Research* from Money.com.au shows the majority of Australians with a savings account (56%) fail to earn the bonus interest on their savings account every month, potentially causing them to miss out on a significant amount of interest.
This raises the question: are you better off with a high ongoing savings rate, rather than chasing the top bonus rates that have conditions you may miss from time to time?
The reality is it’s going to depend on the specific accounts you’re considering, plus how often you’re likely to miss out on the top rate.
But to give you an idea of 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.