What does the best bank account look like?
The best bank account will usually have some or all of the following features:
- No account keeping fees, or an option to easily have the account fees waived
- A range of different payment options available
- No monthly deposit conditions (or if there are some, ones that are easy to meet)
- A good mobile banking app to manage your account 24/7
- Extra perks such as cashback offers, points or special bonus offers
There's no single bank account that's best for everyone as all our needs are different – and what's best for you might not be best for someone else.
Some of the top bank accounts for May 2024
To make it a little easier for you, we've picked a few of the best accounts based on specific features:
- Bank accounts with cashback offers or extra perks
- Bank accounts with no fees
- Bank accounts with good savings rates or tools
- Bank accounts designed for travel
- Bank accounts with smaller sub-accounts
- Bank accounts for students or young people
Bank accounts with cashback offers or extra perks
Looking for a little something extra from your bank account? Here are a few account options to consider.
HSBC Everyday Global
Earn 2% cashback on tap and pay purchases under $100 when you deposit $2,000 a month.
Virgin Money Go Account
Earn 8 Virgin Money Points for each purchase when you deposit $1,000 a month (or $1,000 if you're over 25) and make 5+ purchases a month.
ING Orange Everyday
Earn 1% cashback on utility bills when you deposit $1,000+ and make 5+ card purchases a month.
Macquarie Transaction Account
Earn 4.75% on your transaction account balance, with no conditions to meet.
Bank accounts with no fees
There are lots of bank accounts that charge no account keeping fees, but here are some that go further.
Macquarie Transaction Account
Pay no account fees, no international fees and get refunds on all Australian ATM fees.
UBank Spend Account
Pay account keeping fees, no overseas ATM fees, no international transaction fees.
Bank accounts designed for travel
HSBC Everyday Global
Hold 10 currencies in the one account and pay no international transaction fees. This account was the winner of the Best Travel Debit Card in the 2022 Finder Awards.
Bank accounts with savings rates and tools
ANZ Plus Account
The ANZ Plus app gives you an overview of your monthly spending, compares your spending month to month and lets you set up and track up to 99 savings goals. Plus, you can earn up to 4.9% p.a. on your ANZ Save balance.
Macquarie Transaction Account
Earn 4.75% on your transaction account balance, with no conditions to meet.
Bank accounts with smaller sub-accounts
Suncorp Everyday Options Account
Link up to 9 sub-accounts to your Everyday Options Account to help you manage your budget.
Bank accounts for students or young people
Westpac Choice Student
No account keeping fees full-time tertiary students and customers under 30 years old. Plus, if you're under 14 you can open the account and get a Handycard instead of a debit card.
MyState Glide Account
This account can be opened online for those aged 14 and older (not 18 as with many other accounts) and charges no account fees or local ATM fees.
How to find the best bank account for you
Consider the following features when researching your options to help you find the best bank account for you.
Account fees
Look for a bank account with no monthly account-keeping fees. If there are account fees, ask yourself if there are any extra features with the account to justify the fee.
Deposit conditions
If there are monthly deposit conditions to meet, make sure it's an amount that you're comfortable with.
Account access options
If you like to bank in branch, the best bank account for you will likely be one that has branch access (as some online banks don't). Or, if you do all your banking on your phone, check that the bank account can be accessed via a good mobile banking app.
Overseas fees and charges
If you like to travel regularly, the best bank account for you could be one that doesn't charge overseas ATM fees and international transaction fees.
Linked savings account
If you're planning to open a linked savings account with the same bank, it's a good idea to look for one with a competitive interest rate.
Payment options
Make sure the bank account offers the payment options that you want. Thse might include BPAY, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, PayID, tap and go with Visa payWave or Mastercard PayPass.
ATM access
If you use cash and cheques, a bank account with a large ATM network and smart ATMs that accept cash and cheques might be best for you.
Joint account options
The best bank account for couples or friends who both want access to the account is a joint account.
Frequently asked questions
How does Finder choose its bank account top picks?
At Finder, we've been comparing bank accounts for more than a decade. Using the product data we've collected, ongoing consumer testing, customer surveys and many (many!) account comparisons, we've assessed accounts in our panel based on a few key features that we know you care most about to bring you our picks. While we haven't looked at all accounts in the market, we're confident our picks are strong offers.
You can see what we've considered when choosing the top pick for each category below.
We value our editorial independence, basing our comparison results, content and reviews on objective analysis without bias. But Finder may receive compensation when you click links on our site. Learn more about how we make money from our partners.
Why you can trust Finder's banking experts
We're free
Our comparison tables are completely free to use. We link you directly to the bank's secure application page. On a daily basis we update the rates, fees and conditions of the 200+ accounts on our database.
We're experts
We've researched and rated hundreds of accounts for our Finder Awards. We've published 100+ guides and our in-house experts regularly appear on Sunrise, 7News and SBS News.We're independent
Unlike other comparison sites, we're not owned by a bank or lender. That means our opinions are our own and you can compare nearly every bank account in Australia on Finder.
We're here to help
Since 2015, we’ve helped over 1.3 million Australians find an account. We'll never ask for your personal information. We're here to help you make a decision.More guides on Finder
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