If you are disciplined with how you save and use your money, and are keen to get the highest savings rate you can, a bonus saver is worth considering.
A bonus interest savings account will generally give you access to higher rates than you would with a standard savings account. This could add up to hundreds of dollars per year in interest for an average saver in Australia.
The main drawback is that you won’t simply be able to deposit your money and sit back. You’ll need to be confident that you can meet the bonus conditions on an ongoing basis. Or if it’s an intro rate, you’ll need to be prepared to move your money again if you want to stay on a market-leading rate.
Research* from Money.com.au shows the majority of Australians with a savings account (56%) fail to earn the bonus interest on their savings every month, potentially causing them to miss out on a significant amount of interest.
Among them, 29% earn their bonus rate in most months of the year but not all (7–11 months), while 13% only qualify for less than half the year (fewer than six months). A further 14% admit they don’t know the bonus rate eligibility criteria for their savings account.
With an ongoing base rate of interest, you won’t need to worry about jumping through hoops. But chances are you won’t be earning the absolutely top rate available. Ultimately it will come down to what lengths you are prepared to go to earn the bonus interest. The criteria are generally relatively achievable, but not everyone will have the discipline to take full advantage.
To put into perspective the margins involved, the table below shows the estimated interest earned over a 12-month period with a hypothetical ongoing savings rate and bonus savings rate account. In this example, missing the bonus rate more than once would mean earning less interest over 12 months compared to the account with a lower rate and no conditions.