Homes and Property

Best deals on tax-free ISAs

By Alex Sheridan
Savers have less than three weeks to use their Isa allowances before the end of the tax year on 5 April; those who have already taken out a tax-free account for 2009/10 should also consider switching older Isas to improve returns.

You can earn up to five per cent on fixed-rate cash Isas, or about three per cent for instant access, compared with rates as low as 0.1 per cent on some old Isas.

How much can I invest?


Under-50s can invest up to £7,200 of new money into Isas in the current tax year, of which £3,600 can go into cash, with the rest of the allowance available for stocks and shares. The over-50s can invest a total of £10,200, of which £5,100 can go into cash.

And the top deals?


Santander and Alliance & Leicester have an instant-access Isa offering 3.5 per cent, which guarantees to pay three percentage points over the base rate for a year (but does not accept transfers). Nationwide has a three-year fixed rate paying 4.4 per cent, which does accept transfers from other accounts.

For switching savers who want instant access, both Nationwide and First Direct have accounts offering 2.75 per cent.



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