16 The Sunday Times April 5, 2020 MONEY Best Buys CURRENT ACCOUNTS FOREIGN MORTGAGES CREDIT INTEREST CURRENCY 2-YEAR FIXED RATES Provider Account name Account fee Interest rate 1 Balance Contact Lender Rate Scheme Deposit Fee Notes Contact These are the interbank Co-operative Bank Current with Everyday Rewards None £4 a month – 0345 721 2212 First Direct 1.34% Fixed for 2 years 40% £490 LV 0800 482 448 rates at 5pm on Friday, 2 Nationwide FlexDirect None 5% £0.01-£2,500 0800 302 010 which show where the HSBC 1.44% Fixed to 30.06.22 20% £999 LV 0800 494 999 Halifax Reward None £2 a month – 0345 720 3040 market is trading. HSBC 1.79% Fixed to 30.06.22 10% £999 LV 0800 494 999 They are not indicative OVERDRAFTS * 3-YEAR FIXED RATES of the rate you will be Provider Account name Account fee Interest rate 3 0% overdraft limit Contact able to get. Lender Rate Scheme Deposit Fee Notes Contact Starling Current Account None 15% £0 starlingbank.com HSBC 1.34% Fixed to 30.06.23 40% £999 LV 0800 494 999 M&S Bank Current Account None 39.9% £250 0800 756 7777 EURO Principality 1.97% Fixed to 30.06.23 20% £0 LV 0800 678 1000 Smile Current Account None 18.9% £0 0345 212 212 GBP>EUR HSBC 2.14% Fixed to 30.06.23 10% £0 LV 0800 494 999 FUND FOCUS 1 Based on funding of £1,000 a month. 2 Introductory rate for one year, then 1%. 3 Equivalent annual rate. * Based on overdraft of £500 for 15 days a month. LONG-TERM FIXED RATES INTERNATIONAL Some accounts require minimum funding/direct debits to open or receive rates shown. Source: Moneyfacts.co.uk Lender Rate Scheme Deposit Fee Notes Contact PUBLIC First Direct 1.49% Fixed for 5 years 40% £490 LV 0800 482 448 PARTNERSHIPS 1.13 Yorkshire BS 2.12% Fixed to 31.05.25 15% £0 CRS 0345 166 9510 AMERICA HSBC 2.19% Fixed to 30.06.25 10% £999 LV 0800 494 999 What is it? CREDIT CARDS GBP>USD Skipton 2.09% Fixed to 31.05.25 25% £1,995 RS 0345 850 1755 A £2.5bn investment trust that provides steady INTRODUCTORY RATES TRACKERS */ DISCOUNTS returns through the Provider Card type Introductory purchase APR 1 Reward Contact Lender Rate Scheme Deposit Fee Notes Contact revenues from Barclaycard Platinum All-rounder Visa 0% for 27 months 21.9% No 0800 731 0200 Barclays 1.18% Tracker +1.08% for 2 years 40% £999 LV 0333 202 7580 infrastructure projects. It MBNA 0% Transfer and Purchase Mastercard 0% for 26 months 20.9% No 0345 606 2062 Leek United 1.90% 3.79% discount for 2 years 10% £199 V 0808 169 6680 may appeal to cautious 1.22 investors shaken by the Sainsbury’s Bank Dual Offer Mastercard 0% for 26 months 20.9% Yes 0808 540 5060 Newbury 1.39% 2.56% discount for 5 years 40% £850 LV 0163 555 5777 market crash. SWITZERLAND Coventry 1.95% Variable for term 35% £999 ELV 0800 121 8899 BALANCE TRANSFERS GBP>CHF FIRST-TIME BUYER / LOW DEPOSIT What it invests in Provider Card type Introductory purchase Transfer fee 2 APR 1 Contact Lender Rate Scheme Deposit Fee Notes Contact Its main areas of operation MBNA Long 0% Mastercard 0% for 29 months 2.75% (no min) 20.9% 0345 606 2062 HSBC 2.84% Fixed to 30.06.22 5% £0 PV 0800 494 999 are transport (21%), basic Halifax Longest 0% Mastercard 0% for 29 months 3% (no min) 19.9% 0345 944 4555 materials (20%), gas Cambridge 2.99% Fixed for 5 years 5% £199 PV 0345 601 3344 Virgin Money 29-month Mastercard 0% for 29 months 3% (no min) 21.9% 0800 389 2875 distribution (18%) and 1.20 Nationwide 1.84% Fixed for 5 years 25% £999 AFPV 0800 302 010 services (18%). Its biggest CASHBACK CARDS BUY TO LET holdings are in Cadent, 1 the largest natural gas Provider Card type APR Cashback Contact AUSTRALIA Lender Rate Scheme Deposit Fee Notes Contact American Express Platinum Cashback 28.2% 1%-1.25%. Intro 5% for 3 months 0800 917 8047 GBP>AUD distribution business in Leek United 1.8% 3.89% discount for 2 years 35% £199 V 0808 169 6680 the UK; and Tideway, American Express Platinum Cashback Everyday 22.9% 0.5%-1%. Intro 5% for 3 months 0800 917 8047 Skipton 1.49% Fixed to 31.05.22 40% £995 RS 0345 850 1755 which is building a super Santander All in One Mastercard 21.7% 0.5% 0800 389 9905 Leeds 2.12% Fixed to 30.06.25 30% £999 LV 0345 045 4049 sewer under the Thames. 1 APR = annual percentage rate, dependent on credit rating. 2 Fee charged on the amount of each balance transfer during the introductory period. Early repayment charge applies unless otherwise stated. * Most deals track Bank of England base rate. Source: Moneyfacts.co.uk Notes: SVR = Standard variable rate; A = £500 cashback for first-time buyers; C = £300 cashback; E = No early repayment charge; F = Help to Performance 2.04 Buy or shared-equity scheme; L = Free legal work for remortgages; P = Purchases only; R = Free valuation and legal work for remortgages; S = Remortgage only; V = Free valuation. It has made a loss of 2.3% Source: landc.co.uk — 0800 373 300 over one year, putting it third of the six trusts in its sector, while over five SAVINGS ACCOUNTS years it has returned INSTANT ACCESS 35.7%, again placing it third. It has lost 11.4% in Provider Account name Min deposit Interest rate Contact CASH ISAS the past three turbulent Cynergy 1 Online Easy Access (Issue 27) £1 1.31% cynergybank.co.uk INSTANT ACCESS months but compares Virgin Money 2 Double Take E-Saver (Issue 14) £1 1.31% uk.virginmoney.com Provider Account name Min deposit Interest Transfers in Contact well with losses of about Marcus Online £1 1.3% marcus.co.uk Virgin Money 1 Double Take e-Isa (Issue 14) £1 1.31% Yes uk.virginmoney.com 27.2% in the FTSE 100. Cynergy Online Isa (Issue 2) £1 1.29% Yes cynergybank.co.uk NOTICE ACCOUNTS What the manager says FIXED RATE Giles Frost of Amber Provider Account name Notice period Min deposit Interest rate Contact Provider Account name Term Min deposit Rate Transfers in Contact Infrastructure, the fund Shawbrook Bank 120-day Notice Personal (Issue 42) 120 days £1,000 1.55% shawbrook.co.uk Ford Money Fixed-rate Isa 1 year £500 1.37% Yes fordmoney.co.uk firm running International Wyelands Bank 95-day Notice 95 days £5,000 1.47% wyelandsbank.co.uk Public Partnerships (INPP), Virgin Money Fixed-rate Isa (Issue 443/e-Isa Issue 417) 2 year £1 1.5% Yes uk.virginmoney.com Bank and Clients 90-day Notice 90 days £1,000 1.45% bankandclients.com said: “We provide a way of 1 Maximum two easy-access withdrawals a year. investing in government- FIXED-RATE BONDS Source: Savingschampion.co.uk — 0808 178 5354 backed, low-risk Provider Account name Term Min deposit Interest rate Contact infrastructure SmartSave Fixed-rate Saver 1 year £10,000 1.56% smartsavebank.co.uk investments which have inflation protection and RCI Bank Fixed-term Savings 2 years £1,000 1.65% rcibank.co.uk give a regular dividend.” Investec Fixed-term Deposit 3 years £25,000 1.8% investec.com 1 Rate includes 0.56% bonus for first 12 months. 2 Maximum of two withdrawals a year. CHILDREN’S ACCOUNTS What the experts say DEALS ARE LISTED ONLY IF THEY ARE COVERED BY THE UK FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPENSATION SCHEME (FSCS) OR A EUROPEAN EQUIVALENT Provider Account name Account type Min deposit Interest rate Contact Colette Ord of Numis Source: Savingschampion.co.uk — 0808 178 5354 Halifax Kids’ Monthly Saver Regular saver £10 4.5% halifax.co.uk Securities, the Santander 1 123 Mini Current Account Current account £300 2.96% santander.co.uk stockbroker, said; “Against the volatile market Cambridge 3-year Fixed-rate Bond Fixed-rate bond £1,000 2% cambridgebs.co.uk backdrop, we view the 1 Interest rates are tiered: 1% on balances of £100-£199; 1.98% on £200-£299; 2.96% on £300-£2,000. sector as a place to JUNIOR ISAS weather the storm. INPP ENERGY DEALS Supplier Average annual bill Rate Contact Provider Account name Min deposit Interest rate Rate Contact invests in high-quality, Table shows the cheapest tariff from the 3three cheapest Gulf £792 Fixed 0800 830 3670 Coventry Junior Cash Isa (1) £1 3.6% Variable coventrybuildingsociety.co.uk long-life, inflation-linked suppliers.Excludescheapest suppliers. fixed Excludes tariffs fixed of less tariffs than of 12 assets that provide months’less than duration. 12 months’ Excludes duration, tariffs tariffs that that do not have Yorkshire Energy £792 Fixed 0113 451 0700 NS&I Junior Isa £1 3.25% Variable nsandi.com essential services.” nationaldo not have coverage. national Excludes coverage tariffs and tariffswhere payments Tonik Energy £801 Fixed 0333 344 2686 arewhere taken payments in advance are takenof the in customer advance coming of the on TSB Junior Cash Isa £1 3.25% Variable tsb.co.uk Mark Atherton supply.customer F=Fixed coming rates on supply.V=Variable rates Source: TheEnergyShop.com — 01259 220 270 Source: Savingschampion.co.uk — 0808 178 5354 ICONS BY JAMIE JONES payments to credit reference market to sell on loans has redemption requests from agencies.