25 min read
2 January 2020After getting started on your business journey, it's a good idea to assess how you can make even more out of the money in your business bank account by earning interest on it
2 January 2020If you have a surplus of funds that you need easy access to, it could be worth looking for an instant access business savings account. These mean you can earn a modest interest rate on your savings, while also making it simple to access funds as and when you’d like.
If you know you'll only need to access your funds in advance – such as in 30 or 100 days, or another time period – perhaps a notice business savings account would be better suited for you. That's because they usually provide a better interest rate. For maximum returns, a fixed-term account is for you, but keep in mind that this means you’ll not be able to access the funds until the term is completed.
Each business savings account provider has its own terms and conditions, including eligibility requirements, deposit minimums and maximums, types of accounts, interest rates and penalties. We’ve tried to make this easy to digest by providing the information you need to open a business savings bank account, plus a handy comparison of the top UK accounts for 2020.
To jump straight to the FAQ section, click here. (There’s always a lot of questions about bank accounts, and we’ve gone through the main ones).
Use the table below to navigate, or simply scroll down to discover the best 25 business savings bank accounts in the UK. Banks are ranked by Trustpilot score.
Company | Trustpilot Score | Minumum Deposit Ammount |
---|---|---|
Shawbrook Bank | 4.2/5 | £5,000 |
Metro Bank | 3.9/5 | N/A |
Cumberland Building Society | 3.8/5 | £1 - £100 |
Redwood | 3.4/5 | £10,000 |
Masthaven | 2.8/5 | £5,000 |
Aldermore | 2.6/5 | £1000 |
Kent Reliance | 2.1/5 | £1,000 |
Nationwide | 1.9/5 | £5,000 |
Lloyd’s Bank | 1.7/5 | £1 - £10,000 |
Clydesdale Bank | 1.7/5 | £5,000 |
Yorkshire Bank | 1.6/5 | £5,000 |
Bank of Scotland | 1.6/5 | £1 - £10,000 |
NatWest | 1.5/5 | £0 - £25,000 |
Santander | 1.5/5 | £1 - £5,000 |
Barclays | 1.5/5 | Variable |
HSBC UK | 1.5/5 | Variable |
Royal Bank of Scotland | 1.4/5 | No minimum |
Virgin Money | 1.4/5 | £1 |
TSB | 1.4/5 | £1 |
Cambridge Building Society | None | £1,000 |
Charity Bank | None | £1,000 - £10,000 |
Cynergy Bank | None | £10,000 |
Hampshire Trust Bank | None | £5,000 |
State Bank of India | None | £10,000 |
United Trust Bank | None | £5,000 |
Every care has been taken to provide accurate information on each business bank account provider. All facts and stats are correct (according to the bank account providers' websites) as of 2nd January 2020.
Below we have gone through each of the bank providers and their business savings accounts in more detail:
Trustpilot score: 4.2/5 (957 reviews)
Main features:
Shawbrook Bank is a specialist UK savings and lending bank founded in 2011, which focuses on the needs of SMEs and individuals in the UK. As well as mortgages and loans, the company provides a range of business savings accounts.
For those that want to put money aside for a specific amount of time, the fixed rate bond is a good option, while for those that don’t want to tie their money up to a fixed–term can go for a 100 day business notice account.
Find out more about Shawbrook’s business savings accounts here
Trustpilot score: 3.9/5 (1,556 reviews)
Main features:
Metro Bank offers a range of deposit accounts depending on your needs. For those who want control of their money at all times, there’s the Instant Access Deposit Account, where the more money put in, the more interest is earnt. For those who are looking for a better return on their money and are happy to put it away for a fixed term – even as little as one month – they can turn to the Fixed Term Deposit Account. With this, the longer you put funds away, the higher the interest rate. The maximum is 2 years, with a minimum deposit of £5,000. Finally, those who know they will need the money back in a specific amount of time – 35 days, 60 days or 95 days – can go for the Business Notice Account.
The company has has faced issues in the press, but still had a high number of business customers satisfied with services in branches and business services (77%), according to the Competitions and Markets Authority’s independent survey in August 2019.
Find out more about Metro Bank’s business savings accounts here
Trustpilot score: 3.8/5 (2 reviews)
Main features:
Cumberland Building Society is based in Cumbria, with a branch operating area covering Cumbria, South West Scotland, West Northumberland and North Lancashire. It offers mortgages, savings and current accounts in this area.
The organisation, which is rated 4.8/5 on Feefo, based on independent customer feedback, has an Instant Access account, which allows users to withdraw up to £500 each day in cash and up to £99,999,99 by crossed cheque. The minimum balance is £100 and the rate of interest paid on money in the account is variable so it is subject to change.
Great for small and medium operations, the eSavings account can be opened with just £1, with a maximum balance of £1m. All accounts are only for customers that live in its operating area.
Find out more about Cumberland Building Society’s business savings accounts here
Trustpilot score: 3.4/5 (3 reviews)
Main features:
Redwood Bank launched in August 2017, with the aim of offering an alternative for SMEs looking to make their cash work harder for them. All three of the rates offered are competitive, although the company does not offer an instant savings account like many other providers.
You can apply online and can cancel in the first two weeks if it is not right for you. For the 35 Day account, there is a choice of receiving interest annually at a rate of 1.60%, or monthly at a rate of 1.59% - both at 1.60% AER. Customers can add up to four authorised users on Redwood savings accounts.
To find out more about Redwood Bank’s business savings accounts, click here
Trustpilot score: 2.8/5 (4 reviews)
Main features:
Masthaven has been providing bridging loans and secured lending services since 2004, and in 2016 it was awarded a banking licence to enter the retail banking space. While the provider is not a household name, it is regulated, meaning deposits of up to £85,000 are protected by the FCSC.
The company has a handy calculator which can be used to work out how much interest you would stand to make, depending on the fixed-term duration and the amount of money you put in. For example, if you were to put in £80,000 for a 15-month fixed term, the bank will offer an interest rate of 1.83% AER, meaning the indicative return is £81,836.52.
To find out more about Masthaven’s business savings accounts click here
Trustpilot score: 2.6/5 (84 reviews)
Main features:
Aldermore was founded in 2009 and offers homeowners, landlords, savers and SMEs a range of financial products and services.
The company offers three fixed rate accounts – including one with access, which is uncommon. Customers can open an account with a minimum of £1,000 and a maximum of £1m, and there is a rate checking tool for users to get a better understanding of what rates they would get depending on the account chosen. The company previously had a five year fixed term account, but this has since been scrapped. For those with more than £1m in business savings, the company offers corporate savings accounts.
Find out more about Aldermore’s business savings accounts here
Trustpilot score: 2.1/5 (37 reviews)
Main features:
Kent Reliance is based in the South East of England, with branches across the area. The company provides products including savings, ISAs, bonds, mortgages and business savings accounts.
Kent Reliance provides one type of business savings account, which offers the same rate for interest paid annually or monthly (0.90%). It is a variable interest account that offers instant access to savings without the need to give notice or be subject to penalties. You don’t have to be based in the South East of England to apply, as you can apply online in just 10 minutes for the business savings account with an initial deposit of £1,000.
For more information on Kent Reliance’s business savings account, click here
Most business saving bank account providers have an online application which doesn’t take long to fill out. This will help the bank to determine if you can open a business savings bank account with them. Some providers only allow you to open the account in-person at a branch, while others only accept applications by post. All providers will be able to help customers over the phone with any questions.
It’s worth checking how much access to your money you get, what the interest rate is, whether there are penalties for withdrawing your money, and how you can manage the account.
Generally, this is what you need to open a business savings account:
All accounts have their own terms and conditions – some allow you to open an account with just £1, while others require a minimum of £10,000, so it’s worth reading exactly what the requirements are before signing up.
The majority of banks have Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection, which aims to protect customers of financial services firms that have failed. It means up to £85,000 of an eligible deposit is protected. For more information on the FSCS click here
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Sooraj Shah is a freelance business, technology and financial writer. He is a contributing editor of the New Statesman and a regular contributor to Forbes, specialising in cloud computing, dev-ops, the internet of things, cyber security, big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
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