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Join Which? MoneyBest packaged bank accounts 2025
We reveal which packaged accounts offer the best value based on cost, the quality of the travel insurance, breakdown cover and other benefits
What is a packaged bank account?
Some current accounts come with extra benefits, such as travel insurance, car breakdown cover and mobile phone insurance.
In exchange you pay a monthly fee, which could be less than buying the insurances separately. But they're only great value if you use the benefits.
Here we reveal the best packaged accounts and explain whether they're worth buying.
Best and worst packaged bank accounts
We've scored a range of leading accounts, all of which offer travel insurance, breakdown cover and mobile or gadget cover.
Overall score
best buy Nationwide BS FlexPlus (340) | 76% | 81% | £18 | £216 | |
Virgin Club M Account (147) | 76% | 68% | £12.50 | £150 | |
Monzo Bank Max (209) | 74% | 83% | £17.00 | £204 | |
Barclays Bank Account - with Travel and Tech Lite (471) | 70% | 72% | £23.50 | £282 | |
Barclays Bank Account - with Travel and Tech Pack (471) | 70% | 72% | £29.00 | £348 | |
Monzo Bank Max with family cover (209) | 69% | 83% | £22.00 | £264 | |
Halifax Ultimate Reward Current Account (298) | 68% | 75% | £19.00 | £228 |
Table notes Correct as of 23 September 2024. Overall score Weighted by the annual cost and extras such as interest-free overdrafts or cashback and credit interest (30%), quality of travel insurance (30%), car breakdown (30%) and mobile phone insurance (10%). See full methodology. Customer score: Our rating for customer satisfaction, based on feedback from real customers. The score is made up of a customer's overall satisfaction with the brand, and how likely they are to recommend that brand to a friend. We surveyed 4,510 members of the general public in August/September 2024. Sample size in brackets
Packaged bank account reviews
Nationwide FlexPlus – Best Buy
Nationwide’s FlexPlus account topped our table again with a score of 76% and is a Which? Best Buy.
At £18 per month, FlexPlus is the fourth-cheapest account we analysed.
Our experts rated its travel insurance very highly and it doesn't have age limits.
Along with top policy scores for mobile insurance and breakdown cover, the FlexPlus account is also one of only three accounts to offer fee-free cash withdrawals and spending abroad, along with the Virgin Money Club M account and Monzo (it limits your fee-free overseas cash withdrawals to £600 a month).
The combination of a good price, excellent policy scores and high customer satisfaction means Nationwide FlexPlus is a Best Buy packaged account. It also received our Eco Provider award for banking in September 2023.
Virgin Money Club M Account
The Virgin Club M Account also scores 76%.
The most eye-catching part of this account is the price. At only £12.50 a month, it is the cheapest account we analysed. It is one of only two accounts in the past year that hasn't raised or is planning to raise its monthly fee.
The Club M Account scored highly for its breakdown cover, which is now also available in Europe. It missed out on being a Best Buy due to policy scores under 70% for its travel and mobile phone insurance.
Nationwide's takeover of Virgin Money is unlikely to lead to immediate changes in product offerings, and the two providers will keep their separate Financial Services Compensation Scheme protections, rather than having to share the £85,000 limit.
Monzo Max
Monzo ditched Premium and launched a new range of accounts in April 2024.
Monzo Max (£17 a month) offers worldwide travel insurance, worldwide phone insurance and UK and Europe breakdown cover. You can also add family members to those policies for an extra £5 a month.
Along with insurance benefits, Monzo Max also includes a free Greggs treat a week and an annual railcard every year.
Monzo Max impressed with a 96% score for its breakdown cover and a solid 67% for its travel insurance. However, its mobile phone cover disappointed with 55%.
Pick and mix packaged accounts
Barclays offers a different style of packaged account by giving you the option to add insurance to your existing current account.
You can choose between two levels of cover for both travel insurance (includes breakdown cover) and gadget insurance. Barclays’ bolt-ons continue to be relatively expensive – even choosing the least- comprehensive insurance options (Barclays Tech lite and Travel) will cost £60 more than Nationwide's FlexPlus account.
Barclays travel insurance was very highly rated by our experts.
Is it worth paying for a packaged account?
Packaged accounts can be great value, particularly those at the top of our table, but only if you use the benefits.
And some of the 'benefits' aren't that much use. So if you're thinking of opening a fee-charging bank account or already have one, ask yourself these key questions:
- How many of the benefits do I need?
- Does the insurance give me the right amount of cover?
- Can I get any of the benefits cheaper elsewhere?
- Am I already covered?
Take the time to see what else is on the market, making sure you don't have duplicate cover elsewhere: mobile phones and gadgets may be covered by your home insurance, for example, and some car insurers include breakdown cover as standard.
To avoid wasting your money, keep an eye on annual statements, and switch to a free account if you're not making the most of the perks you're paying for.
If you do have a packaged account, you should be given ample notice of any changes, as well as an annual eligibility statement prompting you to assess whether the account is still worth paying for.
Think about the way you run your account. For example, if you tend to use an overdraft from time to time, a standard account may save you money on fees and charges.
- Go further The Money Helper bank account fees and charges tool can help you compare current accounts offered by most banks based on what they charge for different services and facilities.
More on packaged bank accounts
How we analyse packaged bank accounts
What counts as a packaged bank account
There are plenty of accounts that charge a fee and offer perks. But to make our research useful to you, we only score accounts including the following:
- worldwide family annual travel insurance, including winter sports (exclusions apply)
- car breakdown for roadside assistance, home start and nationwide recovery. We've also noted which cover you in Europe or provide alternative travel or accommodation while your vehicle is being repaired
- mobile or gadget cover.
Which? Best Buys
A Which? Best Buy packaged bank account must prove it combines an excellent bank account, insurance policies and customer experience.
To do this we only make an account a Best Buy with an overall score over 75% and individual policy scores above 70%. A Best Buy account is also required to have a customer score of at least 70%.
Product score
We analyse dozens of elements, including rewards and benefits, fees and charges, how you can operate the account and the quality of the insurance cover, to calculate an overall rating score.