Secure Trust Bank has pushed up the rate on its one-year fixed rate cash ISA, to 3.75%, putting it just behind the account from Barclays.

However, if you can lock your money away for longer, rates of up to 4.25% are available. For those that want earlier access, there are also some notice accounts offering competitive rates of up to 3.00%.

Away from ISAs, here are the top savings accounts this week, as picked out by Moneyfacts.

This week’s best easy-access cash ISAs

Providers are still offering competitive rates on cash ISAs, following the Bank of England’s successive base rate rises.

When it comes to easy-access cash ISAs, Virgin remains in the top spot. The Virgin Money Easy Access Cash ISA Exclusive Issue 2, pays 3% interest, compounded annually, and there’s no minimum deposit.

You can apply online or in a branch but it’s only available to new customers or those who have had a Virgin Money, Clydesdale Bank, Yorkshire Bank or B current account since 4 December 2019. Other top easy-access cash ISAs picked by Moneyfacts include:

1. Yorkshire Building Society Internet Saver ISA Plus Issue 10: The rate on this account has been boosted to 2.75% with interest paid yearly. Its minimum opening deposit is £1 and it can only be opened and managed online.
2. Sainsbury’s Bank Cash ISA: Paying up to 2.70%, interest is paid on the account anniversary. Deposits of up to £499 earn 0.96% and you’ll get the full 2.70% on £500 and more. It must be opened online, with at least a £1 deposit, and managed online or on the phone.

This week’s best fixed-rate cash ISAs

If you can put your money away for a longer period, you’ll usually get a better interest rate, but there are often penalties if you do need to access the money sooner.

For fixed-rate cash ISAs, Moneyfacts still has the Barclays Bank 1-Year Flexible Cash ISA – Issue 36 in the top spot. It pays 4.00% and you can open it with £1. Interest can be paid monthly or compounded annually and paid on maturity.

It also has the extra flexibility of allowing three withdrawals of up to 10% of the balance over the term. A further withdrawal is also allowed but would result in closure and a 90-day loss of interest.

The next-best accounts are as follows:

1. Secure Trust Bank 1 Year Fixed Rate Cash ISA: Paying 3.75% AER, this account has a minimum deposit of £1,000. It can be opened online and managed online or on the phone. Access to your cash is allowed, but after this, the account will close and there will be a 90-day loss of interest penalty.
2. Virgin Money 2 Year Fixed Rate Cash E-ISA Issue 542: In the second spot, this account pays 4.11% with interest paid monthly or yearly. Early access to your funds will result in a 90-day loss of interest penalty. You can open it with £1 and it’s opened and managed online.
3. UBL UK’s 3 Year Fixed Rate Cash ISA: Paying 4.25%, you can choose when the interest is paid, either monthly, quarterly, on anniversary, or on maturity. There is a minimum deposit of £2,000 and you can access your money early but with a 270-day loss of interest penalty. You can open it online, in person, via the post, or the app and it can also be managed on the phone.
4. Hinckley & Rugby BS 5 Year Fixed Rate Cash ISA Issue 2: Interest is paid yearly on this account which pays 4.25%. The minimum deposit is £500 and early access is subject to a 365-day loss of interest penalty. You can only open and manage this account in a branch or by post.

This week’s best notice accounts

If you need access to your cash and don’t want to lock it away, a notice account may be your best option. The market-leading account this week is the Aldermore 30 Day Notice Account with an AER of 2.80%.

It has a minimum opening deposit of £1,000 with interest paid away or compounded monthly or on anniversary. Withdrawals are subject to a 30-day notice period, or funds can be accessed earlier subject to a 30-day loss of interest. It only be opened and managed online.

The second best spot goes to the Furness BS’s 45 Day Notice Cash ISA paying 3.00% AER. It has a minimum deposit of £1,000 and you need to open this one in a branch or by post. It can also be managed over the phone once opened.

The Moneyfacts best savings account of the week

This week, Moneyfacts has picked out the Paragon Bank – Triple Access Account – Issue 11 which pays 2.85% interest. Interest can be paid on the anniversary of the account or monthly and it can be opened with £1 (to a maximum of £500,000).

You can make three withdrawals a year. If you make a fourth, the interest rate will be reduced to 0.75%. It’s opened and managed online.