Yahoo Finance 6 Best Savings Accounts in Singapore with No Minimum Balance
Banks like to put nasty conditions like high minimum balances and fall below fees on their accounts to force people to keep more money with them, and at the same time make a bit of cash out of errant customers.
In the past, we might have been willing to put up with these terms in exchange for high interest rates….
But now that most savings accounts interest rates have been nerfed, it might be time to look for savings accounts with no minimum balance — and thus maximum liquidity.
6 best savings account with no minimum balance
Savings account | Interest rate (p.a.) | Features |
DBS Multiplier Account (up to age 29) | 0.4% to 3%, depending on total transactions | Bonus interest based on salary credit & spending |
Standard Chartered JumpStart Account (up to age 26) | 0.4% on up to $20,000 | No hoops to jump through to receive interest |
CIMB FastSaver Account | 0.3% on first $75,000 | No hoops to jump through to receive interest |
OCBC Frank Account (up to age 26) | 0.1% on first $25,000; 0.2% on next $25,000 | Debit card gives 1% cashback at selected merchants |
DBS My Account | 0.05% | Multi-currency |
Standard Chartered SuperSalary Account | 0.01% base interest + 0.27% bonus interest for first 8 months | Bonus interest for new customers |
1. DBS Multiplier Account (up to age 29)
If you’re in your twenties, lucky you! You have several options when it comes to savings accounts with no fall-below fees, as you’ll see below.
The most lenient one of all is the DBS Multiplier Account, which imposes no minimum balance up until you’re 29 years old. But once you hit the big 3-0, you have to maintain at least $3,000 in there or you’ll need to pay a hefty $5 service charge.
The DBS Multiplier Account, though nerfed, still pays out decent bonus interest as long as you’re willing to use it as your everyday account. You need to credit your salary, swipe a DBS credit card, and/or make Paylah! transactions to earn it.
Read more: 7 Best Savings Accounts in Singapore with the Highest Interest Rates
High Interest Rates
DBS Multiplier Account
More Details
Key Features
No minimum salary credit
DBS Multiplier Account is a deposit account with a base interest rate of 0.05% per annum
Bonus interest rates: 1.40% to 3.80% per annum. DBS Multiplier Account 2020 interest rates have been updated as of 1 August 2020
To enjoy bonus interest rates, you need to credit your salary or dividends via GIRO to any DBS/ POSB deposit account that you hold, and transact a minimum of S$2,000 on any DBS/ POSB credit card you hold, DBS/ POSB home loan monthly instalments, DBS/ POSB insurance regular monthly premium, or DBS investments. Your bonus interest rate increases if you transact in more of the above categories
Bonus interest rates for 29-year-olds and below: Credit your income and spend above S$500 via PayLah! to qualify for 0.30% bonus interest rates on your PayLah! retail spend
DBS Multiplier 2020 interest rate updates: As of 1 August 2020, interest rates have been revised for DBS Multiplier account holders with transactions in 1 and 2 categories. Refer to Bonus Interest Rate tab below to see the change in interest rates
Students, NSF, self-employed, salaried or retired individuals are eligible to apply
2. Standard Chartered JumpStart Account (up to age 26)
The Standard Chartered JumpStart Account is open to young adults aged 18 to 26 only. If age is on your side, this account is a pretty good one as it gives you 0.4% p.a. on your account balance without needing any effort on your part.
This 0.4% is only for the first $20,000, but hey, if you’re young and broke, that’s a perfectly respectable amount of savings to have. After you turn 27, you can maintain this account but the interest will fall to “prevailing” rates.
The account also comes with a free debit card that gives you 1% cashback on all eligible spending.
Standard Chartered JumpStart Account
More Details
Key Features
0.40% p.a. on deposit balances up to $20,000
1% p.a. cashback on eligible debit card spends
No fees and minimum deposit balance required
Applicant needs to between 18 and 26 years old
3. CIMB FastSaver Account
I have a soft spot for Malaysian banks, as they tend to dangle very good interest rates in order to get customers to overlook their less glamorous image.
CIMB FastSaver Account doesn’t disappoint. The account offers a per annum interest rate of 0.3% on your first $75,000 and 0.15% on amounts over $75,000. There’s no need to worry about earning bonus interest — and you don’t have to be in the flower of youth, either.
The main disadvantage is that you need to make an initial deposit of $1,000, and on days when your account balance falls under $1,000, you will not receive the interest for that day.
Otherwise, the account does not impose any fall below fees, so you can withdraw all the cash in your account without fear of getting charged.
4. OCBC FRANK Account (up to age 26)
OCBC’s FRANK Account targets the young and presumably broke, which is probably why they’ve decided not to charge any fall-below fees… but only if you are up to age 26 years old.
Otherwise, for committing the crime of being old, you get charged $2 if your balance falls below $1,000.
On the bright side, the account’s interest rates are not that horrid compared to other savings accounts of this type. You get 0.1% a year on your first $25,000 and $0.2% on your next $25,000. Any amounts above $50,000 will earn 0.05%.
Another perk is that the free debit card that comes with the account offers 1% cashback when you shop at certain merchants including Grab, Comfort, CityCab, Go-Jek, TADA, Cheers, 7-Eleven and FairPrice Online.
OCBC FRANK
More Details
Key Features
Suitable for students
Base rate: 0.05%
First S$10,000: 0.2%
S$10,001 to S$100,000: 0.3%
S$100,001 to S$500,000: 0.4%
Funky card designs to choose from
5. DBS My Account
DBS My Account functions not just as a regular savings account but also as a multi-currency wallet. It’s free to use and there’s no initial deposit required, although you have to pay $2 per month if you want to receive hardcopy statements.
In addition to SGD, you can stash 11 foreign currencies in your account including AUD, USD, Euro, HKD, Japanese Yen and Thai Baht. You can then shop online using your card without having to pay currency conversion fees.
Your savings in SGD earn 0.05% while USD savings earn 0.03%. All other currencies don’t earn any interest.
You can also exchange currencies 24/7 and, when overseas travel becomes possible again, pay using your card without incurring the currency conversion fees you’d pay when using a regular credit card.
This account can simplify your life if you’re using a separate account or travel wallet like Revolut for your foreign currencies and what to consolidate everything to one account. One key weakness, however, is that overseas ATM withdrawals cost $7.
6. Standard Chartered SuperSalary Account
Even with a salary that is far from super, it’s still easy to qualify for the Standard Chartered SuperSalary Account, since there is no minimum initial deposit and the minimum balance is a grand total of $0.
The account pays out a not-so-super base interest rate of 0.01%. New customers can also earn bonus interest rate of 0.27% during the first 8 months after opening the account.
As there are no fall below fees, you can consider using the account for 8 months to enjoy the 0.01% base + bonus interest, and then traitorously switch to a different account after that. This is only worth it if you have quite a bit of cash on hand, though.
The account also entitles you to a Standard Chartered CashBack debit card, which lets you earn 1% on eligible spending.
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