Best Savings Account for Lump Sum Ireland 2026

Got €10,000, €50,000 or more sitting in savings? Here are the best instant access accounts that actually pay decent interest on lump sums.

By SmartSaver Team | Published 1 January 2026 | 7 min read

Topics: lump sum savings, instant access savings, bunq ireland, trade republic ireland

If you have a lump sum—€10,000, €50,000, €100,000 or more—you need an instant access account, not a regular saver. The rates are completely different.

The Problem: Misleading "Headline Rates"

When you see banks advertising "3% savings rate," that's almost never for lump sums:

| Bank | Advertised Rate | What It's For | Lump Sum Rate | |------|-----------------|---------------|---------------| | AIB | 3.00% | €1,000/month regular saver | 0.25% | | BOI | 3.00% | €2,500/month regular saver | 0.10% | | PTSB | 2.50% | Regular saver | 0.01% |

If you have €50,000 sitting in AIB, you're earning 0.25%—not 3%.

---

Best Lump Sum Savings Accounts 2026

These accounts pay the advertised rate on your entire balance:

| Provider | Rate | After DIRT | Max Balance | Type | |----------|------|------------|-------------|------| | Bunq | 2.01% | 1.19% | €100,000 | Neobank | | Trade Republic | 2.00% | 1.18% | €50,000 | Neobank | | TF Bank (Raisin) | 2.17% | 1.28% | €85,000 | EU Bank | | Nordax (Raisin) | 2.07% | 1.22% | €85,000 | EU Bank | | Revolut Ultra | 2.25% | 1.33% | - | Neobank | | Revolut Standard | 1.50% | 0.89% | - | Neobank | | N26 Metal | 2.00% | 1.18% | €100,000 | Neobank | | AIB | 0.25% | 0.15% | - | Irish Bank | | BOI | 0.10% | 0.06% | - | Irish Bank |

---

Top Pick: Bunq

Rate: 2.01% (1.19% after DIRT) Maximum: €100,000 Access: Instant, anytime

Why Bunq?

Highest free instant access rate in Ireland

No monthly fees on basic account

Dutch deposit guarantee (€100,000—same as Irish banks)

App-based—opens in 10 minutes

Multiple savings accounts for different goals

The Maths

| Amount | At Bunq (2.01%) | At AIB (0.25%) | You're Missing | |--------|-----------------|----------------|----------------| | €10,000 | €201/year | €25/year | €176/year | | €25,000 | €503/year | €63/year | €440/year | | €50,000 | €1,005/year | €125/year | €880/year | | €100,000 | €2,010/year | €250/year | €1,760/year |

Figures are gross (before DIRT). After DIRT, multiply by 0.59.

How to Open Bunq

Download Bunq app (iOS/Android)

Choose "Easy Bank" (free) or paid plan

Verify identity with photo ID + selfie

Transfer money from your Irish bank

Start earning 2.01% immediately

---

Runner-Up: Trade Republic

Rate: 2.00% (1.18% after DIRT) Maximum: €50,000 Access: Instant

Why Trade Republic?

2% on uninvested cash—automatically

Also an investment platform (if you want to invest later)

German deposit guarantee (€100,000)

Clean, minimal app

1% SaveBack on card spending (invested automatically)

Trade Republic vs Bunq

| Feature | Trade Republic | Bunq | |---------|----------------|------| | Rate | 2.00% | 2.01% | | Max earning balance | €50,000 | €100,000 | | Free account | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | | Investment features | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | | Multiple savings pots | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |

Choose Trade Republic if: You might want to invest later Choose Bunq if: You want highest rate on larger sums

---

Alternative: Raisin Fixed Term

If you can lock money away for 1 year, Raisin offers higher rates:

| Bank | Rate | Term | Minimum | |------|------|------|---------| | Aareal Bank | 2.80% | 1 year | €1,000 | | Hamburg Commercial | 2.80% | 1 year | €5,000 | | Collector | 2.75% | 1 year | €500 |

Trade-off: Money is locked. Can't access until term ends. Choose Raisin if: You definitely won't need the money for 12+ months.

---

Alternative: State Savings (Tax-Free)

State Savings don't have the highest headline rates, but they're DIRT-free:

| Product | Rate | Term | Tax-Equivalent | |---------|------|------|----------------| | 10-Year Bond | 2.01% | 10 years | 3.41% | | 5-Year Certificate | 1.74% | 5 years | 2.95% |

The maths:

Bunq 2.01% after DIRT = 1.19%
State Savings 5-Year = 1.74% (no DIRT)

State Savings wins if you can lock away for 5+ years.

---

What About Irish Banks?

AIB Lump Sum Options

| Account | Rate | Notes | |---------|------|-------| | Demand Deposit | 0.25% | Instant access | | 1-Year Fixed | 2.00% | Min €15,000, locked | | 2-Year Fixed | 2.26% | Min €15,000, locked |

AIB's fixed rates are competitive, but require €15,000 minimum and lock-in.

Bank of Ireland Lump Sum Options

| Account | Rate | Notes | |---------|------|-------| | On Demand | 0.10% | Instant access | | 1-Year Fixed | 1.75% | Min €5,000, locked | | 2-Year Fixed | 1.95% | Min €5,000, locked |

BOI's rates are lower than AIB and much lower than neobanks.

PTSB Lump Sum Options

| Account | Rate | Notes | |---------|------|-------| | Demand Deposit | 0.01% | Essentially zero | | 1-Year Fixed | 2.00% | Min €5,000, locked |

PTSB demand deposit is essentially 0%. Fixed term is competitive.

Verdict on Irish Banks

For instant access: Neobanks win (2% vs 0.10-0.25%) For fixed term: AIB/PTSB competitive, but Raisin often beats them

---

Safety: Are Neobanks Safe for Large Sums?

Common worry: "I have €80,000—is it safe in Bunq?"

Yes. Here's why:

Deposit Guarantee Comparison

| Provider | Country | Guarantee | Protected Amount | |----------|---------|-----------|------------------| | AIB | Ireland | Irish DGS | €100,000 | | BOI | Ireland | Irish DGS | €100,000 | | Bunq | Netherlands | Dutch DGS | €100,000 | | Trade Republic | Germany | German DGS | €100,000 |

The EU Deposit Guarantee Directive ensures all EU countries provide equivalent €100,000 protection. Dutch and German guarantees are legally equivalent to Irish.

What If the Bank Fails?

The guarantee means you get your money back (up to €100,000) within 7 working days, regardless of which EU country the bank is in.

Strategy for €100,000+: Split across multiple providers to stay under €100,000 at each.

---

Step-by-Step: Moving Your Lump Sum

From AIB to Bunq

Open Bunq (10 mins)

- Download app - Verify identity - Get your new IBAN

Transfer from AIB

- Log into AIB - Add Bunq as payee (use your new IBAN) - Transfer desired amount - No fees for SEPA transfers

Start earning

- Money arrives same day or next day - Interest calculated daily - Paid monthly Total time: 15-20 minutes

Keep Some in AIB?

You might want to keep:

Emergency buffer for direct debits
Amount you need for daily spending
Float for unexpected bills

Common approach: Keep €2,000-5,000 in AIB for daily use, move the rest to higher-rate account.

---

Tax Considerations

DIRT on Neobank Interest

Bunq, Trade Republic, Revolut, and N26 do deduct DIRT if you're Irish tax resident. No action needed.

DIRT on Raisin

Raisin does not deduct DIRT at source. You must declare interest on your tax return.

State Savings

No DIRT. Nothing to declare.

---

Summary: Best Lump Sum Account

| Your Situation | Best Choice | Rate | |----------------|-------------|------| | Want instant access | Bunq | 2.01% | | Might invest later | Trade Republic | 2.00% | | Can lock for 1 year | Raisin (Aareal) | 2.80% | | Can lock for 5 years | State Savings Cert | 1.74% tax-free | | Over €100k | Split across providers | - |

Bottom line: Don't leave lump sums in AIB/BOI instant access accounts earning 0.10-0.25%. Move to Bunq or Trade Republic and earn 2%.

---

Last updated: January 2026

---