- Good Money Guide experts rate Lightyear High-Interest Vaults highly for providing an easy-access investment product that allows users to earn competitive interest rates on idle cash. The product is backed by AAA-rated money market funds, although it does come with a 0.25% annual fee and lacks FSCS protection, which may be a consideration for potential investors.
- Across 676 user reviews on Good Money Guide, averaging 4.9/5, customers frequently commend the app's user-friendly interface, low fees, and transparent pricing. Many users appreciate the platform's simplicity and efficiency, making investing accessible for both beginners and experienced investors. However, some users have noted that while the service is excellent, there may be better interest rates available elsewhere.
Lightyear High-Interest Vaults Expert rating
Our expert rating is the average of the areas listed here, each scored out of 5 by our team.Our experts have rated Lightyear High-Interest Vaults across five key areas of our review framework.
- Pricing4.5
- Market Access4.0
- App & Platform5.0
- Customer Service5.0
- Research & Analysis4.5
Pros
- High interest rates
- AAA-rated money market fund
- Interest earn daily
Cons
- Better rates are available elsewhere
- Interest is paid monthly instead of daily
See full expert review
Our verdict
Lightyear’s High-Interest Vaults give customers a way to earn interest on uninvested cash by placing it into low-risk money market funds managed by BlackRock. These are easy-access, variable-rate investment products available in GBP, EUR and USD, designed to track short-term interest rates such as the Bank of England overnight rate.
What are Lightyear High Interest Vaults?
We rate Lightyear’s Vaults highly as they are designed for investors who want their idle cash to earn a market-linked return while remaining easy to access, rather than sitting uninvested in a brokerage account.
Lightyear's High Interest Vaults are an easy-access cash investment product with variable rates, and there are separate vaults for deposits in Sterling, Euros and US dollars. Currently, the Sterling Vault offers around 3.77% AER (variable), with interest calculated daily and paid monthly. There are no minimum or maximum deposit limits, so users can start from £1 and add unlimited amounts.
How do Lightyear Vaults differ from holding cash from savings accounts?
Unlike a traditional savings account, the Vault is an investment product rather than a bank deposit. Your money is invested in AAA-rated money market funds, meaning capital is at risk and FSCS protection does not apply to funds held within the money market fund itself.
What is your money actually invested in?
Cash in the Sterling Vault is placed into funds such as the BlackRock ICS Sterling Liquidity Fund, which invests in diversified short-term instruments like treasury bills, commercial paper, certificates of deposit and repurchase agreements. This spreads risk across multiple institutions rather than relying on a single bank.
Is it cheaper to buy the money market fund directly?
Lightyear charges a 0.25% annual fee on money held in the Sterling Vault. While investors could theoretically access similar institutional money market funds directly, minimum investments can run into hundreds of millions, so Lightyear provides retail access to these products with no minimum deposit.
Customer reviews for Lightyear
Customer ratings come from reviews left on this site. Every review is read and approved before it is published.Based on 676 reviews
- Excellent92%
- Very good6%
- Basic1%
- Poor1%
- Bad0%
Read customer reviews
Automatic tax forwarding to EMTA
make my life that much easier
Automatic tax forwarding to EMTA
make my life that much easier
Automatic tax forwarding to EMTA
make life that much easier;
Automatic tax forwarding to EMTA
make ours life that much easier;
I love it
Very easy to use. Well equipped with information.
easy to use, but powerful investing app
I really like the design and functionality of the app, it's easy to use, has enough options to choose from (ETFs, stocks, ..) and very low and transparent fees
Easy and convenient solution for high-interest savings account.
With Lightyear I can save extra cash to their savings vault and collect higher interest than in banks, as the savings vault is connected to a fund. I can also withdraw my money from Lightyear without any delays when needed. Tax report on accrued interest is automatically sent to the Tax office, saving my time. All this makes Lightyear very attractive and functional solution to save money and collect interest.
Lightyear is a simple and approachable way to invest in stocks and ETFs without unnecessarily large fees.
Lightyear is a simple and approachable way to invest in stocks and ETFs without unnecessarily large fees.
The best of the best
Is very good service
Works great!
Great way to invest in ETFs and keep you spare cash collecting easy interest!
To infinity and beyond
Great app, very easy to use.
Quick transactions. Lots of stocks and shares to choose from including US and overseas.
Also low fees.
Just superb investment platform
Almost anything one could expect in an investment platvorm. Both web and app are working smoothly and contain so much good information and tools.
Lightyear
Egyszerű, átlátható, képzetlen embereknek is...
Great investment app
Safe, fast and reliable.
Simple etf trading with tailored service if needed
Lightyear offers the simplest and for me the most competitive option for starting buying ETFs. Additionally, during the account opening their helpdesk was outstandingly professional. After rejecting my request at first - while still providing reasonable excuse - they made extra effort to examine my case twice and reconsidered their decision.
Väga toetav ja mugav teenus
Teenus on väga toetav ja mugav, on selgelt arusaadav ning oma tegemised investeerimise maastikul Lightyear'ile usaldades tunned, et oled hoolivates kätes.
Nagyon jó befektetési platform.
Remek alkalmazás, jól átlátható, könnyen kezelhető és nagyon olcsó díjak, de rendkívül tőke biztonságos befektetési platform.
Sok részvény és ETF. + A be nem fektetett pénz is kamatozik.
Támogatja a magyar adó megtakarítási (TBSZ) számlákat.
5/5
Low cost, many stock
Excellent, intuitive, logical
Using it, one just doesn't get how thr others are not this somple.
Just keep going!
Low or zero fees. Ideal for beginners as well.
Lightyear’s High-Interest Vaults are designed to help investors earn a return on idle cash by placing it into low-risk money market funds rather than leaving it uninvested in a brokerage account. In this guide, we explain how the Vaults work, what they invest in and whether they’re a good alternative to traditional savings.
Capital at risk
Richard is the founder of the Good Money Guide (formerly Good Broker Guide), one of the original investment comparison sites established in 2015. With a career spanning two decades as a broker, he brings extensive expertise and knowledge to the financial landscape.
Having worked as a broker at Investors Intelligence and a multi-asset derivatives broker at MF Global (Man Financial), Richard has acquired substantial experience in the industry. His career began as a private client stockbroker at Walker Crips and Phillip Securities (now King and Shaxson), following internships on the NYMEX oil trading floor in New York and London IPE in 2001 and 2000.
Richard’s contributions and expertise have been recognized by respected publications such as The Sunday Times, BusinessInsider, Yahoo Finance, BusinessNews.org.uk, Master Investor, Wealth Briefing, iNews, and The FT, among many others.
Under Richard’s leadership, the Good Money Guide has evolved into a valuable destination for comprehensive information and expert guidance, specialising in trading, investment, and currency exchange. His commitment to delivering high-quality insights has solidified the Good Money Guide’s standing as a well-respected resource for both customers and industry colleagues.
