Editor's Note: APYs listed in this article are up-to-date as of the time of publication. They may fluctuate (up or down) as the Fed rate changes. CNBC Select will update as changes are made public.
The offer mentioned below for the Laurel Road High Yield Savings® account and Laurel Road Loyalty Checking is no longer available.
The best returns we're seeing on high-yield savings accounts today is around 4% annual percentage yield (APY). If your sole focus is to maximize your savings, these are the accounts to consider. See our methodology below for more information on how we created this list.
Best 4% (or close to it) interest savings accounts
- Best for earning a high APY: My Banking Direct High Yield Savings Account
- Best for low minimum deposit: Western Alliance Bank High-Yield Savings Account
- Best for ATM card: UFB Portfolio Savings
- Best for no fees: LendingClub LevelUp Savings
- Best for no minimum deposit: Newtek Bank Personal High Yield Savings
- Best for checking/savings combo: Laurel Road High Yield Savings®
- Best for easy access to your cash: Panacea High-Yield Savings Account
- Best if you want extra help saving: Varo Savings Account
Compare offers to find the right savings account
Best for earning a high APY: My Banking Direct
Who's this for? For those who want to earn a high APY, the My Banking Direct High Yield Savings Account offers one of the best returns we found.
Standout benefits: My Banking Direct's High Yield Savings Account has a strong APY on all balance tiers with no monthly fees. A $500 minimum deposit is required to open an account.
My Banking Direct High Yield Savings Account
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
4.40% APY
Minimum balance
$500 minimum deposit
Monthly fee
None
Maximum transactions
N/A
Offer checking account?
Yes
Terms apply.
Pros
- Above-average APY
- No monthly fee
- Checking account available
Cons
- $500 minimum deposit to open account
- No physical branch locations
Best for low minimum deposit: Western Alliance
Who's this for? The Western Alliance Bank High-Yield Savings Account offers a competitive APY, one of the highest we found, and requires just a $1 minimum deposit to open an account.
Standout benefits: There's no cap to earning the high APY and there are no monthly fees.
Western Alliance Bank High-Yield Savings Account
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
3.80% APY
Minimum balance
$1 minimum deposit
Monthly fee
None
Maximum transactions
Up to 6 transactions each month
Excessive transactions fee
The bank may charge fees for non-sufficient funds
Overdraft fee
No overdraft fee
Offer checking account?
No
Offer ATM card?
No
Terms apply.
Pros
- Strong APY
- Low minimum deposit required
- No monthly fees
Cons
- Bank may charge non-sufficient funds
- Doesn't offer checking account or ATM access
- Accounts are opened and managed on Raisin.com
Best for ATM card: UFB Direct
Who's this for? For those savers on the go, UFB Portfolio Savings stands out for offering its users a free ATM card.
Standout benefits: Along with an ATM card, UFB Portfolio savers get a high APY on all balance tiers with no cap, no monthly fees and no minimum deposit requirement. Add a UFB Freedom Checking account and meet checking account qualifications to get an additional APY on savings.
- Strong APY on savings balances
- No minimum deposit or balance required for savings
- No monthly fees
- Free ATM card with unlimited withdrawals
- Free transfers between direct deposit accounts
- Online and SMS banking available
- Mobile check deposits
- Security features include fraud and anti-virus protection, SSL encryption for connection, automatic logouts after inactivity
- Potential overdraft fee, though overdraft protection is offered
- Certain types of withdrawals and transfers may be limited
- $10 excessive transaction fee per transaction over 6/month
- No physical branch locations
Best for no fees
Who's this for? The LendingClub LevelUp Savings offers a healthy APY, on top of zero monthly fees and no minimum requirements, making it the best choice for no fees.
Standout benefits: In addition to LevelUp Savings, accountholders should consider the LevelUp Checking account, which offers 1% unlimited cash back on qualified purchases with your debit card.
LendingClub LevelUp Savings Account
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
4.00% (with monthly deposits of $250 or more), or 3.00%
Minimum balance
None
Monthly fee
None
Maximum transactions
Excessive transactions fee
None
Overdraft fees
N/A
Offer checking account?
Yes
Offer ATM card?
Yes
Terms apply.
Pros
- Strong APY
- No minimum balance required
- No monthly fees
- Free ATM card and no ATM fees
Cons
- At least a $250 monthly deposit required to earn the highest APY
- No physical branch locations
Best for no minimum deposit
Who's this for? There's no minimum deposit to open a Newtek Bank Personal High Yield Savings.
Standout benefits: Newtek savers earn a respectable APY with a minimum balance requirement of just $0.01 to earn interest, and no monthly fees. There's no cap on how much interest you can earn with this APY.
Newtek Bank Personal High Yield Savings
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
4.35% APY
Minimum balance
$0.01 to earn interest
Monthly fee
None
Maximum transactions
Up to 6 free withdrawals or transfers per statement cycle; transaction amount limits apply; withdrawals from your account can only be transferred to the original external funding source
Excessive transactions fee
None
Overdraft fee
None
Offer checking account?
Only a business checking account
Offer ATM card?
Yes, if have a Newtek checking account
Terms apply.
Pros
- Strong APY
- No minimum deposit and low minimum balance
- No monthly fees
- Offers business checking account and ATM access
Cons
- Transfer limit
- Only offers a business checking account
- Mobile deposits on app only available for business accounts
Best for checking/savings combo
Who's this for? Laurel Road offers the best of both a savings and checking account: a high-yield savings and and a rewards checking.
Standout benefits: Laurel Road High Yield Savings offers a solid APY, with no caps, no minimums required and zero monthly fees. Plus, account holders of the Laurel Road Loyalty CheckingSM can earn up to $20 cash reward for every month they make qualifying ACH direct deposits during their first 12 months, and $10 for every month after that, for as long as their account is open. There's currently a $100 welcome bonus, too.
Best for easy access to your cash
Who's this for? We like the Panacea High-Yield Savings Account for being accessible: Account holders can make unlimited withdrawals each month from their savings. This bank is especially ideal for those in the health care industry, like doctors and their families.
Standout benefits: Anyone can open Panacea's High-Yield Savings Account with a minimum $25 deposit. There are zero monthly fees.
Panacea High-Yield Savings Account
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
3.80% APY
Minimum balance
$25 minimum deposit
Monthly fee
None
Maximum transactions
There are no restrictions on number of withdrawals per month from savings account
Excessive transactions fee
None
Overdraft fee
None
Offer checking account?
Yes
Offer ATM card?
Yes, if have a Panacea checking account
Terms apply.
Pros
- Strong APY
- No minimum balance
- Minimum deposit is low
- No monthly fees
- Unlimited transactions
- No overdraft fee
- Option to add a checking account with ATM access
Cons
- Minimum deposit required to open account
- No physical branch locations
Best if you want extra help saving
Who's this for? For those who need tools to help them save more, online bank Varo offers two programs that automatically transfer money from their checking account to their savings account: 1) Save Your Pay, which transfers a percentage of the account holder's paycheck into their savings, and 2) Save Your Change, which rounds up the account holder's checking account transactions to the nearest dollar and transfers the difference to their savings.
Standout benefits: The Varo Savings Account has no monthly fees and users can qualify to earn an attractive APY on balances up to $5,000 by meeting two requirements:
- Receive $1,000 or more in direct deposits per month
- End the month with a positive balance in both their Varo Bank Account and Varo Savings Account
For savers that max their balance to $5,000, that's $250 in interest earnings in a year. Varo savers earn a lower APY on any additional balance over $5,000, and there is no minimum balance required to earn this APY.
Varo Savings Account
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
Start earning 2.50% APY, then qualify to earn 5.00% APY on your balance up to $5,000.00 by receiving direct deposit(s) totaling $1,000 or more; and end the month with a positive balance in all your Varo accounts.
Minimum balance
$0.01 to earn interest
Monthly fee
None
Maximum transactions
Up to 6 free withdrawals or transfers per statement cycle
Excessive transactions fee
None
Overdraft fee
None
Offer checking account?
Yes
Offer ATM card?
Yes, if have a Varo Bank Account
Terms apply.
Read our Varo Savings Account review.
Pros
- Strong APY and option to earn even higher
- No minimum deposit and low minimum balance
- No monthly fees
- Option to add a checking account with ATM access
- Offers 2 programs to help automate your savings
Cons
- Have to meet requirements to earn higher APY
- Cash deposits are only available through third-party services, which charge a fee
Compare offers to find the right savings account
How to choose a 4% interest savings account
When choosing a 4% APY savings account, be mindful of the fine print. Banks tout above-average APYs that often come with caveats.
Typical conditions might include a cap to how much you can earn the high APY on; for instance, earning 4% APY but only on a balance up to $1,000. This can limit your interest earnings so you really can only maximize your savings so much.
Another condition may be requiring a high minimum deposit to open a 4% APY account or to earn interest. Just make sure that the minimum is an amount you were planning to put into a savings account originally.
How to apply for a 4% interest savings account
To apply for a 4% APY savings account, go to the website of the account you wish to open. Most savings accounts take not even 10 minutes to apply and just require a government-issued ID like a passport or driver's license, Social Security number, address, contact information, date of birth and a checking account routing number to deposit money.
Navigating high-yield savings rates
This list is a good place to begin your search for a high-yield savings account offering one of the most attractive returns on your cash. You can't go wrong with any of these accounts when it comes to earning a good return, as they are all in the ballpark range of 4% APY.
Navigate the varying rates by focusing on what else is most important to you — maybe it's an account with easy access to your cash, one with an ATM card or one that has tools to help you save more.
Alternatives to 4% savings accounts
If a 4% savings account isn't for you, consider other savings vehicles that offer competitive returns, like CDs or money market accounts — the former rewards you with a fixed rate for locking up your funds for a fixed amount of time and the latter offers checking account privileges so you can more easily access your funds.
If you're willing to take on some risk, you can also invest in the market through low-cost index funds, which diversify your money across all different companies. Though the market offers more risk, there are potentially better returns.
CDs
If locking your money away for a set time sounds doable, CDs could be a smart move. They offer a fixed interest rate, so you know exactly what you'll earn while your funds grow safely without any surprises.
Money market accounts
Money market accounts give you the best of both worlds: better interest than a regular savings account, plus some checking account perks, like limited check-writing. It's a flexible way to keep your money working while staying accessible.
Index funds
If you're open to a bit of risk for the chance of higher returns, index funds are worth considering. They spread your money across many companies, so you're not betting on just one. You can invest in them easily through online brokerages or retirement accounts. While the market can be unpredictable, the long-term rewards can be much better.
FAQs
What does APY mean?
APY stands for "annual percentage yield," and it's basically defined as the amount of interest an account earns in a year.
What high-yield savings account has the highest APY?
Currently, the My Banking Direct High Yield Savings Account (listed above) stands out as offering one of the highest interest rates.
What APY do other banks offer?
Banks offering high-yield savings accounts have rates ranging from 3% to 4% APY. But this is just for high-yield accounts. Traditional savings accounts offer APYs that are more in line with the national savings average of below half of 1%.
Can you lose money in a high-yield savings account?
There's a near-zero risk of capital loss when you open a savings account at an FDIC-insured bank, as your account is insured for up to $250,000. Interest rates may decrease, but your cash will not. Theoretically, your money would lose value if the inflation rate is higher than your APY, but that's no different than a traditional savings account. So, opening a high-yield savings account is safe and worth considering.
Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every savings account review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of banking products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best 5% savings accounts.
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Our methodology
To determine which interest savings accounts made this list, CNBC Select compared dozens of U.S. savings accounts offered by online and brick-and-mortar banks, including large credit unions. We narrowed down our picks by only considering those savings accounts that offer an APY of around 5% (at minimum 4.50% APY), along with low (or no) minimum balance requirements. Some banks offer around a 5% APY but only up to a cap; in these cases, we didn't include those that limited the high APY to a balance of $1,000 or less. We also took into consideration the fallback APY offered once the balance limit to earn the high APY is reached.
All accounts on this list are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per depositor. Note that the rates and fee structures for interest savings accounts are not guaranteed forever; they are subject to change without notice and they often fluctuate in accordance with the Fed rate. Your earnings depend on any associated fees and the balance you have in your interest savings account. To open an account, most banks and institutions require a deposit of new money, meaning you can't transfer the money you already had in an account at that bank.
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