DollarSavingsDirect VS Key Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 2.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
4.25%APY
Savings/MMA
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Pros:

  • No minimum balance or monthly fees
  • High-interest rates offered
  • Accounts are entirely online
  • CD terms with competitive interest rates

Cons:

  • Limited personal deposit accounts
  • Must link to an external checking account
  • No business accounts available
  • Deposits are held for five days
  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Savings account for kids
  • Many CD term length options
  • Business accounts are available
  • Relationship Rewards on certain accounts

Cons:

  • Low-interest rates and monthly fees
  • Amounts to waive fees is high
  • Not all checking accounts earn interest
  • High required amounts to open CDs
DollarSavingsDirect Review

Dollar Savings Direct does not require you to keep a specific amount in their accounts. There are no monthly fees for their savings account. As with all CDs, you will be charged a fee if you withdraw your money before the maturity date.

The interest rates for Dollar Savings Direct accounts are competitive. The interest rates are much higher than your typical brick and mortar banks. They are competitive with other online-only accounts. Any balance in the savings account and CDs earn the highest interest rates. There is not a specific amount required to earn those rates.

Everything for your Dollar Savings Account is online. You open your account online. To transfer money, you must link account to an external checking account. Transfer the money electronically between the two accounts. You can access everything for your account online.

Dollar Savings Direct has five different CD terms. Each of the different terms has competitive interest rates. All the CDs at Dollar Savings Direct required $1,000 to open. The terms range from six months to a five-year term. The longer the term, the higher the interest rates. Fees only apply if you withdraw the money before the maturity date.

Dollar Savings Direct only offers a savings account and CDs. No checking accounts or money market account are available. There are five different CD term lengths offered. Those terms are 6-months, one-year, 16-month, two-year, and five-year.

Dollar Savings Direct requires you link account to an external checking account. You can transfer money between the saving account and the linked external account. You can link another external checking account to the savings account after 60 days. The names on all accounts must match.

There are no business accounts offered through Dollar Savings Direct. The only accounts offered are personal deposit accounts. One saving account and five different CD term lengths are available.

Any deposit made into a Dollar Savings Direct savings account must be in the account for five days. You cannot withdraw the money until after the five days. Once the money is in the account five days, you can transfer the money.

Read the full DollarSavingsDirect review.

Key Bank Review

KeyBank offers a savings account for kids 18 years old and younger. Their parent or guardian must have a KeyBank account. This account only requires $10 to open. There are no monthly fees or balance requirements. This savings account earns interest.

KeyBank has a variety of CD term lengths, including short-term CDs. The short-term lengths vary from seven days to six months. There are a number of tiered CD accounts. The terms vary from six months to 10 years with many options in between. The jumbo CDs range from seven days to 11 months.

KeyBank offers a variety of business accounts. Checking, savings, and CD accounts are available. A Mastercard and business loans are offered. Other business services include wire transfers and HSA accounts. Automated tax payments, electronic payments, and invoicing are other features of the business accounts.

KeyBank checking account and reward credit card holders earn rewards points. Points are earned by making debit and credit card transactions. Earn points by using online banking, ATMs, and mobile deposits. Direct deposit, automatic debits and credits, and online statements also qualify. Redeem points for gift cards, cash back, travel, and other items. There is an annual fee to earn rewards. Key Privilege or Key Privilege Select checking accounts do not have the annual fee.

The interest rates on KeyBank accounts are lower than other online-only accounts. The rates are competitive with typical bank rates. Most all KeyBank accounts have a monthly maintenance fee. The only checking account without fees is the KeyBank Hassle-Free account. That account does not earn interest. All KeyBank savings accounts have a monthly fee except the kids account.

The amounts required to waive the monthly maintenance fees are high. The lowest amount required for checking accounts is $500. The other checking accounts require $10,000 to $100,000. KeyBank savings accounts require $300 to $25,000 to waive the monthly maintenance fees.

Not all KeyBank checking accounts earn interest. The only two interest earning accounts are the most expensive accounts to keep open. To waive the monthly fee you must keep $10,000 to $100,000 in KeyBank accounts. You can also waive the fee by having a mortgage through KeyBank. Direct deposits totaling $1,000 to $5,000 each month also waives the fee.

The amount required to open a CD is $2,500 for the short term CDs and the tiered CDs. The jumbo CDs require $100,000 to open. You earn Relationship Reward points for opening any of the KeyBank CDs.

Read the full Key Bank review.

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