Compare fixed rate bonds

What is a fixed rate bond?

A fixed rate bond is a type of savings account that lets you put your money away for a set period of time in return for a fixed amount of interest on your cash. You won’t be able to access your money for the duration of the bond term.

How do fixed rate bonds work?

The amount of interest you earn on your fixed rate bond will mostly depend on the bond term, but it may also depend on the size of the cash deposit you pay in.

Fixed rate bond term

Generally, the longer you’re happy to tie up your money for, the better the interest rate you’ll receive. But you’ll need to work out how long you can realistically afford to leave your money untouched for.

You can choose to put your money in a fixed rate bond for:

• 6 months
• 1 year
• 18 months
• 2 years
• 3 years
• 5 years

Longer term bonds may also be available, but you need to be sure you could afford not to access your money for that length of time.

Deposit amount

You’ll also need to think about the amount you can pay in to your account because most savings accounts will have a minimum opening amount – and most will also have a maximum opening amount.

Minimum deposits can start from £500 and maximum deposits can go up to £2,000,000. The minimum and maximum deposit amount you need will depend on the account and you may find the most competitive rates require a larger deposit – though, this isn’t always the case.

Once you’ve made your initial deposit you can’t usually add to it.

Compare interest rates

Once you’ve decided how much money to invest and how long you can tie it up for, you can compare fixed rate bonds and interest rates to see which account makes the most sense for you.

The amount of interest you earn with each bond will be calculated as a yearly percentage or annual equivalent rate – AER – and you’ll then earn this amount of interest on your deposit for each year your money is in the account.

Earn interest

Your savings will earn a set interest rate each year during the fixed term, and the interest you earn can sometimes be paid either monthly or annually into your ‘nominated’ account, or it’ll be added to your savings.

If you have it paid into your savings account, you won’t be able to take that or your initial lump sum out of the account until the end of the fixed term.

The amount of money consumers have in savings according to data collected by Mintel and Lightspeed, accurate as of October 2017.

Do you pay tax on a fixed rate bond?

Thanks to the introduction of the Personal Savings Allowance in 2016, basic rate taxpayers can earn £1,000 of savings interest a year without having to pay tax, while higher-rate taxpayers can earn £500 a year.

Additional rate taxpayers are not eligible for the Personal Savings Allowance.

If the interest you earn goes above these limits, any tax you owe will usually be collected via the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system or via your self-assessment tax return.

Features of a fixed rate bond

Reasons why you might want to consider a fixed rate bond include:

• Guaranteed interest rate: the interest rate you’re offered when you open the account stays the same for the duration of the bond, so you can work out how much interest you’ll earn overall
• Higher interest rates than an easy access account: fixed rate bonds can offer higher interest rates than easy access savings accounts due to their lack of flexibility. Easy access accounts, on the other hand, allow you to access your money and pay in more money whenever you need to, but tend to offer lower rates which can change at any time
• Higher interest rates for longer terms: if you can afford to leave your money untouched for longer, you will usually receive a higher interest rate
• FSCS protection: a fixed rate bond is a savings account, which means the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) will cover up to £85,000 of your deposit - in case the bank or building society goes out of business. The FSCS will also cover the interest you’ve earned up until that point – provided the total amount in the account is still under £85,000. You will need to check that your fixed rate bond provider features the FSCS logo to make sure your deposit is protected.

Things to keep in mind if you’re considering a fixed rate bond

A fixed rate bond might not be for everyone – possible limits to savers include:

• No access to your savings for the fixed term: you won’t be able to take any money out of the savings account over the fixed term and you won’t be able to close the account early
• No further deposits: you usually have 30 days from opening your account to deposit your funds and you won’t be able to add to it after that. This means fixed rate bonds are not suitable for regular savers – only those who have a lump sum to invest
• Interest rates are edging up: as interest rates are slowly moving upwards, it may not be a good idea to lock into a long (four or five years) fixed rate bond in case the interest rate you’re tied into suddenly becomes uncompetitive.

Data taken from Consumers, Savings and Investments Report by Mintel, accurate as of January 2018.