The Arca Savings Index
A neutral, weekly snapshot of what savings accounts actually pay — the top high-yield rates against the big banks and the FDIC national average. Free to embed on your site; the chart updates as rates move.
The Arca Savings Index
Bank rates as of
As of September 24, 2026, the top high-yield savings accounts pay up to 4.21% APY, or 3.90% with no conditions. The biggest banks pay 0.01%–0.04%, and the FDIC national average is 0.38%. At 3.90%, $10,000 earns about $390 a year; at the biggest banks, $1 to $4.
- Top high-yield savings with conditions*
- 4.21%
- Top high-yield savings no conditions
- 3.90%
- FDIC national average Aug 2026 (FDIC source)
- 0.38%
- Biggest banks standard savings
- 0.01% to 0.04%
*Conditions such as direct deposit or a linked checking account. Biggest banks: Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo. How the Index is built
How this chart is built
- The high-yield lines. The two top high-yield figures are the highest advertised APY, and the highest APY with no conditions, among the major, nationally available high-yield savings accounts Arca tracks. Introductory (promotional) rates are excluded, since they expire. Accounts are selected by criteria, not a fixed count, and the set is expanding. Each APY comes from the bank’s own published rate page.
- With vs. without conditions. A rate is conditional when earning it takes more than opening the account — for example a recurring direct deposit or a linked checking account. The “no conditions” figure is the highest rate earnable with none of those requirements.
- The big-bank band. The grey band is the range of standard savings APYs at the largest U.S. retail banks — Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo — taken from their published rate pages.
- FDIC national average. The FDIC national average is the FDIC’s published national savings rate, which it updates monthly — so it carries its own month, not the capture date. All APYs on this chart assume a $10,000 balance and are captured weekly and datestamped.
- Independence. Arca has no affiliate relationships today. Accounts are ranked by APY, never by whether Arca could earn a commission.
Updates
- The big-bank set is now Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo — the three largest U.S. banks by deposits — and introductory rates are excluded from the top figures.
Embed this chart
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<img src="https://arcasavings.com/savings-index.png" alt="The Arca Savings Index: current high-yield savings rates (Arca Savings)" width="1000" height="760" style="max-width:100%;height:auto;border:0" />
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<p>Source: <a href="https://arcasavings.com/rates">Arca Savings Index</a>, current high-yield savings rates</p><iframe src="https://arcasavings.com/embed/savings-index/frame" title="The Arca Savings Index" width="100%" height="860" style="border:0;max-width:760px" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p>Source: <a href="https://arcasavings.com/rates">Arca Savings Index</a>, current high-yield savings rates</p>
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Free to embed — please keep the linked credit to arcasavings.com/rates.
Next chart on this pageAdvertised vs. actualFree to reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (CC BY 4.0). Credit “Arca Savings Index” with a link to arcasavings.com/rates.
Advertised vs. actual: what savings accounts pay before conditions
As of September 24, 2026, some of the savings accounts Arca tracks pay their advertised APY only after a condition is met; others pay it to anyone who opens the account. The highest no-conditions rate among these accounts is 3.75% APY. All figures are the rate applicable to a $10,000 balance.
The three sets of conditions
- Linked Axos ONE® Checking Account Required: Must hold an Axos ONE® Checking account; both accounts must be open and active on the 25th of the month and on the date interest is paid.
- Option 1: Monthly Qualifying Direct Deposits (Checking): At least $1,500 in total monthly qualifying direct deposits AND average daily balance of at least $1,500 in Axos ONE® Checking.
- Option 2: Monthly Qualifying Deposits (Checking): At least $5,000 in total monthly qualifying deposits AND average daily balance of at least $5,000 in Axos ONE® Checking (ACH, wire, mobile check, real-time payments; excludes internal transfers, interest, bonuses, ATM deposits).
- Minimum balance for top APY: $5,000 or more to earn 3.75% APY; balances below $5,000 earn 0.25% APY
- Qualifying product required for relationship rate: Must hold at least one of: U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking, Safe Debit account, or Bank Smartly™ Visa Signature® Card
- Combined Qualifying Balance (CQB) tier for 2.00% APY: CQB of $5,000–$24,999.99 required for 2.00% APY (the tier containing $10,000)
- Minimum opening deposit: $25
- Monthly Maintenance Fee: $5/month
- Monthly fee waiver: Fee waived when account owner holds Bank Smartly® Checking, Safe Debit account, Bank Smartly™ Visa Signature® Card, or account has a minor under age 18
| Account | APY at $10,000, conditions met | APY, no conditions met | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axos ONE® Savings | 4.21% | 1.00% | Linked Axos ONE® Checking Account Required: Must hold an Axos ONE® Checking account; both accounts must be open and active on the 25th of the month and on the date interest is paid.; Option 1: Monthly Qualifying Direct Deposits (Checking): At least $1,500 in total monthly qualifying direct deposits AND average daily balance of at least $1,500 in Axos ONE® Checking.; Option 2: Monthly Qualifying Deposits (Checking): At least $5,000 in total monthly qualifying deposits AND average daily balance of at least $5,000 in Axos ONE® Checking (ACH, wire, mobile check, real-time payments; excludes internal transfers, interest, bonuses, ATM deposits). |
| CIT Platinum Savings | 3.75% | 0.25% | Minimum balance for top APY: $5,000 or more to earn 3.75% APY; balances below $5,000 earn 0.25% APY |
| Axos Summit Savings | 3.75% | 3.75% | None |
| Marcus Online Savings Account | 3.50% | 3.50% | None |
| American Express High Yield Savings Account | 3.10% | 3.10% | None |
| U.S. Bank Smartly® Savings | 3.00% | 0.05% | Qualifying product required for relationship rate: Must hold at least one of: U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking, Safe Debit account, or Bank Smartly™ Visa Signature® Card; Combined Qualifying Balance (CQB) tier for 2.00% APY: CQB of $5,000–$24,999.99 required for 2.00% APY (the tier containing $10,000); Minimum opening deposit: $25; Monthly Maintenance Fee: $5/month; Monthly fee waiver: Fee waived when account owner holds Bank Smartly® Checking, Safe Debit account, Bank Smartly™ Visa Signature® Card, or account has a minor under age 18 |
| Ally Bank Online Savings Account | 3.00% | 3.00% | None |
All rates are those applicable to a $10,000 balance, captured from each institution’s public rate page. Promotional and introductory rates are excluded. APYs are variable.
All accounts shown are FDIC insured to $250,000 per depositor, per bank, per ownership category.
Arca may earn a commission when a reader opens an account through our links. This does not affect which accounts appear here or how they are ordered — rows are ranked by APY.
Cite this chart
Free to use, including commercially. Paste this line under the chart — it is the only attribution we ask for.
Source: <a href="https://arcasavings.com/embed/savings-index#conditional-spread">current high-yield savings rates (Arca Savings)</a>Free to embed — please keep the linked credit to arcasavings.com/rates.
Next chart on this pageSavings rates vs. Consumer Price InflationSavings rates vs. Consumer Price Inflation
As of September 24, 2026, the top high-yield savings accounts pay up to 4.21% APY — or 3.90% with no conditions — against Consumer Price Inflation of 3.4% for the 12 months through August 2026. The biggest banks pay 0.01–0.04%.
Conditions vary by account (direct deposit or linked checking) — see Arca for specifics.
Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, all items, 12-month change), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — 12 months through August 2026
| Measure | Rate | Against inflation |
|---|---|---|
| Top HYSA · with conditions | 4.21% | +0.81 pp |
| Top HYSA · no conditions | 3.90% | +0.50 pp |
| Big banks | 0.01–0.04% | −3.36 pp |
| Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, all items), 12-month change | 3.4% |
How this chart is built
- The inflation line. The dashed line is the 12-month change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items, not seasonally adjusted, series CUUR0000SA0), published monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is the headline inflation rate — the figure most widely reported — not the “core” measure that excludes food and energy. The figure beside each bar is that rate’s distance from the line in percentage points above or below Consumer Price Inflation, not a compounded real return.
- The high-yield lines. The two top high-yield figures are the highest advertised APY, and the highest APY with no conditions, among the major, nationally available high-yield savings accounts Arca tracks. Introductory (promotional) rates are excluded, since they expire. Accounts are selected by criteria, not a fixed count, and the set is expanding. Each APY comes from the bank’s own published rate page.
- With vs. without conditions. A rate is conditional when earning it takes more than opening the account — for example a recurring direct deposit or a linked checking account. The “no conditions” figure is the highest rate earnable with none of those requirements.
- The big-bank band. The grey band is the range of standard savings APYs at the largest U.S. retail banks — Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo — taken from their published rate pages.
- Independence. Arca has no affiliate relationships today. Accounts are ranked by APY, never by whether Arca could earn a commission.
Arca may earn a commission when a reader opens an account through our links. This does not affect which accounts appear here or how they are ordered — rows are ranked by APY.
Embed this chart
Free to use on your own site. Each block includes a credit link back to Arca — please keep it.
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<p>Source: <a href="https://arcasavings.com/rates">current high-yield savings rates (Arca Savings)</a></p>Free to embed — please keep the linked credit to arcasavings.com/rates.
Cite this chart
Free to use, including commercially. Paste this line under the chart — it is the only attribution we ask for.
Source: <a href="https://arcasavings.com/rates">current high-yield savings rates (Arca Savings)</a>Free to embed — please keep the linked credit to arcasavings.com/rates.