Finder's best savings accounts for April 2026
- Best bonus savings account rate: ING Savings Maximiser
- Best intro rate savings account: Ubank Save Account
- Best no conditions savings account: Macquarie Savings Account
- Best savings account for large balances: Suncorp Bank Growth Saver Account
- Best Big Four bank savings account: Westpac Life (18-34 year olds only)
- Best kids savings account: Great Southern Bank Youth eSaver Account (0-17 year olds only)
How we choose our top savings account picks
Each month we assess 150+ savings accounts in our databse and assign each a Finder Score out of 10. Our data-driven Finder Score ranks savings accounts based on rates, fees, account conditions and restrictions. Put simply, the savings accounts with the highest Finder Scores allow you to earn the most amount of interest on your money, for the least amount of effort.
Once we get the accounts with the highest scores (8+), we then look at these to select the account that we feel best suits each of the different savings account categories featured above.
In sereral categories the account was chosen as it was a winner in the latest Finder Awards.
How to pick the best savings account
These are the 4 main things to look for when you're choosing a savings account:
1. A high interest rate
The higher the rate, the more interest you can earn. The best savings rates at the moment all start with a 5.
Check if the high interest rate on offer is an ongoing rate available each month, or if it's an intro rate only on offer for a few months. If it's the latter, set yourself a reminder to consider switching accounts after the intro period is over when the rate drops down to the lower, standard rate.
2. Conditions you can easily meet
Most of the best savings rates will require you to deposit a set amount each month (anywhere from $20-$2000) and perhaps also limit withdrawals or make a number of purchases.
Make sure you can comfortably meet the monthly conditions before opening the account. If you can't, you'll only earn the variable base rate which is often very low.
Want a no-hoops savings account?
Compare more savings accounts that have no conditions.
3. Balance limits that suit your savings
Some savings accounts only offer the maximum interest rate on smaller balances up to $10,000, while others are up to $5 million. Depending on the size of your savings balance, make sure that the account you choose pays interest on your entire balance (or at least most of it).
4. A low-fee, linked transaction account
If you're planning to open a transaction account along with your savings account with the same bank (a lot of these are opened as a pair automatically), don't forget to check out the fees and charges for that account too. Because savings accounts don't charge fees, but some transaction accounts do.
"Of course the interest rate is important when choosing a savings account, but I always tell people that the account conditions are just as - if not more - important. There's no point choosing the account with the highest rate if you're going to be pushed to your limit meeting the deposit conditions each month.
Savings account rates change quite frequently - what's best one month might not be best the next. So you're better off choosing a good account with conditions you can easily meet and other features that suit you. Because if you opt for the account with the highest rate but then you can't meet the conditions, you'll likely earn no interest at all.
You still want to make sure you have an account with one of the best rates in the market as this will make a huge difference to the amount of interest you can earn - it just doesn't have the be the absolute highest rate available."
The best savings rate vs an average savings rate
How much difference does the interest rate on your savings account make, really? It's actually more than you might think!
Let's assume you have a savings balance of $40,000 and you're able to deposit $1,000 per month. Here's how much interest you'll earn over 1, 3 and 5 years if your savings account has a below-average rate (2.00% p.a.), an above-average rate (3.50% p.a.) or a market-leading rate (5.50% p.a.).
| Bonus interest rate | Interest after 1 year | Interest after 3 years | Interest after 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.00% p.a. | $938 | 3,603 | $7,356 |
| 3.5% p.a. | $1,653 | $6,432 | $13,295 |
| 5.50% p.a. | $2,620 | $10,380 | $21,825 |
As you can see, you could earn quite a lot more money by simply switching to one of the best savings account rates in the market.
FAQs on best savings accounts
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What is the highest rate offered CBA
Hi Liz,
The highest savings rate offered by Commonwealth Bank (CBA) right now is 4.70% p.a. on their NetBank Saver account. This rate is an introductory variable rate for new customers, available for the first 5 months, then it drops back to 1.70%. Hope this helps!
If i had 150nk to put into a Savings account for 2 years as a starter would ING be the best option ?
Hi,
If you’re simply looking for the highest ongoing interest rate then ING does have one of the highest on offer currently at 4.80% p.a. However it has multiple monthly conditions to meet to get that rate.
If you’re looking for an account to sit your cash for 2 years without any ongoing monthly conditions, you can check out a range of options here: https://www.finder.com.au/savings-accounts/savings-accounts-with-no-conditions
Thanks,
Alison
Hi, can you recommend a savings account for my newly born granddaughter? She lives in Australia,
I live in Ireland and would like to contribute to her account on birthdays etc. I would her like to be able to access funds from her 18th birthday. Thanks.
Hi Mark,
Congratulations on the birth of your granddaughter! This is a wonderful idea. You may be able to ask her parents to open a bank account that earns a higher rate of interest, you can review some options here: https://www.finder.com.au/savings-accounts/kids-savings-accounts. Best of luck!
Are there conditions if I want to withdraw money from a savings account
Hi Grant,
This depends on which account you choose. Some high interest savings accounts do have a condition that you don’t make any withdrawals in order to be eligible for bonus interest.
Some accounts do allow you to make withdrawals while still being eligible for bonus interest.
You can see the conditions for each account in the far right column of our comparison table here: https://www.finder.com.au/savings-accounts
Thanks,
Alison
Can I get a 500 dollar loan
Hi Jasmin,
Savings accounts do not offer loans.
If you need to borrow money, you can speak to your bank about options for a small personal loan, or see some options here: https://www.finder.com.au/personal-loans
Thanks,
Alison