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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My partner and i are wanting to start a joint savings account for mostly travelling. We are going to be depositing 800 per month and our first withdrawal will be mid October. Am wanting to know what bonus saving account would be best.
Thankyou
Robert
Hi Robert,
Thanks for your question.
You may want to compare bonus savings accounts on our website.
Given that you will deposit $800 per month and you’ll withdraw on October, the savings account that can give you high interest earnings are: Bankwest Hero Saver, ME Online Savings Account and Bank Australia Bonus Saver Account.
You may take advantage of the savings calculator on the page to see how much interest you’ll earn per account if you have an initial deposit or if you want a longer-term.
Cheers,
Anndy
I want to open a savings account with a lump sum to pay for funeral, which is best, also can i have it in my name with my son as signatures.
Hi Nuala,
Thanks for your question.
You may want to use our savings account calculator above to see how much interest earning you’ll get under each savings account.
If you want to have your son as a signatory, you may opt for a joint account application. Most of the savings accounts we feature above allow that option.
Cheers,
Anndy
Hi,
Just want to know why some financial institutions with better rates are never in the “compare” table?
For example RAMS – 3.15% (ongoing), UBank – 2.81% (ongoing).
RAMS is mentioned way below the main table, UBank no even shown anywhere.
What are the reasons for this?
Thank you
Hi Mark,
Thanks for your question.
Although we cover a wide range of products, providers, and services we don’t cover every product, provider or service available in the market. So, there may be other options available to you.
For more information, please see our UBank USaver review and our RAMS Saver account review.
Cheers,
Clarizza
Hey guys,
2 questions hopefully you can help me out.
First one, looking to start saving about 100 a month for the next 30 years, just wondering what sort of account would give me the best return on interest wise?
Second one, I have also got a lump sum, we will say 30,000. Now I’m interested in putting it away for a year maybe two with weekly deposits in to the account, what sort of account should I be looking for? Or should I just put it in to a house deposit, flip it and hopefully make my money back with some spending money?
Cheers guys appreciate it so much.
Hi Jazmine,
Thanks for your question.
If you intend on making regular deposits every month, you may want to consider a bonus saver account.
An alternative is to regularly switch introductory bonus savings accounts when the introductory period ends.
Your second question goes beyond the scope of our advice and into financial advice. If you’re looking for investment guidance, we recommend speaking to a financial planner. We can only provide general advice that’s specific to the products we display.
Hope this helps.
i want to set up a savings account that earns interest. i am going overseas in 20 months time. i want to add money in either weekly or fortnightly. can you help
Hi Cassandra,
In addition to my previous reply, you may want to consider a Bonus saver account. This type of savings account offers incentives to enable you to save. Provided you meet minimum deposit requirements, you’ll be able to earn the bonus interest rate on your savings. The bonus rate is an additional percentage to the standard variable interest rate. You can learn more and compare Bonus Saver account from our website. Be sure to check the ‘Bonus saver accounts comparison’ tab on our comparison table.
Cheers,
Clarizza
Hi Cassandra,
Thanks for your question. Our savings account comparison tables on this page shows potential interest earned on your savings. Compare savings accounts, bonus savings accounts and introductory savings accounts to see which works best for you.
Simply fill in the ‘initial deposit’, ‘monthly deposit’ and ‘period’ fields to calculate and compare how much interest you can earn. You can compare interest rates and interest earned. Most banks allow you to choose how often you pay across the month, including weekly or fortnightly – it will depend on the account you choose and the bank – however, check with the bank what the minimum deposit is for the month (if there is a minimum).
If you want to compare and find out more about the different types of savings accounts, there’s information further down the page. Of course each account comes with its own terms and conditions, so it’s best to check this in detail.
Hope that helps.
Clarizza