Brits can currently save up to £20,000 per year tax-free in an ISA, with the annual ISA allowance remaining at £20,000 for the 2026-27 tax year. Savers have until April 5 to use up this year's ISA allowance, according to multiple reports. After April 2027, new rules will limit cash ISAs to £12,000 and require the remaining £8,000 to be in stocks and shares ISAs. According to www.thisismoney.co.uk, Andrew Hagger described the current period as a 'golden window' for providers to attract savers as the ISA price war heats up.
Raisin has launched a new cashback bonus paying up to £150 when you open a fixed-term savings account of at least a year, multiple reports indicate. The minimum deposit required for Raisin's cashback bonus is £10,000, which would net £40 cashback, and the offer runs until 30 April with cashback paid within 28 days after opening. You must use the promotional code 'WELCOME' when signing up, and the offer is only for new Raisin customers. Raisin's best interest rate is currently 4.5% on a three-year fix from RCI Bank, though it does not offer individual savings accounts (Isas). Money with Raisin is FSCS protected up to £120,000 for each partner bank.
Barclays is paying between £50 and £200 for Isa transfers, or up to £600 if you have a Premier current account, with at least £10,000 and a Barclays current account required, and the offer closes on 30 April. Lloyds is paying £150 cashback for every £25,000 you transfer to an Isa, with a maximum of £1,200 on transfers of at least £200,000, according to multiple reports.
Newcastle Building Society has launched several competitive 4.1% interest rate ISAs ahead of the end of the financial year, offering three fixed-rate ISA accounts with terms of two, three, or five years. If savers put away £1,000 in a Newcastle Building Society ISA, they could earn £83 tax-free during the two-year term or £222 in the five-year account, according to the building society. Newcastle Building Society's analysis of CACI data showed Cash ISA balances reached record levels in late 2025. Across all three ISAs, withdrawals will be subject to a penalty, with a 120-day loss of interest for the two-year term, 180-day for the three-year term, and a year's worth of interest lost on the five-year term. Customers must have successfully opened their account and submitted funds by 11.59pm on April 5, 2026.
Skipton Building Society has launched a 4.20% 18-month ISA, available to new and existing customers, with no partial withdrawals permitted and a savings range from £5,000 to £1 million. You can pay up to your ISA allowance (£20,000 for the current tax year) plus request ISA transfers in until the last paying in date for Skipton Building Society's ISA. Skipton Building Society is one of Britain’s biggest mutual lenders, with more than a million customers and around 1,300 branches, according to multiple reports.
Trading 212's Cash ISA ensures holders earn 4.68% AER, including a bonus of 1.08% for the first 12 months only for current tax year contributions, with its interest rate changing in line with the Bank of England's base rate minus 0.15%. Trading 212 uses an example that the Cash ISA interest rate will be 4.10% AER when the BoE base rate is at 4.25%. Savers only need as little as £1 to open Trading 212's Cash ISA, which permits unlimited withdrawals without any penalty. Trading 212's Cash ISA funds are protected by the FSCS up to £85,000, and it tops the charts for easy-access tax-free accounts with a 4.61% rate, according to multiple reports.
Yorkshire Building Society's Online Cash ISA paying 4.05% has no restrictions on how much savers can withdraw, requires a deposit of £1 to open, and is operated exclusively online. Yorkshire Building Society has extended some of its branch opening hours to help customers explore ISA options before the tax year ends on April 7, and raised rates on its Fixed Rate ISA range, with its one-year fixed product now paying 4.31% until May 2027, up from 4.20%.
The Isa price war is heating up as the tax year ends, calling it a 'golden window' for providers to attract savers.
Teachers Building Society has relaunched two single access Cash ISA products offering between 4.20% and 4.25% returns, with its Single Access Cash ISA for Everyone offering one withdrawal per year without notice and paying 4.20% tax-free. The minimum opening balance for Teachers Building Society's ISAs is £100, and the total maximum investment is £250,000, subject to HMRC limits. If more than one withdrawal is made within a 12-month period, the rate drops to 1.25% tax-free.
Santander has introduced a selection of ISAs offering 4.5% interest as the new tax year commences, available on one, two, three and five year cash Isas, and you don't have to be an existing customer to get it. Santander's ISAs can be opened with a minimum of £500 in branch, by mobile or online. For those transferring in Isa balances of a minimum £10,000 from elsewhere, Santander is offering vouchers, with Santander confirming that savers depositing between £10,000 and £24,999.99 would receive a £50 voucher; £25,000 to £49,999.99 earns £100; £50,000 to £99,999.99 yields £200; and beyond £100,000 yields £400. Santander's accounts are protected up to £120,000 under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, and for longer fixes, if you access funds before maturity, you'll face a 120 days' interest charge.
Monument Bank has launched a new Cash ISA Boosted Rate of 4.28%, earning an 'excellent' rating from Moneyfactscompare, with its interest rate made from two pots: an Easy Access Cash ISA variable rate of 3.74% AER topped up by a 12-month fixed bonus rate of 0.54% AER. Monument Bank's Cash ISA requires a minimum deposit of £10,000.
Close Brothers Savings has boosted its fixed-rate Cash ISA to 4.36% this week, and based on the current interest rate, anyone who deposits £10,000 would earn £436 tax-free by the end of the one-year term. Close Brothers Savings' ISA requires a minimum opening amount of £10,000 and no withdrawals are permitted, with early access penalised with a 90-day loss of interest and closure of the account.
High street banks are also active, with HSBC launching a best buy 4.5% one-year fix last week, but it is only open to existing current account holders. Nationwide launched best buy fixed-rates before the end of the last tax year, including 4.5% fixed for three and five years, and 4.35% over one-year open to new and existing customers, with its three and five-year fixed Isa rates being best buys at 4.5%, according to This is Money's independent savings rate tables. NatWest and Barclays scrape into the This is Money independent best buy cash Isa tables with rates of 4.05 and 4 per cent respectively over one year. The best you can get with a high street name for easy-access is Virgin Money, with a 4.15% rate available only online.
Nationwide offers a Flex Regular Saver account with a 6.50% AER/gross a year variable interest rate, limited to saving up to £200 a month for 12 months, and after 4 withdrawals, the interest rate reduces to 1.05% AER/gross a year variable. An 18-month cash ISA is a type of fixed ISA that pays a guaranteed rate for 18 months, with interest exempt from income tax, and for such ISAs, providers may allow only one deposit or further additions for a limited period, with withdrawals before the term ends typically incurring penalties. Early withdrawal from a five-year fixed cash Isa at Nationwide incurs a charge equivalent to 300 days' interest, and its fixed-rate ISAs require a minimum investment of £1. Nationwide allows account management online, via app, or in branch, with a minimum deposit of £1 for some accounts, and early access charges for fixed-rate ISAs depend on the term and are based on a number of days' interest, with no charge if canceled within 14 days of opening. Nationwide allows transfers from non-Nationwide ISAs to new Fixed Rate Cash ISAs online, provided the provider is on a specified list.
AER stands for Annual Equivalent Rate, illustrating the interest rate if compounded once a year, and tax-free interest in ISAs is exempt from income tax, subject to individual circumstances and current law. Any remaining ISA allowance from April 2027 must be used in other accounts, such as a Stocks & Shares ISA or a Lifetime ISA, according to multiple reports. Labour said the ISA changes were designed to encourage more investment and to support investment in UK companies, but not all MPs agree with the decision.
With the deadline approaching, some uncertainties remain for savers, including the exact cutoff date, as sources mention both April 5 and April 7. It is unclear what other major financial institutions may be launching new ISA products not covered in these sources, and the specific terms and conditions for early withdrawal penalties vary widely across providers. Comparing the overall value of cashback and voucher offers from providers like Raisin, Barclays, and Santander depends on individual deposit sizes and account terms. Additionally, the current Bank of England base rate, which affects variable-rate ISAs like Trading 212's, is not specified in the available information.