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The best Cash ISAs if you want to transfer
Here at Lovemoney, we regularly bang on about the importance of opening a Cash ISA. After all, these accounts are a great way for you to save tax-free.
Of course, if you’re one of our many savvy readers, you probably already have one. But even so, that doesn’t excuse you entirely.
After all, do you know what rate of interest your ISA is currently paying? And are you sure it’s competitive?
If not, we’d suggest finding out now. And if it’s not paying a decent rate of interest, it’s time to move those funds elsewhere.
Unfortunately, there’s just one snag with this. Sometimes you’ll find that the very best interest rates are for Cash ISAs which don’t allow transfers in from existing ISAs, meaning you can only open them with fresh funds – a bit of a pain to say the least.
Here we're going to look at the best Cash ISAs that do allow transfers in. Unfortunately, in common with other savings products, rates continue to plummet, but here are the best around now.
Easy access
The table below highlights the best easy access Cash ISAs that allow transfers in.
Account | Interest Rate (AER) | Minimum deposit | Access |
Cheshire BS ISA Saver | 2.50% (includes 2% bonus until July 2014) | £1,000 | Online, phone, post |
Danske Bank Cash ISA | 2.25% | £10 | Branch |
Harpenden BS Simple ISA | 2.25% | £1 | Branch, post |
Stafford Railway BS Cash ISA | 2.25% | £1 | Branch, post |
Virgin Money Easy Access Cash E-ISA Issue 4 | 2.15% | £1 | Online |
2.10% | £1 | Branch, online, phone |
So how do these rates compare with those Cash ISAs that don’t allow transfers in? Pretty favourably…
Related link: Compare the top cash ISAs
Notice ISAs
If you don't think you'll need to access your ISA money, then you could instead opt for a notice ISA. Historically, they have generally paid better interest rates than easy access ISAs. And they're competitive at the moment.
Account | Interest Rate (AER) | Minimum deposit | Access | Need to know |
Earl Shilton BS 90-Day Cash ISA | 2.70% | £10 | Branch, post | Only open to existing members or people living in the postcodes LE, CV9-13 and DE11-15. Transfers from existing members only. 90 days’ notice required for withdrawals. |
Triodos Bank 90-Day Notice Online Cash ISA | 2.16% | £10 | Online | 90 days’ notice required for withdrawals. |
Charity Bank Ethical Cash ISA | 2.05% | £250 | Post | 33 days’ notice required for withdrawals. |
Bank of Cyprus 35-Day Cash ISA | 2.00% | £500 | Branch, post, phone, online | 35 days’ notice required for withdrawals. |
Kent Reliance BS 60-Day Notice ISA Issue 5 | 2.00% | £1,000 | Branch, post, online | 60 days’ notice required for withdrawals. |
Fixed rate cash ISAs
If you’d prefer to tie up your savings for a year or more, you could usually earn a higher rate of interest with a fixed rate cash ISA. However, at the moment only a handful of fixed rate ISAs are paying more than the top easy access ISA, and you will need to lock your money away for five years!
But for the sake of comparison, here are the top-paying fixed-rate Cash ISAs across a range of timespans that accept transfers in.
Provider and account | Interest rate (AER) | Term | Minimum investment | Access |
Halifax ISA Saver Fixed | 3.10% | Five years | £500 | Online, branch, phone |
Halifax ISA Saver Fixed | 3.05% | Four years | £500 | Online, branch, phone |
Halifax ISA Saver Fixed | 3.00% | Three years | £500 | Online, branch, phone |
Virgin Money Fixed Rate Cash E-ISA Issue 33 | 2.75% | Five years (until 24th March 2018) | £1 | Online |
Nationwide Four-Year Fixed Rate ISA | 2.70% | Four years | £1 | Branch |
Cheshire BS Four-Year Fixed Rate Cash ISA | 2.70% | Four years | £100 | Branch |
Derbyshire BS Fixed Rate ISA Issue 65 | 2.70% | Four years (until 30th April 2017) | £100 | Branch |
Dunfermline BS Fixed Rate Cash ISA Issue 56 | 2.70% | Four years (until 30th April 2017) | £100 | Branch |
Skipton BS Five-Year Fixed Rate ISA | 2.50% | Five years (until 12 March 2018) | £500 | Branch, phone, post |
Bank of Scotland Fixed Cash ISA | 2.45% | Four years | £500 | Online, branch, phone |
Virgin Money Fixed Rate E-ISA | 2.40% | Three years | £1 | Online |
Bank of Scotland Fixed Cash ISA | 2.40% | Three years | £500 | Online, branch, phone |
