The required amounts to open Comenity Direct accounts are low. The Comenity Direct savings account requires $100 to open. Each of the CDs offered through Comenity Direct require $1,500 to open.

The interest rates for Comenity Direct accounts are competitive. Their rates are much higher than typical bank rates. They are competitive with other online accounts. To earn interest on CDs, you must keep $1,500 in the CD. The high-yield savings account only requires $1.00 to earn interest.

Comenity Direct accounts do not have monthly maintenance fees. There are not set account balances required to avoid the monthly fees. Their accounts are free. The CDs have a fee if you withdraw the money before the maturity date, but no monthly fee.

All Comenity Direct accounts can be opened online. You do not need to visit a branch location or mail in part of the application. The entire account opening process is online. You must be at least 18 years old and have a social security number. You must be a resident of the United States with an address. You cannot open an account with a P.O. Box.

Comenity Direct offers limited accounts. They offer a high-yield savings account and CDs. The CD terms range from one to five-years. There are no CD terms shorter than one year. Comenity Direct does not offer checking or money market accounts.

Comenity Direct accounts require a linked external account. You can link an account with your current bank. Once you link the two accounts, you can transfer money electronically. You can also have money directly deposited into your Comenity Direct account.

The Comenity Direct high-yield savings account does not offer checks or debit cards. Federal law allows for six withdrawals each billing statement from a savings account. Make withdrawals through electronic transfers into the linked external bank account.

Comenity Direct offers CD terms from one to five-years. The early withdrawal fees for these CDs are high compared to other online CDs. For terms from 12-months to three-years, the fee is 180 days of interest. For terms four-years or longer, the fee is 365 days of interest.

Read the full Comenity Direct review.

The interest rates for Sun Canyon are higher than typical bank rates, but lower than online accounts. The accounts do have tiered interest rates. But even the lowest tier rates are higher than typical bank rates.

Sun Canyon Bank offers online accounts. Those accounts include:

• Checking account
• Savings account
• Money market account
• Standard CDs in 6, 12, and 24-month terms

Sun Canyon allows for eight ATM transactions each month, or up to $25 per billing cycle, free of fees. The other banking institution may charge a fee. Sun Canyon will not charge a fee for those first ATM transactions.

Through the mobile app, you can make purchases and payments with Sun Canyon Digital Wallet. You load your debit card into the mobile app. You can then make purchases. Sun Canyon also supports Apple, Google, and Samsung Pay.

Most Sun Canyon accounts have fees. The money market fee is $10. To avoid fees, you must keep at least $2,500 in the account. The savings account has a fee of $5 per month. To avoid this fee, you must have a balance of at least $250. The checking account has a fee of $5 if you have less than $5,000 in your checking account. To waive the fees, you can also have set combined balances. The savings account requires $2,500 in combined accounts. The MMA requires $5,000, and the checking account requires $20,000 in combined accounts.

The opening required amounts for Sun Canyon accounts are high. The savings account requires $250 to open. The checking account requires $1,000 to open. The CDs all require $1,000 to open. The money market account requires $2,500. You must keep these amounts in the accounts to avoid the monthly fees.

Apply for an account with Sun Canyon by filling out an application online. Once your application is complete, customer service sends an email when the account activates. You can start using the account once you receive the email.

To earn the most competitive rates, you must have a high account balance. The checking account requires $50,000 for the best rates and the money market requires $100,000. The savings account requires $250,000. Balance over $250 for the savings account and over $2,500 for the MMA and checking accounts earn interest, just not the highest rate.

Read the full Sun Canyon Bank review.