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
Sources
Ask a question
77 Responses
More guides on Finder
-
ING vs Macquarie: Savings accounts compared
Compare ING Savings Maximiser and Macquarie Savings Account. See rates, features, fees and which suits you best.
-
Savings accounts with no conditions
These savings accounts let you earn a decent ongoing interest rate on your cash with no annoying hoops to jump through.
-
ME HomeME Savings Account
You can earn a really impressive ongoing bonus rate of 5.1% p.a., however you need to deposit $2,000 per month.
-
Bankwest Easy Saver account
The Bankwest Easy Saver account offers a bonus rate for the first 4 months, then an ongoing standard variable rate with no conditions to meet.
-
Bank of Queensland Simple Saver Account
Check out out review of the Bank of Queensland Simple Saver Account.
-
High interest savings accounts Australia
Kickstart your savings plan with a high interest savings account.
-
Kids savings accounts
Encourage your children to save with a savings account.
-
ING Savings Maximiser
The ING Savings Maximiser is a high interest savings account with a competitive interest rate when you meet the account conditions. Here's how to earn the top bonus rate with this account.
-
Savings interest calculator
Our range of simple calculators can help you plan your finances and compare potential interest earned.
Hi Alison,
I trust you are well.
I am 77 and as part of my SMSF portfolio would like to invest (set and forget for a year) the sum of $100,000.00 at the highest rate of interest (preferably at least5%) with a government guaranteed institution. I am able to top up on a monthly basis if this will enable me to get a good rate. Your thoughts please? Regards. Michael
Hi Michael,
You can’t open a personal savings account for SMSF funds – you instead need to look at a dedicated SMSF bank account (you can see some here: https://www.finder.com.au/self-managed-super-funds/smsf-bank-accounts).
Some business bank accounts also allow you to open an account as an SMSF / Trust – you can see some options here: https://www.finder.com.au/business-banking/business-savings-accounts
These typically have lower interest rates than savings accounts designed for personal use.
What is the best account for a large deposit to generate a monthly income
Hi Michael,
We can’t recommend which particular account might suit you best. This would depend on a number of factors such as your balance size and whether or not you’ll be making ongoing regular deposits, for example.
If you’re looking for a savings account that pays ongoing interest on large balances with no monthly conditions to meet, we have a list of products here that might suit: https://www.finder.com.au/savings-accounts/savings-accounts-with-no-conditions
Thanks,
Alison
Do any of these Savings Accounts operate in conjunction with a Visa credit card?
Hi Paul,
Most of the best savings accounts (those with the highest interest rate) don’t come with a debit card (and definitely not a credit card). But you can link them to a transaction account which does have a debit card.
For example the Ubank High Interest Save Account. You can move money from that account to the Ubank Spend Account via the app and then use the linked Visa debit card.
If you’re asking about using credit cards in conjunction with a savings account, you can use the credit card for your spending and then move money from a savings account to the credit card to pay it off each month. Just be aware that some savings accounts only offer the highest interest rate to savers who don’t make withdrawals from the savings account.
I am 40+ years of age and have a Saver a/c and my other a/cs with a Big 4 bank. The Saver a/c interest rate is less than 2%. Please suggest the best alternative Saver a/c which does not require opening additional a/cs with that bank, nor has minimum transaction requirements.
Hi Allan,
We’re not licenced to provide personalised advice, but we are able to share a number of options with you to review. There are dozens of high interest accounts listed in this table. A return of 2% is very low at the moment, so it’s worth checking the conditions of each of the accounts in this table to see which ones best match your requirements.
Best of luuck!
Hi Alison,
if I have an account with 2 banks of the NAB Group (e.g. Ubank and citibank) do I have separate government guarantee of 250 T$ for both banks or only once for both banks together?
Thanks very much!
Frank
Hi Frank,
The scheme applies per person, per ADI. So in this case, because Citi and Ubank operate under the same ADI (NAB’s ADI), only your first $250,000 is covered under this scheme.
Thanks,
Alison