SmartyPig accounts do not have monthly maintenance fees. There is not a required amount to keep in the account. The first initial deposit to open the account is $25.

This savings account offers tiered interest rates. This means the more money you have in the account, the more interest you will earn. The interest rates do not vary much between tiers. The difference from a low amount to the higher amount is around 0.05%.

With this SmartyPig account, you can set up different savings goals. The savings accounts can be long-term, like saving for a college education. They can also be short term, like saving for a mountain bike or birthday party. You can transfer money from your SmartyPig primary account to different savings goals.

The best way to save money is to set up direct withdrawals. You set up when you want the money to come out of your account and how much to withdraw. Then, SmartyPig does the rest. Once the money is deposited into your account, you can transfer it into different savings goal. The withdrawals can be set up to occur monthly or biweekly.

SmartyPig has only one account offered: a high yield savings account. They do not offer checking accounts, CDs, money market accounts, or business accounts. The interest rate on this savings account is considerably higher than other banks savings accounts.

The website says you can withdraw money anytime, but federal regulation only allows six withdrawals per billing cycle. This includes transfers between your SmartyPig primary account and your different savings goals. The transfer or withdrawal will not take place if you have made more than six in a billing cycle. If you repeatedly try to make more than six, your account will be closed. Once you reach your goal, you cannot withdraw part of your money back to your external funding source. You must withdraw it all, or transfer the money between other savings goals.

This account is not meant for high account balances. There is a maximum account balance of $250,000. If your account has $250,000, you will earn interest on the money in the account, but you cannot add to the account.

Each SmartyPig account is only allowed to have one external funding source set up for it. That means you can only have one bank account connected to each SmartyPig account. You can change your external funding source if you want, but never have more than one.

Read the full SmartyPig review.

The interest rates for most Connexus accounts are competitive. The CDs and checking accounts offer rates competitive with other online accounts. The HSA and money market account also offer competitive rates. These rates are higher than typical brick-and-mortar bank rates. The Connexus regular saving account does not offer rates competitive with other online accounts.

The personal deposit accounts with Connexus do not have monthly maintenance fees. There are no required amounts to keep in accounts to avoid fees. The checking, money market, and savings accounts are completely free. The HSA account has a fee and the business checking account does as well, if your balance falls below $200.

The Connexus Xtraordinary checking account offers ATM fee reimbursements. ATM transactions are free at any Connexus, CO-OP, and MoneyPass ATMs. The Xtraordinary checking allows up to $25 in ATM fee refunds. You must meet the account requirements to earn the ATM refund.

Connexus Credit Union offers a good variety of personal deposit accounts. They offer:

• Xtraordinary checking account
• Teen checking account
• Money market account
• Savings account
• CD terms of 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60-months
• Holiday savings account
• Health savings accounts

To open Connexus accounts, you must first become a member of the credit union. Employees of certain businesses or residents of certain cities qualify to become members. Relatives of members also qualify. You can become a member with a one-time $5 donation to the Connexus Association. Just because you apply does not mean you qualify to become a member. It can take up to three business days to hear if you receive approval.

The CDs through Connexus Credit Union all have high opening balances. Each of the CD terms requires $5,000 to open. Their CDs include 12, 24, 36, 42, or 60-month terms. The interest rates are competitive for each term length.

The Connexus money market account has tiered interest rates. To earn the most competitive rates requires an account balance of $100,000. Balances below $100,000 still earn interest, just not the most competitive rate.

The Connexus checking accounts have requirements you must meet to earn competitive rates. Those include eStatements, one direct deposit, and one online bill payment each month. You must also make a set amount of debit card transactions each month. If you meet these requirements, you earn the competitive rates. If you do not meet them, you are not charged a fee, but you do not earn the best rates.

Read the full Connexus Credit Union review.