The £20,000 ISA allowance resets every April, and right now easy access Cash ISAs are paying more than they have in years. Here is what the top providers are actually offering, what the catches are, and which one fits your specific situation.
All providers below are UK-regulated with FSCS protection. Rates are correct as of July 2026 but variable rates can change at any time.
| Provider | Rate (AER) | Type | Transfers in? | Min deposit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trading 212 Top rate | 4.63% | Easy access | New money only | £1 | Open account → |
| Chip | 4.42% | Easy access | Yes | £1 | Check Chip.co.uk |
| Plum Bonus rate | 4.44% | Easy access | Yes | £1 | Open account → |
| Moneybox Bonus rate | 4.00% | Easy access | Yes | £1 | Open account → |
| Marcus by Goldman Sachs | 3.85% | Easy access | Yes | £1 | Check Marcus |
| Coventry Building Society | 4.60% | 1-year fixed | Yes | £1 | Check Coventry BS |
| Hodge Bank | 4.66% | 2-year fixed | Yes | £1,000 | Check Hodge Bank |
Rates sourced from MSE, Moneyfacts, and Which? as of July 2026. Bonus rates apply for a limited introductory period only. Always check the provider's current rate before opening.
Trading 212 is primarily a commission-free investment platform that added a Cash ISA in recent years. The rate is genuinely the highest easy access Cash ISA rate available in the UK right now, and there is no bonus period, meaning 4.63% is the actual ongoing rate rather than an introductory figure that drops after 12 months. The significant catch is that this rate only applies to new money. If you want to transfer an existing ISA from another provider, Trading 212 does not accept ISA transfers, so your existing pot has to stay wherever it is.
Plum is a money management app with budgeting tools, investment options, and a Cash ISA that currently leads the market for accounts that accept ISA transfers. The 4.44% rate includes a 1.90% bonus for the first 12 months, after which the rate drops to the underlying variable rate. This means it is excellent for the first year but worth reassessing at the 12-month point to check whether it is still competitive. Transfers from other ISA providers are accepted, making it one of the better options if you have existing ISA savings you want to consolidate at a higher rate.
Moneybox is best known for its round-up savings feature, which automatically rounds up your card purchases and moves the spare change into savings, and its Lifetime ISA (LISA) which is one of the better-reviewed LISA products available. The Cash ISA rate of 4.00% includes a 0.55% bonus for the first 12 months and sits below the Trading 212 and Plum headline rates. However, Moneybox earns its place on this list for a different reason: it is the most complete savings ecosystem of any app on the market, combining a Cash ISA, Lifetime ISA, stocks and shares ISA, and round-up savings in a single clean interface. If you are saving for a first home and want a LISA alongside a Cash ISA in the same app, Moneybox is genuinely the easiest way to manage both.
Chip is the best easy access Cash ISA for people who want to transfer an existing ISA without accepting a bonus-then-drop rate structure. The 4.42% rate is the actual ongoing variable rate, not an introductory figure, and Chip accepts transfers from other ISA providers. For someone who has an existing Cash ISA sitting at a low rate elsewhere and wants to move it somewhere competitive without the complication of a bonus rate that expires, Chip is the most straightforward choice. Chip is not on our affiliate programme, so we have no financial reason to recommend it, which is exactly why it is on this list.
Marcus is Goldman Sachs's UK consumer savings brand and one of the most straightforward easy access savings products on the market. The rate of 3.85% sits below the fintech competitors, but Marcus earns loyalty from people who prioritise the backing of a globally recognised institution over chasing the last fraction of a percentage point. There are no catches, no bonus periods, no app required if you prefer browser-based banking, and transfers are accepted. For people who find newer app-only providers slightly uncomfortable, Marcus is the most reputable alternative.
The annual ISA allowance is £20,000 for the 2026/27 tax year, running from 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027. From April 2027, the allowance drops to £12,000 for most people under 65, with those aged 65 and over retaining the £20,000 limit. This means the current tax year is the last chance for most people to shelter the full £20,000 in a Cash ISA. If you have money sitting in a regular savings account earning interest that could be inside an ISA earning the same interest tax-free, the window to maximise that is open right now and closes at 5 April 2027.
Normally, fixed-rate accounts pay more than easy access accounts because you are giving up access to your money in exchange for certainty. Right now, easy access Cash ISAs from fintech providers like Trading 212 are paying rates close to or matching fixed rates, which is unusual. The reason is competitive pressure among newer providers trying to attract deposits, rather than a reflection of expected future rate movements. This makes it a genuinely good moment to be in easy access rather than locked into a fix, since you keep flexibility without sacrificing much in rate terms.
Several providers on this list, including Plum and Moneybox, advertise headline rates that include an introductory bonus, usually 0.5 to 1.9 percentage points above the underlying rate, valid for the first 12 months only. After the bonus expires, the rate drops to the underlying variable rate, which may be significantly lower. This is not dishonest, it is disclosed, but the drop catches people who open an account and never check it again. The solution is simple: set a reminder in your phone for 11 months after opening the account. When it fires, check your current rate against the market, and switch if something better is available. ISA transfers typically complete within 15 days and do not count against your annual allowance.
Yes, since April 2024 you can open and pay into multiple Cash ISAs in the same tax year, as long as your total contributions across all ISAs do not exceed £20,000. This means you could put £10,000 into a Trading 212 easy access ISA for maximum flexibility and £10,000 into a one-year fixed rate ISA for a guaranteed return on the portion you know you will not need. You cannot, however, pay more than £20,000 in total across all ISA types combined.
All of the providers listed on this page are UK-regulated and covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which protects up to £120,000 per person per institution. This is higher than the standard £85,000 FSCS limit for ordinary savings accounts. The providers themselves are relatively new compared to high street banks, but the protection mechanism is the same. Trading 212, Chip, Plum, and Moneybox all hold their Cash ISA deposits with established partner banks rather than sitting on the balance sheet of the app company, so the protection applies to the underlying bank rather than the platform itself. Check each provider's FSCS details before opening to confirm exactly which institution holds your deposit.
As of July 2026, the best easy access Cash ISA rate is 4.63% from Trading 212, which applies to new money only and does not include a bonus period. For ISA transfers, Chip offers 4.42% with no bonus trap. For fixed rates, one-year deals reach 4.70% and two-year deals reach 4.66% from smaller banks and building societies.
The annual ISA allowance for 2026/27 is £20,000, which can be split across multiple ISA types including Cash ISAs, Stocks and Shares ISAs, and Lifetime ISAs. This is the last tax year before the allowance drops to £12,000 for most people under 65. Any unused allowance from the current tax year cannot be carried forward.
For most people with meaningful savings, yes. Interest earned in a Cash ISA is always tax-free, whereas interest in a regular savings account counts toward your Personal Savings Allowance of £1,000 for basic rate taxpayers and £500 for higher rate taxpayers. With easy access ISA rates now matching or beating comparable regular savings accounts, there is little reason not to shelter savings inside the ISA wrapper.
Yes. ISA transfers allow you to move an existing ISA to a new provider without it counting against your current year's allowance. The transfer must be done through the formal ISA transfer process, not by withdrawing and redepositing, otherwise you lose the tax-free status on withdrawn funds. Most transfers complete within 15 days. Note that Trading 212 does not accept ISA transfers, so for consolidation purposes Chip or Plum are better options.
All providers listed on this page are covered by the FSCS up to £120,000 per person per institution. If the provider failed, FSCS would compensate you up to this limit. For fintech apps like Trading 212, Plum, and Moneybox, your deposits are held with an underlying partner bank rather than the platform itself, so you need to check which institution holds your funds to understand exactly where your FSCS protection sits.