Comment on My credit union no longer allows me to payoff pending purchases made on my credit card
expr@programming.dev 8 hours agoIt’s a common financial instrument. You can find many providers online.
You get a much better interest rate than a typical savings account (I think current rates are around 4% or so), but you are typically limited in the number of withdrawals you can make per month. Banks offer better interest rates because the cash is less volatile and sits in the account longer. They are good for cash you want to park somewhere for a while but that you still need quick, infrequent access to, like emergency funds. Credit card payments are also a fine use for it, though I’d say the benefit is pretty minimal unless you consistently maintain a balance greater than the credit card payment.
NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip 8 hours ago
They vary wildly. The typical savings account now as about 1% or less. There are some online versions when offer 3.5. There are a few with stipulations: $200,000 in the account or deposits of $5,000 a month. Those are approaching CD type rates with rules.
But they are not particularity common.
whambawhomp@lemmy.world 5 hours ago
bankrate.com/…/best-high-yield-interests-savings-…
This was the first result that I searched. You can get a HYS with a little to no minimal balance. A lot of them are online banks, but they’re still FDIC insured. There are plenty HYS accounts out there that are usable for everyday people given you have the ability to save.
NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip 5 hours ago
Every link went to forbidden as I am not currently in the US. So that was interesting. Then when I did check these rates in the small print I got only with a new account, subject to change, etc. That is a the scummy part I was talking about. I guess if one hoped they could get that rate for at least 6 months and were willing to shuffle it to another bank every so often, it could work.
whambawhomp@lemmy.world 1 hour ago
Yeah, you’re not going to be able to get a guaranteed rate on a HYS account. The upside is that the interest rate is high. The downside is that the interest rate will change, usually down, as the market changes, but something is better than nothing. You have to find the balance between maximizing returns and maximizing effort. If you want more that a 3-4% return, you’re likely going to have to start looking into an investment account, but a 3-4% return is still better than the 0.2% return a traditional savings account provides.
expr@programming.dev 4 hours ago
High-Yield Savings Accounts are something distinct from normal savings accounts. I don’t believe there are any HYSAs being offered that have rates as low as 1%.
You can find many institutions online offering HYSAs. It is definitely pretty common. In personal finance circles it’s very often recommended to put your emergency fund in a HYSA.
And yes, as you noted, HYSAs have different rules than normal savings accounts. Just like how CDs do.