Personal Finance News
Experian Smart Money Account Launches High-Yield Savings
The credit bureau is once again growing its consumer-facing product lineup with a new banking account option.
About Experian Smart Money High-Yield Savings:
Experian has officially announced the launch of its Experian Smart Money Digital Savings Account. This new savings product joins the Smart Money Checking Account, which debuted in 2023.
While Smart Money Digital Savings offers “up to 4% APY,” Experian has a tiered structure. First, all customers can currently earn a base of 2% APY. Then, this rate increases to 3% APY for Core customers, while Premium members can earn that top-tier 4% APY. At this time, a Premium subscription comes at a cost of $24.95 per month.
As Experian notes, interest on Smart Money Digital Savings balances will compound daily. Additionally, customers can opt into a “round up” program to automatically set aside savings when making debit purchases. For example, if a Smart Money debit card user spends $5.40 on a cup of coffee, $6 would be debited from their checking balance for the purchase. The remaining 60¢ would be automatically deposited into savings.
Although Experian is a credit bureau, it is not a bank. Thus, funds for these accounts are held with Community Federal Savings Bank (which also issues the Smart Money debit card).
What They’re Saying:
Announcing the new account, Experian Consumer Services Digital Products GM Sean Healey said, We know saving is imperative for many people and this will help make it effortless so they can reach their goals faster. Experian is committed to giving people smarter ways to manage their money as their financial co-pilot, and now they have even more opportunities to build a financial cushion.”
My Thoughts:
The good news is that a 4% APY is quite competitive in today’s banking landscape. As for the bad news, earning that rate from Experian will require a monthly membership that costs $24.95. Thus, while this new savings account may be a nice bonus for those who make use of Experian Premium’s other services, it’s highly unlikely that it will be worth joining the service just to earn the enhanced APY.
Meanwhile, the 2% APY is still a lot better than you’d get with most big banks… but you can currently find better options from Ally, Capital One, and others. So, if you really want to earn interest on your savings, I’d recommend checking out one of those banks rather than jumping on this Experian Smart Money account.