British savers can currently find some accounts paying around 5%, comfortably above the latest inflation rate. Yet the Bank of England says the effective rate on the existing stock of individuals' sight deposits was just 1.65% in July 2026.
That rate covers money already sitting in sight deposits, including current and easy-access accounts, rather than a single savings product offered to every customer. New time deposits paid an average 4.21% in July 2026, highlighting the wide gap between existing balances and newly opened accounts.