Bank of america money market account minimum balance

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Why high money market rates matter

Your funds grow faster in a high yield account. The average money market rate is a fraction of a percent, while the best money market accounts earn rates that are many times higher.

What is the difference between a money market account and a standard savings account?

A money market account is a type of deposit account that typically requires a higher minimum balance to open than a standard savings account. It traditionally earns a higher interest rate, though recently some high-yield savings accounts have been offering better returns with lower minimum balance requirements.

Some MMAs also come with a debit card or checks — but institutions may require that they not be used more than six times per month. Some will charge a fee if you go over that number.

A high-interest savings account earns attractive rates, but typically does not have debit card or check-writing access.

The main reason to open a money market account is to have a higher interest rate compared with a traditional savings or checking account, while also having the ability to write a few checks.

Are money market accounts insured?

Yes, as long they are a deposit account that comes from a bank or credit union that is federally insured. Traditional brick and mortar banks and online banks, including the ones listed on this page, are typically insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation up to $250,000 per depositor, per bank, per ownership category. If the account is with a credit union, the account will likely be federally insured through the National Credit Union Administration, also up to $250,000 per depositor, per credit union, per ownership category.

If a bank or credit union were to fail and go out of business, you would not lose the money you have in the account, up to the insured amount. Note that this is different from money market mutual funds, which are not federally insured.

» Want to know more about how your money is protected? Read how FDIC and NCUA insurance programs work.

The difference between a money market account and a money market mutual fund

A money market account is a federally insured account that earns interest. A money market mutual fund, on the other hand, is an investment in short-term debt. It is considered low risk but doesn't have a guaranteed return.

Top traditional savings options

These days, there isn’t always much difference between the rates paid by money market accounts and the best savings accounts. If you don’t need checks or a debit card, you might consider one of these federally insured accounts, which also pay great rates.

  • Marcus by Goldman Sachs Online Savings, 2.15% APY (annual percentage yield) with $0 minimum balance to earn stated APY. Accounts must have a positive balance to remain open. APY valid as of 09/22/2022. (read full review).

  • Barclays Online Savings Account, 2.25% APY (read full review).

  • Alliant Credit Union Ultimate Opportunity Savings Account, 2.20% APY (read full review).

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Best High-Yield Savings Accounts of October 2022

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Bank of america money market account minimum balance
Kendall Little

Senior Staff Writer

Kendall Little is a journalist covering personal finance for NextAdvisor based in New York. Previously, she was…

Taylor Moore

Bank of america money market account minimum balance
Taylor Moore

Staff Writer

Taylor Moore is a former staff writer for NextAdvisor, and has covered personal finance, banking, and fintech.…

October 7, 2022 | 16 Min Read

We want to help you make more informed decisions. Some links on this page — clearly marked — may take you to a partner website and may result in us earning a referral commission. For more information, see How We Make Money.

High-yield savings accounts are a low-risk, low-effort way to reward yourself for saving. With interest rates on the rise, experts say now is a great time to make sure your savings account is best suited for your goals.

And they’re about to increase even further: the Fed recently enacted another interest rate hike, which experts say will make APYs that banks offer on high-yield savings more competitive over the next few weeks.

With high-yield savings accounts right now, you can make well over 2% APY (annual percentage yield, which is the expected rate of interest earned over a year), or even more. These extra earnings can be small, but over time make a difference. 

For example, a traditional savings account that has an APY of 0.01% with $1,000 in it will earn 10 cents per month. That same $1,000 will earn $20 per month in a high-yield account with a 2.00% APY — a much higher rate of return. 

Here’s everything you should know about high-yield savings accounts, along with the accounts we think are the best.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts of October 2022

  • Ally Bank: Good for All-in-One Online Banking
  • American Express National Bank: Good for Amex Cardholders
  • Barclays Bank: Good for Online-Only Saving
  • Bread Savings: Good for Simple Savings
  • Capital One: Good for Hybrid Banking
  • CIT Bank: Good for Larger Deposits
  • Discover Bank: Good for Different Accounts in One Place
  • DollarSavingsDirect: Good for Online Only Access
  • FNBO Direct: Good for Checking Option
  • Lending Club Bank: Good for ATM Access
  • Live Oak Bank: Good for Personal and Business Savings
  • Marcus by Goldman Sachs: Good for Consistently High APY
  • Prime Alliance Bank: Good for High Yields
  • Salem Five Direct: Good for Multiple Options
  • Synchrony Bank: Good for Product Range
  • TAB Bank: Good for Very High APY
  • UFB Direct: Good for Basic Options
  • Varo Bank: Good for Ability to Increase APY

Ally Bank: Good for All-in-One Online Banking

Founded in 2009, Ally Bank is one of the most prominent online banks. Its high-yield savings account is regularly at the front of the pack in terms of interest rates and is one of the bank’s star products. Ally also offers no-fee investing on stocks, bonds, and ETFs, free interest-bearing checking accounts, money market accounts, CDs, loans, retirement accounts, and other investment vehicles. 

Ally Bank Online Savings Account

Ally’s savings account currently offers 2.25% APY. You won’t pay any monthly fees and don’t need to meet and minimum balance requirements to open or maintain the account.

American Express National Bank: Good for Amex Cardholders

American Express may be best known as a credit card network and issuer, but it has a suite of online deposit accounts with competitive interest rates and fees. You can open high yield savings, CDs, and even IRAs with the bank. There’s also a rewards checking account option available to people with an Amex consumer credit card. American Express Bank is currently testing access to deposit accounts via its mobile app, but you’ll also need an American Express credit card to link your savings account or CD to the app. 

American Express High Yield Savings

You can earn 2.15% APY with the American Express online savings account, with no minimum deposit requirements and no monthly fees.

Barclays Bank: Good for Online-Only Saving

Barclays Bank is the U.K.-based financial institution’s online banking division for U.S. customers. It has fewer account types than some other banks on our list, with just high-yield savings account and CD options. There’s also no ATM access or bank branches within the U.S., but it does have consistently competitive rates and offers easy online access via desktop or mobile.

Barclays Online Savings Account

Barclays currently offers 2.25% APY for online savings balances under $100,000. There are no monthly fees, and you only need to maintain a balance of $0.01 to earn interest.

Bread Savings: Good for Simple Savings

Bread Savings is part of Bread Financial, which used to be known as Comenity. Now, Bread Savings offers a high yield savings option and various CDs, all with competitive interest rates. With Bread Financial, you can also get access to a cash back credit card as well as personal loans and installment plans. 

Bread Savings High Yield Savings Account

For a $100 minimum opening deposit, you can earn up to 2.90% APY with Bread’s high yield savings option. You’ll need to maintain the $100 in your account, but there are no monthly maintenance fees. However, if you ever need to request a paper statement, you will incur a $5 fee.

Capital One: Good for Hybrid Banking

Capital One strikes an interesting balance between a traditional brick-and-mortar bank and a more agile startup. It has locations across the country and carries all the major banking products you’d need (such as checking, savings, and CDs), plus credit cards, while also offering competitive rates. Capital One is beneficial for the consumer who wants all the rewards of a high-yield savings account while maintaining the ability to speak to a bank representative face-to-face.

Capital One 360 Performance Savings

Capital One’s online savings account offers 2.20% APY on any balance. There’s no monthly maintenance fees, no minimum to open, and no minimum balance requirements.

CIT Bank: Good for Larger Deposits

CIT Bank recently merged with and became a division under First Citizens Bank. It’s an online bank with mobile app access, and offers savings, CD, and money market accounts. You can also open an eChecking account with CIT Bank which also earns a small APY, and is linked to your savings account.  

CIT Bank Savings Connect Account

The Savings Connect account from CIT Bank earns 2.70% APY right now. There are no maintenance fees to keep your account, but you will need at least a $100 deposit upon opening.

Discover Bank: Good for Different Accounts in One Place

Discover is well-known for its credit cards — especially for those new to credit — but it also has an online bank with several account options and competitive rates. Products offered by Discover Bank include checking, savings, money market accounts, and CDs. You can access your account information via mobile app or online, and see all your different account types within a single Discover online account. 

Discover Online Savings Account

The online savings option from Discover currently has an APY of 2.15% APY. There’s no minimum deposit to open the account, no minimum account balance, and no monthly fees.

Dollar Savings Direct: Good for Online Only Access

Dollar Savings Direct is the online division of New York-based Emigrant Bank. It offers both high yield savings accounts and CDs. There aren’t any saving or tracking online features that some other banks offer, and you cannot access your account through a mobile app, but Dollar Savings Direct does still offer consistently high yields if you don’t mind accessing your account only online.

Dollar Savings Direct Dollar Savings Account

You’ll earn a very high 3.01% APY with a Dollar Savings high yield account. There are no fees and no minimums required to open or maintain your account. 

FNBO Direct: Good for Checking Option

FNBO Direct is an online bank associated with First National Bank of Omaha, based in Omaha, Nebraska. You can open either a high yield savings or an interest-earning checking account with FNBO Direct. FNBO Direct offers account access online or via its mobile app.

FNBO Direct Online Savings Account

FNBO Direct’s high yield savings account offers a 1.90% APY. You’ll need at least $1 minimum deposit to open the account, and maintain at least $0.01 in your account to earn interest. There are no monthly maintenance fees.

Lending Club Bank: Good for ATM Access

Lending Club Bank is an online bank with a broad range of loan, saving, and investing products for individuals and business owners. It offers mobile banking and a mobile app to access and review your account and transfer funds. Unlike many other savings account options, you can also get ATM access through an ATM card with your high yield savings account.

Lending Club Bank High Yield Savings Account

Lending Club Bank’s high yield savings currently offers a great 2.85% APY. To earn that, you will need a minimum $100 deposit when you open your account, but there are no minimum account balance requirements after that and no monthly fees.

Live Oak Bank: Good for Personal and Business Savings

Live Oak Bank is an online bank targeted to small business owners, but it also offers competitive yields on personal high-yield savings and CD accounts. It offers fewer personal banking products than other options on our list, but consistently has high yields. Plus, you can manage your account online or via Live Oak Bank’s mobile app.  

Live Oak Bank Savings Account

Live Oak Bank’s savings account has a 2.30% APY with no minimum required deposit to open. There are no monthly fees and no minimum balance requirement, but you will need at least $0.01 in your account to earn the APY.

Marcus by Goldman Sachs: Good for Consistently High APY

Marcus is the online banking division of Goldman Sachs, and offers a host of products that include high-yield savings, CDs, investment accounts, and personal loans. You can access your account online, and Marcus has a mobile app with the ability to check you balance, transfer money, and more. Marcus also allows same-day transfers of up to $100,000 to and from other banks into your savings account.

Marcus Online Savings Account

Marcus’ online savings account currently has an APY of 2.15%. There are no fees and no minimum deposit to open your account.

Prime Alliance Bank: Good for High Yields

Prime Alliance Bank is based in Utah but operates nationwide to online customers. It offers high-yield savings and money market accounts, CDs, and IRAs. There’s also an online checking account option, but it doesn’t earn any interest. You can access your Prime Alliance Bank account online or via mobile.

Prime Alliance Bank Personal Savings

The personal savings high yield account from Prime Alliance earns a very high 2.70% APY, with no monthly fees and no minimum balance or deposit requirements.

Salem Five Direct: Good for Multiple Options

Salem Five Direct is the online division of Massachusetts-based Salem Five Bank. Its deposit account types include a high yield savings account, CD, and checking account. The online products offered by the bank have more competitive rates than the brick-and-mortar financial institution, and you can access your account through a web browser, mobile app, or even by voice command using an Amazon Alexa device. 

Salem Five Direct eOne Savings

With Salem Five Direct’s savings account, you can earn 1.65% APY on balances up to $1 million. You’ll need at least a $10 deposit to open the account, but there is no other minimum balance requirement and no monthly fees.

Synchrony Bank: Good for Product Range

Synchrony is an online bank with a wide range of savings products, from high-yield savings, money market accounts, CDs, and even IRA money markets and IRA CDs. all at competitive yields. Your Synchrony account information is accessible via mobile app or online. Synchrony offers an optional ATM card for high-yield savings customers with no ATM fees, and you can use the card to check your account balance at an ATM, too.e.

Synchrony Bank High Yield Savings

You’ll earn 2.25% APY with Synchrony Bank’s high yield savings, and there’s no minimum deposit or minimum balance requirement, as well as no fees.

TAB Bank: Good for Very High APY

TAB Bank started in 1998 primarily providing financial services to those in the trucking industry, but today it’s an online bank with nationwide availability that offers high-yield savings, CDs, and money market accounts, as well as different account types for business owners. Recently, the bank opened a waitlist for its TAB Flow debit card, which offers fractional stock rewards on your spending. You can access your account online or mobile.

TAB Bank High Yield Savings Account

With a TAB Bank high yield savings, you can earn a great 2.66% APY. There’s no minimum deposit to open and no monthly fees, though you’ll need to maintain a daily balance of at least $1 to earn interest.

UFB Direct: Good for Basic Options

UFB Direct is the online banking division of Axos Bank. Unlike some others on our list, UFB Direct is limited to a high yield savings account and money market account, with the main difference between the two being the option to write checks with a money market account. UFB Direct has a mobile app for account management, and you can use to make mobile deposits of paper checks.

UFB Savings

UFB Direct’s high yield savings account earns 3.01% APY. There’s no minimum deposit or balance requirement, and no monthly fees.

Varo Bank: Good for Ability to Increase APY

Varo is an online bank that offers a high yield savings account and checking account, as well as cash advance services and a secured credit card. You can access your account online, but Varo also has easy access through its mobile app. If you have a Varo bank account and Varo savings account, you can use savings tools to increase your balance, like rounding up transactions made with your Varo debit card and transferring the amount to your savings.

Varo Savings Account

Varo’s savings account has a tiered APY. There are no monthly fees and there’s no minimum to open your account. However, to earn the account’s 2.00% APY, you’ll need to maintain a balance of at least $4.95 in any 31-day month and $5.12 over 30-day months. 

You can increase your APY to 5.00% by meeting certain conditions, including receiving direct deposits of at least $1,000 monthly, keeping no more than $5,000 in your account, and more.

What Is a High-Yield Savings Account?

A high-yield savings account is a savings account that offers a competitive APY, or interest rate. A high interest rate can yield tens or hundreds of dollars in earned interest, depending on how much money you have saved. 

Interest rates are always changing, and were very low after the start of the pandemic in 2020. However, the Federal Reserve has begun raising the federal funds rate (which many bank account APYs are based on) and as a result, interest rates are increasing today.

So a great interest rate for a high-yield savings account is relative, and based on how it compares with other available options. At the moment, interest rates for high-yield savings accounts average above 2.00%, though exact rates vary across banks. In comparison, traditional brick-and-mortar banks tend to have savings accounts with rates as low as 0.01%. The national average savings account rate according to the FDIC is currently 0.17%.

Emergency funds are one of the most popular reasons people save. Most experts we talk to recommend building a fund of about six months’ expenses, even as you pay down debt. Given that emergency savings should be kept on reserve in an account with easy access, putting that money into a low-risk vehicle like a high-yield savings account is a smart move.

While the accounts we featured here are standouts, there are many good options available. As long as it has a competitive APY, is FDIC-insured, and doesn’t charge any monthly fees, you’ll be better off than you would leaving your savings in a conventional account with a low APY. 

How We Chose the Best High-Yield Savings Accounts

Our top high yield savings accounts are based on criteria we also use to determine the accounts on our list of best savings account rates, and are updated regularly alongside that page. 

To get a comprehensive overview of the online bank landscape, we analyze more than 30 of the most commonly reviewed and searched-for high-yield savings accounts, as well as the top 25 commercial U.S. banks. We then evaluate them based on factors including APY, minimum opening deposit, minimum balance requirement, customer service options and availability, and what other accounts each bank offers. 

None of the banks we recommend charge any monthly service or maintenance fees. Because so many reputable banks offer good APYs on free accounts, we think people should take a hard pass on any banks that do charge a monthly maintenance fee to keep a savings account.

For the greatest amount of accessibility, we also excluded accounts that require more than $100 as a minimum deposit. Many of the accounts on our list require much less or nothing at all as an opening deposit.

In addition, all of the contenders and final picks are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which protects your money up to $250,000 in the event a bank goes out of business. 

While all the accounts we chose offer competitive interest rates compared to traditional savings accounts, we didn’t set any hard criteria for APY. This is because interest rates are constantly in flux and can change based on market conditions. 

Pro Tip

Find a bank that charges $0 in monthly maintenance fees. You shouldn’t have to pay to use your bank account.

The Case For an Online Bank

Online bank accounts have considerable perks, and typically offer among the highest APYs. 

Compared to national bank chains with a network of physical locations, online-only banks have far less overhead. This helps explain why they offer more competitive interest rates, and typically charge fewer and lower fees. Many of them also forgo common fees (such as monthly maintenance fees) or offer other benefits (such as early direct deposit), in line with their role as banking industry disruptors. 

Yes. High-yield savings accounts are offered by FDIC-insured banks and NCUA-insured credit unions. This backing by the federal government means that if the bank were to shutter, you would be able to recover up to $250,000. Avoid any banks or credit unions that aren’t federally insured.

What to Consider When Choosing a High-Yield Savings Account

There are many factors to consider when reviewing the marketplace of savings account:

  • Annual Percentage Yield (APY): This is the interest rate at which you’ll earn money in one year, in exchange for keeping your funds in the savings account. The higher, the better.
  • Fees: Many banks require monthly maintenance fees in order to keep the account open. We recommend going with a bank or credit union that doesn’t charge this fee.
  • Minimum deposit required: Oftentimes, to open a savings account, you’ll need to provide an initial deposit to the bank, though many online banks allow you to open an account with $0. Keep the minimum deposit in mind if you’re low on cash.
  • Minimum balance required: Many banks require a certain amount of money to be in the savings account at all times. If you don’t maintain the minimum balance, you could incur fees or lose your APY for the months you don’t meet the threshold.
  • Withdrawal options: You’ll want a bank that has ATMs or partners with ATM companies, so you’re able to withdraw cash on the go.

Best Uses for a High-Yield Savings Account

High-yield savings accounts are all-purpose, allowing you to save for both short-term and long-term goals. They offer competitive interest rates while also keeping your funds liquid in case of an emergency. Here are some ideas for how you can use your high-yield savings account:

  • Emergency fund
  • Down payment on a home
  • Wedding expenses
  • Vacation expenses
  • Moving expenses
  • College tuition
  • Buying a car

High-Yield Savings Account FAQs

Further Reading

We have covered savings accounts at length. We like to think we’re experts. Read on for more of our savings account coverage:

  • Best Savings Account Rates
  • Survey: Only 21% of Banked Adults Have a High-Yield Savings Account. That’s a ‘Missed Opportunity’
  • If You Still Have a Traditional Savings Account, It Might Be Time to Upgrade

What is the minimum balance for a money market account?

Banks often require a minimum deposit to open the account, then a minimum balance to keep in the account. It's usually much higher than regular savings accounts. This often means $5,000, but can be up to $10,000 at some banks.

Does Bank of America offer a money market account?

Bank of America offers a full range of financial products and services. Its personal depository banking products include checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, Certificates of Deposit (CDs), and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs).

What is Bank of America minimum balance requirement?

Bank of America Core Checking Account has a $12 Monthly Maintenance fee which is waived with at least 1 direct deposit of $250 each month or maintain a minimum daily balance of $1,500 or more.

What is the minimum balance to avoid Bank of America?

When you maintain a combined balance of at least $10,000 or more each statement cycle on your Bank of America Advantage Relationship Banking® account, the monthly maintenance fee is waived. Combined balances include: The average daily balance in eligible linked checking and savings accounts for the statement cycle.