Don’t sift through 530 cash Isas — just pick one of these...

Sifting through the 530- plus cash isa accounts currently on sale is no easy task.

But you have only a few days left to do so if you want to find the best place for your isa allowance of up to £20,000 for this tax year, before it disappears on April 5.

it’s easy to put the job off, so i have come up with a guide to the best deals depending on how you want to manage your account.

the good news is that cash isas are paying around the same rate as ordinary accounts, so they should be your first port of call.

And the fact that inflation has dropped from 4 pc to 3.4 pc, while the Bank of England base rate stayed at 5.25 pc last week, should bring a smile to your face. it means we can earn a better return on our money in real terms. But in order to beat inflation you need to earn more than the average easy-access isa rate, which is 3.32 pc according to data scrutineers Moneyfacts. And here’s how you do it.

if you are happy to open an easyaccess cash isa through an app, Chip pays 5.1 pc on £1 or more.

its appeal is a good rate that is linked to the Bank of England base rate. Yes, that is expected to go down later this year, and so would your rate, but at least you know that it won’t be unfairly slashed by more than the base rate, as is often the case with other easyaccess accounts.

the rate is below the 5.17 pc launched by Plum yesterday, but here you are limited to making three withdrawals a year. Plum’s rate also includes a 0.88 percentage point bonus, which lasts only for a year so you will have to look to move your money then.

if you would prefer an online account, then go for Charter Savings Bank (5.03 pc on a minimum £5,000), Kent Reliance (5.1 pc on £1,000 plus) and Cynergy Bank (5 pc on £1 plus). Kent Reliance offers 5.1 pc through its branches too. next best on the High Street is the Epsom-based family BS Market tracker isa at 4.86 pc on £500 or more, followed by Swansea BS, which pays 4.25 pc on £1 or more.

if you are fine with not making many withdrawals from your account, then Yorkshire BS

Double Access isa and Coventry BS four Access isa — both at 4.55 pc on £1 plus — are possible contenders.

Keen to tie your money up for a year? You’ll get around the same rate as with easyaccess accounts, but with rates expected to head south during the second half of this year you could be better off in the long run than sticking to an easyaccess account.

top rates include Oaknorth (online) and Kent Reliance ( online and through its branches) at 5.07 pc. they are closely followed by online banks Aldermore, Charter Savings Bank and Paragon, all at 5.05 pc.

On the High Street, Leeds BS pays 4.8 pc and West Bromwich BS 4.7 pc. Skipton BS pays 4.75 pc for 18 months.