Momo
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 7 account types. 5 are open to a US person (2 with strings) and 2 are 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 last updated.

At a glance

Account type Verdict Accounts Updated
Current accounts Accepts US citizens 3
Savings accounts Accepts US citizens 7
Cash ISAs Nationwide Accepts US citizens 5
Stocks & shares ISAs Nationwide Not offered —
Mortgages Nationwide Accepts with conditions 2
Credit cards Nationwide Accepts with conditions 2
Junior cash ISAs Nationwide Not offered —

Current accounts

Compare with other providers
Accepts US citizens
Updated

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 Nationwide Building Society's own page

Savings accounts

Compare with other providers
Accepts US citizens
Updated

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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

Cash ISAs

Compare with other providers

Nationwide

Accepts US citizens
Updated

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.
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.
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.

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

Stocks & shares ISAs

Compare with other providers

Nationwide

Not offered
Updated

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 Nationwide's own page

Mortgages

Compare with other providers

Nationwide

Accepts with conditions
Updated

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 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.
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.

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

Credit cards

Compare with other providers

Nationwide

Accepts with conditions
Updated

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
Purchase and balance transfer credit card
Representative APR
24.9% APR representative
Card fee
Free
Abroad
No foreign currency fee, worldwide
Rate as of
 0% interest on purchases and on balance transfers for 15 months. Balance transfer fee is 2.99% (minimum £5) if transferred within 90 days of account opening, or 2.4% (minimum £5) after that. You must already hold a Nationwide current account, savings account or mortgage, be 18 or over, UK resident, and earn £5,000 or more a year before tax. Cannot get the 0% offer if you've had a Nationwide credit card in the last 12 months.
Balance transfer credit card
Representative APR
24.9% APR representative
Card fee
Free
Abroad
No foreign currency fee, worldwide
Rate as of
 0% interest on balance transfers for 30 months and on purchases for 3 months. Balance transfer fee is 2.99% (minimum £5) if transferred within 90 days of account opening, or 2.4% (minimum £5) after that. Same eligibility as the purchase and balance transfer card: existing Nationwide current account, savings account or mortgage, 18 or over, UK resident, £5,000+ income.

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

Junior cash ISAs

Compare with other providers

Nationwide

Not offered
Updated

Nationwide says it does not offer Junior ISAs and sells only adult cash ISAs; its children's range is the FlexOne Saver and the Children's Future Saver. The Smart Junior ISA terms are still published for existing holders and contain no US wording, but the account is not on sale.

Source: Nationwide children's savings accounts page, 2026-09-11 Nationwide's own page

Account names link to the provider's own site. No link on this page is paid. How Momo makes money. 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

Do UK banks report your account to the IRS? Yes, through HMRC, under FATCA. It is a reporting law, not a tax. Where it bites is access.

 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

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

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.