Best banks and bank accounts in the UK 2023

Banks are not born equal. Discover the best banks in the UK by customer service, and the top bank accounts.

Best banks by customer satisfaction Best banks
Best bank accounts Read reviews

Which bank is the best in the UK? Which is top for customer satisfaction? Which one polls the best for its online and mobile banking service? And which one gives you good perks if you switch? Here’s how to find the best bank account in the UK to make sure you’re getting the best deal for your money.

Best bank in the UK by customer satisfaction in 2023

In 2023, we published our independent customer satisfaction survey on current accounts in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Here’s the full list of providers we considered and how many of their customers said they’d recommend the brand to a friend. Learn more about the results and the winners.

Overall satisfactionCustomers who’d recommendIssuerReview
★★★★★94%Starling logoStarling’s digital-only current account is quick to open and efficient to manage, and the app is packed with features. Starling’s customers in our survey praised the app’s ease of use and the bank’s great customer service.Visit Starling
★★★★★90%Nationwide logoThe last building society that does banking on a national level, Nationwide offers a good range of current accounts, some of which come with great incentives and perks, from interest paid on your balance to insurance options. Read our review
★★★★★89%Revolut logoRevolut’s multi-currency digital account is good for travelling and for sending money abroad. You can exchange and hold 29 different currencies for free, and also use it as a standard UK current account – although you can’t deposit cash or cheques. Visit Revolut
★★★★★88%Lloyds Bank logoAnother big bank that also got five stars in our survey was Lloyds. It offers current accounts that suit a wide range of needs, has a large branch network and has been investing in its digital banking features too. Read our review
★★★★★86%Monzo logoPopular digital challenger bank Monzo offers app-based current accounts that are packed with features, with customers in our survey highlighting the useful money management and savings tools. Read our review
★★★★★85%Santander logoHigh street bank Santander comes with all the advantages of a big bank and offers a wide range of current accounts. Among its top-selling points is the option of earning cashback on your bills. Visit Santander
★★★★★82%NatWest logoWith NatWest, you can choose between free current accounts and paid-for rewards accounts. Customers praised its dependable service and easy to use mobile banking app. Visit NatWest
★★★★★81%Barclays logoCurrent accounts by Barclays come recommended by 81% of its customers in our survey. Respondents praised the bank’s helpful customer service, as well as its banking app. Visit Barclays
★★★★★81%Bank of Scotland logoBank of Scotland is a subsidiary of the Lloyds banking group. Its bank branches are mainly in Scotland, although you can live elsewhere in the UK to open an account. Its customers in our survey were mostly pleased with its friendly and helpful customer service. Read our review
★★★★★79%Halifax logoLast year’s winner, Halifax has several current account options, ranging from basic accounts up to reward accounts. Many customers in our survey highlighted its reliability and range of services on offer. Read our review
★★★★★75%Virgin Money logoVirgin Money has been steadily growing its current account range since its launch in 2019. It now has one free and one paid-for current account to choose from, and its customers that we polled were fairly happy with the customer service and banking app. Read our review
★★★★★80%HSBC logoHSBC has three everyday current accounts in its roster, depending on your personal circumstances and income. Many of its customers in our survey were long-standing account holders and were pleased with the customer service. Visit HSBC
★★★★★75%The Co-operative Bank logoThe Co-operative Bank prides itself on its customer-led Ethical Policy, which was a main draw for a lot of customers in our survey. It has one standard current account and a packaged current account. Visit The Co-operative Bank
★★★★★74%Monese logoAnother digital-only account, Monese, is especially good for frequent travellers or people who often have to work across different countries. Overseas purchases and ATM withdrawals can be free, depending on which plan you’ve signed up to, and you can also set up a euro account for free. Visit Monese
★★★★★74%Royal Bank of Scotland logoRoyal Bank of Scotland is NatWest’s sister bank. Just like its peer, it offers a selection of current accounts that include cashback at selected retailers. Visit Royal Bank of Scotland
★★★★★74%TSB logoThe TSB banking brand returned to the UK high street in 2013. Some customers in our survey praised its good level of customer service, while others highlighted the bank’s recent branch closures. Read our review
★★★★★73%First Direct logoKnown for providing great customer service on the phone 24/7, the UK’s first telephone bank and HSBC sibling First Direct only offers one current account. But it’s a solid banking option that’s recommended by nearly 4 out of 5 customers in our survey. Visit first direct
★★★★★65%Metro Bank logoOne of the few challenger banks that also has a network of branches, Metro Bank only offers one current account, whose top feature is that it doesn’t charge you for using the card to make purchases or withdraw cash in Europe. Read our review

Customer satisfaction ratings methodology

In December 2022, we ran a customer satisfaction survey on current accounts. 2,944 people answered and told us how happy (or not) they were with their current account provider.

The survey asked respondents how satisfied they were with their current account on a scale from 1 to 5, and also whether they would recommend their banking provider to a friend or not. We turned the results into star ratings and shortlisted the top-performing brands for our awards. Where there was a draw in terms of star ratings, we used the recommendation score (the percentage of customers who said they would recommend the brand to a friend) as a tie-breaker.

Full details of our star ratings for this sector are on the banking ratings methodology page.

Banking ratings

★★★★★ — Excellent

★★★★★ — Good

★★★★★ — Average

★★★★★ — Subpar

★★★★★ — Poor

The customer satisfaction score is based on a survey of 2,944 customers carried out in December 2022.

Learn the details of our methodology and scoring.

The best bank accounts in the UK for 2023

Finder’s best bank accounts in the UK 2023

Best all rounder and best bank account for overseas spending: Starling Bank

Current Account - Age 18 and over
Finder rating
★★★★★
Customer rating
★★★★★
Go to site Read review

£0

Min. opening balance

£0

Account fees

0.05% AER

Interest (AER)

No fees overseas plus refer a friend and earn a free National Trust day pass – redeemable at hundreds of the places it looks after.

Overall, Starling's current account is a strong choice. It was the winner in the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards 2023 and our banking experts rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars. It has a lot to recommend it. As one of the largest digital-only banks, it has built a service which has a variety of payments and budgeting features for customers to use directly through their app. This includes savings pots, virtual cards, round-up spare change options and all the regular banking payment services.

Starling Bank is also a great option if you're looking for fee free spending when you travel. You can pay on card or withdraw cash abroad without being charged. Considering foreign transaction fees are usually around 2.99%, this can be quite a saving if you're off on your hols. On top of this, Starling keeps to Mastercard's real exchange rates, so you can get more for your money.

Representative example: If you use an arranged overdraft of £1,200, you'll be charged interest at 15% EAR variable .
  • Free ATM withdrawals and spending anywhere abroad
  • Can deposit both cash and cheques for free
  • Spending insights and saving tools
  • 'Settle up' feature to split joint bills
  • Pays interest on current account balance
  • Overdrafts and loans available
  • Lower ATM withdrawal limit than some other digital challengers
  • No group savings feature
  • Doesn't have a specific monthly budgeting tool
  • No rewards program
Interest rate 0.05% AER
Minimum opening balance £0
Minimum operating balance £0.01
Switch service guarantee Yes
Account fee £0
Overseas card transactions £0
Overseas cash withdrawals £0

Best bank account for in-credit interest: Kroo

Current Account
Finder rating
★★★★★
Go to site Read review

£0

Min. opening balance

£0

Account fees

3.6% AER

Interest (AER)

Earn 3.33% AER / 3.28% Gross (variable) on your balance.
You might not have thought about earning interest on your current account balance, but newcomer Kroo has one of the most competitive in-credit interest rates on the market. It matches some of the top easy access savings accounts, but is available on your current account balance up to £85,000. A fully-licensed UK bank, Kroo offers a current account that's free to open, comes with an overdraft subject to availability and has all the useful budgeting features you'd expect from a digital bank including a shared expenses tracker and real-time transaction information.
  • Free to use
  • In-credit interest
  • No fees for using card abroad
  • 2 trees planted for every new customer
  • Can only be accessed through the app
  • No branches or face-to-face support
  • Card can’t be used in certain countries
Interest rate 3.6% AER
Minimum opening balance £0
Minimum operating balance £0
Switch service guarantee No
Account fee £0
Overseas card transactions 0%
Overseas cash withdrawals £0.01

Best bank account for payment features: Lloyds

Classic
Finder rating
★★★★★
Customer rating
★★★★★
Read review

£1

Min. opening balance

£0

Account fees

0% AER

Interest (AER)

Everyday Offers - Earn up to 15% cashback from selected retailers when shopping with a Lloyds Bank credit or debit card.
Making payments is one an essential service in a current account but Lloyds' current account does this and much more. It has a strong branch presence where you can make cash deposits and cheque deposits and allows you to make and receive international payments. Beyond these basic services, it also has its Everyday Offers cashback programme where you can earn up 15% cashback, and a round-up spare change option to help you build your savings.
As they're also part of the Lloyds Banking Group, Halifax and Bank of Scotland have many of the same payment features.
Representative example: If you use an arranged overdraft of £1,200, you'll be charged interest at 39.9% EAR variable .
  • No monthly fee
  • Earn cashback on spending
  • Overdraft available
  • 24/7 banking
  • Interest charged on overdraft
  • No interest paid on balances
Interest rate 0% AER
Minimum opening balance £1
Minimum operating balance £1
Switch service guarantee Yes
Account fee £0
Overseas card transactions 2.99%
Overseas cash withdrawals 2.99%

Best bank account for budgeting tools: Monzo

Monzo
Finder rating
★★★★★
Customer rating
★★★★★
Read review

£0

Min. opening balance

£0

Account fees

0% AER

Interest (AER)

Monzo Instant Access Savings Pot earns you 3.40% AER interest (variable), paid monthly into the Pot you create.
Monzo's current account is designed to help you manage your money better through a range of budgeting tools. Automatic spending categories generate daily, weekly or monthly spending insights, which help you set budgets. The app alerts you when payments go in and out of your account, and reminds you if you're close to overspending. Monzo will also tell you if your direct debits are going to be higher for the upcoming month, helping you to avoid nasty surprises. Savings Pots ring-fence money for savings goals or to cover bills, keeping it separate from your main account to make sure they're paid. There's also a round-up spare change option to boost your Pot balance further. All of this is packaged in a good-looking and easy to use app.
  • Easy to set up,
  • Good for budgeting and categorising spending,
  • Automatic saving feature,
  • Fee-free spending abroad,
  • Slick app with face login,
  • Overdrafts and loans available
  • Free ATM withdrawals outside the EEA limited to £200,
  • £1 fee for depositing cash at PayPoints,
  • Maximum cash deposit of £1,000 every 6 months
  • No rewards program
Interest rate 0% AER
Minimum opening balance £0
Account fee £0
Overseas cash withdrawals 0%

Best bank account for linked savings account: first direct

1st Account
Finder rating
★★★★★
Customer rating
★★★★★
Go to site Read review

£0

Min. opening balance

£0

Account fees

0% AER

Interest (AER)

Switch to first direct and get £175 plus get access to a 7.00% AER/gross Regular Saver Account.
first direct's 1st Account gives you access to its Regular Saver account, which at the time of writing has the top rate on the market. Exclusively available to first direct current account customers, the Regular Saver Account has a generous monthly saving limit, further maximising the amount of interest you can earn in a year. The account term is for 12 months and you'll only be able to withdraw your money after that period ends. Account management can all be done via the app or online banking, and you can set a monthly standing order from your 1st Account to the Regular Saver.
  • Interest-free overdraft
  • Award winning customer service
  • No monthly fee
  • Link to savings account
  • Interest-free overdraft is only up to £250
  • No interest paid on in-credit balances
  • Cannot bank in branch
Interest rate 0% AER
Minimum opening balance £0
Minimum operating balance £0
Switch service guarantee Yes
Account fee £0
Overseas card transactions 2.75%
Overseas cash withdrawals 2.75%

Best bank account for cashback: TSB

Spend & Save
Finder rating
★★★★★
Customer rating
★★★★★
Go to site Read review

£0

Min. opening balance

£0

Account fees

0% AER

Interest (AER)

Earn £5 cashback a month for six months when making 20 or more debit card payments each month.
It's hard to find a strong cashback deal with a free current account. However, with TSB's Spend & Save account you can earn £5 cashback monthly for the first 6 months. This is as long as you make 20 debit card payments each calendar month. For anyone using it as their main spending account, this is a reasonable target to achieve. While other banks have their own cashback programmes, these are limited and heavily depend on which retailers they work with. It's also worth noting, TSB's cashback deal is not based on percentages, so you won't be tempted to spend more to earn more.
Representative example: If you use an arranged overdraft of £1,200, you'll be charged interest at 39.9% EAR variable .
  • Earn cashback as you spend
  • Access to a competitive Monthly Saver
  • Save the Pennies feature
  • Overdraft available
  • Cashback on Save and Spend account expires after six months
  • Interest charged on overdrafts
Interest rate 0% AER
Minimum opening balance £0
Minimum operating balance £0
Switch service guarantee Yes
Account fee £0
Overseas card transactions 2.99%
Overseas cash withdrawals 2.99%

How did we rate our bank accounts?

Kate Anderson
Finder money expert Kate Anderson shares our research

To come up with our Finder ratings and picks for the best bank accounts in the UK, our team looked at every free-to-use current account and scored them across 8 key areas.

We looked at their app scores in the Google Play Store and the App Store, their monthly fees, their transaction fees for things like ATM withdrawals or having your bank card delivered, their customer satisfaction scores including how they were ranked in our Finder survey, their account access including in-branch and online, their payment features and their extra features like spending categories or reward programmes.

We scored each category out of 5. For example, if a bank account had no fees for transactions like direct debits, card purchases, deposits and withdrawals, it would score 5 out of 5. To calculate our Finder rating, we averaged out all these scores and rounded them to the nearest half star.

You’ll also see accounts we picked as being outstanding in certain categories, such as the best bank account for overseas spending or the best bank account for payment features. What you need from a bank account is personal, so these picks are just a guide to help you with your decision.

Which bank account should I choose?

Before you answer this question, you should ask “what do I need from my bank account?”

Work out what you need before comparing the options.

A list of the top banks in the UK

Our list of the biggest banks in the UK is comprised of the main retail banks and building societies. We have ranked them based on their total number of assets in pounds sterling.
These figures were taken from the banks’ and building societies’ latest annual reports.

  • Lloyds Banking Group – Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland
  • NatWest Group – NatWest, RBS & Ulster
  • HSBC & First Direct
  • Barclays
  • Santander
  • Nationwide
  • Metro Bank

Lloyds Banking Group – Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland

Lloyds Banking Group was formed in 2009, bringing together some of the UK’s biggest high street banks including Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland. Lloyds Bank traces its origins back to 1765, when Samson Lloyd opened a private bank in Birmingham. Since then Lloyds has grown into one of the UK’s largest high street banking operations. Halifax began life in 1852 as an investment and loan society for workers in the textile industry across large market towns in the north of England. Its head office remains in the West Yorkshire market town that bears its name. Finally, Bank of Scotland is Scotland’s oldest bank, having first been established in 1695.

Number of customers26 million
Number of branchescirca 759
Total assets (GBP)£877.8 billion (across Lloyds Banking Group)
Number of employees (GBP)58,000 (across all Lloyds Banking Group Brands)

NatWest Group – NatWest, RBS & Ulster

NatWest dates its history back to 1968, when three regional banks merged to form National Westminster Bank. NatWest prides itself on its technological innovation, leading the growth of cash machines throughout the 1970s and introducing the Switch debit card.
The Royal Bank of Scotland was established in Edinburgh in 1727. Over the course of the next century the bank expanded its branch network across Scotland, and in 1972 offered the UK’s first residential mortgages.

Nowadays RBS serves customers across Great Britain through and, using the Ulster Bank brand, across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The bank’s head offices are in Edinburgh.

Number of customers15.8 million
Number of branches1328
Total assets (GBP)£720.1 billion
Number of employees (GBP) 57,900

HSBC & First Direct

The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, or HSBC for short, traces its roots to 1865. It was first established as a business bank to help trade between Europe and Asia. Today it is a global banking giant, offering personal banking, commercial and business banking services and wealth management across 62 countries. HSBC’s UK head office is in Birmingham.

First Direct was created in 1989 by Midland Bank, one of what used to be called the ‘big four’ UK banking giants. A pioneer in customer-friendly telephone banking, Midland Bank, and subsidiary First Direct were bought by HSBC in 1992. Nowadays First Direct regularly tops customer rankings for the quality of its online banking service. First Direct is headquartered in Leeds.

Number of customers13.5 million (across HSBC, First Direct and M&S Bank brands)
Number of branches327 (HSBC only)
Total assets (GBP)£342.4 billion (across all HSBC UK)
Number of employees (GBP)18,500 (Across all UK operations)

Barclays

Barclays began life in 1690 as a small bank in the City of London catering to goldsmiths. Since then the company has grown into a global financial services giant. Its headquarters are based in Canary Wharf, one of London’s major financial centres.

Number of customers48 million (worldwide)
Number of branches1,297
Total assets (GBP)£313.2 billion
Number of employees (GBP)42,800 (Across all UK Barclays divisions)

Santander

Spanish banking group Santander entered the UK consumer and retail banking market in 2004 when it acquired the UK lender Abbey National. Since then it has grown its product offering.

Number of customers14 million
Number of branches449
Total assets (GBP)£292.2 billion
Number of employees (GBP)19,000

Nationwide

Nationwide can trace its history back to 1884, when the Co-operative Permanent Building Society opened its doors to allow members too pool their savings to help each other buy homes. By 1970, the society had grown by merging with around 250 other building societies. To reflect its larger reach, it changed its name to Nationwide.

Today, the building society offers loans and personal banking services to millions of people. Its headquarters are in Swindon.

Number of customers16 million
Number of branches625
Total assets (GBP)£279.9 billion
Number of employees (GBP)18,000 (Across all UK operations)

Metro Bank

Metro first opened its doors in 2010, representing one of an emerging class of challenger banks. Unlike other, more recent market players, Metro places a great deal of emphasis on its customer-friendly branch opening hours.

Number of customers2.7 million
Number of branches76
Total assets (GBP)£22.12 billion
Number of employees (GBP)2,831

Frequently asked questions

We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you.

Finder's base rate panel 2023

We spoke with an expert panel consisting of 11 academics, economics, mortgage experts and savings experts, asking them to provide a range of predictions and opinions on the state of the UK base rate, and its wider impact on consumers and the economy.

The consensus across the majority of Finder's panelists is that a rise of 0.5 base points (bp) is the likely outcome from the Monetary Policy Meeting (MPC) taking place on Thursday 02, February, 2023, with 9 out of the 11 experts (82%) expecting this. However, 2 of our panelists (18%) believe it will be a 0.25 bp rise instead.

When asked whether the upcoming rise is the correct decision by the BoE, 8 out of 11 panelists (73%) agreed that it was a good thing. Only 2 panelists (18%) did not agree that this would be the right decision.

We also asked our panelists how they think the BoE should act for the remainder of the year, and whether they should be dovish (eager to lower rates to encourage growth) or hawkish (quick to raise rates to curb inflation). 6 of the experts (55%) said they would take a dovish approach, whilst 4 experts (36%) believed they should be hawkish.

All the content may be republished with a link to this page
Press enquiries

Banking news & launches

Get organised with Starling’s new “Split Payment” tool

Get organised with Starling’s new “Split Payment” tool

Starling launches a money management tool to help you divide up your salary and send funds to different accounts automatically.

Read more…
Nationwide customers to get Fairer Share Payment worth £100

Nationwide customers to get Fairer Share Payment worth £100

Nationwide is planning to give eligible members £100 in June as part of its newly launched Fairer Share scheme.

Read more…
HSBC is back with a £200 switching offer

HSBC is back with a £200 switching offer

HSBC has returned with a £200 switching offer when you open an HSBC Advance Account when using the Current Account Switching Service.

Read more…

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6 Responses

    Default Gravatar
    AshleyDecember 22, 2018

    Which bank should I switch to for Brexit?

      Avatarfinder Customer Care
      JoshuaDecember 23, 2018Staff

      Hi Ashley,

      Thanks for getting in touch with finder. I hope all is well with you. :)

      As a comparison website, we are not permitted to provide specific recommendations or personalised advice. However, what I can advise is for you to find a bank that best fits your needs, preference, and budget. On this page, we have provided some guides and tips for you to remember when finding a new bank. Please review them before making a decision.

      I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.

      Have a wonderful day!

      Cheers,
      Joshua

    Default Gravatar
    DavidNovember 10, 2018

    I am moving back to UK from USA in late Jauary 2019.
    I am a British Citizen born in UK and wish to open a checking & debit card a/c to have my US & UK pension transferred to. How best to arrange this?

      Avatarfinder Customer Care
      JoshuaNovember 22, 2018Staff

      Hi David,

      Thanks for getting in touch with finder. I hope all is well with you. :)

      Yes, it is possible that you are able to transfer your money from the US to UK. However, you would need to directly get in touch with your chosen bank to know the exact step on how to do it.

      Moreover, please note that regularly doing a bank to bank money transfer can be costly. You may want to consider other faster and cheaper options here.

      I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.

      Have a wonderful day!

      Cheers,
      Joshua

    Default Gravatar
    CustomerMarch 21, 2018

    hello. yea so i want to open a new bank account and i dont know which i should chose i want to save money but again to pay small fees and get some bonus % of my saving money and i want to use my card for shopping online or to take something from like vodafone or to take or to take loan and pay monthly which bank is the best and has good reputation and i will not loose my money> Thank you

      Avatarfinder Customer Care
      MayMarch 22, 2018Staff

      Hi Customer,

      Thanks for your inquiry.

      Depending on the type of savings account you need, you can compare your options on this page. These savings accounts are offered by reputable banks and let you earn standard and bonus interest rates. Whenever you need to access your account for whatever purpose or reason, you can also withdraw your funds anytime. Please review the details and T&Cs of the accounts first before you consider it’s the right product for you.

      Hope this helps.

      Cheers,
      May

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