The Best UK Savings Rates for October 2026

The Bank of England held the base rate at 3.75% on 17 September — and for the second meeting running the vote split 6–3, with three members wanting a hike to 4%. Inflation has risen to 3.1%, the Bank's own forecast has it closer to 4% by early next year, and the next decision lands on 5 November. A hike is very much on the table.

The market hasn't waited for it. Fixed rates have jumped more in the last month than at any point this year: five-year bonds now pay 5.35%, and every fixed Cash ISA from two years up is above 5%. Easy access is flat by comparison, though there's a new market leader from Starling that needs reading carefully. And at the other end of the table, last month's four 8% regular savers have become one.

Every account here is on DepositScout.com, where you can filter by type, set up rate alerts, run the savings and tax calculators, and check the rate history graphs before you open anything. Rates below were correct on 5 October 2026.

Switch offers: two new, two expiring

Barclays is back, Lloyds has joined, and two offers end this week.

The verdict: Barclays' £300 on its fee-free account is the biggest number, but it's paid over six months — £150 for a full switch with three Direct Debits and a £2,000 salary credit within 30 days, then £30 a month for five months provided the £2,000 salary keeps landing and you make ten debit card purchases each month. The salary has to come from an employer, so it's no use to the self-employed.

Lloyds' £200 is the easiest cash on the table: three active Direct Debits and nothing else, paid within 14 working days. The free Club Lloyds account qualifies (the £5 fee is refunded any month you pay in £2,000), but you're excluded if you've taken a Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland switch bonus since January 2023.

HSBC's £220 — £2,000 in, two Direct Debits and £500 of card spend within 60 days — is still the best all-rounder. First Direct has risen to £210 with a 2 December deadline. Santander's £240 on the fee-free Everyday account ends on 7 October (£1,500 in, two Direct Debits and £200 into a Santander Regular Saver), and Starling's toothbrush closes on the 11th. Full list and alerts at DepositScout.com/switch-offers.

Easy access: Starling takes the top spot — read the small print

Starling's new Easy Saver pays 5.00% AER variable, which puts it level with LemFi at the top. But three things matter before you open it.

First, it's a 2.50% fixed bonus for six months on top of a 2.50% standard rate — so after six months, you're on 2.50%. Second, the 5% only applies to the first £25,000; anything above earns 2.50%. Put £50,000 in and you're on 3.75% blended; £100,000 earns about 3.1%. Third, it's new customers only: you need to open a Starling current account from 1 October and apply for the Easy Saver within 30 days. Existing customers get 4%.

For comparison, Oxbury's Autumn account pays 4.30% on everything up to £120,000 with no bonus and no cliff — so from roughly £35,000, Oxbury beats Starling from day one.

The verdict: LemFi still pays 5.00% up to £250,000, with the same six-month cliff (reverting to 3.04%) and FSCS cover via ClearBank. Below the 5% pair, Monument's Welcome Saver pays 4.56% from a £25,000 minimum and matures to a tracker after 12 months; Zopa pays 4.56% to new customers with three withdrawals a year; and Tembo's HomeSaver pays 4.55% on up to £20,000, rising to 5.55% if you complete a mortgage through them. If you want a rate you don't have to babysit, toggle "promo rates" off on our table — Oxbury at 4.30% is the one you can leave alone.

Small balances: Edge still leads, but check the fee

If you've got a few thousand pounds earning nothing in a current account, Santander's Edge Saver pays 6% on up to £4,000 — £240 a year — but it needs the Edge current account at £3 a month, and 2.5% of the rate is a 12-month bonus. Net of the fee you're at £204. Cahoot's Sunny Day Saver pays 5% on up to £3,000 (£150 a year) with nothing to open, though it rolls into a 1% account after 12 months. Spring's Accelerate Saver, last month's pick, has been withdrawn.

Cash ISAs: eToro holds the top, and everything else has a clock

Easy access: eToro's 4.87% still leads. It isn't a normal savings account — your money sits in a money market fund, so FSCS protection is the £85,000 investment limit rather than £120,000 deposit cover. The 1% boost lasts 12 months, after which it reverts to 3.57%, and more than three withdrawals in a year forfeits the bonus. It's flexible, with a £500 minimum.

Plum and Trading 212 both pay 4.60%. Plum pays its bonus as a lump sum at the end of 12 months — leave early and you lose it — before dropping to 2.54%. Trading 212 is new customers only, tracks base rate minus 0.15% plus a 1% bonus for a year, and the bonus applies to this tax year's contributions only. Moneybox pays 4.58% from £500 with three withdrawals a year, and is no longer flexible. If you never want to think about it again, Hargreaves Lansdown's 4.52% has no bonus and no cliff, though it isn't flexible.

Fixed: this is where the month happened. Last month's best fixed ISA was 4.77%; now every term from two years up is above 5%. Close Brothers tops every term — 5.12% on five years, 5.11% on three, 5.05% on two — but wants £10,000 and isn't flexible. Tandem and Vida sit within 0.06% of it at every term, from £1 and £1,000 respectively, and both are flexible: Tandem's five-year at 5.11%, Vida's three-year at 5.05%, Tandem's two-year at 5.03%. OakNorth's one-year pays 4.91% from £1.

The fixed verdict: you're locking £10,000 and giving up flexibility for at most 0.06% with Close Brothers. And there's only 0.20% between one year and five — not much to lock for five years when three MPC members already want a hike. If you want 5% in an ISA, Tandem's two-year at 5.03% from £1 is the sensible lock. One thing on "flexible": it means you can withdraw and replace money without losing allowance, not that you can leave early for free — Tandem's five-year exit penalty is a full year's interest.

Planning note: 2026/27 is the last full tax year under-65s can put the whole £20,000 allowance into a Cash ISA. From April the cash limit drops to £12,000, with the balance available for stocks and shares. If you've got allowance left, this is the year to use it.

Fixed rate bonds: the whole curve has moved

Last month's top bond was 5% from Afin. This month the one-year rate is 5.12%, and five years pays 5.35%. Some of the names are unfamiliar, so the FSCS line matters: every account below is protected to £120,000.

The verdict: 5.35% for five years is the headline, but the market is pricing base rate at around 4.4% by next spring and five-year bonds already reflect that — if the Bank delivers hikes, next year's five-year bond may pay more than this one. OakNorth's two-year at 5.15% from £1 is the lock that doesn't bet the house. Note thisbank only accepts deposits from a single nominated account, verified by Open Banking.

Tax note: interest paid at maturity lands in one tax year. On a large five-year bond that can blow straight through your Personal Savings Allowance — £1,000 for basic-rate taxpayers, £500 for higher-rate, nothing for additional-rate. Choose annual interest where it's offered.

Notice accounts: still behind easy access

Birmingham Bank is the new top of the table at 4.40% for 95 days' notice, with a £5,000 minimum (drop below it and the account closes). GB Bank's 150-day pays 4.38%, StreamBank's 90-day 4.35%.

The verdict: the best notice rate pays 4.40%. Starling and LemFi pay 5% with no notice at all, and even the clean easy-access rate is only 0.10% behind with zero waiting. Unless you specifically want money you can't raid on impulse, skip the category.

Regular savers: the 8% club is down to one

Last month four accounts paid 8%: Lloyds, Halifax, Bank of Scotland and Santander. This month it's Santander alone. Lloyds' standard Monthly Saver and Bank of Scotland have dropped to 5%, Club Lloyds to 6.25%, and Halifax has left the table. Monmouthshire has also cut — 6% to 5% — but its £500 monthly cap still earns the most actual cash. The new entrant is Chase at 6.5% fixed on £300 a month, with free withdrawals.

Ranked by what you'd earn over a year, paying in the maximum each month:

The verdict: the ranking assumes you fill each cap, and that matters. If you've only got £200 a month, Santander's 8% is the best use of it. At £300, First Direct wins. It's only once you're putting away £400 or more that Monmouthshire's bigger cap takes over — and it's the only one here that needs no current account.

Stacking them: the Savings Stacker

Caps are per account, not per person, so the real maximisers stack. We've expanded the Savings Stacker this month: it now takes up to five accounts, a "Build my stack" button picks the best combination for your monthly amount, and a "Share this stack" link lets you send the exact set-up to a partner.

Monmouthshire, First Direct and Chase together take £1,100 a month and earn about £426 in a year — £263 more than the best single account. Add Co-op and Santander and £1,550 a month earns roughly £644. If the money is sitting in easy access while it waits to be drip-fed, the Stacker's lump-sum mode shows what the pot earns at both ends.

The bottom line

October is the month to look at fixed rates: 5.35% on five-year bonds, 5.15% on two years from £1, and fixed Cash ISAs above 5% from two years. Easy access is flat, and the new 5% from Starling is a six-month deal on £25,000, not a home for a big pot. The 8% regular saver headline has gone, but Chase's arrival and Monmouthshire's £500 cap mean the stacking maths still beats any single account. Check the rate history graphs, run the calculators, and play with the Savings Stacker before you open anything.

Rates correct as of 5 October 2026 and can change at any time; most easy-access and variable rates can be adjusted by the provider without notice. This article is general information, not financial advice — always do your own research before opening an account. Some links are affiliate links, and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.