About Savings Made Easy
By Chris
One saver, one savings app he has used for between one and two years, and a guide that tries to say plainly what UK savings apps really pay, and when you would be better off somewhere else.
Who writes this
I’m Chris. I’m a director of a small UK digital agency, and I have saved with Chip for between one and two years, on the free Basic plan. I use Chip’s savings accounts, the Cash ISA and autosave. I have never used Chip’s investing, and this site does not cover it.
I am not a financial adviser, a journalist or an employee of Chip or any bank. I am a customer who wanted a guide to savings apps that explained the small print as clearly as the headline rate. I write and check every page on this site.
Why the site exists
Savings apps are good at headlines. A boosted rate goes on the front page, and the standard rate it falls back to after a year sits further down. Sign-up bonuses come with conditions that are easy to miss. Search for a Chip referral code and you mostly find pages that repeat the bonus amount and say little else.
That matters, because the conditions decide whether the bonus is paid. Chip’s £50 is only for people who have never held a Chip account before, the Easy Access Saver does not count, and if your balance drops below £1,000 at any point, the 90-day countdown starts again from zero. The referral code page puts those rules first, and the bonus checker lets you test them before you sign up.
The rest of the site is a general guide to saving in the UK: what AER means, how FSCS protection works with savings apps, and what happens when an introductory rate ends. Chip is the app I use and the one I recommend for many savers, but it does not suit everyone, which is why the alternatives page exists.
What is first-hand
These are the parts of Chip I use myself, so what the site says about them comes from doing rather than reading:
- Chip’s savings accounts and withdrawals. Moving money in and out, and how quickly it arrives. See Chip withdrawals.
- The Cash ISA. Saving tax-free through the app.
- Autosave. How it decides what to move, and adjusting and pausing it. See Chip autosave.
- The free Basic plan. The plan is free, with 45p per autosave.
What is researched
A lot of this site is research rather than experience, and it is written in the third person to make that clear. That includes ChipX, the paid plan (I am on the free plan), and every other provider. Plum, Moneybox, Trading 212, Monzo, Chase and NS&I Premium Bonds are written up from their own published pages, not from holding an account, and the best savings apps comparison says where each one beats Chip.
Chip also offers a Stocks and Shares ISA, a General Investment Account and a pension. With investments, your capital is at risk. I have never used them and this site covers savings only, so they are mentioned only as a plain list.
How we stay independent
The editorial policy sets this out in full. The short version:
- Primary sources for every figure. Chip figures come from getchip.uk and Chip’s terms; other providers’ from their own sites; tax rules from gov.uk; Bank Rate from the Bank of England. Every page lists its sources with a checked date.
- One referral, disclosed wherever it appears. If you join Chip through our link or code and qualify, we each receive £50. That is the site’s only income, and it is the same whether a page praises Chip or criticises it. The how we make money page has the detail.
- No adverts, no paid placements. Nobody pays to be ranked, and nobody can pay to have a criticism softened.
- No fabrication. No testimonials, no star ratings, no “what users say”. If I do not know something, the page says so.
Our sister sites
I also run three other guides built the same way: first-hand where I have used something, researched and sourced where I have not.
- Energy Made Easy covers home energy, including switching to Octopus Energy, in the same plain-English style.
- UK Business Credit Cards is an independent guide to UK business credit cards, with reviews, fees and calculators.
- UK Business Bank Accounts is an independent guide to UK business bank accounts, with Monzo Business reviewed first-hand.
Each site is a separate publication with its own disclosures and its own referral interests. This one is only about saving, and its only income is the Chip referral described on how we make money.
Contact
Corrections, questions and news of changed rates or terms all go to hello@savingsmadeeasy.co.uk. The contact page explains what I can and cannot help with. In particular, this site is not Chip and cannot see anyone’s account or referral bonus.
Sources
- Chip Refer a friend terms and conditions (£50 Referral Bonus, 1 October 2026 to 31 October 2026)
- Chip membership plans and pricing
- How Chip protects your money
- Chip Smart Cash ISA
Figures last checked 16 October 2026. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it.
Related reading
- How we make moneyWe earn a £50 referral reward from Chip when someone joins through our link and qualifies. Here is what that means for our objectivity.
- Editorial policyHow we research, which sources we accept, how we date and re-check rates, and how to request a correction.
- ReviewA first-hand Chip review from a UK saver: rates, autosave, withdrawals, the Smart Cash ISA, what it costs on the free plan and the honest downsides.
- ContactEmail hello@savingsmadeeasy.co.uk for corrections, questions or to tell us about a change in a savings app's rates or terms.