Harpenden Building Society savings rates — compare every account, plus switch offers and guides

Who they are

Harpenden Building Society is based in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. It was founded in March 1953, when a group of local business people came together to establish the society. It is owned by its savers and borrowers, and is proud to be an independent mutual building society. That means there are no outside shareholders to answer to - any profit made is put back into the society to benefit its members. Harpenden has won "Best Local Building Society" at the What Mortgage Awards for the 12th year in a row. Branches sit in Radlett, Leighton Buzzard and Harpenden, where the head office is also located.

Savings accounts

Harpenden offers a wide spread of savings options. For those happy to lock money away, fixed rate bonds run from one to five years. The 2 Year Fixed Rate Bond currently sits at 4.75% and the 5 Year Fixed Rate Bond at 4.60%, both requiring a minimum of £1,000 and allowing no access until maturity. The 1 Year Fixed Rate Bond pays 4.26%.

If you want the tax wrapper of a Cash ISA, there are fixed options too - the 2 Year Fixed Rate Cash ISA pays 4.70% and the 5 Year version pays 4.55%, again from £1,000.

For more flexibility, the 90 Days' Notice account pays 4.04%, while the Online Instant Access account sits at 3.40% from just £100. The standout account for younger savers is the 18-30 Regular Saver, currently paying 6.00% variable on deposits from as little as £10 - though as a variable rate, that can change.

Deposits up to £120,000 are protected by the UK's FSCS deposit guarantee scheme , which is notably higher than the standard £85,000 limit that applies to most UK banks, reflecting the mutual structure of building societies.

Is it right for you?

Harpenden suits savers who want a broad choice - from easy access through to five-year fixes - alongside the reassurance of a community-minded mutual with over 70 years of history. The 18-30 Regular Saver rate makes it particularly worth a look for younger people building a savings habit. The society is not a large high-street name, but it is big enough to compete and offer flexible, fairly-priced financial solutions, while still being small enough to provide a hands-on service.

There are no current account switch offers here, so if a cash switching bonus is what you are after, you may need to look elsewhere. But for straightforward savings - especially fixed terms and ISAs - it is a solid option.

Rates change regularly, so use the live figures shown on this page to make sure you are seeing the most up-to-date picture before you decide.