Barclays offers extremely high-interest rates. Their rates are higher than other banks and even other online banks. Their high yield savings account and CDs earn great interest rates. Even their short-term CDs earn higher interest rates than most other banks.
Barclays offers a Savings Assistant tool. First, input your goal. Next, decide how much you want to save and how much you have saved already. Finally, decide how much you can contribute to the account each month. With one click, the Savings Assistant tells you how long it will take you to reach your goal.
There is not a set amount to open a savings or CD account with Barclays. Their accounts do not have monthly maintenance fees. There is also not a set amount you are required to keep in the different accounts.
You have the choice of how to receive the money earned on interest. You can choose to have the money kept in the CD or transferred into your Barclays savings account. You can choose to have the money transferred to a verified external account. To set up different interest options log in to your account.
Barclays only offers one high yield savings account and CDs. They do not offer a checking account. Barclays used to offer accounts for minors but stopped in June of 2017. Even though they only offer one savings account, you can open up to 25 different accounts if needed.
Your money is not available immediately. Transfers into your Barclays account take five business days. Electronic transfers from your Barclays account to your external account take 2-3 business days. Money transferred between Barclays accounts are immediate.
There isn’t an app for the Tiered Savings account and the CD accounts. You can access your accounts and do whatever you need to do online, but not through an app.
Customer service is not available all the time. You can reach customer service through the mail or by the phone. They are open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
The EBSB Direct accounts offer good interest rates. The rates are slightly lower than other online-only accounts. They are higher than your typical brick-and-mortar bank rates.
The EBSB Direct accounts have low opening required amounts. The 15-month CD only requires $1,000 to open. The six-month CD and the money market account both require $2,500 to open.
EBSB Direct accounts are entirely online accounts. You apply for the accounts online, not at a branch location. You can make transactions for your EBSB Direct accounts at an EBSB branch location. Everything for your EBSB Direct accounts are online.
The money market account with EBSB Direct offers a debit card for you to access your money. Federal regulations allow six withdrawals per month from the money market account. There is a fee if you withdraw more than six times.
EBSB Direct only offers a money market account and two personal CD terms. The term lengths are six-months and 15-months. There are no other personal or business accounts available.
To earn the highest interest rate offered on the MMA, you must have at least $10,000 in the account. Balances from $10 to $9,999 earn interest, but a lower rate. The highest interest rate requires at least $10,000.
The money market account has a monthly fee of $8. Waive the fee by keeping at least $2,500 in the account. That is also the amount required to open the MMA. Keeping $2,500 in the account waives the fee and earns the lower interest rate.
To make electronic transfers, link your EBSB Direct accounts to an external account. You can link the accounts to another financial institution in the United States. More than one account can be linked to your EBSB Direct account.