BARCLAYS MONTHLY SAVER SAVINGS ACCOUNT Available to new and existing customers, Monthly Savings is a simple way to make regular savings. Just deposit between £20 and £250 a month by standing order for the 12-month term of the account. Earn a fixed interest rate of 4.25% AER (4.17% gross p.a.*) in months when no withdrawals are made. No withdrawal restrictions but should you need to take some money out, a lower fixed rate of 3.03% AER (2.99% gross p.a.*) is paid in months when you make a withdrawal. Savings Interest is paid monthly. Existing barclays customers can apply for the account online. ONLINE APPLICATIONS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR EXISTING BARCLAYS BANK CUSTOMERS Further Information on Barclays Regular Saver

The Best Instant Access Savings Accounts (updated 07/11/2009)

SAVINGS ACCOUNT PROVIDER	AER	MINIMUM INVESTMENT	INSTANT ACCESS SAVINGS ACCOUNT DETAILS	FURTHER INFORMATION
ALLIANCE AND LEICESTER	3.00%	£1,000+	Alliance & Leicester 3.00% Instant access savings account with no withdrawal penalties and access to your money within 24 hours. Interest paid annually on 1st october. rate includes a variable bonus payable for at least 12 months.
TESCO INTERNET SAVINGS ACCOUNTS	3.00%	£1+	Tesco Instant Access Savings (includes 1.75% bonus interest rate on balances up to £100,000 for 12 months). Competitive rate of interest, Instant access to your funds, Minimum opening balance of £1 and Online Banking.
PRINCIPALITY BUILDING SOCIETY	2.85%	£1+	Includes 1.20% Introductory bonus for first 12 months.
ABBEY	2.50%	£1+	Abbey E-Saver is an easy to manage online savings account with penalty free instant access. Comes with an ATM card.
NATIONWIDE	2.00%	£1+	e-Savings plus. Interest rate subject to 3 or fewer withdrawals each year. Must have Nationwide flexaccount to open and run this instant access savings account.
CHELSEA BUILDING SOCIETY	2.00%	£10+	Chelsea Rainy day savings instant/easy access savings account
HSBC	0.75%	£1+	HSBC online bonus saver 0.75% AER including bonus interest on savings account. £1-£50,000 when you don't make a withdrawal. If you need your money you will get 0.25% AER annual equivalent for month withdrawal made. Account is online only and withdrawal of funds is via internet banking by transfer to another bank or savings account.

What is an "Instant Access Savings Account"

As the name suggests, instant access savings accounts give you immediate access to your savings, without incurring any penalties. Or this was always what they used to be unfortunately some instant access accounts now  have penalties attached meaning if you make more than a certain number of withdrawals the interest rate will drop. Generally instant access savings accounts will offer a lower rate of interest compared to savings accounts that require you to give notice before withdrawing money. But currently if you shop around you will find that there are instant access savings accounts available that offer higher interest rates than a lot of the notice savings accounts. To make your life even easier above are the best and top instant access account we have found in the UK savings market. One final thing to consider is that the leading accounts often offer a bonus interest rate for first 12 months so after 12 months you need to check that the rates offered are still competitive and if not consider switching to a different savings account.

The worst Instant Access Savings Account

08/06/2009 The instant access savings account that was filling this space has been withdrawn by the supplier but we will shortly take a look to find some new ones that are paying 0% on easy/instant access.

An Alternative Savings Account if you are able to live without instant access is the new 24 month fixed rate bond from Nationwide. You won't be able to access your money for 24 months but the interest rate is between 3.45% - 4.13% with a minimum investment of £1and monthly interest. You need to have a flex account for this account.
NATIONWIDE	3.45%-4.13%