State Farm Bank VS SmartyPig

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 2.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.5 Star Icon
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Pros:

  • Reimbursement of ATM fees
  • Variety of personal deposit accounts
  • Most accounts have low opening amounts
  • Money market has competitive rates

Cons:

  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • High opening balance for MMA
  • Highest interest only introductory
  • Daily limits for ATM withdrawals
  • 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
State Farm Bank Review

State Farm Bank reimburses for fees charged at non-State Farm Bank ATMs. Fees are reimbursed if you have a direct deposit into the account you are withdrawing money from. If you do not have a direct deposit into that account, State Farm Bank will reimburse up to $10 each month in ATM fees.

A variety of different accounts are available through State Farm Bank. They offer a regular checking account and an interest-earning checking account. Savings and money market accounts are available. Accounts for minors, education, and retirement accounts are offered. CD terms range from 12-months to 5-years.

Most State Farm personal deposit accounts have low opening amounts. The saving account requires $100 to open. The regular checking account only requires $25. To open the interest checking account requires $100. Each of the different CDs requires $500 to open.

The State Farm Bank money market account offers a competitive interest rate. That account offers interest that is competitive with other online accounts. After the introductory period, met the qualifications to earn the competitive rate.

State Farm Bank accounts have a monthly fee and required balances to keep in the accounts. The fees range from $3 to $10 each month. The amounts required to keep in the accounts ranges from $100 to $500 for personal accounts. Having an electronic direct deposit into the account each month will waive the monthly fees.

The State Farm Bank money market earns competitive interest, but it has the highest required balances. To open this account requires $1,000. Waive the fee for this account by having a direct deposit into the account and keeping a $500 balance.

The most competitive rate is only an introductory rate for the money market account. You will receive the introductory rate for the first five billing cycles. After that time, if you have another State Farm qualifying account, you will earn the Relationship Rates which are lower, but still competitive.

State Farm Bank limits how much money you can withdraw from an ATM each day. The limit for State Farm Bank personal deposit accounts is $500 per day. There is also a limit to how much you can make in purchases each day. The purchase limit for debit cards is $3,500 per business day.

Read the full State Farm Bank review.

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.

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