There’s been a clear shift in how our Active Savings clients have been saving lately.
Almost half of HL savers cash went into fixed rates in May, up from just 32% in March.
So, why are HL clients more interested in fixed rates?
This article is not personal advice. If you’re not sure an action is right for you, ask for advice.
Easy-access rates are under pressure
Uncertainty around what’s next for the base interest rate has meant that easy-access savings has offered more attractive headline rates compared to fixed-term deals.
But that’s starting to change.
Recent Bank of England base interest rate cuts have put pressure on banks to drop easy-access rates – closing the gap between competitive fixed rates, and top easy-access rates.
Savers are recognising this shift and moving quickly to lock in competitive fixed rates while they’re still available.
They’re securing these returns for the entire fixed period, giving them greater certainty at a time when the future for interest rates is still unclear.
Broader market still hesitant to fix
Despite this growing trend among HL savers, broader sentiment among UK savers remains cautious.
A recent survey* we did revealed that two thirds of people wouldn’t even consider fixing their savings.
But why?
The most common concern is they don’t want to lock their money away.
That’s a perfectly understandable worry, as fixed rates generally don’t let you withdraw money until maturity. But it highlights the importance of seeing your savings as a portfolio rather than a single pot.
We all need to keep an emergency savings pot that’s easy to access in case anything unexpected happens. However, anything you don’t need for six months, a year, two years or even up to five years, can all be fixed in separate pots.
This means you’ll be getting a fixed rate of interest (that’s often higher than easy access) for the whole period, and you’ll get the money back when you need it.
Savings platforms like Active Savings make it easy to manage multiple pots in one place, while getting great rates in a way that suits you.
*Figures in this article are from a survey of 2,000 people by Opinium for HL in April 2025.
This website is issued by Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Management Limited (company number 1896481), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with firm reference 115248.
The Active Savings service is provided by Hargreaves Lansdown Savings Limited (company number 8355960). Hargreaves Lansdown Savings Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (firm reference number 915119). Hargreaves Lansdown Savings Limited is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 with firm reference 901007 for the issuing of electronic money. Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Management Limited and Hargreaves Lansdown Savings Limited are subsidiaries of Hargreaves Lansdown (company number 2122142).