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US citizens in the UK · Institutions

Which Nationwide Building Society accounts accept US citizens

Last checked

Nationwide Building Society has been checked for US citizens across 6 account types. 5 are open to a US person (2 with strings) and 1 is not on offer, whatever your nationality.

If you already have an account with Nationwide Building Society, a second one there is usually the easier application, because Nationwide Building Society has already checked who you are. Each account below carries its verdict, the evidence behind it and the date it was checked.

At a glance

Account Verdict Last checked
Current accounts Opens
Savings accounts Opens
Cash ISAs Nationwide Opens
Stocks & shares ISAs Nationwide Not offered
Mortgages Nationwide With strings
Credit cards Nationwide With strings

Current accounts

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Opens

Nationwide asks that you are 18 or over, a UK resident, and hold no more than three of its current accounts. It asks about tax residency for FATCA and CRS reporting, which is a reporting step rather than a bar.

FSCS £120,000, shared with Virgin Money · online, app or phone

Account Terms The catch
FlexDirect
Monthly fee
Free
Interest
5.00% AER for the first 12 months on balances up to £1,500, then 1.00%
Abroad
2.99% on purchases and on cash withdrawals abroad
 Needs £1,000 paid in every month, and the introductory rate is once per person.
FlexAccount
Monthly fee
Free
Interest
None
Abroad
2.99% on purchases and on cash withdrawals abroad
 —
FlexPlus
Monthly fee
£18 a month
Interest
None
Abroad
No Nationwide fees on spending or cash withdrawals abroad
 —

Source: Nationwide current accounts, 2026-08-17 Last checked Nationwide Building Society's own page

Savings accounts

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Opens

Nationwide requires you to be 16 or over and a UK resident, and its savings declaration sets no tax-residency condition beyond asking about your tax position. The US taxes the interest as ordinary income.

FSCS £120,000, shared with Virgin Money · online, app or branch

Account Terms The catch
Flex Regular Saver
Access
Regular saver
Rate
6.50% AER, variable
Max
£2,400 over 12 months
Rate as of
 Needs a Nationwide current account; falls to 1.05% from the fourth withdrawal, and deposits stop at £200 a month.
5 year Fixed Rate Online Bond
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.65% AER, fixed
Term
5 years
Min
£1
Max
£5,000,000
Rate as of
 Top rate needs the 5 year term, with no withdrawals until it ends.
1 Year Triple Access Saver
Access
Easy access
Rate
3.30% AER, variable
Max
£5,000,000
Rate as of
 Falls to 1.05% from the fourth withdrawal in the year.
Instant Access Saver
Access
Easy access
Rate
1.20% AER, variable
Max
£5,000,000
Rate as of
 Tiered on the whole balance: 1.10% under £10,000, 1.15% from £10,000 and 1.20% from £50,000.
1 year Fixed Rate Online Bond
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.50% AER, fixed
Term
1 year
Min
£1
Max
£5,000,000
Rate as of
 Online only; pay in during the first 14 days, then no withdrawals until the term ends.
2 year Fixed Rate Online Bond
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.55% AER, fixed
Term
2 years
Min
£1
Max
£5,000,000
Rate as of
 Online only; pay in during the first 14 days, then no withdrawals until the term ends.
3 year Fixed Rate Online Bond
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.60% AER, fixed
Term
3 years
Min
£1
Max
£5,000,000
Rate as of
 Online only; pay in during the first 14 days, then no withdrawals until the term ends.

Source: Nationwide savings pages, 2026-08-17 Last checked Nationwide Building Society's own page

Cash ISAs

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Nationwide

Opens

The ISA declaration uses the plain HMRC test of being resident in the UK for tax purposes, with the usual Crown employee exception. There is no sole-tax-residency wording and no US-person exclusion in the declaration or the cash ISA terms. The IRS still taxes the interest as US income, as the wrapper gives no US relief.

FSCS £120,000 · online, app or branch, but new customers must open a fixed rate cash ISA in branch

Account Terms The catch
5 year Fixed Rate Cash ISA
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.70% AER, fixed
Term
5 years
Min
£1
Rate as of
 Single funding window at application, and early closure carries an interest charge.
3 year Fixed Rate Cash ISA
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.65% AER, fixed
Term
3 years
Min
£1
Rate as of
 Single funding window at application, and early closure carries an interest charge.
1 year Fixed Rate Cash ISA
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.50% AER, fixed
Term
1 year
Min
£1
Rate as of
 Fund it during the application; you cannot top it up later, and withdrawing early means closing it.
1 Year Triple Access ISA
Access
Easy access
Rate
3.30% AER, variable
Then
1.05%
Term
1 year
Min
£1
Rate as of
 Three or fewer withdrawals in the year; a fourth drops the rate to 1.05% for the rest of the term.
2 year Fixed Rate Cash ISA
Access
Fixed term
Rate
4.55% AER, fixed
Term
2 years
Min
£1
Rate as of
 Fund it during the application; you cannot top it up later, and closing early costs 120 days of interest. New Nationwide customers must apply in branch.

Source: Nationwide ISA declaration, 2026-08-17 Last checked Nationwide's own page

Stocks & shares ISAs

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Nationwide

Not offered

Nationwide has no stocks and shares ISA to open. It answers the question directly, saying it does not offer investments directly, and points customers at Aegon Financial Planning for advised investing instead.

No stocks and shares ISA of its own · refers customers to Aegon

Source: Nationwide investments page, 2026-08-17 Last checked Nationwide's own page

Mortgages

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Nationwide

With strings

US persons: three years of UK address history, and no foreign currency income at all

Nationwide never asks about citizenship, and then closes two doors anyway. It refuses foreign currency income outright and wants salary paid into a UK account in sterling, and it requires a full three years of UK address history, which rules out anyone recently arrived.

Through a broker · full three year UK address history required

Account Terms The catch
First time buyer 5 year fixed
Rate
4.77%, fixed
Then
6.49% standard mortgage rate
Term
5 years
Max LTV
85%
Product fee
£999
Rate as of
 Loans from £25,000 to £299,999. 85% is the ceiling for foreign nationals.
First time buyer 2 year tracker
Rate
4.39%, tracker
Then
6.49% standard mortgage rate
Term
2 years
Max LTV
85%
Product fee
£999
Rate as of
 Base rate plus 0.64%, so the payment moves.

Source: Nationwide for intermediaries borrower types criteria, 2026-08-17 Last checked Nationwide's own page

Credit cards

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Nationwide

With strings

US persons: members only, so you must open a Nationwide account first

Nationwide's cards are for members only, so you have to open something with them first, though a savings account is enough to count. Nothing in the criteria turns on nationality: 18 or over, resident here, earning £5,000. It also owns Virgin Money now, so those are not two separate chances.

Direct · members only · also owns Virgin Money

Account Terms The catch
Member Credit Card, purchase
Representative APR
24.9% APR representative
Card fee
Free
Abroad
No foreign currency fee, worldwide
Rate as of
 You must already hold a Nationwide current account, savings account or mortgage.
Member Credit Card, balance transfer
Representative APR
24.9% APR representative
Card fee
Free
Abroad
No foreign currency fee, worldwide
Rate as of
 The interest free window on purchases runs for only three months.

Source: Nationwide credit cards pages, 2026-08-17 Last checked Nationwide's own page

Account names link to the provider's own site. momo has no active affiliate partnerships; if that changes it will be disclosed and will never change a verdict. Every institution, A to Z.

Confirm your own position with a cross-border specialist. Acceptance policies and tax rules change, and your facts may differ from the general case. Rates and terms here are the provider's published figures rather than an offer, and the provider decides each application on its own criteria. Use this as a map, not a ruling. Last checked .
Tax

FATCA

FATCA makes UK banks report accounts held by US persons to the IRS. It is not a tax; it is a reporting trail. Where it bites is access.

 Tax

ISA US tax

The IRS does not recognise the ISA wrapper. Cash ISA interest and stocks ISA gains are taxable on your US return, and fund holdings drag in PFIC rules.

 Tax

FBAR

If your foreign accounts top $10,000 combined at any point in the year, you file an FBAR. What counts, when it is due, and what happens if you miss it.

 Tax

PFIC

Almost every UK-domiciled fund is a PFIC, taxed by the US at punitive rates with heavy filing. This is why US citizens hold individual shares, not UK funds.