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Instant Access Cash ISA

5.11% AER* Limited Edition Rate

With our Instant Access Cash ISA you can earn tax-free interest. Keep your money stashed away all year, or take it out and put it back in whenever you like - it's your choice.

Fancy a top-up?

You can pay in money when you like up to £20,000. Plus, you can transfer in money from previous years’ ISAs. 

5.11% AER* tax free (variable) on your savings

Open an account and deposit at least £500 within 28 days to earn a Limited Edition Rate (variable) for 12 months. If you don't do this, you’ll receive our Standard Variable Rate of 1.65% AER*(variable).

Flex your ISA

Take money out and put it back in the same tax year, as long as you don’t go over £20,000.

See all the ways you can save

See how much you could save with an Instant Access Cash ISA Account when you try our new Savings Calculator tool.

Open an account

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The Nuts and Bolts

We’re up front with our customers about everything. We’ve created this handy summary of our Instant Access Cash ISA's key features so you can see the important information from the get-go.

Interest rate Minimum balance Interest paid

Limited Edition rate of 5.11% AER*/ Gross (variable)

Minimum balance of £500 within 28 days

Annually

Standard Variable Rate of 1.65% AER* / Gross  (variable)

£1

Annually

*AER stands for annual equivalent rate. It shows how much the interest rate would be if the interest was worked out once a year. You can use it to compare different financial products.

Gross rate is an annual contractual rate which is calculated daily and paid out at a frequency applicable to the product.

Deposit a minimum of £500 within 28 calendar days of account opening to achieve the Limited Edition rate.

Limited Edition rates are promotional rates which are subject to availability and can be withdrawn from sale at any time. The interest on these rates is higher than our Standard Variable rate.

During the 12-month period the rate can vary meaning it can go up or down, but it will not go below the Standard Variable rate that is available at that time.

Your account will earn Standard Variable rate interest until you meet the Limited Edition rate criteria.

For more information about Limited Edition rates please see the Important Information Sheet and the Frequently Asked Questions below.


Eligibility

You can apply to open an account if:

  • You’re aged 16 or over
  • You have a National Insurance number
  • You’re resident in the UK. You’ll also need to provide proof of your identity and address. If you’re not a UK, EU, EEA or Swiss national you’ll need a valid visa/residence permit. Here’s a list of what you need.

Annual ISA allowance and interest

You can only subscribe to one cash ISA in any tax year. In the 2023/24 tax year, you can save or invest up to £20,000 in a combination of the following ISA types; one cash ISA, one Stocks and Shares ISA, one Lifetime ISA, and one Innovative Finance ISA. Interest on your ISA will be paid annually, on or around 5 April.


Withdrawals and notice periods

Unlimited access to your money. No notice needed. Funds withdrawn can be replaced in the same tax year.


Transfers in

You can transfer money from an ISA with another bank or building society to our Instant Access Cash ISA. And you’ll earn interest on this money before it even arrives in your account – we start paying interest from the date we receive your transfer request.

This doesn’t apply to transfers from accounts where you have to give notice to take money out. It also doesn’t apply when you’re transferring money from a stocks and shares ISA. In these instances interest will start from the day funds are received.

You can transfer as many previous years’ funds as you like and this will not impact this year’s ISA subscription amount.

If you wish to transfer in previous years funds, please visit your local store.


Charges for banking services

We’ll charge you for issuing a banker’s cheque. Each cheque costs £15.


Get all the details to read at your leisure

Download our PDF to read when you like - it contains all the ins and outs of our Instant Access Cash ISA.

Instant Access Cash ISA Details (PDF)(846KB)

Our Service Relationship with Personal Customers (PDF)(1.2MB)

For more information regarding your FSCS protection, please see the FSCS Information Sheet and Exclusion List.

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FAQs

How do I pay money into my account?

There are a few different ways you can pay money into your Metro Bank account, the fastest being a payment from one bank to another. You can also deposit a cheque or pay cash* into your account at your nearest store.

*Please note that you may be asked additional questions about the source of funds to help keep your money safe.

We’ve introduced limits on the amount of cash customers can pay into their Metro Bank account each day.

  • Personal accounts – new daily limit £5,000*
  • Business accounts (including community accounts) – new daily limit £10,000*

    *If you are depositing foreign currency into a ‘regular’ GBP or a Foreign Currency Account, this will be the GBP equivalent of the above limits using the exchange rate on the day of the deposit

The new cash deposit limit for Commercial Current Accounts won’t be introduced until early 2023. If you have this type of account, your Relationship Manager will be in touch nearer the time to discuss the new limit with you.

Changes to who can pay in cash

To pay cash into a Metro Bank account you must either:

  • be named on the account, or
  • have authority to manage the account – e.g. power of attorney, or
  • be paying less than £250 into a Young Savers account if you are not named on the account (the account holder or a named person on the account can pay in larger amounts), or
  • an employee paying into a business or commercial account for your employer, using a pre-printed paying-in slip issued to the account holder.

Exchanging cash

You can only exchange cash over the counter if you’re a Metro Bank customer.

What does tax-free interest mean?

We give you interest on the money you put away in your cash ISA. You don’t have to pay UK income tax or capital gains tax on this interest. It doesn’t count towards your Personal Savings Allowance and you don’t need to put it on your tax return.

The interest from ISAs doesn’t count towards your Personal Savings Allowance.

Can I take money out of an Instant Access Cash ISA?

Yes. You can take money out whenever you like. If you can afford to put some money away for longer, you might be interested in our Fixed Rate Cash ISA

Can I transfer a stocks and shares ISA to a Fixed Rate Cash ISA?

Yes. You just need to fill in a stocks and shares ISA transfer form in store.

Can I replace money I’ve taken out of my Instant Access Cash ISA in the same tax year?

Yes – however you must make sure that any money you pay into your ISA does not go over the ISA allowance for that tax year. Any payments out need to be replaced before the 5th April of that year. The allowance for 2023/2024 is £20,000.

Where can I find the rate for my Metro Bank account that’s now closed to new savers?

You can find the rates for any account that is not listed on the current rates page set out in Rates for Closed Products.

Is the Limited Edition rate available for new and existing customers?

Yes! Our Limited Edition rates can be opened by new customers or existing customers. All our existing customers have to do is open a new account and deposit the minimum balance within 28 days.

Is the Limited Edition rate variable?

The Limited Edition rate will be applicable to your account for 12 months, but is variable, meaning that within the 12-month period the Limited Edition rate can go up or down, but it will not go below the Standard Variable rate that is available at that time.

How will I know if the Limited Edition rate is being paid on my account?

Customers can see the interest rate being paid on their account at any time on their Mobile App or via Online Banking.

How does the eligibility for the Limited Edition rate work?

If you meet the criteria for the Limited Edition rate, this interest rate will be applied to your account from the next working day. Until that point your account will earn the Standard Variable rate. You can see your current interest rate at any point on mobile or online banking.

During the eligibility time period we’ll assess whether you have met the Limited Edition rate criteria, and begin paying the Limited Edition rate. When the interest is paid from can be worked out using the following table:

Your closing balance on a

Limited edition rate applies from the following

Monday

Tuesday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Thursday

Friday

Sunday

Monday

Please note:

If you meet the Limited Edition rate criteria on a Friday or Saturday we will only consider your closing balance on a Sunday for the purposes of eligibility and applying the Limited Edition rate.

If there is a Bank Holiday (including before or after a weekend), we will only consider your closing balance on the last non-working day for the purposes of eligibility and the Limited Edition rate will apply from the next working day.

You can make withdrawals during the eligibility period, if at the point of assessment for an Limited Edition rate the balance is lower that the minimum required you have the option to top up while the eligibility period is still open.

I have already subscribed to a Cash ISA in this tax year, can I still take advantage of the Limited Edition rates?

Yes, customers that have already subscribed to a Cash ISA with Metro, can do a Metro to Metro Cash ISA transfer by filling in a Metro to Metro transfer form when they open their new Instant Access Cash ISA account and transferring all of their subscriptions to their new Cash ISA.

Customers that have subscribed to a Cash ISA with another provider can also do a cash ISA transfer by filling in the same form.

Customers that have subscribed already in this tax year must transfer their current year subscription in full.

If you wish to transfer in previous years ISA subscription, please visit your local store.

Ways to bank

Online

Metro Bank 24/7. Check balances, make payments, change your details and open new accounts any time - all with Online Banking.

Mobile

Control your money on the move with our mobile banking app. Check balances, move money, make payments and more wherever you are.

In-store

A friendly face and a quick answer - and all the usual payment services too. 

By phone

Talk to a real person in our UK contact centre. Click the button below to check when we're available.

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