's Regular Saver range (either a Member Regular Saver, Branch Member Regular Saver, Regular Saver or a Branch Regular Saver) at the time of application. If the Bank of England Base Rate changes, the new interest rate on your account will apply without notice, no more than 14 days after the change is effective.

~~~~~~NLA 20/11/25 ~~~~~~Hanley Economic BS 1 Year Online Smart Saver (TAR10) ~~~~~ Launched 21/10/25
Interest rate: 6.5% gross p.a. variable
Monthly payment: £25-£300 per calendar month
Miss any payments: If no subscriptions are made for 3 consecutive months or if 3 or more monthly subscriptions are missed throughout the Society year (1 September – 31 August) the Society, after giving you 30 days notice of our intention to do so, reserves the right to close the account and either return the balance or transfer it to an Instant Access Account.
Penalty-free withdrawals: 2 penalty-free withdrawals per tax year, all other withdrawals come with a 30 day interest penalty.
Age of applicant: 18+
How to open account: Online only
Length of account term: 12 months from the date of opening
Maximum balance: £3,600
Deposits on non-working days: Treated as having been received the next working day if received after 3pm on a working day.
Special conditions: n/a

The following accounts have been and gone between 1/11/25 and 30/11/25:

~~~~~~NLA 30/11/25 ~~~~~~Chorley BS Regular Saver (31.10.2026)~~~ Launched 1/11/25
Interest rate: 5.15% gross p.a. variable
Monthly payment: £25-£400 per calendar month
Miss any payments: Yes, miss as many as you like
Penalty-free withdrawals: None, but the account can be closed early without penalty
Age of applicant: Age 18 years old or older
How to open account: Branch, post or online
Length of account term: Matures on 31/10/26
Maximum balance: N/A
Deposits on non-working days: Treated as having been received the next working day.
Special conditions: Initial deposit must be received by 30/11/25. Only one Regular Saver and one Seasonal Saver can be held in any 12 month rolling period.

~~~~~~NLA 30/11/25 ~~~~~~Chorley BS Regional 2 Year Flexible Saver (31.10.2027)~~~ Launched 1/11/25
Interest rate: 5.15% gross p.a. variable
Monthly payment: £25-£400 per calendar month
Miss any payments: Yes, miss as many as you like
Penalty-free withdrawals: 2 withdrawals per year excluding early closure. If more than 2 withdrawals are made within a 12 month period the account shall be closed.
Age of applicant: Age 18 years old or older
How to open account: Branch, post or online
Length of account term: Matures on 31/10/27
Maximum balance: N/A
Deposits on non-working days: Treated as having been received the next working day.
Special conditions: Initial deposit must be received by the 30/11/25. Only one Regular Saver and one Seasonal Saver can be held in any 12 month rolling period. Must live in one of the following postcode areas (CA, FY, PR, LA, WN, BL, L, WA, BB, CH, M, SK, CW, OL).

s71hj

Out of interest, how many people on here utilise 0% credit cards to support their regular saver.... habit like I do.