Whether you’re looking for an account to help scaling internationally, to provide business and support or just low fees, we round up some of the best business bank account offerings for scale-ups and more established businesses from traditional banks.
Barclays Business Account
This business account from Barclays is for businesses with £400,000 to £6.5m in annual turnover. You will be given access to a team of business managers, supporting you in areas such as cashflow and lending, international expansion, payments and growth opportunities.
There are no monthly account fees for the first 12 months, then it’s £8.50 a month thereafter.
The Co-operative Bank Business Directplus
Created for businesses of all sizes, the Directplus account from The Co-operative Bank promises no monthly fees for 30 months as long as the balance stays above £1,000. But even after that, the monthly fee is low compared to some others on this list at £7.
There is free accounting integration with Quickbooks, partnership offerings covering insurance, sustainability, HR and tech support.
HSBC Business Banking Account
For SMEs, HSBC are offering a bank account which has free monthly fees, payments and deposits for the first 12 months. After that, it is a little more expensive than others on this list with a monthly fee of £10. With that, though, you get business debit cards, corporate cards (for businesses with £2m or more in annual turnover), accounting integration with Sage and a dedicated relationship manager.
Lloyds Business Current Account
This account is for businesses with between £3 million and £25 million in annual revenue. Larger businesses can opt for the ‘Business Extra Tariff’ or the ‘Electronic Business Tariff’. The former costs £15 per month and charges per transaction, so can be ideal for those companies looking to make a small number of transactions. For regular spenders, the Electronic Business Tariff doesn’t have transaction fees, but costs £20 per month. If you’re a smaller business, though, there is an account for start-ups with less than £3 million in annual revenue.
Metro Commercial Current Account
With the Commercial Current Account from Metro Bank, businesses with annual turnover of more than £2 million can benefit from a relationship manager, expert industry support and 24/7 local contact centres – without a monthly charge.
It should be noted that online applications for this bank account has been paused for maintenance but you can open an account in-store.
Metro Business Bank Account
For start-ups with turnover of up to £2 million, the Metro Business Bank Account charges no monthly fee if your balance stays above £6,000. It offers a dedicated business manager and 30 free UK transactions per month.
Like the Metro Business Bank Account, it should be noted that online applications for this bank account have been paused for the time being, but you can open an account in-store.
NatWest Business Bank Account
This account is for businesses which have more than £1 million in annual turnover or under £1 million but have been trading less than a year. There is free accounting software with FreeAgent and a dedicated relationship manager, but a real differentiator with this account is the free entrepreneur accelerator programme and business growth events which can increase your network.
After a 24-month free period, transaction fees will apply (from £0.35 per item).
This account is mirrored in RBS’s business account offering.
Santander Business Current Account
This account works for both start-ups and established businesses. Start-ups (in this case, businesses that have been trading for up to one year) have an 18-month monthly fee waiver, paying £7.50 a month thereafter.
This account is currently only being offered to existing Santander customers.
TSB Business Plus
Out of all the accounts which charge monthly fees, TSB offers the most generous free banking period with 30 months. It then offers a relatively low £5 a month fee. With that, you will receive free business advice from Enterprise Nation and a marketplace from which to choose partners relevant to your operations.
Virgin Money Business Current Account
Any business with annual turnover of less than £6.5 million can apply for this account. As well as getting the first 25 months free (£6.50 monthly fee thereafter), Virgin Money customers can receive three months of free accounting software (with Quickbooks or Xero). The bank does offer something slightly different with its business data insights platform which gives access to business tools and Virgin’s business network.
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