Best high-interest bank accounts 2025

Interest rates for the best instant-access savings accounts tend to be higher than the best current accounts.

Check that the extra interest you'll get is worth the inconvenience of moving money between accounts.

You can set up a regular payment (standing order) to move money from your current account to your savings account after your salary or pension comes in.

Make sure the savings account has no restrictions on access and can be managed online or by app, so you can quickly make withdrawals.

If you don't need money in the near future, and have an emergency savings fund in place, considering putting savings in fixed-term accounts or investing it.

As well as paying interest directly on your current account balance, most banks now offer existing customers exclusive savings accounts. 

They're typically instant access savings accounts, or regular savings accounts.

These can have very high rates, but check how they compare to the best savings accounts open to all.

Step 1: Find the highest current account interest rates

Our table above shows you the best rates available on current accounts, along with the number of accounts you can open.

Step 2: Check the high-interest account requirements

Banks often set specific account requirements - such as fees, minimum monthly deposits and direct debits - to qualify for interest or to avoid paying a monthly fee on the account.

Each account limits the balance on which you can earn interest but, in most cases, banks will allow you to open a second main or joint account, essentially doubling that amount.

Watch out for accounts with tiered interest (where you get a higher rate for having a higher balance) as you must have a balance within the top tier to earn the top rate of interest. At lower tiers, these accounts become less competitive.

Step 3: Earn instant cash for switching

Before you start moving savings about, there's an easier way to save money.

Banks often offer cash incentives to attract new customers - in some cases £200 – and switching should only take seven working days.

Look out for conditions, such as depositing a certain amount, or using online banking services by a specific date.

Step 4: Open multiple high-interest current accounts

The number of accounts you'll need to open depends on how much money you're looking to save.

This is because accounts will only pay interest on balances up to a certain amount - see the notes on the table above. You want to make sure there's no 'excess' money sitting in accounts, but not earning interest.

Step 5: Circulate money between other high-interest current accounts

Most banks also require you to pay a certain amount into accounts each month.

Take a sum from your savings, equal to highest minimum deposit of the accounts you hold. So if you have three accounts, with minimums of £500, £1,000 and £1,500, put aside £1,500.

This sum will be continually circulated between these accounts.

Step 6: Deposit the rest of your savings in the other accounts

Divide the rest of your money between all the accounts, starting with the highest-earning account.

Once you've deposited the maximum sum the account will pay interest on, deposit money into the next highest-paying account and so on.

Step 7: Repeat step 5 each month

The easiest way to do this is to set up standing orders (instructions to your bank to pay a set amount at regular intervals to another account) so that the transfers take place automatically every month.

This means you meet the requirements of all the accounts and earn the most interest possible on the whole sum.

Find out more: Direct debits and standing orders – which is better for regular payments?