If you are using a brick-and-mortar bank as your savings account, you need to switch. They don't pay anything. And the banks on this list pay many many times that.

Below is a list of online savings accounts with the highest interest rates. They are all FDIC-insured. They are as safe as a ‘regular' bank except they pay way more interest. You can confirm that by searching the FDIC's Bank Find tool and confirming the FDIC numbers listed.

Updated November 2024: Updated with current interest rates and re-ordered the list to reflect the new rates.

The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired or changed.

Bank	APY	Monthly fee	Learn more
	up to 4.80% APY	$0	Learn more
	4.70% APY	$0	Learn more
	4.00% APY	$0	Learn more
	4.10% APY	$0	Learn more
	3.90% APY	$0	Learn more
	4.00% APY	$0	Learn more
	4.00% APY	$0	Learn more

Barclays Bank

• APY: up to 4.80% APY
• Monthly fee: $0
• Minimum balance: $0

Barclays is a British-based international banking corporation. The online bank is part of its US subsidiary, Barclays Bank, located in Delaware (FDIC #57203).

Their online savings account product has a competitive interest rate of up to up to 4.80% APY (with minimum balance requirements), no minimum balance to open. While you have to have $250,000 to earn the top rate, lower balances earn a healthy 4.50% APY.

Barclay’s also has a competitive lineup of Certificates of Deposits with terms as short as 3 months and up to 60 months. The rates are competitive with other online banks.

Barclays offers savings and CDs but does not offer a checking account.

Here's our full review of Barclays Bank for more information.

Go to Barclays

CIT Bank

• APY: 4.70% APY
• Monthly fee: $0
• Minimum balance: $100

CIT Bank has two interesting savings accounts, the Platinum Savings and the Savings Connect account. The Platinum Savings has a $100 minimum opening deposit requirement and earns 4.70% APY as long as the balance is above $5,000, otherwise the APY is quite low.

The Savings Connect account earns 4.35% APY on all balances and also requires a $100 minimum deposit to open the account.

There are no monthly fees on either account.

CIT Bank is the online division of First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company (FDIC #11063) and offers several deposit accounts, including money market accounts and no-penalty CDs.

Here's our full review of CIT Bank for more information.

Go to CIT Bank

Quontic Bank High-Yield Savings

• APY: 4.00% APY
• Monthly fee: $0
• Minimum balance: $100

Quontic Bank has a high-yield savings that earns 4.00% APY with no monthly fee. There is a $100 minimum deposit requirement to open the account.

Quontic also has a high-interest checking. It earns 1.10% APY if you make at least 10 qualifying transactions per statement. This account also has a $100 minimum deposit requirement.

The bank also has competitive CDs and a fantastic money market account that earns 4.75% APY.

Go to Quontic Bank

Marcus by Goldman Sachs

• APY: 4.10% APY
• Monthly fee: $0
• Minimum balance: $0

At 4.10% APY, Marcus currently has some of the highest interest rates for savings accounts, and they have no minimum deposits and no monthly fees.

It is only a savings account though, no associated checking available, although they do have CDs.

Marcus by Goldman Sachs (FDIC #33124) is the online bank of Goldman Sachs, most well known as an investment banking firm. They do quite more than that and Marcus by Goldman Sachs handles their online bank offerings.

Here’s our full ull review of Marcus by Goldman Sachs for more information.

Go to Marcus by Goldman Sachs

Discover Bank

• APY: 3.90% APY
• Monthly fee: $0
• Minimum balance: $0

Discover® Bank's Online Savings account earns 3.90% APY with no monthly fees for minimum balance requirements.

It also has a checking account also with no minimum balance, access to over 60,000 ATMs in the ATM network, plus a generous reward structure. You can earn 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month, pay a bill online, or write a check that clears (up to 100 such cashback transactions a month).

This is the first bank on the list that offers all three deposit products – checking, savings, and CDs. In terms of convenience, it's one of the best.

Sometimes, Discover Bank will offer a cash bonus for this account. This Discover Bank promotion page will list any offers we know about.

Discover® Bank (FDIC #5649) may not be a familiar name, but it has been actively insured by the FDIC since 1934.

Here is our full review of Discover Online Savings Bank for more information.

Go to Discover

American Express Personal Savings

• APY: 4.00% APY
• Monthly fee: $0
• Minimum balance: $0

American Express® Personal Savings is a high-yield savings account that earns 4.00% APY with no monthly fees or minimum balances. Amex also has certificates of deposit as well but they do not have a checking account.

You are probably more familiar with their credit cards than their savings account but American Express National Bank (FDIC #27471) has been in business since 2000, when American Express sold their previous banking division to Standard Chartered.

Here's our full review of American Express Personal Savings.

Go to American Express

Ally Bank

• APY: 4.00% APY
• Monthly fee: $0
• Minimum balance: $0

Ally Bank (FDIC #57803) is the online bank I use, and I’ve been a fan for years. I opened my account shortly after they rebranded from GMAC (General Motors Acceptance Corporation) in the late 2000s.

Their savings account earns 4.00% APY, with no maintenance fees, and no minimum balance.

Their CD rates are also competitive, the early termination period is only 60 days on a short-term CD (versus the more typical 90 days), and they often give you an interest rate bonus if you roll your maturing CD into a new one.

They also offer a free checking account with no minimum balance, they refund up to $10 in ATM fees each statement, have a large ATM network, and they have a competitive interest rate on the checking account too.

Their app is solid too. It has all of the typical bells and whistles plus a great remote deposit feature for when you have checks to deposit. If you need to deposit checks and don’t want to use the app, there are postage-paid deposit envelopes for you to use too (absolutely free).

Finally, they also offer an integrated brokerage accounted called Ally Invest. This gives you access to a low-cost stock broker too that offers free stock trades too.

Here's our full Ally Bank review for more information.

Go to Ally Bank

How to Choose a High-Yield Savings Account

The first thing to consider when shopping for a high-yield savings account are the monthly fees. It's going to be difficult to earn enough in interest to make up for any monthly fee.

Next, you'll want to make note of the interest rate. The higher, the better!

Lastly, you'll want to consider convenience. If you want a high-yield savings account, you will likely end up with an online-only account. If you already have accounts with an online bank, perhaps start there. If your current bank offers competitive rates, that will probably be the easiest way to go.

Online savings accounts are pretty easy to manage; you'll just need to connect your checking, and then you'll make transfers online. Transfers typically take two or three days, sometimes quicker.

Are online savings accounts safe?

Yes, 100% safe. Online banks are FDIC insured and so your money is as safe in those banks as they would be in a traditional bank. Your funds are protected up to $250,000 by the FDIC. If the bank fails, the FDIC will get you your money back.

As for protection against fraud, they often have security precautions in place to prevent many of the different types of fraud. Many banks offer two-factor authentication, to confirm your identity, as well as plenty of notifications. You can set up your bank to notify you every time there is a transaction, a service not many banks offer.

Why should I get an online savings account?

If online savings accounts are just like those without physical locations. So, what's the benefit of an online savings account? They have much higher interest rates. If you ever look at the interest rate of a regular bank, it's usually ridiculously low.

For example, as of this writing, the interest rate at Bank of America's savings account is 0.01% APY. It's basically zero and it has been for a long time. Ally Bank's interest rate is 4.00% APY.

Online banks tend to have much lower fees too. Ally Bank doesn't have a maintenance fee and no minimum balance. Bank of America's Core Checking has a $12 monthly fee that is waived if you maintain a balance of $1,500 or have a qualifying direct deposit of $250+.

How do online savings accounts work?

Online savings accounts are just like regular savings accounts. The big difference is that many banks offering online savings accounts don't have physical locations you can visit. Your main point of contact is through an app or online banking.

Many banks also offer online checking accounts that work just like regular checking accounts. The app usually lets you deposit checks by taking a picture of the front and back. You can access your money through a regular ATM, and many banks have partnerships with national ATM networks like Allpoint.

Alternatives to High-Yield Savings Accounts

Money market

Money market accounts are a hybrid between checking and savings. They often earn interest rates similar to savings accounts but offer easier access to your money. Some money market accounts come with checks and debit cards for easy access, but not all, so double-check the features before you open an account.

My favorite money market account is Quontic's. It earns 4.75% APY. There are no transaction limits and it comes with a debit card and checks.

Here are some of our other favorite money market accounts.

CDs

If you are saving for the long term and want a fixed interest rate then you'll wan to look into CDs.

With CDs, you have to set aside the money for a set number of months or years, and in return, you'll receive a fixed interest rate. The drawback is that if you need your money before the term is up, you'll likely pay an early withdrawal penalty.

Here are our favorite CDs.

Common Questions about Online Savings Accounts

Here are a few questions I get asked a lot when it comes to these online savings accounts.

The post Best High-Yield Online Savings Accounts: 4.80% APY (November 2024) appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

CIT Bank is an online bank that offers a full suite of deposit products – checking, savings, money market, and certificates of deposit (CDs). They are a no-fee bank that offers some of the highest interest rates available on savings products, as well as some of the most innovative CDs from any bank.

At a Glance

• Platinum Savings account earns 4.70% APY if your balance is over $5,000
• Savings Connect account earns 4.35% APY on all balances.
• Minimum opening deposit of $100
• Checking account pays interest
• No monthly fees
• No ATM network, but it will reimburse up to $30 in ATM fees per month.

Who Should Use CIT Bank

Those who have at least $5,000 to put in their savings account will be pleased with the APY on the Platinum Savings, as it’s very competitive. The APY on the Savings Connect is a bit lower, but still strong on lower balances.

CIT Bank is also not connected to an ATM network, so the checking account is best for those who rarely use an ATM. The bank does not charge ATM fees and will reimburse up to $30 of other network’s fees per month. Therefore, occasional ATM is fine, but if you are a heavy user of ATMs CIT’s checking is likely not for you.

CIT Alternatives

Savings APY	4.00% APY	4.30% APY	4.00% APY
Checking APY	1.10% APY	N/A	0.10% APY
Monthly fees	$0	$0	$0
	Learn more	Learn more	Learn more

They were acquired by First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company in a merger with the merger completed on January 4th, 2022 but still operate as CIT Bank.

This is an online bank that, and like every bank we review, is covered by FDIC insurance (FDIC #11063) of up to $250,000 per depositor. While they don’t offer credit cards, auto loans, or even IRA accounts, but it does have a full range of mortgage products, as well as small business financing programs.

CIT Bank offers an eChecking account, a high yield money market, multiple savings accounts, and several high-yield CD products. Each of these products are available for custodial accounts. Note that interest on all deposit products accrues daily and is credited monthly:

eChecking

This checking account has a $100 minimum and pays out 0.10% APY on balances under $25,000 and just 0.25% APY on balances with over $25,000. There are also very few fees, including no monthly fee.

CIT Bank is one of the few online banks that doesn’t work with an ATM network but you get reimbursed $30 in ATM fees charged by other banks each month.

Money Market

This account is currently paying a rate of 1.55% APY on all balances with no monthly fees and requires just $100 to open.

This money market account is one of the best money market accounts you can get because you earn the interest rate regardless of your balance. Most money market accounts require you to meet a minimum balance before they will pay you the high rate. This account only requires you to open it with $100 and then you earn the best rate possible.

This account doesn’t come with checks or debit card. It works like a savings account and you can transfer funds in and out electronically.

Platinum Savings

With the Platinum Savings account, you can earn up to 4.70% APY if your balance is $5,000 or more. You’ll only earn 0.25% if your balance is under $5,000.

There are no monthly fees, and you must deposit $100 to open the account.

Go to CIT Bank

Savings Connect

The Savings Connect account earns 4.35% APY on all balances. The minimum to open the account is $100, and there are no maintenance fees.

If you open a CIT Bank account and are deciding between the different “savings” accounts – you want the Savings Connect. If you typically maintain a balance of under $5,000. Otherwise, you can earn a bit more with the Platinum Savings.

Savings Builder

The base savings builder interest rate is 1.00% APY with a $100 minimum to open. If your daily balance is under $25,000, you earn 4.70% APY.

However, if your daily balance is under $25,000 and you have a monthly deposit of $100 or more, OR you balance is above $25,000 you earn 1.00% APY. These rates are as of 11/1/2024.

CDs

Term CDs. Requires a minimum initial deposit of $1,000, with terms running from 6 months to five years.

Rates are tiered, based on the term of the certificate:

No-Penalty CD. This is an 11-Month CD, currently paying up to 3.50% APY on all balances, with a minimum opening deposit of $1,000. The major feature of this CD is that you can withdraw funds penalty-free, any time after the first six days after the start of the certificate.

Jumbo CDs. These CDs require a minimum investment of $100,000 and offer rates based on the term, anywhere from two to five years.

Early Withdrawal Penalties on CDs are as follows:

• Terms up to 1 year – 3 months interest on the amount withdrawn
• Terms more than 1 year up to 3 years – 6 months interest on the amount withdrawn
• Terms more than 3 years – 12 months interest on the amount withdrawn

Go to CIT Bank

Fees

Fees that may apply under certain circumstances include:

• Outgoing wire transfers for accounts with an average daily balance of less than $25,000: $10 per transfer
• Money market account overdraft fee: $25
• Money market account excessive transactions fee (more than 6 withdrawals per statement cycle): $10 per transaction, subject to a monthly cap of $50
• Money market account Bill Pay (which is currently unavailable) stop payment: $30 per check

Customer Service

Customer service is available 24 hours a day, seven days per week for both Online Banking and Mobile Banking by email or by Automated Telephone Banking.

Live phone contact is available (855-462-2652) during the following days and times (all times Eastern):

• Monday through Friday: 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM
• Saturday: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
• Sunday: 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Go to CIT Bank

CIT Bank Alternatives

Quontic Bank

Quontic Bank offers several attractive bank accounts, including two checking accounts, a high-yield savings, a money market account, and several CDs.

The high-yield savings account pays 4.00% APY with no monthly fees and a $100 minimum opening deposit.

The high-interest checking account earns up to 1.10% APY, but to earn this rate, you’ll need to make at least 10 debit card point-of-sale transactions of at least $10 per statement.

Go to Quontic Bank

Synchrony Bank

Synchrony Bank doesn’t have a checking account, but it does offer a savings account, money market account, and CDs.

The savings account earns 4.30% APY with no minimum deposit and no monthly fees. They money market and CDs also earn competitive interest rates with no minimum balance requirements.

Here’s our full Synchrony Bank review to learn more.

Go to Synchrony Bank

Ally Bank

Ally has several similar features to CIT. It offers an online checking account, a high-yield savings account, and several CDs. The savings account pays 4.00% APY and the CDs are competitive. Also, unlike CIT Bank, there are no minimum deposit requirements.

The checking account at Ally pays 0.25% interest on all balances and it’s part of the Allpoint and MoneyPass ATM networks. Plus, they will reimburse ATM fees up to $10 per statement.

Here’s our full Ally Bank review to learn more.

Go to Ally Bank

Summary

CIT Bank is a pure, online, no-fee bank that provides some of the very highest yielding savings products available with any bank. And high-yield accounts are available with initial deposits as low as $100. Since it doesn’t offer traditional banking services like credit cards and auto loans, it’s best used for its primary purpose only – a high yield online savings bank.

If you’d like more information, visit the CIT Bank website.

The post CIT Bank Review 2024: High Yield Online Banking Option appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

When you open the Capital One 360 Performance Savings you’ll earn 4.00% APY and you’ll be eligible to earn a generous wecome bonus. The account has no fees or minimum balance requirements.

At a Glance

• High-yield savings account
• Attractive 4.00% APY
• Generous welcome bonus
• No monthly fees
• No minimum balance requirement

Visit Capital One

Who Should Open a Capital One 360 Performance Savings?

Capital One’s Performance Savings should be on your shortlist if you want a high-yield savings account with no fees or account minimums, especially if you have other Capital One accounts, like a checking or credit card account. Unlike some online banks, Capital One has a broad product offering and some physical locations where you can receive in-person service.

Capital One 360 Performance Savings Alternatives

Savings APY	4.00% APY	3.90% APY	4.70% APY
Monthly Fees	$0	$0	$0
Min. Balance Requirement	$0	$0	$100
	Learn More	Learn More	Learn More

What Is Capital One 360 Performance Savings?

The 360 Performance Savings is Capital One’s high-yield, no-fee online savings account. It currently pays an attractive 4.00% APY with no minimum and no opening balance requirements. You can open your Capital One account online in just a few minutes. Your funds are FDIC insured up to $250,000, and you can manage your account using its top-rated mobile app.

Other Savings Options at Capital One

In addition to the 360 Performance Savings, you can save money in Capital One certificates of deposit, known as 360 CDs. Capital One 360 CDs offer a solid interest rate, no minimum balance requirement, and flexible interest crediting options: You can choose to have your CD interest paid out monthly, annually, or at the end of its term. 

Current interest rates include options such as:

• 4.20% APY for a 6-month CD
• 3.90% APY for an 18-month CD
• 3.50% APY for a 60-month CD

All Capital One 360 CDs are FDIC-insured up to the maximum allowable limits. 

Capital One 360 Performance Savings vs. Alternatives

If you don’t have the balance required to qualify for the welcome offer, other savings accounts may be more appealing than Capital One 360. Here are some alternatives to consider.

Ally’s High Yield Savings Account

Ally is an online bank with a high-yield savings account that earns 4.00% APY with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. The account also comes with savings buckets that allow you to put your savings into categories, making it easier to save for specific goals.

If you have an Ally checking account, you can also round up your purchases to the nearest dollar and transfer your change into savings.

Here’s our full Ally Bank review for more information.

For more details, read our full Ally Bank review.

Go to Ally

Discover Online Savings Account

Discover’s Online Savings Account also comes with no monthly fees, no minimum opening deposit, and earns 3.90% APY. Opening an account with Discover online is easy — no in-person bank visit is necessary.

For all these reasons, Discover’s product is equal to Capital One’s, and choosing between the two comes down to personal preference or whether either is offering a sign-up promotion.

For more information, read our full Discover review.

Visit Discover

CIT Bank Platinum Savings

CIT Bank’s Platinum Savings product earns 4.70% APY with no monthly maintenance fees. There is a $100 minimum deposit. However, you must keep at least $5,000 in this account to earn the highest rate.

For more details, read our full review of CIT Bank.

Visit CIT Bank

FAQs

Visit Capital One

Summary

The Capital One 360 Performance Savings is a solid high-yield savings account. If you can take advantage of the current bonus offer, it becomes one of the most attractive savings options out there. When it comes to access, if you have a Capital One checking account, you can easily transfer funds from your savings and withdraw from an ATM if required.

The post Capital One 360 Performance Savings – Is It Worth It? appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

It seems like there’s a major data breach every few months.

Just a few months ago, on August 9th, I received this email from ‘;–have i been pwned?

It’s just an email address, so not the worst breach ever, but it’s information from a cybersecurity firm I’ve never worked with. More surprisingly, there was no leak or hack, the bad guys just collected data from “publicly available sources.”

Anyone can go to haveibeenpwned.com to see if their email address has been leaked. It’s run by Troy Hunt, an information security professional whose blog I’ve followed by for years, and you get notifications when your email is leaked. It’s free.

If you’ve had the email address for more than a year and use it anywhere, it’s probably leaked. My main email address has been leaked in 29 data breaches.

The list is quite impressive – me and 153 million others were leaked via Adobe in 2013 (when Troy started the tool) and I joined 79 million others when Advance Auto Parts was breached in June of 2024. It was leaked in pretty much every major data breach in the last twenty years!

But does it really matter?

Yes… but also not really. Here’s why.

It’s Already Out There

If you get a notification that your data was revealed in a breach, I wouldn’t get stressed out about it. When I received the email that other day about SOCRadar, it barely registered.

Your data is already out there.

I’m in my forties, I’ve been online since I was an adult, and I’m comfortable using online services so my information has been stored on hundreds (if not thousands) of websites.

As you saw in the screenshot, some subset of my personal information has already been revealed at least 28 29 times.

You Already Get Lots of Spam

You will get a lot of spam text messages, phone calls, and emails.

Fortunately, email inboxes are savvy enough to limit most of the bad stuff. You should still be aware of phishing attempts and ignore pretty much anything official looking.

I like to use a confidential “classified” email address that is only used with important (financial) accounts. But if your data is leaked by a bank, well your classified email address is junk now too (womp womp, sorry!). I also use a junk email address that I never check for anything unimportant.

This is known as security through obscurity and a nice additional layer of protection (but not a primary one, for that we use 2-factor authentication).

As for phone calls and text message, I silence unknown callers and briefly check voicemail transcriptions if they leave a message (I never listen to them). Sometimes it’s a delivery driver who is lost or someone local who needs to reach us, but those are extremely rare (1 out of 50?).

I Never Get Complimentary ID Monitoring

Whenever there is a breach, the company offers complimentary identity theft monitoring from some service. I’ve never signed up for it.

I don’t believe I need it and I also don’t want yet another company having my information. (I also secretly think it’s a ploy to get you to use the service and then start paying for it after the complimentary period expires)

I just use my own do-it-yourself identity theft protection system and I don’t need to worry about canceling the service. (you may not even need to cancel the service, I’ve never signed up so I don’t know)

I also freeze my credit reports so I’m not concerned someone with my information could open a line of credit. Until I unfreeze it, no one can.

I’m confident that I have protections in place to prevent anything bad from happening because of these breaches.

I’m not as bold as the former CEO of LifeLock, Todd Davis. As part of a marketing stunt, he plastered his Social Security Number on billboards and trucks to prove how effective LifeLock could be. He also discovered that by doing that, his identity had been stolen 13 times in three years. Yikes.

It’s Serious But Also Too Common

I know I’m being cavalier about data breaches. They are serious events but in most cases, given limited liability rules and the fact that they’ve been happening for ages, it won’t impact you. It’s nothing to lose sleep over.

If you protect yourself, and our guide for DIY identity theft protection offers a lot of easy and free steps you can take to protect yourself, the impact will be minimal.

If you are the victim of identity theft, the perpetrator is likely going to be someone you know. It makes reporting that much trickier, especially if it’s a family member.

But, if it does happen, experts suggest that you:

• Report it to the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov and/or call 1.877.438.4338
• Put fraud alerts and freezes on your credit reports (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion)
• Contact all your financial institutions (credit cards, banks, etc.)

IdentityTheft.gov offers this page of suggestions if you are a victim.

Have you been a victim of one of these breaches? (how many times? More or less than 29!?)

The post Do data breaches really matter anymore? appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

Did you know that USAA stands for United Services Automobile Association? It was founded in 1922 by 25 U.S. Army officers who couldn’t get auto insurance and is now one of the largest financial organizations in the United States and they serve the military community.

They also have one of the most convenient and generous new account bonuses if you are eligible.

Who is Eligible to Join?

USAA is not a credit union but they do have requirement when it comes to new members. You must be active duty, National Guard, reserves, veterans who served honorably, Cadets or Midshipmen.

You can also gain eligibility if you are married to a USAA member as well as be born to a member. If your parents are members, you can become one too.

USAA Classic Checking – $200

USAA is offering a $200 bonus when you open your first USAA Classic Checking account and get a qualifying direct deposit of $100 or more within the first 180 days.

According to the terms and conditions, this deposit is “a single Automated Clearing House, also known as ACH, electronic deposit of $100 or more.” This implies that you could just use an ACH transfer from another bank (initiated by the other bank), it doesn’t have to be payroll or government benefits.

You must not have had a USAA checking account in the last 12 months.

The account has a $25 minimum opening deposit and there are no monthly service fees. They also refund up to $10 in ATM fees per statement cycle, a nice little perk.

👉 Learn more about this offer

(Offer expires 12/10/2024)

How Does This Bonus Compare?

If you are eligible, this is a great offer. You can get $200 for a single transfer of $100 or more from another bank account, it doesn’t get any better or easier than that.

Also, USAA is widely regarded as one of the best financial institutions out there with great products and services. I’ve never used them but as someone who used to work in the defense industry alongside many USAA members, I’ve never heard a negative thing about USAA.

As a comparison, here are some of what we see as bonuses from commercial banks:

The post USAA Bank Promotions: $200 for USAA Classic Checking appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

With the recent rise in crypto prices, following the re-election of Donald Trump, Coinbase is looking to expand its userbase with a new promotion. It's been many years since they've offered a promotion (or at least one more than $5) and so if you've been waiting on the sidelines, it may be time to jump in.

It's one of the best crypto bonuses right now.

Coinbase New Account Promotion – $50 BTC

For new users, Coinbase will give you $50 in bitcoin once you open your account with the promo code GET50 and make your first trade (minimum of $1).

$50 BTC (of Bitcoin) will be added to your account within 48 hours. It's usually there in a few minutes.

You have to use the link below to open your account and qualify, you can't use a referral link (this offer will not stack with the $20 offer you get for using a referral link) to double up on rewards.

When you open an account, you'll need to provide identifying information like a driver's license or passport (you just upload a photo and they verify it that way). Then, you can link up an account (bank or PayPal, I suggest PayPal) and make a transaction.

The transaction will have fees ($0.99 usually) or you can sign up for Coinbase Pro (7 day trial) to pay nothing.

Get $50 from Coinbase

(Offer expires 11/22/2024)

The post Coinbase Promotions – $50 BTC for New Accounts appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

Discover has been around for decades. Most people know about its credit cards, which were first introduced in 1985 by Sears. At the time, it was novel because it had no annual fee and offered cardholders a higher-than-average credit limit.

Today, Discover Bank (FDIC# 5649) is headquartered in Greenwood, DE. It offers a wide range of bank accounts, from savings, checking, and CDs to loans and credit cards.

At a Glance

• 3.90% APY
• No fees
• No miminum balance requirements
• Checking account, money market, and CDs are also available from Discover.

Who Should Use Discover Online Savings

If you are in the market for an online savings account, Discover is a solid choice. It consistently has a high interest rate and there are no fees.

The drawback is that there are no physical branches, so you’ll have to access the account through the Discover website or via the mobile app. You also can’t deposit cash.

Discover Alternatives

Savings APY	4.00% APY	1.00% APY	4.00% APY
Monthly fee	$0	$0	$0
Minimum balance	$0	$0	$0
	Learn more	Learn more	Learn more

Discover Bank Online Savings

Discover’s High Yield Savings account earns 3.90% APY with no minimum balance requirement. Interest is calculated daily and applied to the account monthly.

The account doesn’t charge a monthly fee or any other kind of fee. There is no excessive withdrawal fee, stop payment fee, returned item fee, or insufficient funds fee.

There are several ways to deposit money into this online savings account, such as direct deposit, online transfer from a checking account, mobile deposit, and mailing a check. However, you cannot deposit cash at Walmart like with the checking account.

If you set up direct deposit, you can receive your funds up to two days early with Early Pay.

Go to Discover

Other Discover Bank Accounts

Discover offers a full range of bank accounts with a few (good) twists.

Checking Account

Discover’s checking account has no fees and no minimum balance requirements. Also, its Cashback Debit card allows you to earn 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in spending per month on your debit card (see website for details). Cashback on a debit card is rare.

Since it’s an online bank, depositing cash is a little more difficult. Discover allows you to deposit cash at any Walmart in the U.S. for free. You can add cash up to four times per day, or seven times per week and the money will be available in your account in about ten minutes.

The ATM network is huge – 60,000 locations – and they use Allpoint and MoneyPass’s networks.

You can also enable Balance+, which acts as overdraft protection. This feature allows you to use your debit card to overdraw the account up to $200 with no fees. To qualify for Balance+ you must have direct deposit of at least $200 per month for two months.

You can also receive your direct deposit up to two days early with Early Pay.

Go to Discover

Money Market Account

The money market account earns 3.70% APY for balances under $100,000 and 3.75% APY for balances of $100,000 and above. There are no fees or minimum balance requirements on this account.

You will receive a debit card with this account and can access the account at over 60,000 ATMs for free. Like the checking account, you can deposit cash at any Walmart in the U.S. for free. If you have direct deposit to this account you can get your direct deposit up to two days early.

Certificates of Deposit

Discover offers several CD terms, all with competitive interest rates. To open a CD, there is no minimum deposit. The interest rates are as follows:

• 3-month: 2.00% APY
• 6-month: 3.70% APY
• 9-month: 3.80% APY
• 12-month: 4.10% APY
• 18-month: 3.80% APY
• 24-month: 3.60% APY
• 3-year: 3.50% APY
• 4-year: 3.40% APY
• 5-year: 3.40% APY

As with most CDs, there is a penalty if you withdraw funds before the end of the term. For example, CDs with terms less than 1 year have a penalty of 3 months simple interest, and CDs with terms between 1 and 4 years have a penalty of 6 months of simple interest.

Go to Discover

Discover Bank Fee Structure

Discover Bank doesn’t charge very many fees for its bank accounts.

• No monthly maintenance fee on any deposit account (checking, savings, money market, or CDs)
• No minimum balance on checking, savings, or money market accounts
• No fee on ATM withdrawals in-network (60,000 ATMs) on checking or money market accounts
• No fee on check reorders on checking
• No fee on online transfers on checking, savings, or money market
• No fee on online billpay for checking and market

If you’ve ever made an “excessive number of withdrawals” from a savings account, you were probably upset by the fee. It’s Regulation D limits the number of transfers you can make from a savings account. Well, Discover does not charge you a fee for that. They also don’t charge one for a stop payment or insufficient funds.

Discover Mobile Banking Smartphone App

Discover has a mobile banking app that is on par with any other online bank out there. Anything you would want from a branch or online is available – you can check your account, make transfers, find an ATM, and even deposit checks with mobile deposit.

If you have an Apple Watch, Discover Mobile is available on that too. You can access your account, get reminders, and Cashback Bonus notifications.

The mobile banking app gets 4.5 stars on Google Play and 4.9 stars on the App Store.

Go to Discover

Discover Alternatives

Capital One 360

Capital One, another bank known for its credit cards, also has some attractive banking options. The Capital One 360 checking has no fees or minimum balance requirements and earns 0.01% APY. When comparing this against Discover’s checking account, you’ll have to balance earning a bit of interest against getting 1% back on your debit card purchases.

Capital One also has a savings account that earns 4.00% APY with no fees. It also offers a wide variety of CDs with competitive rates, but no money market account.

Here’s our full review of Capital One’s 360 Savings account.

Go to Capital One

American Express

Ameican Express offers a rewards checking, a high-yield savings account and CDs. The checking account earns 1.00% APY on your balance. Compared to Discover’s checking account, this likely earns more as it earns interest on your whole balance, not just what you spend on your debit card. There are also no monthly fees and no minimum balance requirements.

It also offers a high-yield savings account that earns 4.25% APY with no monthly fees or minimums. It also has a variety of CDs with competitive interest rates with no minimum balance requirements.

Go to American Express

Ally Bank

Ally Bank is an online bank that offers a checking account and a high-yield savings account which earns 4.00% APY. Neither account charges a monthly fee or have minimum balance requirement.

Ally also offers several different types of CDs with attractive rates and it also has a money market account.

Go to Ally Bank

Is It Worth Getting?

If you do not have an online bank, Discover’s online savings account is a solid choice.

It has a competitive interest rate, nice range of certificates of deposit terms and rates, plus it offers a checking account reward – a rarity. They check all the boxes and add a cherry on top.

Their Cashback Debit account product is one of the biggest advantages. You do not see debit rewards very often and 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in purchases each month is very generous.

If you already have an online bank that you like, Discover Bank is similar (the rewards checking is nice but 1% of the maximum $3,000 is only $30, may not be worth switching). Discover Bank has no minimum balance or maintenance fees so it won’t cost you anything – plus you still get a high-interest rate on the account so you don’t lose out there.

Lastly, if awards are important to you, they have a 5 Star Rating Safe & Sound from Bankrate and a 5 Star Rating from Nerdwallet.

You can contact Discover Bank by calling 1-800-347-7000, and they accept general correspondence at Discover Bank, PO Box 30416, Salt Lake City, UT 84130.

Go to Discover

The post Discover® Bank Online Savings Account Review appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

Most budgets are set up to be monthly.

Many of our bills are monthly so it’s a convenient way of managing your spending.

But many of us aren’t paid monthly, we’re paid every two weeks (biweekly). When you’re paid biweekly, a monthly budget can sometimes be a bit “off.” We have months where you’re paid twice and a couple where you’re paid three times.

And some of us are paid weekly, which means some months will have four pay periods and others will have five.

These non-monthly pay periods can throw off your budget, which is why some people prefer paycheck budgeting (which sounds better than weekly or biweekly budgeting, despite the alliteration!).

What is Paycheck Budgeting?

Paycheck budgeting is when you align your spending with your paychecks. This is best done with a planner of some kind (we have linked up our printables below).

For each month, you match your expenses with your income.

You begin at the top by listing your paychecks, the dates you will get them deposited, the amount, and any other notes you may have about that payment.

Next, list all of your month’s expenses, the amount, and their due dates. This is anything that is billed regularly on a month basis.

For example, you may have:

• Rent/Mortgage – 1st of the month
• Cell phone – 5th of the month
• Cable television – 10th of the month
• Netflix – 15th of the month
• Gym – 18th of the month
• Credit card #1 – 20th of the month
• Student loan – 25th of the month

Then, you want to match those expenses with specific paychecks so you have complete coverage of your expenses.

How to Budget by Paycheck

If you’re paid twice a month (1st and 15th), you know that those bills from the 16th to 31st are paid by the paycheck you received on the 15th. The bills from 1st to 15th will be paid by the paycheck received on the 1st. (you can also get an account that gives you your paycheck two days early)

Once you match up your fixed expenses, it’s now time to see what’s left over to apply towards your variable expenses, like groceries, gas, and savings.

Once you budget for those items, you have either a surplus or a deficit, which is carried over to the next pay period.

If you have a deficit, this is when you can start adjusting your variable expenses (or negotiating your fixed expenses) so that you have a surplus. If you have a surplus, great, you can still adjust and negotiate to increase that surplus.

Download Our Paycheck Budgeting Printable

Our paycheck budgeting printable is very simple because the concept of paycheck budgeting is very simple. Matching up expenses with your paychecks is a time honored technique because it works. The math supports it.

Our paycheck budgeting printable has five weeks so it covers any month of the year. If you are paid twice a month, treat each “week” as a pay period.

In 2024, if you are paid weekly, the five paycheck months are March, May, August, and November.

If you are paid biweekly, then the three paycheck months will depend on the day of your first paycheck:

• If paid on January 5th, you have three paychecks in March and August
• If paid on January 12th, you have three paychecks in May and November

In 2025, if you are paid weekly, the five paycheck months are January, May, August, and October.

If you are paid biweekly, then the three paycheck months will depend on the day of your first paycheck:

• If paid on January 3rd, you have three paychecks in January and August
• If paid on January 10th, you have three paychecks in May and October

The post What is Paycheck Budgeting? (plus Free Template Printable!) appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

Tax loss harvesting is when you realize previously unrealized losses (sell stock that is down) to lower your realized capital gains on the year. It's one of the most popular year end tax moves you can make to reduce your taxable income.

Capital gains harvesting is when you take advantage of your taxable income situation and realize some unrealized gains (sell stock that is up) because you will be favorable taxes on that gain.

As always, consult with a financial professional before making any decisions.

How does capital gains harvesting work?

If you are sitting on large unrealized capital gains and expect to be in a lower tax bracket this year than in the future, you can sell those assets, realize the capital gain, and pay a lower rate.

This is most effective when realizing long term capital gains (gains on assets you've held for over a year) while you are in the 0% long term capital gains tax bracket.

For 2024, these are the income brackets for the 0% long term capital gains tax rate:

For 2025, they will be:

In 2024, if you are single and have no taxable income, you could harvest $47,025 of capital gains without paying any taxes. Remember, taxable income is your adjusted gross income minus any deductions (standard or itemized).

The idea is that because of your income, you can now realize a gain and reset its basis without being taxed on it. With taxable gain harvesting, there's no worry for a wash sale rule or anything like that. You can sell and buy back the asset immediately.

Is it worth it?

Like many similar tactics, it depends on your situation.

The benefit is in how much gain you're shielding from the dreaded 15% long term capital gains rates. You're saving 15% in long term capital gains tax but limited based on your current income.

If you're single and you made just $10,000 in taxable income, then you can shield $38,350 in long term gains. That's worth $8,752.50. You're also resetting the basis of the holding (assuming you buy back in) without any risk.

Whether that's worth your time depends on how much your time is worth!

Is there a catch?

You have to be very careful at the income crossover points.

In 2025, if you're single and your taxable income is $48,349, then you pay 0% on long term capital gains.

If you income was just a few dollars higher, such as $48,352, then you'll pay 15% on long term capital gains.

And since you'll have to make this decision before the end of the calendar year, it can be tricky to play too close to the limits.

It would be tragic if you forgot a few dollars of interest from some obscure bank you rarely use.

But other than that, there's no catch.

The post What is capital gains harvesting? appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.

Ipsos iSay is a paid survey site open to 18+ residents of the United States and Canada. You’ll be redirected to a local Ipsos iSay survey site if you live elsewhere. You can sign up for free — never pay to join a survey site or panel — and immediately start taking surveys. While there is no signup bonus, iSay members earn points that can be redeemed for PayPal Cash, gift cards, prepaid Visa cards, and merchandise.

At a Glance

• Free to join
• No signup bonus
• Complete surveys to earn points
• Redeem points for PayPal Cash, gift cards, prepaid cards, and merchandise

Who Should Use Ipsos i-Say?

If you are looking for an easy way to earn a few extra dollars each month and enjoy taking surveys, you should consider online survey sites like Ipsos i-Say. It is free to join, and you can complete surveys while sitting on the bus, in a waiting room, or on your sofa at home.

However, if you’re looking for a side hustle with more income opportunities, don’t waste your time with paid surveys. You might earn enough to cover your monthly Netflix subscription or a few Starbucks lattes, but that’s about it.

Ipsos i-Say Alternatives

Sign up bonus	$0	$10	$5
Average payout (per survey)	Up to $2	Up to $3	$2
Min. payment threshold	$3	$5	$
Payment methods	PayPal, Gift Cards	Bank transfer, PayPal, Gift Cards	Gift Cards
	Learn More	Learn More	Learn More

What Is Ipsos i-Say?

Ipsos i-Say is an online survey company and division of Ipsos, one of the largest market research companies in the world. The Ipsos Group, founded in 1975 by Didier Truchot, is headquartered in Paris, France, has offices in 88 countries, over 16,000 employees, and is publicly traded. It’s legitimate.

You can sign up for online surveys within minutes. The process includes a few demographic and targeting questions because they like to get the pre-survey questions out of the way. They will ask about your gender, date of birth, marital status, education, race, household makeup, etc.

Afterward, you need to click on a confirmation survey and you’re off to the races.

The first survey is a pre-qualification one called the “Getting to Know You Survey” – it’s a very short interview. It’s basically a survey that fills out your demographic information, like employment status, and level of interest in surveys. It’s only about a dozen questions max and it’s a way for them to understand the people who join. This helps them put you into the right panels.

Visit Ipsos I-Say

How Ipsos i-Say Works

Unlike other survey sites, which will give you points for downloading apps, watching videos, shopping, playing games, and other activities; Ipsos i-Say focuses solely on surveys. You’ll get invites via email or you can look in the Dashboard for surveys that you qualify for.

There are surveys and “polls.” Surveys will start with qualifying questions and then move onto the survey itself. If you don’t qualify, you still get 5 points. If you do, the points will be much higher since it will take longer.

There are also polls. The polls are not surveys and so you don’t get points for answering them… but they are part of a bigger contest. When you finish a survey, you get to play Poll Predictor where you guess what percentage of people will answer Yes to the different polls. If you get it right, you get “chances,” which are entries into Ipsos i-Say’s prize sweepstakes.

Here’s a recent one where I had to guess how many people answered yes to this question – “Do you smoke a cigarette before leaving home every day?” I put 18%, the real answer was 15%, I earned 15 chances and immediately allocated them to the $300 Amazon.com gift card drawing.

(some of these are really wacky… like “If a stranger knocked on your door and asked to use the toilet, would you let them? What percentage of American women answered “YES” ? — I guessed 11%, and the real answer was 13%!)

In addition to earning points by completing surveys, you get Ipsos iSay loyalty rewards. If you finish five surveys, you get a 25-point bonus. If you do another five (and thus hit ten), you’ll earn another 50 bonus points. Finish 15 more (and thus hit 25); you’ll get another 100 bonus points. This is in addition to what you earn for the survey itself.

Bonus point schedule:

• Five surveys: 25 bonus loyalty points
• 10: 50 bonus loyalty points
• 25: 100 bonus loyalty points
• 50: 200 bonus loyalty points
• 75: 250 bonus loyalty points
• 100: 300 bonus loyalty points
• 125: 400 bonus loyalty points
• 150: 500 bonus loyalty points
• 200: 600 bonus loyalty points

They add up!

How Ipsos i-Say Points & Rewards Work

100 points on Ipsos iSay is worth $1. You trade the points in for gift cards for Amazon, Starbucks, Target, etc – the cards are delivered instantly. You can redeem i-Say points once you get to 500, which is lower than some other sites, and they don’t expire as long as your account is active.

You can also request a Paypal payment (slightly more expensive, 1530 points for $15) but that will take 3-4 weeks to process. You can also request a prepaid Visa card, $2000 points for $20, with no premium and that takes 4-8 weeks to get to you (it’s sent by USPS).

You can always donate your points to various charitable organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity and the Nature Conservancy.

Finally, you can cash in 250 iSay points for an entry into the prize sweepstakes.

Visit Ipsos I-Say

Ipsos i-Say vs. Alternatives

Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is a popular paid survey site. Its primary focus is surveys, but you can unlock higher-paying surveys by sharing where you browse and shop online. At the time of writing, Survey Junkie was not offering a sign-up bonus, but they have a low minimum payout of $3 (e-Gift card). The company also offers monthly promotions that can help you boost your point-earning.

Visit Survey Junkie

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a highly popular online rewards platform, but it differs from Ipsos i-Say in that it offers members several different ways to earn rewards, called Swagbucks. In addition to online surveys, you can earn points for shopping online, taking advantage of exclusive deals, searching the web, playing online games, and more. It currently offers an attractive $10 signup bonus with a low minimum payout of only $5.

Visit Swagbucks

MyPoints

MyPoints is similar to Swagbucks in that you can earn points different ways, including paid surveys, online shopping, product testing, scanning your grocery receipts, and playing online games. MyPoints has a $5 signup bonus and a low minimum payout of $3.

Visit MyPoints

FAQs

Visit Ipsos I-Say

Is Ipsos i-Say Worth It?

It will depend on you and how busy you are. The big challenge with any survey site is qualifying for surveys.

If you are lucky and happen to match a lot of them, then you could clean up. If you are unlucky and don’t happen to match a lot of them, you’ll get 5 points a lot. Some people find they qualify for a lot, others find it a struggle. This is something that I can’t give any advice on, we’re all different. I do know they have a lot of surveys, so it’s not because the pickings are slim.

Personally, I found that after the initial flurry and getting to around $7-8, I struggled for a bit to answer enough surveys to reach $10. I failed to qualify for many and eventually just waited to get those points rather than survey answering points.

If you’re OK with that result, my best advice is to give it a try and see how many you qualify for (for what it’s worth, their time estimates on surveys are too high — I usually finished them much faster than they estimated). Since the sign-up process is so quick, it’s low risk.

As for how much money you can make, it will not get you rich. It’s nice to get a few bucks every so often for answering iSay surveys, but that’s all it’ll be, a few bucks here or there. I think anyone who promises wealth and riches from a survey website is delusional.

The post Is Ipsos i-Say a Scam or Legit? (2024) appeared first on Best Wallet Hacks.