American Express Personal Savings Account Review

Personal savings with Amex means you get the convenient features standard with online savings accounts. For example, FDIC insurance would cover your American express personal savings account up to $250,000, and you could set up recurring transfers and links with your other credit union or bank accounts.

Signing up for Amex’s high-yield savings account is easy. To start, you need to input your basic contact information as well as the routing and account numbers of the external account that will fund your personal American Express customer account. (If you prefer, you do have the option to mail a check to fund the account.) You need to be at least 18 years old and meet U.S. citizenship or residency requirements. You also need to submit employment information to comply with regulations under the Bank Secrecy Act. Once you have an American Express savings account, access is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and interest accrues right from the start.

Other than the basics, there are many advantages you get with American Express online savings account that are difficult to find elsewhere. For example, an American Express high interest savings account offers a higher interest rate and APY than almost any other bank or credit union. The annual percentage yield, or APY, for an American Express savings account is 0.9 percent, whereas the average interest from the top 50 American banks is a paltry 0.11 percent. This incredibly competitive 0.9 percent APY rate comes with no minimum balance requirements and no fees.

Alternative: If you are looking for an alternative to an American Express savings account, CiT Bank does offer a higher interest rate for its savings accounts than American Express. Learn more about CiT here.

Having no fees associated with your Amex personal savings account can lead to substantial money accruals.

With American Express, suppose you try to make more than six withdrawals or transactions per statement cycle (federal regulations set the number at six). American Express can simply refuse the transaction, and you have the option of requesting a withdrawal via check if you need the money.

If you want a CD account in addition to (or instead of) an American Express personal savings account, you can certainly do that. In fact, doing so may bring you a higher interest rate than the already high 0.9 percent for an American Express savings account. As of Nov. 30, 2016, a 24-month CD accrues 1 percent APY. For 18 months, the APY drops to 0.6 percent, so a savings account may make more sense in this case.

Looking longer term, a 60-month CD comes with a whopping 1.70 percent APY. If you deposit $1,000, you get $88 just from leaving that $1,000 alone. For 48 months, the APY is 1.45 percent, and it is 1.25 percent for 36 months.

In other words, you may prefer American Express CD rates to the rates of an American Express online savings account if you do not need access to your money for two years or more. Early withdrawal penalties and fees may apply if you try to take out CD money before the account matures.

To enjoy the flexibility of Amex personal savings along with the higher rates of long-term CDs, American Express savings account reviews recommend doing both: Open a savings account along with a CD plan that meets your needs.

The top reason to choose American Express personal savings: It meets your needs and makes sense for your situation. Due to the no-minimum-balance requirement, it does not matter if you have only $100, $1,000 or $100,000 to deposit; Amex personal savings works and offers a fantastic interest rate for any of these situations. And with an American Express savings account, you do not need to worry about being unexpectedly hit with monthly fees if you fail to meet one or more criteria on a long list of requirements.

Online banking certainly is convenient, but if access to a physical bank or credit union location for everyday use is important to you, you may want to open an account at a bank or credit union close to you. This way, you have instant access to emergency funds if you need them, while your savings dollars can grow even mightier in an online American express savings account. You do not get ATM cards, checks or debit cards with Amex savings; it truly is a savings account. Plus, if you decide to close your account, you can do so easily from your online dashboard. No complicated phone calls or visits to the bank are necessary.

There is no doubt that an American Express personal savings account can be a valuable player in your overall savings portfolio. Perhaps you have (or want) CD accounts, local credit union or bank accounts, investment accounts and online savings accounts. The American Express savings account interest rate offers a relatively high APY for a savings account, and you need not worry about minimum balances and fees. You can also go with Amex for its high CD rates.