Citizens Access VS Synchrony Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
4.50%APY
Savings/MMA
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Pros:

  • No monthly maintenance fees
  • Competitive interest rates
  • Any account balance earns interest
  • Good variety of CD terms

Cons:

  • High opening required amounts
  • Must link accounts to external bank
  • No ATM or debit cards or checks
  • Limited accounts offered
  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
2.25%APY
Savings/MMA
Advertiser Disclosure
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Pros:

  • No monthly fees or required balances
  • Variety of CD terms available
  • Competitive interest rates
  • Reimbursed ATM fees

Cons:

  • Best perks require Diamond member
  • No checking account offered
  • High opening amounts for CDs
  • Tiered interest rates not offered
Citizens Access Review

Looking for Citizens Bank? Click here for our review on the local bank.

Citizens Access bank accounts do not have any fees. There are no monthly maintenance fees or fees to open the account. The Citizens Access savings account is completely free. The only fee with the CDs comes if you withdraw money before the maturity date.

The online savings account and each of the CD terms earn competitive interest rates. Citizens Access rates are much higher than your typical brick and mortar bank rates. They are competitive with other online accounts. To earn the most competitive rate requires a balance of $5,000 in each account.

Any account balance in the Citizens Access savings account earns interest. If the account balance falls below $5,000 the interest you earn is less, but you still earn interest. To earn the most competitive rate requires a $5,000 balance in the account.

Citizens Access offers a good variety of CD terms. Those terms range from six-month terms to five-years. Each of these CDs requires $5,000 to open. The interest rates are competitive on each term. The longer the CD term, the higher the interest rate.

To open an online savings account or CD with Citizen Access requires a large sum. Each of these accounts requires $5,000 to open the accounts. To earn the most competitive interest rate requires a balance of $5,000.

To transfer money in and out of your Citizens Access account you must link to an external bank account. That account can be a different banking institution. Once you link the accounts, you can transfer money electronically between the two accounts. To withdraw money, you could request a check.

Currently, Citizens Access does not offer ATM cards, debit cards, or checks for their online savings account. Access your money easiest through electronic transfers. You can call customer service to request a check.

Citizens Access has a limited variety of account. Only personal deposit savings account and CDs are available. No personal checking accounts or money market accounts are available. There are no business accounts offered.

Read the full Citizens Access review.

Synchrony Bank Review

The high yield savings account and money market account do not have any monthly fees. Synchrony does not require a set amount be kept in their accounts. There is no required amount to open a savings or money market account.

Synchrony offers a variety of CD term lengths. The terms range from three months to five years. As with any CD, the longer the term length, the higher the interest rates offered on the account. There are no monthly fees for the CD accounts. A fee is charged if you withdraw your money before the CD reaches maturity.

The interest rates for all Synchrony accounts are competitive. The savings and money market accounts and CDs are much higher than your typical bank rates. They are competitive with other online-only accounts.

Synchrony will refund the ATM fees charged by other financial institutions. The fees for every account holder will be reimbursed up to $5 each billing cycle. If you are a Diamond Reward member, you will receive unlimited ATM reimbursements.

All customers receive some perks for being an account holder with Synchrony bank. To earn the best perks, you must become a Diamond Reward member. To qualify to be a Diamond Reward member, you must have over $250,000 in Synchrony accounts. You must also be a customer for at least five years.

There is no checking account offered through Synchrony Bank. They offer a high yield savings account, money market account, and CDs.

The amount required to open a CD is high. Synchrony offers a variety of different CD terms. To open any of the terms requires $2,000 as a minimum opening deposit.

The savings and money market rates do not increase based on how much money you invest. If you invest $1,000 or $250,000, you will earn the same interest rate for each amount. Some banks offer tiered interest rates based on how much money you invest in the account.

Read the full Synchrony Bank review.

Sponsored Offers

Advertiser Disclosure
Jenius Bank
Savings (Rate as of 3/29/2024)
APY 5.25%
Rate 5.25%
For APY $0
Monthly Fee $0.00
Checkbook No
Member FDIC. No fees. Easy deposits and quick withdrawals.
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Barclays
Savings (Rate as of 3/29/2024)
APY 4.35%
Rate 4.35%
For APY $0
Monthly Fee $0.00
Checkbook No
Member FDIC
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