Best High-Yield Savings Accounts

A high-yield savings account pays many times what an ordinary bank savings account pays. The FDIC puts the national average for savings at 0.38% APY in its August 17, 2026figures, so the gap is worth real money on any balance. We do not print each bank’s rate on this page. Savings rates move without notice, and a figure that is a few weeks old can be wrong by a full percentage point. What we compare is the part that does not move: minimum balances, monthly fees, ATM access, how the rate is tiered, and FDIC cover. Every account links to the bank’s own rate page so you read today’s number at the source.

Account details on this page were last checked on August 23, 2026. We do not publish a bank’s APY here, because savings rates change without notice and a stale number is worse than none. Use the link by each account to see the rate the bank is paying right now. National averages come from the FDIC National Rates and Rate Caps.

How the links on this page work: They go directly to the provider, and we are paid nothing if you open an account. We hold no compensated relationship with any bank on this page today. We may add approved affiliate relationships later, and if we do this notice will say so and compensated links will be marked as sponsored. Either way the order of the list follows the published methodology, not a payout. How this site makes money.

High-yield savings accounts compared on fees, access and terms
#	Account	Rate structure	Min. Balance	Monthly Fee	ATM	FDIC	Current rate
1	CIT Bank Platinum Savings	Tiered by balance	$5,000 for the top tier	$0	No	Yes	Check
2	Marcus by Goldman Sachs	One rate at any balance	$0	$0	No	Yes	Check
3	American Express High Yield Savings	One rate at any balance	$0	$0	No	Yes	Check
4	Capital One 360 Performance Savings	One rate at any balance	$0	$0	Branch only, not at an ATM	Yes	Check
5	Synchrony High Yield Savings	One rate at any balance	$0	$0	Yes, with an optional ATM card	Yes	Check

What happened to Discover Online Savings

You cannot open one any more. Capital One completed its purchase of Discover on 18 May 2025, Discover stopped taking new deposit account applications in late January 2026, and its savings page now redirects to Capital One 360 Performance Savings. If you already hold a Discover savings account, that relationship moved to Capital One. We checked this on 23 August 2026. It is worth saying plainly because Discover still appears as an open option on a lot of comparison pages that have not been updated.

CIT Bank Platinum Savings

FDIC insured · Min: $5,000 for the top tier · Fee: $0

Tiered by balance

Rate structure

Pros

No monthly fee
FDIC insured to $250,000 per depositor, per bank, per ownership category
Rate is usually near the top of the market

Cons

The headline rate needs a $5,000 balance
Below that threshold the rate drops steeply
No ATM card

Check today’s rate at CIT Model it in the calculator

Marcus by Goldman Sachs

FDIC insured · Min: $0 · Fee: $0

One rate at any balance

Rate structure

Pros

No minimum balance
No monthly fee
Same rate whether you hold $100 or $100,000

Cons

No paired checking account
Transfers out take one to three business days

Check today’s rate at Marcus Model it in the calculator

American Express High Yield Savings

FDIC insured · Min: $0 · Fee: $0

One rate at any balance

Rate structure

Pros

No minimum balance
No monthly fee
Uses the same login as an existing Amex card

Cons

No ATM card
No branch network

Check today’s rate at American Model it in the calculator

Capital One 360 Performance Savings

FDIC insured · Min: $0 · Fee: $0

One rate at any balance

Rate structure

Pros

The only account here with physical branches and cafés
No minimum balance and no monthly fee
Now also the home for former Discover savings customers

Cons

Rate has often trailed the online-only banks

Check today’s rate at Capital Model it in the calculator

Synchrony High Yield Savings

FDIC insured · Min: $0 · Fee: $0

One rate at any balance

Rate structure

Pros

Offers an ATM card, which most online savings accounts do not
No minimum balance and no monthly fee

Cons

No branch network
No paired checking account

Check today’s rate at Synchrony Model it in the calculator

What to do next

Want to know when the savings landscape changes?

We will email you when the Federal Reserve moves its target rate, when the FDIC publishes new national averages, and when we publish a newly verified comparison. We do not track individual banks’ APYs and we will not pretend to, so this is an infrequent email about things that genuinely change the picture.

Email only. We never send your calculator figures anywhere, they are worked out on your device. Every email has an unsubscribe link, and you can reply to any of them to come off the list.

Ready to see how much you will earn?

Enter any APY above into the calculator and see your 5-year growth.

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Frequently asked questions

Which high-yield savings account pays the most?

It changes, often monthly, so any figure printed on a comparison page goes out of date quickly. That is why we link to each bank's own rate page instead of publishing a number. What is stable is the shape of each offer. CIT Bank pays its headline rate only above a $5,000 balance, while Marcus, American Express, Capital One and Synchrony pay one rate at any balance. Check the tier rules before the headline number, because a tiered account can pay very little on a small balance.

What is a good APY for a high-yield savings account?

Compare it against the national average rather than against a fixed target. The FDIC put the average savings rate at 0.38% APY in its August 17, 2026 figures, and the average money market rate at 0.63%. A competitive online savings account pays several times that. If an account pays anywhere near the national average it is not really a high-yield account, whatever it is called.

Are these banks safe?

Yes. All five accounts are FDIC insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per bank. FDIC insurance is backed by the U.S. government and has never failed to pay a covered depositor.

How often do these rates change?

Banks can change HYSA rates at any time. Rates usually move within weeks of a Federal Reserve rate decision. Check the bank's rate page before you open the account.

Can I switch HYSAs later if I find a higher rate?

Yes. Closing a HYSA does not trigger a CD-style early-withdrawal penalty, though individual banks can set their own closure, transfer or dormancy rules. Many savers move money to whichever bank has the top rate at the moment. The downside is the paperwork of opening and closing accounts.

Do HYSAs charge monthly fees?

None of the five accounts above charge monthly fees. Some traditional banks charge $5 to $15 per month for savings accounts, but online HYSAs almost never do.

What is the catch with HYSAs?

There is no catch on the safety side. The rate is variable, so the APY can drop later. Most HYSAs do not offer checks or debit cards, so they work best as a place to grow savings, not for daily spending.

How we ranked these accounts

We order accounts by how well they suit a saver holding an ordinary balance, weighing minimum balance gates, monthly fees, ATM access and whether the rate is tiered. We do not rank by APY, because we do not publish APYs: rates move without notice and we have no maintained feed that would keep a figure honest between updates. Each account links to the bank’s own rate page instead. The methodology page has full math transparency. Primary data sources: FDIC weekly national rates and each bank's published rate page.