SmartyPig VS Home Savings

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Free savings account
  • Tiered Interest Rates
  • Set up multiple goals
  • Direct withdrawals

Cons:

  • Only offer one type of account
  • Six withdrawals allowed per month
  • Maximum account balance
  • One external funding source allowed
  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
Advertiser Disclosure
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Pros:

  • Variety of personal deposit accounts
  • Low opening requires amounts
  • Business accounts available
  • Online CDs offers competitive rates

Cons:

  • Cannot open all accounts online
  • Tiered interest rates for MMA
  • Low interest rates
  • High yield accounts have high opening sum
SmartyPig Review

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.

Home Savings Review

Home Savings offers a variety of personal deposit accounts. They offer interest earning and free checking accounts. They offer a checking account for students and those over 50 years old. They offer a holiday savings account and savings accounts for kids and youth. Home Savings offers an online savings account and CDs. The CDs range from 28-days to five-year terms.

Most accounts have low opening requires amounts. The online savings account requires $50 to open. The holiday savings and youth savings accounts require $10 to open. Most checking accounts requires $25 to open. The interest earning checking does require $100 and must be opened in a branch location. The regular CDs require $500 to open.

Home Savings offers a variety of business accounts. They offer checking and savings accounts for small or commercial businesses. Lending options, money market accounts, and deposit services are also offered for businesses. You must visit a branch location to open business accounts.

Home Savings offers two CDs, for new investments, with competitive rates. The terms are an 18-month and 36-month CD. Money deposited in these CDs cannot be from other accounts in Home Savings accounts. The interest rates are competitive with other online CD accounts. These CDs require $500 to open and can be opened online.

Not all Home Savings accounts can open online. Some accounts require visiting a branch location, including the interest-earning checking account. Visit a branch to open the holiday savings account and savings accounts for kids.

The MMA and the Platinum savings accounts have tiered interest rates. These accounts require a $100,000 balance to earn the best rates. Balances lower than $100,000 still earn interest, just lower rates.

Most Home Savings accounts do not offer competitive interest rates. Some accounts have tiered interest rates. Other accounts have interest rates similar to typical brick and mortar bank rates. Only a few accounts offer rates competitive with online accounts.

The high yield Home Savings accounts have high required opening amounts. The Platinum savings account requires $5,000 to open. The money market account requires $10,000 to open. The money market account can be opened online. To open the Platinum Savings requires a branch location.

Read the full Home Savings review.

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