It pays to use online-only accounts

Northern Rock has launched a new 90-day notice branch-based account paying 2.5% interest on balances from £1. The account beats the branch-based accounts on offer from other big banks, says Patrick Collinson in The Guardian. Halifax pays 1.5% for the first year on its Guaranteed Saver Reward account, but that drops to 0.5% after a year.

But you could do better with United National Bank's branch-based notice account, which pays 3.02%. For the best returns you should look at internet-only accounts. Their rates tend to be higher as the running costs are lower.

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Bad news for anyone with a student loan. The interest rate on such loans is based on March's Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation figure. Since September when the rate changes each year this has meant a rate of 0%, due to last March's deflationary figure. But last month's RPI was 4.4%, which could mean a big hike in interest rates in September.

There is hope though. Loans taken out since 1998 are meant to pay a rate of interest that is based on the lower rate of either March's RPI figure (4.4%), or the base rate of a range of banks plus 1% (currently 1.5%). So hopefully the rate will only go up to around 1.5%, but the government won't confirm that until August. Either way, interest rates on student loans are going up.

Get 30% off at Gap. Simply visit Gapcorporateinvite.com and register your details and you'll get a voucher for 30% off. Sadly, such a good deal comes with plenty of terms and conditions. You can't use the voucher on Product (RED) items; leather goods; 100% cashmere products; Gap Design Editions; babyGap Home, or gift cards. But if you are just looking to buy standard clothes, make use of this voucher until Sunday 2 May.

Ruth Jackson-Kirby is a freelance personal finance journalist with 17 years’ experience, writing about everything from savings accounts and credit cards to pensions, property and pet insurance.