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- Marcus by Goldman Sachs (Member FDIC) is an online-only bank that offers a savings account and more.
- There’s no checking account, so you’ll have to transfer funds externally to access your savings.
- All Marcus accounts pay good rates, but its strongest product is probably the Marcus No-Penalty CD.
- See Insider’s picks for the best CD rates »
Updated on 2/18/2021: We updated this review with a new section on Marcus’ Better Business Bureau rating and reputation as a company. We’re currently adding information on trustworthiness to all of Personal Finance Insider’s reviews.
Is Marcus a good match for you?
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The bottom line: Marcus has a good savings account and CDs, but because there’s no checking account, you’ll have to transfer money to an external account to access your savings.
Marcus High Yield Savings review
Marcus by Goldman Sachs High Yield Online Savings Account
Marcus High Yield Savings pays a much higher APY than what you’ll find at a brick-and-mortar bank, and one of the highest rates out there right now. Marcus doesn’t require an opening deposit or minimum account balance, and there are no monthly service fees. This makes Marcus a good option if you’re looking for a low-cost savings account or don’t have much money to start saving.
Accessing your savings can be tricky, though. Marcus doesn’t have a checking account, so you can’t simply transfer money from savings to checking and spend the money immediately. You’ll have to transfer funds to an external bank account, which could take a couple business days.
Marcus High-Yield CD and Marcus No-Penalty CD review
Marcus offers two types of CDs: regular term CDs and no-penalty CDs.
Marcus by Goldman Sachs High-Yield CD
Marcus High-Yield CD terms range from six months to six years, and the bank pays competitive rates. Marcus requires a $500 initial deposit, and although this is lower than many competitors’ required opening deposits, you can still find banks that don’t ask for any money upfront.
Marcus by Goldman Sachs No-Penalty CD
Goldman Sachs
AllySynchrony BankSavings APY
0.50% APY
Savings APY
0.50% APY
Savings APY
0.55% APY
CD APY
0.15% to 0.60% APY
CD APY
0.20% to 0.85% APY
CD APY
0.15% APY to 0.80% APY
Minimum deposits
$500 for CDs
Minimum deposits
$0
Minimum deposits
$2,000 for CDs
Marcus review vs. Ally review
Marcus and Ally both pay competitive rates, and neither charges monthly service fees. But you might prefer Ally if you want quick access to your savings. Ally has a checking account, so you can just transfer money between Ally accounts and spend money immediately.
Both banks have term CDs and no-penalty CDs. Ally also offers a Raise Your Rate CD, which will let you increase your APY once during a 2-year term or twice during a 4-year term if Ally raises its rates. If this type of CD appeals to you, then you might like Ally.
However, Ally’s only term option for a no-penalty CD is 11 months, whereas Marcus has 7-month, 11-month, and 13, month terms.
Marcus review vs. Synchrony review
Marcus and Synchrony both pay good rates on CDs and savings. Neither have checking accounts, but Synchrony sends you a debit card with your savings account, which makes it easier to access your savings quickly. You might prefer Marcus for CDs, though. Synchrony requires $2,000 to open a CD, while Marcus only asks for $500. Synchrony also doesn’t have any no-penalty CDs.
Laura Grace Tarpley is the associate editor of banking and mortgages at Personal Finance Insider, covering mortgages, refinancing, bank accounts, and bank reviews. She is also a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF). Over her four years of covering personal finance, she has written extensively about ways to save, invest, and navigate loans.
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