Savings & Investing • March 2026 Rates Round-Up

Savings Rates Round-Up: Best Accounts This Week (March 2026)

The Bank of England is cutting rates. The banks know it. And they're quietly pulling their best deals before you notice. Right now — in the first week of March 2026 — a handful of accounts are still paying 6%, 7%, even 7.5% AER. These windows close fast.

Base rate is expected to settle at 3.25%–3.50% by end of 2026. Every week you're sitting in a 1.5% account is roughly £140 a year lost for every £10,000 you hold. Let's fix that.

TL;DR — This Week's Best Savings Rates at a Glance

The Key Rates

• Best easy access: Santander Edge Saver 6.00% AER on up to £4,000 — the highest easy-access rate in the UK right now
• Best regular savers: Principality Building Society 7.50% fixed, First Direct and Co-op 7.00%
• Best cash ISA: 4.42% AER easy access — and your £20,000 allowance is at risk from April 2027
• Watch out: Zopa's Biscuit account quietly halved its term — your actual return dropped ~74%

What You Must Do This Week

• Move up to £4,000 into Santander Edge Saver for 6.00% easy-access — right now, nothing comes close
• Open a Principality, First Direct, or Co-op regular saver if you can put away £200–£300 a month
• Max your ISA before 5 April — £20,000 limit is proposed to drop for under-65s from April 2027
• If you have a Zopa Biscuit account opened in the last three months, check your term length

1. Easy Access Accounts: The Best Rates Right Now

Easy access should be your emergency fund home and your parking spot for cash you might need within a few months. These four accounts currently lead the market.

⚠️ The Santander 6.00% rate applies only to the first £4,000. Above that you earn a far lower rate. This isn't an account to pile all your savings into — it's a high-rate pot for a specific chunk of cash. Stack it alongside another account for the rest.

💡 Santander's Edge Saver requires a linked Edge current account (£3/month fee). Run the numbers: £4,000 at 6.00% earns £240 a year. The current account costs £36. Net gain: £204 — still the best easy-access deal on the market.

2. Regular Savers: Where the 7%+ Rates Live

Regular savers reward the habit of putting money away monthly. The catch: you're drip-feeding cash in over the year, so you're not earning 7.5% on the full amount from day one. Your effective return is roughly half the headline rate. Still — it's comfortably the best return available for new deposits each month.

💡 Principality is the standout for anyone without a First Direct or Co-op relationship — it's open to all, no hoops to jump through. At £200/month for 6 months, you'd accumulate £1,200 and earn around £28 in interest. Not life-changing, but that's 7.5% on money that would otherwise be earning 1.5% in a high-street savings account.

3. Cash ISAs: Use Your £20,000 Before It's Gone

The best easy-access cash ISA rate sits at 4.42% AER as of this week. Best fixed rate: 4.25% AER. Neither is exceptional versus the top easy-access accounts above — but the ISA wrapper means every penny of interest is tax-free, permanently.

⚠️ The government has announced plans to cut the cash ISA allowance from £20,000 to £12,000 for under-65s from April 2027. This is proposed, not yet law — but if it passes, you'll permanently lose the ability to shelter that extra £8,000 per year. The 2025/26 and 2026/27 tax years are your last guaranteed chance to use the full £20,000 limit. Use them.

If you're a basic-rate taxpayer with less than £1,000 in savings interest annually, your Personal Savings Allowance already shelters you from tax — so the ISA rate advantage matters less. Higher-rate taxpayers (£500 PSA) and additional-rate taxpayers (no PSA at all) should prioritise their ISA as a matter of urgency. See our full breakdown in top savings accounts beating inflation.

4. The Zopa Biscuit Stitch-Up

Zopa's Biscuit regular saver was briefly one of the best deals on the market — 7.1% AER for 12 months, up to £300 a month. New customers would have earned around £137 in interest over the full term. Decent.

Zopa has quietly cut the term to 6 months for new customers. The rate stays at 7.1%, but the maximum interest over the shorter term drops to around £36. That's a 74% reduction in actual returns — from £137 to £36 — with no fanfare and no headline change to the rate they advertise.

This is exactly how banks obscure cuts. The headline rate looks unchanged. The fine print has changed entirely. Always calculate the actual pound return, not just the percentage. If you opened a Biscuit account recently expecting the 12-month term, check your account terms immediately.

5. How to Stack These Accounts

The smartest play isn't picking one — it's using several in combination. Here's a practical structure for someone with, say, £8,000 in savings:

• £4,000 → Santander Edge Saver at 6.00% — your accessible emergency fund, earning the highest easy-access rate available
• £200/month → Principality regular saver at 7.50% — for fresh savings each month
• Remaining lump sum → Cash ISA at 4.42% — tax-free, long-term home for money you won't touch

All three accounts are FSCS-protected up to £85,000 per institution, so your money is safe. The key is moving fast — every month rates slip, the banks quietly reprice, and the window to capture these returns narrows. See how to set this up on autopilot in our guide to automating your savings.

What to Do Right Now

• Open Santander Edge Saver — move up to £4,000 in immediately for 6.00% AER on your emergency fund
• Set up a Principality regular saver — open to all, no existing relationship needed, 7.50% fixed for 6 months
• Max your ISA before 5 April — £20,000 this tax year, potentially the last at this limit for under-65s
• Check your Zopa Biscuit term — if it was opened in the last 3 months, verify whether you got 6 or 12 months
• Set a calendar reminder for your bonus rate expiry — Santander's 2.5% bonus drops off after 12 months and you need to move

The rate environment won't stay this generous. Once base rate settles below 3.5%, these headline deals will be the first to go. The banks aren't doing you a favour — they're competing for your deposits. Use that to your advantage while it lasts. For more on where to put cash for the long term, read our guide to best high-yield savings accounts in 2026 and our breakdown of whether to lock in or stay flexible.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best savings account in the UK right now?

As of March 2026, the best easy-access rate is the Santander Edge Saver at 6.00% AER on balances up to £4,000. For regular monthly deposits, the Principality Building Society regular saver pays 7.50% fixed for 6 months and is open to all. The best ISA easy-access rate sits at 4.42% AER.

Is the Santander Edge Saver worth it?

Yes, with caveats. The 6.00% rate on up to £4,000 earns you £240 a year. The linked Edge current account costs £36 a year. Net return: £204 — still the best easy-access deal available. The 2.5% bonus element expires after 12 months, so diarise to switch when it drops.

What is the best regular saver account in March 2026?

For people without an existing bank relationship, Principality Building Society pays 7.50% fixed for 6 months on up to £200 per month and is open to everyone. For existing First Direct customers, their 7.00% fixed 12-month regular saver on £300 per month is the better long-term earner — up to £137 in interest over the full term.

Should I use a cash ISA or a savings account?

If you're a basic-rate taxpayer earning under £1,000 in interest annually, your Personal Savings Allowance covers you and a standard savings account usually offers better rates. Higher-rate taxpayers get only a £500 PSA, and additional-rate taxpayers get none — for them, cash ISAs are essential to avoid a tax bill on savings interest. With the cash ISA allowance potentially being cut from April 2027, filling your ISA now is a smart move regardless.

Is my money safe in these savings accounts?

All accounts listed here are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which protects deposits up to £85,000 per person per institution. If a bank fails, you get your money back up to that limit automatically. Keep balances under £85,000 per provider and your money is safe.

What is happening to the cash ISA allowance in 2027?

The government has proposed cutting the cash ISA allowance from £20,000 to £12,000 for savers under 65, effective from April 2027. This is a proposal and not yet law, but if it passes, anyone who fails to use their full £20,000 limit in 2026/27 will permanently lose the ability to shelter that additional £8,000 per year in tax-free savings.

What happened to the Zopa Biscuit regular saver?

Zopa quietly shortened the Biscuit account term from 12 months to 6 months for new customers. The headline rate stayed at 7.1%, but the actual interest you earn on £300/month deposits dropped from around £137 to just £36 — a ~74% fall in real returns. It was not widely publicised. Check your own account terms if you opened one recently.

Will savings rates go down in 2026?

Almost certainly, yes. The Bank of England base rate is widely expected to fall to 3.25%–3.50% by end of 2026, and savings rates typically follow within weeks of any cut. The current window of 6%+ easy-access rates is unlikely to last beyond mid-2026. If you want to lock in a high rate for longer, consider a fixed-term account — our breakdown of fixing versus staying flexible covers when it makes sense.

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Last updated: 5 March 2026

Savings rates correct as of 4–5 March 2026 and sourced directly from provider websites. Rates are variable unless stated as fixed and can change at any time. ISA allowance figures reflect current government proposal — check GOV.UK for legislative status before the 2027/28 tax year.

Sources & References

• Bank of England — Bank Rate and monetary policy — current base rate and rate expectations
• GOV.UK — Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) — ISA allowance rules, eligibility, and tax treatment
• FSCS — Deposit Protection — what the £85,000 limit covers and how compensation works
• Santander UK — Edge Saver — current rate, terms, and Edge current account requirement
• Principality Building Society — Savings — regular saver rate, term, and eligibility
• MoneyHelper — Cash ISAs explained — impartial guidance on ISA types, tax-free interest, and allowances