Worldwide family travel insurance is one of the most commonly included benefits with packaged bank accounts. Just check carefully for exclusions around topics like maximum age and pre-existing conditions.
Maximum Age | 69 years |
Maximum Investment | Unlimited |
Minimum Contract Term | 3 months |
Minimum Age | 18 years |
Permanent UK Resident |
Maximum Age | Unlimited |
Maximum Investment | Unlimited |
Minimum Age | 18 years |
Permanent UK Resident |
Maximum Age | Unlimited |
Maximum Investment | Unlimited |
Minimum Age | 18 years |
Permanent UK Resident |
Maximum Age | Unlimited |
Maximum Investment | Unlimited |
Minimum Age | 18 years |
Permanent UK Resident |
Maximum Age | Unlimited |
Maximum Investment | Unlimited |
Minimum Age | 18 years |
Minimum Monthly Credit | £500 |
Permanent UK Resident |
Packaged current accounts perform the same basic functions as standard current accounts - letting you pay money in, pay bills, and pay with a card online and in store - but come with extra benefits attached.
Packaged accounts work by offering you extra benefits such as cashback on your spending, high interest on positive balances, or linked benefits like mobile phone insurance or breakdown cover.
The catch is that these accounts typically charge a monthly fee. However, often the monthly fee charged can be a lot lower than if you got these features separately.
Joint packaged accounts are also available, which can offer better value than individual accounts as the perks can be used by both of you.
If you play your cards right, the benefits will handily outweigh the fee charged - just make sure you're using them or you could end up spending money for nothing.
Worldwide family travel insurance is one of the most commonly included benefits with packaged bank accounts. Just check carefully for exclusions around topics like maximum age and pre-existing conditions.
You can enjoy roadside breakdown support in the UK or across Europe with membership of organisations like Green Flag, the AA and RAC with some current accounts.
Several packaged accounts include mobile phone cover or other gadget insurance as part of their deals.
Several accounts will give you back a percentage of your spending or a cash reward if you meet certain requirements. You may get 1% cashback on your household bills, for example.
Some packaged current accounts offer exclusive access to linked, high-interest savings accounts that are only available to people with the current account. These are typically regular saver accounts or instant access accounts.
Home emergency cover is also sometimes offered as a packaged benefit. This provides professional help if something goes wrong in your home - for example a broken boiler or burst pipe.
Free use abroad, airport lounge access and even air miles are sometimes also included as part of the deal with some packaged bank accounts.
Worldwide family travel insurance is one of the most commonly included benefits with packaged bank accounts. Just check carefully for exclusions around topics like maximum age and pre-existing conditions.
You can enjoy roadside breakdown support in the UK or across Europe with membership of organisations like Green Flag, the AA and RAC with some current accounts.
Several packaged accounts include mobile phone cover or other gadget insurance as part of their deals.
Several accounts will give you back a percentage of your spending or a cash reward if you meet certain requirements. You may get 1% cashback on your household bills, for example.
Some packaged current accounts offer exclusive access to linked, high-interest savings accounts that are only available to people with the current account. These are typically regular saver accounts or instant access accounts.
Home emergency cover is also sometimes offered as a packaged benefit. This provides professional help if something goes wrong in your home - for example a broken boiler or burst pipe.
Free use abroad, airport lounge access and even air miles are sometimes also included as part of the deal with some packaged bank accounts.
Getting breakdown cover, phone insurance, travel insurance and more included in your bank account sounds great - unless you're already paying for them elsewhere that is.
Double check your home insurance, car insurance and other policies to see whether you're already covered. Then check with your partner and family as well in case one of their policies covers you too.
Do your bills get paid from your account to get cashback from them? Will the travel insurance cover any pre-existing conditions you have? Do you have enough spare cash to make use of the savings account?
Before signing up to pay monthly a fee to access linked benefits, check the small print to make sure you can actually use them.
If you can't, you’ll end up paying money for nothing.
One of the tricks of packaged current accounts is that you see a monthly fee advertised, while other policies charge you annually.
For example, annual breakdown cover of £85 works out at just £7.08 a month.
Run a quick comparison to see what the packaged account policies will cost you elsewhere, then divide this by 12 to see if it's actually good value.
The right credit card can offer cashback or free use abroad.
The best-paying savings accounts can get you more than 4% interest.
None of these come with any fees attached at all.
So before you sign on the line to pay a monthly fee, see what's available elsewhere for free.
Included worldwide travel insurance sounds great - but if you normally holiday in Cornwall isn't worth paying for.
An 8% regular saver account might be market-leading, but if you're living in your overdraft isn't the most useful.
Put simply, no matter how much cheaper something is than you can find it elsewhere, if you buy it then never use it it's still a waste of money.
Are you in this for the cashback or interest on offer?
Do you want to make sure you're covered on holiday or that you get cheap breakdown cover?
Before signing up to a packaged account, work out what features are nice to have and what you consider essential.
The benefits available in packaged accounts don't always cost you anything.
You can often find linked savings accounts and cashback for free if you compare current accounts thoroughly enough.
So before signing up to a packaged account, check you need to.
Check the benefits are worth the price - and that they're things you'll be able to use.
That means checking for exclusions and cover levels on any insurance policies to ensure you're happy with what's on offer.
If it all adds up after you've checked, then it's time to sign up.
There are two key advantages of packaged current accounts: Simplicity and cost.
The right package means you don't need to worry about renewing you breakdown cover or travel insurance ever again - and you might end up paying less overall too.
If you're in it for the money, rather than the insurance, then make sure you're spending or saving enough for the cashback and interest to to cover your fees.
But don't assume you'll get a good deal - it's always worth checking for free alternatives and if stand alone policies might be cheaper or better suited to you.
Not always. But you can get many of the benefits available from a packaged bank account without paying a monthly fee.
Many accounts come with included linked savings accounts, free use abroad and even cashback - but have no fee attached to them.
Any formal application for credit - including the overdraft element of a packaged bank account - results in a credit check.
That means banks will log a search of your credit history on your report before deciding to offer you a deal or not. This is visible to other lenders, but not part of your credit score.
Any monthly fee for a packaged bank account is automatically deducted from your account in the same way that overdraft charges and overseas debit card usage fees are.
Yes. But make sure the benefits are applied sensibly - for example you might only be able to sign up for breakdown cover for one car or get mobile phone coverage for one phone. If you want to double the benefits, a higher fee might be charged to reflect that.
In the past banks have found themselves in trouble for selling packaged bank accounts to people who couldn't use the benefits associated with them.
Rules now mean banks have to check that the extras are suitable for you. If you think you've been mis-sold a packaged bank account in the past, the Financial Ombudsman Service has a guide to common problems and how to complain here.
We compare current accounts from a wide range of high street banks and newer challenger banks. Compare our current account providers to check which ones we include.
Below you can find a list of our pages about different current accounts: