Synchrony Bank Review 2024 | Bankrate (2024)

On This Page

On This Page

  • At a glance
  • Overall
  • Synchrony Bank bank products
  • Bank fees
  • Customer experience
  • About Synchrony Bank
  • How Synchrony compares to other banks
  • Synchrony Bank FAQs
  • Review methodology

At a glance

Synchrony Bank Review 2024 | Bankrate (1)

4.3

Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5

Bankrate Score

CDs

Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5

Savings

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

MMA

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

About Bankrate Score

Overview

Synchrony Bank is ideal for savers who are comfortable banking entirely online. Synchrony offers competitive rates on its savings products, and there’s no minimum balance requirement. However, the bank doesn’t offer a checking account.

Highlights

  • High APY
  • No Monthly Fees
  • Highly Rated App

Compare offers

Offers featured here have been sponsored by our partners, which impacts how, where, and in what order the products appear.

Advertiser Disclosure

We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.

Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover.

How We Make Money

The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within the listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you.

Synchrony Bank Review 2024 | Bankrate (2)

Member FDIC

Savings Account

4.35

%

APY

APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.

APY

APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.

As of 3/30/2024

Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5

Bankrate Savings rating = 4.9/5

Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors consumers should consider when choosing financial products and services.

Bankrate Savings rating = 4.9/5

Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors consumers should consider when choosing financial products and services.

$1

Min. balance for APY

View offerArrow Right

Promoted offer:

Synchrony Bank Review 2024 | Bankrate (3)

American Express

Member FDIC

Savings Account Details

4.35

%

APY

$1

Min balance for APY

Offer rate as of3/30/2024

Interest rate4.26%

Minimum to avoid fees$0

Monthly fees$0

Check writingNo

Get this offerArrow Right

Synchrony Bank Review 2024 | Bankrate (4)

Member FDIC

Savings Account

4.50

%

APY

APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.

APY

APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.

As of 3/30/2024

Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5

Bankrate Savings rating = 4.7/5

Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors consumers should consider when choosing financial products and services.

Bankrate Savings rating = 4.7/5

Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors consumers should consider when choosing financial products and services.

$0

Min. balance for APY

View offerArrow Right

Promoted offer:

Synchrony Bank Review 2024 | Bankrate (5)

Marcus by Goldman Sachs

Member FDIC

Savings Account Details

4.50

%

APY

$0

Min balance for APY

Offer rate as of3/30/2024

Interest rate4.50%

Minimum to avoid fees$0

Monthly fees$0

Check writingNo

Get this offerArrow Right

Synchrony Bank Review 2024 | Bankrate (6)

Member FDIC.

Savings Account

5.25

%

APY

APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.

APY

APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.

As of 3/30/2024

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Bankrate Savings rating = 5/5

Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors consumers should consider when choosing financial products and services.

Bankrate Savings rating = 5/5

Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors consumers should consider when choosing financial products and services.

$0

Min. balance for APY

View offerArrow Right

Promoted offer: No fees. Easy deposits and quick withdrawals.

Synchrony Bank Review 2024 | Bankrate (7)

Jenius Bank

Member FDIC.

Savings Account Details

5.25

%

APY

$0

Min balance for APY

Offer rate as of3/30/2024

Interest rate5.25%

Minimum to avoid fees$0

Monthly fees$0

Check writingNo

No fees. Easy deposits and quick withdrawals.

Get this offerArrow Right

Overall

Synchrony Bank is an online bank that issues credit cards and offers several products that pay some of the best rates. But if you’re looking for a checking account at an online bank, you’ll want to consider other options such as Ally Bank or Capital One.

Pros

  • Synchrony consistently offers competitive rates on deposit products.

  • Synchrony doesn’t require minimum balances for its savings accounts, money market accounts and CDs.

  • Up to $5 in domestic ATM rebates are available per statement cycle.

Cons

  • Synchrony has no branches.

  • Checking accounts aren’t offered.

  • Synchrony Bank’s money market account doesn’t earn as high of a yield as its savings account.

Synchrony Bank banking products

5.0

/5

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

See methodologyCompare savings rates

SCORE BREAKDOWN

APY offering:

4.75%

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5/5

Minimum balance to earn interest:

$0.00

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5/5

Monthly service fee:

$0.00

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5/5

Minimum balance to avoid fee:

$0.00

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5/5

Access to funds:

Great

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5/5

FEATURES

4.75% APY

APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY as of3/30/2024

$1 minimum deposit to open

Synchrony Bank savings overview

The Synchrony Bank High Yield Savings account earns a competitive yield and doesn’t charge a monthly maintenance fee. It also doesn’t require a minimum opening deposit and doesn’t have a minimum balance requirement. The account offers an ATM card and reimburses up to $5 for out-of-network ATM fees in the U.S. per month.

Pros

  • The account offers a competitive yield.

  • There are no monthly service fees.

  • The account comes with an ATM card and offers rebates.

Cons

  • All tiers have the same APY, so customers are not rewarded for depositing more money.

  • Some banks offer a higher APY on their savings accounts.

  • See how rates for this account have changed over time.Interact with the trend lines to view APY by date.

    Synchrony Bank

    APY

    APY

    National average APY

    How do we get this data?

    Synchrony Bank savings rates

    Date

    Synchrony Bank

    APY

    APY

    National average APY

    03/26/20244.75%0.57%
    03/19/20244.75%0.57%
    03/12/20244.75%0.57%
    03/05/20244.75%0.57%
    02/27/20244.75%0.58%
    02/20/20244.75%0.58%
    02/13/20244.75%0.58%
    02/06/20244.75%0.58%
    01/30/20244.75%0.58%
    01/23/20244.75%0.58%
    01/16/20244.75%0.58%
    01/09/20244.75%0.58%
    01/02/20244.75%0.58%
    12/26/20234.75%0.57%
    12/12/20234.75%0.57%
    12/05/20234.75%0.57%
    11/28/20234.75%0.60%
    11/21/20234.75%0.60%
    11/14/20234.75%0.60%
    11/07/20234.75%0.60%
    10/31/20234.75%0.58%
    10/24/20234.75%0.58%
    10/17/20234.75%0.58%
    10/10/20234.75%0.58%
    10/03/20234.75%0.58%
    09/26/20234.75%0.57%
    09/25/20234.75%0.57%
    09/19/20234.75%0.57%
    09/12/20234.75%0.57%
    09/05/20234.50%0.57%
    08/29/20234.50%0.54%
    08/22/20234.50%0.54%
    08/15/20234.50%0.54%
    08/08/20234.50%0.54%
    08/01/20234.50%0.54%
    07/25/20234.50%0.54%
    07/18/20234.50%0.54%
    07/11/20234.50%0.54%
    07/04/20234.30%0.54%
    06/27/20234.30%0.49%
    06/20/20234.30%0.49%
    06/13/20234.30%0.49%
    06/07/20234.30%0.49%
    06/06/20234.14%0.49%
    04/18/20234.15%0.42%
    04/12/20234.15%0.42%

Compare Offer

Offers featured here have been sponsored by our partners, which impacts how, where, and in what order the products appear.

Advertiser Disclosure

We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.

Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover.

How We Make Money

The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within the listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you.

Synchrony Bank Review 2024 | Bankrate (18)

Member FDIC

Savings Account

4.35

%

APY

APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.

APY

APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.

As of 3/30/2024

Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5

Bankrate Savings rating = 4.9/5

Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors consumers should consider when choosing financial products and services.

$1

Min balance for APY

View offerArrow Right

Synchrony Bank Review 2024 | Bankrate (19)

American Express

Member FDIC

Savings Account Details

4.35

%

APY

$1

Min balance for APY

Offer rate as of3/30/2024

Interest rate4.26%

Minimum to avoid fees$0

Monthly fees$0

Check writingNo

Get this offerArrow Right

Promoted offer:

4.9

/5

Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5

See methodologyCompare CD rates

SCORE BREAKDOWN

APY offering:

5.00% - 15 mos

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5/5

Minimum deposit:

$0.00

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5/5

Range of term lengths:

3 mos – 5 yrs

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5/5

Early withdrawal penalty:

Good

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

4/5

Offer no-penalty or bump-up CDs:

Yes

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5/5

Offer IRA CDs:

Yes

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

5/5

FEATURES

0.25% – 4.90% APY

APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY as of3/30/2024

$0 minimum deposit to open

3 months – 5 years

Synchrony Bank CD overview

Synchrony Bank offers a wide array of CD types and terms, making this bank’s selection of CDs one of the best we’ve seen. Synchrony’s traditional CD has terms ranging from three months to five years, and all of those terms offer competitive APYs. Traditional and Roth IRA CDs are also available, which isn’t the case at all banks. Moreover, Synchrony also offers a bump-up and no-penalty CD option. All of these CDs pay competitive rates.

Pros

  • Synchrony Bank pays competitive rates.

  • There is no minimum deposit or balance required.

  • The bank offers a variety of terms, including IRA CDs.

  • The rate bump CD can help savers who think rates may rise further in the future to maximize their earnings.

  • A no-penalty CD is available.

Cons

  • Synchrony Bank offers no-penalty and bump-up CDs, but there’s only one term to choose for each type.

  • See how rates for this account have changed over time.Select the CD term length from the dropdown and interact with the trend lines to view APY by date.

    Synchrony Bank

    APY

    APY

    National average APY

    How do we get this data?

    Synchrony Bank CD rates

    Date

    Synchrony Bank

    APY

    APY

    National average APY

    03/26/20244.00%1.43%
    03/25/20244.00%1.43%
    03/19/20244.00%1.43%
    03/12/20244.00%1.43%
    02/27/20244.00%1.42%
    02/20/20244.00%1.42%
    02/13/20244.00%1.42%
    02/06/20244.00%1.42%
    01/30/20244.00%1.43%
    01/23/20244.00%1.43%
    01/22/20244.00%1.43%
    01/16/20244.00%1.43%
    01/09/20244.00%1.43%
    01/02/20244.00%1.43%
    12/26/20234.00%1.43%
    12/19/20234.00%1.43%
    12/12/20234.00%1.43%
    12/05/20234.00%1.43%
    11/28/20234.00%1.45%
    11/27/20234.00%1.45%
    11/21/20234.00%1.45%
    11/14/20234.00%1.45%
    11/07/20234.00%1.45%
    10/31/20234.00%1.46%
    10/26/20234.00%1.46%
    10/24/20234.00%1.46%
    10/17/20234.00%1.46%
    10/16/20234.00%1.46%
    10/10/20234.00%1.46%
    10/03/20234.00%1.46%
    09/26/20234.00%1.43%
    09/19/20234.00%1.43%
    09/12/20234.00%1.43%
    09/05/20234.00%1.43%
    08/29/20234.00%1.38%
    08/22/20234.00%1.38%
    08/15/20234.00%1.38%
    08/08/20234.00%1.38%
    08/01/20234.00%1.38%
    07/25/20234.00%1.35%
    07/18/20234.00%1.35%
    07/11/20234.00%1.35%
    07/04/20234.00%1.35%
    06/29/20234.00%1.33%
    06/27/20234.00%1.33%
    06/20/20234.00%1.33%
    06/16/20234.00%1.33%
    06/13/20234.00%1.33%
    06/06/20234.00%1.33%
    05/02/20234.00%1.30%
    04/21/20234.00%1.29%
    04/20/20234.30%1.29%
    04/18/20234.00%1.29%
    04/12/20234.00%1.29%
    04/06/20234.30%1.29%

Compare Offer

Offers featured here have been sponsored by our partners, which impacts how, where, and in what order the products appear.

Advertiser Disclosure

We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.

Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover.

How We Make Money

The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within the listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you.

Synchrony Bank Review 2024 | Bankrate (20)

Member FDIC

CD

5.05

%

APY

APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.

APY

APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.

As of 3/30/2024

Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5

Bankrate CD rating = 4.7/5

Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors consumers should consider when choosing financial products and services.

$0

Min. deposit

1yr

Term

View offerArrow Right

Synchrony Bank Review 2024 | Bankrate (21)

BMO Alto

Member FDIC

CD Details

5.05

%

APY

$0

Min. deposit

1yr

Term

Offer rate as of3/30/2024

Minimum deposit$0

Get this offerArrow Right

Promoted offer:

4.0

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Bankrate Score

Compare top money market rates

Synchrony Bank money market overview

Synchrony offers a money market account with no minimum balance requirement. The yield is higher than what brick-and-mortar banks typically pay but lower than what some online banks offer. An ATM card and/or checks can be requested when opening the account.

Customers can get up to $5 in domestic ATM surcharges reimbursed monthly when using an ATM at other financial institutions.

Synchrony may close the account if it has a zero balance for more than 60 days.

Synchrony Bank also offers an IRA Money Market account.

Pros

  • An ATM card is available for customers with money market accounts.

  • The account has check-writing privileges.

  • The account’s rate is competitive.

  • There is no minimum balance requirement.

Cons

  • The APY is lower than what some online banks offer.

  • All tiers earn the same APY, so customers are not rewarded for putting more money in their Synchrony Bank Money Market account.

  • Some banks offer higher monthly ATM reimbursem*nts with their money market accounts.

Compare more:Bankrate's best high-yield savings account offers

Bank fees

FeeCharged?
Overdraft feeNone
Non-sufficient funds feeNone
Monthly maintenance feeNone
Out-of-network ATM feeNone
Excessive transaction feeNone
Outgoing wire transfer$25

Find out:Tips to avoid common bank fees

Customer experience

Customer support

Support hours. As an online-only bank, Synchrony Bank has no branches. Customers who need assistance can contact a representative via the mobile banking app, online chat service or phone. Customer support is available seven days a week, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, and Saturday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.

Low customer satisfaction. Synchrony Bank received the second lowest score in overall satisfaction among online-only banks for its savings accounts, according to J.D. Power’s 2023 Direct Banking Satisfaction Study.

Digital experience

Highly rated mobile app. Synchrony’s mobile app is highly rated on the Apple App Store, but receives middling scores on the Google Play Store. Collectively, more than 60,000 users have reviewed the app. “The desktop website is one of the cleanest, most intuitive platforms I’ve seen in awhile,” said a Bankrate staff member who uses Synchrony personally. “Each option provides plenty of instructions, FAQs and interactive options to toggle through ranging from how to deposit money to more specific prompts like a CD maturing and assessing how much I wanted to transfer, remove or keep the same.”

That noted, Synchrony doesn’t show you how much interest you’ve earned across accounts. Thus, you’ll need to check year-to-date interest paid on each account and tally it up to see how much you’ve earned across accounts.

Bankrate staff insights

“My experience with Synchrony Bank has been nothing short of exceptional,” said a Bankrate staff member with a Synchrony account. “Most of the digital products I use in my day-to-day are ones I’ve vetted, tested its competitors and landed on a product that checks boxes that competitors didn’t.”

The above images were last updated on Feb. 19, 2024.

About Synchrony Bank

Synchrony Bank is based in Stamford, Connecticut. Until 2014, Synchrony Bank was known as GE Capital Retail Bank, an extension of General Electric.

Synchrony offers certificates of deposit as well as savings and money market accounts but no checking accounts. A number of credit cards, including those offered by Amazon, Lowe's and Walgreens, are issued by Synchrony Bank. Synchrony is the biggest issuer of private label credit cards in the U.S., according to Synchrony's website.

Learn more:Synchrony CD rates

How Synchrony compares to other banks

Synchrony vs. Ally Bank

As online-only banks, Ally and Synchrony share many similarities. Neither bank has minimum opening requirements, minimum balance requirements or monthly maintenance fees for their accounts. Moreover, both banks offer highly competitive APYs for their savings products, which is a hallmark of the best online banks.

Although Ally generally has a larger pool of financial products, including checking, retirement and investment accounts, both banks offer competitive yields on par with each other for their CDs and savings accounts. Moreover, Synchrony has a wider array of CD terms to choose from.

Learn more:The best banks of 2024

Synchrony Bank FAQs

Review methodology

With so many financial institutions to choose from, it can be hard to know who to trust. Bankrate’s ever-growing list of bank and credit union reviews is updated regularly. Our editorial team analyzes and reviews each institution across deposit products such as savings accounts, checking accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs) and money market accounts (MMAs). Banks are rated by important factors such as offered interest rates, fees, minimum balance requirements, access to funds and more.

We assign a score to each type of account and its features, weigh them carefully based on importance to account holders and determine an overall score. Read our full review methodology.

Synchrony Bank Review 2024 | Bankrate (2024)

FAQs

Is Synchrony Bank safe from collapse? ›

Synchrony Bank's deposit accounts are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) up to the legal limit of $250,000 per depositor, per account ownership category. This insurance protects your money in the unlikely event of a bank failure.

Does Synchrony Bank have a good reputation? ›

Synchrony Bank is a solid online bank with competitive interest rates on savings, money market, and CD accounts. It is a good option for consumers who are happy with their current checking account but want to earn a higher rate of interest on their savings.

How financially stable is Synchrony Bank? ›

SYF's liquidity and funding is viewed as stable and consistent with our assessment, supported by its access to multiple sources of funding, including lower cost deposits through SYB, securitization debt and unsecured notes.

Is Synchrony Bank closing? ›

Synchrony Bank never closes, so we're always available to help.

Is there a class action lawsuit against Synchrony Bank? ›

A class action complaint has been filed against Synchrony. Among other things, the action alleges that Synchrony falsely represented that its consistent and disciplined underwriting practices had led to a higher quality loan portfolio than those of its competitors.

Where does Synchrony Bank rank? ›

– October 14, 2020 – Synchrony has been named one of the top 20 companies on the 2021 Forbes JUST 100 published by Forbes and JUST Capital, which showcases companies that are the nation's top corporate citizens. Synchrony ranked No. 20 overall – up 27 places from last year – and No.

Is Synchrony owned by Chase? ›

More about Synchrony: Synchrony Bank is owned by Synchrony Financial, a Stamford, Connecticut-based consumer financial services company.

What is the new name for Synchrony Bank? ›

*Note: On June 2, 2014, GE Capital Retail Bank changed its name to Synchrony Bank and is part of the Synchrony Financial business (formerly GE Capital Retail Finance). The name change is in process.

Is my money safe at Synchrony Bank? ›

Synchrony is a member of the FDIC, and its accounts are FDIC insured (up to applicable limits). As far as depository products go, Synchrony offers CDs, high yield savings accounts, money market accounts, and IRA CDs.

Is my money safe in Synchrony Bank? ›

With Synchrony Bank, you can rest assured that your money is safe. Here are just some of the ways we're looking out for you: FDIC Insurance: Your deposits are protected, up to $250,000 per depositor, per ownership category. Fraud Protection: Your account comes with complimentary ID Theft protection.

Is Synchrony Bank savings safe? ›

FDIC insured: Just like a traditional bank account, a Synchrony savings account is covered by the FDIC. Your funds are protected up to $250,000 per depositor, per institution, in the unlikely event of bank failure.

Are any banks at risk of collapse? ›

A report posted on the Social Science Research Network found that 186 banks in the United States are at risk of failure or collapse due to rising interest rates and a high proportion of uninsured deposits.

How do I know if my bank is safe from collapse? ›

If the bank fails, you'll get your money back. Nearly all banks are FDIC insured. You can look for the FDIC logo at bank teller windows or on the entrance to your bank branch. Credit unions are insured by the National Credit Union Administration.

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