The 4.25% Cash ISAfollowing the base rate
Flexible access to the Bank of England’s base rate, tax-free. No surprises or asterisks attached.
Money is held in UK banks and qualified money market funds.
Our rate is presented as the Annual Equivalent Rate (AER). Capital at risk.
Our rate is presented as the Annual Equivalent Rate (AER). Capital at risk.
Access the Base Rate
Follow the Bank of England’s rate
The Bank of England rate is shown as Annual Percentage Rate (APR), which doesn’t include monthly compounding.
Our Cash ISA rate is presented as the Annual Equivalent Rate (AER) which does take into account monthly compounding.
TodayIf it goes downIf it goes up
Base rate: 4.25%
Bank of EnglandOur rate:
that
Lightyear Cash ISANo asterisks*
* You won’t find any surprises here. No account fees, withdrawal penalties or limited time bonus rates.
No withdrawal penalties
We don’t lower rates if you make a withdrawal and our ISAs are all Flexible — making withdrawals painless.
No bait-and-switch
We don’t believe in short term “bonus rates” that expire after a few months, giving you less over the long term.
No minimums
Start with £1 not £1,000. You won't find any high barriers to entry here. Getting started has never been easier.
The no suprisa.
No gimmicks, no more surprises. Just 4.25% on your savings.
 |  |  |  | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Interest rate - AER | 4.25% | 1.51% | 1.15% | 4.00% | 4.45% |
Interest paid monthly | yearly | yearly | yearly | ||
Flexible ISA | |||||
Minimum deposit | £0 | £1 | £1 | £1 | £500 |
Limited time bonus rate | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 5.00% first 12 months only |
Bonus rate interest paid | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yearly |
Penalty-free withdrawals | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 3 | 3 |
Interest rate after penalty-free withdrawals | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1.75% | 0.75% |
Pricing comparison of other providers as of 16th January 2025. Information displayed on the table above is based on competitors' websites information. For the most up to date information please visit their respective websites.
The important stuff
Protection and regulation
Trusting us with your investments is something we don’t take for granted.
Regulated and insuredSafeguarding your assets
FSCS cover up to £85,000
Lightyear is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Learn more here.
Frequently asked
Questions a curious saver might ask
How do you keep my money safe?
Trusting us with your money is not something we take for granted. Lightyear UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and as such is bound by strict regulatory obligations in how we handle and protect your money.
Customer money always sits separately to our own and is held in Natwest and Qualifying Money Market Funds. There’s no way for creditors - in the unlikely event of anything happening to Lightyear - to get hold of the investments or cash that you hold with us.
Lightyear is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). Any shortfall in cash and assets returned to you may be claimable with the FSCS, in the event of Lightyear's insolvency. FSCS does not cover losses due to poor investment performance.
Read more about how your assets are protected in our Help Centre, or review our Cash ISA Key Features Document.
What do I need to know before I invest?
Do you have cash reserves?: It’s generally good practice to have easily accessible cash available to cover your ongoing short term expenses, as well as an emergency fund for any unforeseen sudden expenses (e.g. needing to replace your washing machine), before investing extra money you might have. It may also be sensible to pay off debts with available money, rather than investing it.
Can you accept losses?: All investing contains an element of risk; your investment value can go down as well as up, so you could get back less than you invested, or in some cases, you may lose your entire investment. Generally the more risk you take gives you the opportunity for higher returns, but also increases the potential for greater losses. You should also think about how long you plan to invest for, and therefore whether you have the time to wait for any losses to recover. Don’t invest more than you can afford to lose. See explanations of the types of risk each investment type provided by Lightyear might be exposed to here. This can be complicated, so please let us know if you need help.
Free, impartial guidance covering cash reserves, losses and more, is available at MoneyHelper & InvestSmart (FCA) including: A beginners guide to investing, 5 questions to ask before you invest, Make sure you understand the risks, Is it the right investment for you.
Is Lightyear a bank?
Lightyear is not a bank. We’re an investment platform, so there are a couple of key differences. While we’re regulated by the same authorities as banks, the protection schemes are slightly different for investment platforms (see here). With regards to customer funds, we cannot use customer money in the same way a bank does by lending it out. You have instant access to your Lightyear assets because of this.
Why are your fees so reasonable? How do you make enough money?
We couldn’t agree more - our fees are very reasonable. We’re one of the most competitively priced investment platforms on the market and that's how we like it. Low cost, transparent pricing is in our DNA. We charge small, but fair, execution fees and take a fee for both foreign exchange and interest payments. Building a sustainable business that’s here to serve customers in 10, 20 and 100 years is something that’s paramount.
How easy is it to withdraw my money?
Easy. We ensure you always have access to your money and we've made the process pretty painless for when you need to withdraw.
Once requested, withdrawals may take up to 2 business days to be sent out to your requested bank account. Once sent out, the money will typically land in your account in an hour or two.
Do I need financial advice?
Lightyear doesn't offer investment advice; i.e. we don't assess if our services or instruments are suitable for you. But we do provide info about what we offer – e.g. our Target Market Matrix which describes investor types based on their investment experience, financial objectives and how much risk they're comfortable with – to help you decide what investments might work best for you. You'll need to make sure your investment decisions meet your needs and amount of investment risk you're happy to take. If you don't feel you have the necessary knowledge and experience to make those decisions for yourself, you may want to get independent financial advice instead.