VirtualBank VS Applied Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 4.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Low required opening deposit
  • Competitive interest rates on accounts
  • eMoney Market account offers high rates
  • Online and Mobile Banking

Cons:

  • Monthly fees on accounts
  • High-interest rates require large amounts
  • CDs require a large opening deposit
  • No checking accounts offered
  • Financial Rates: 1.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.5 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 3.5 Star Icon
0.02%APY
Savings/MMA
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Pros:

  • Variety of different personal accounts
  • Low opening required amounts
  • Checking and saving rates are not tiered
  • Business accounts offered

Cons:

  • Accounts have low-interest rates
  • Jumbo CDs do not offer higher rates
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • High interest in MMA requires a large sum
VirtualBank Review

VirtualBank money market accounts have a low required opening deposit. The required amount is only $100. That opening deposit is for the eMoney Market and the Jumbo eMoney Market.

The interest rates on VirtualBank accounts are competitive with other online-only accounts. You only need one penny in the eMoney Market account to earn interest. To earn the highest interest on the Jumbo eMoney Market, you must keep at least $250,000 in the account. Anything over $0.01 earns interest, just not the highest rates.

The eMoney Market account offers a competitive introductory rate. New customers to VirtualBank receive a higher interest rate for the first year of the account being open. After the first year, the rate drops considerably. The lower rate is still much higher than your typical brick and mortar bank rates. Money already in a VirtualBank account does not qualify for the higher rate.

All VirtualBank accounts come with online and mobile banking. With online banking, you can see account balances, transfer funds, and receive e-Statements. Everything that can be done online can be done through mobile banking. You can also deposit checks through the app.

The eMoney Market and the Jumbo eMoney Market account have a monthly fee. The fee is $5. To waive the monthly fee, you must keep $100 in the account.

The Jumbo eMoney Market requires $250,000 to earn the highest interest rate. You still earn interest on any amount less than $250,000. To earn the highest amount, you must have that balance. This account only requires $100 to open. The eMoney Market account earns the same amount of interest not matter how much you have in the account.

VirtualBank CDs require $10,000 to open. The CDs range from a one-month term to a five-year term. There are 11 different CDs between those term lengths. The interest rates for each different term are competitive. The longer the term, the higher the interest rates.

VirtualBank does not offer checking accounts. They used to offer an eChecking account, but it no longer available. Because no checking accounts are offered, there are no ATM or debit cards. Bill pay is not available. You can have money directly deposited into VirtualBank money market accounts.

Read the full VirtualBank review.

Applied Bank Review

Applied Bank has a variety of different personal accounts. There are basic savings, checking, and money market accounts. Checking accounts for people over 50 are available. There are specific savings accounts for youth and specific goals like a vacation. CDs, loans, and credit cards are available through Applied Bank.

Most Applied Bank accounts have a low opening required amount. The savings and checking account requires $100 to open. The club savings account only requires $10 to open. The money market account requires $500 to avoid a fee and earn interest. The CDs require $1,000 to open. The checking account for those over 50 does not have required amounts.

The interest rates for Applied Bank checking and savings accounts are not tiered. The savings account only requires $100 to earn the most competitive rates. The Club Savings account only requires $10 to earn competitive rates. The checking account requires $1,000.

Applied Bank offers business accounts. They offer checking accounts, loans, and lines of credit for businesses. They also offer merchant processing options in select states. Online banking is available for business accounts.

Interest rates for Applied Bank accounts are low. The rates are similar to your typical brick and mortar bank rates. Even the CDs rates are low. The most competitive interest rates are the Club and youth saving accounts. Those rates are higher than the other savings account. They are still much lower than other online-only accounts.

Applied Bank offers jumbo CDs. These CDs require at least $95,000 to open. The interest rates for the jumbo CDs are not any higher than the regular CD interest rates. The jumbo CD terms range from six-months to five-years. Those CDs are available for businesses, nonprofits, and personal deposit accounts.

Applied Bank accounts have a monthly fee if you do not keep a minimum amount in the accounts. The amounts required to avoid the fee are low. The checking and savings accounts require $100. The money market requires $500. The monthly fee is $10 per account per month if minimum balances are not met. The only fees for CDs are for withdrawing money before the maturity date.

The highest interest rates for the Applied Bank money market account requires a large sum. To earn the most competitive rate requires $25,000 in the account. Amounts over $500 earn interest, just a much lower rate. Any amount over $25,000 earns the highest rate.

Read the full Applied Bank review.

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