Citizens Access Review 2024
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At a glance
CDs
Savings
About Bankrate Score
Overview
Citizens Access is an online bank with no branches that offers savings products. It’s a division of Citizens Bank. Citizens Access generally offers competitive yields on its deposit accounts, but only offers a savings account and a handful of CDs. If you’re looking for a money market or checking account, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
Highlights
- High APY
- No Monthly Fees
Offers featured here have been sponsored which impacts how, where, and in what order the products appear. Not all offers are displayed on this page.
These are sponsored offers rated highly by us for competitive rates, fees, and minimums.
APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.
APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.
Bankrate Savings rating = 4.4/5
Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Our scoring formula weighs several factors consumers should consider when choosing financial products and services.
APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.
APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.
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.
APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.
APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account.
Bankrate Checking 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.
Offers featured here have been sponsored which impacts how, where, and in what order the products appear. Not all offers are displayed on this page.
Overall
If you’re looking to park your money in a high-yield account with no fees, Citizens Access may be worth considering. But you’ll need to be comfortable solely banking online as the bank doesn’t have any branches. While the savings account can be opened with just one cent, its CDs require a $5,000 deposit, which is sizable compared to what other banks require.
Pros
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Citizens Access offers a competitive savings APY.
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Customer service is available by phone seven days a week or by using the chat function on the bank’s website.
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The Citizens Access savings account doesn’t have a monthly service fee.
Cons
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Citizens Access has no physical branches or ATM access.
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The online bank offers a limited selection of products.
Citizens Access banking products
APY last updated between 11/14 and 11/20.
Citizens Access savings overview
You only need a penny to open a new Citizens Access Savings account. The online bank doesn’t have any fees, according to its website.
The bank now offers mobile deposit, but you won’t have ATM access with this account.
Pros
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Citizens Access offers a competitive APY.
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The bank does not charge any monthly service fees.
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All balances earn a competitive APY.
Cons
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Citizens Access doesn’t provide an ATM card for withdrawals.
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Citizens Access doesn’t offer accounts for those under 18 years old.
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See how rates for this account have changed over time. Interact with the trend lines to view APY by date.
Citizens AccessAPYAPY last updated between 11/14 and 11/20.APYAPY last updated between 11/14 and 11/20.National average APYHow do we get this data?Bankrate independently tracks hundreds of APYs and product details for banking institutions nationwide. We retain the historical data of every rate we track in our database. If there are any gaps where we weren’t actively tracking a rate at the time, the graph will reflect the missing data.
Bank fees
Fee | Charged | |
---|---|---|
Overdraft fee | None | |
Non-sufficient funds fee | None | |
Account maintenance fees | None | |
Out-of-network ATM fee | N/A | |
Excessive transaction fee | None |
Customer experience
Customer service
Long support hours. Citizens Access customer service representatives are available to answer questions about CDs and savings accounts seven days a week: 6 a.m. to midnight weekdays; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday. (All times are Eastern.) The bank also offers a chat option.
Support wait times. Though there are many ways to connect, customer service isn’t always easy to get in contact with, according to a Bankrate staff member. There isn’t a way to contact support through the app, and when making a call, there’s always a wait time to get in touch with a representative. Even then, sometimes you get transferred to another department, making that wait even longer.
Digital experience
Highly rated mobile app. Citizens Access’s mobile app earns top marks on both the Apple App and Google Play stores. Citizens Access customers can use the mobile app to check account balances, move money and make mobile deposits. That noted, the app is missing many digital features that come with more advanced mobile banking apps, according to a Bankrate staff member who has a Citizens Access account. The app doesn’t have a virtual assistant or budgeting tools and you can’t dispute transactions or open new accounts through the app.
Bankrate staff insights
“You can get a very competitive savings rate with Citizens Access, but shouldn’t expect much more than a place to store and grow your money,” said a Bankrate staff member who uses the account personally. “One of the main reasons I opened the Citizens Access savings account is because of its competitive rate. Customer service, on the other hand, isn’t one of Citizens Access’s strengths — getting in touch with a customer service representative can be an unnecessary hassle.”
Disclosure: To enhance our product reviews, Bankrate employees often open accounts and provide feedback. They may have been compensated for their time and account maintenance, but this does not affect the integrity of their review.
Account Homepage
The above images were last updated on April 26, 2024.
About Citizens Access
Citizens Access, a division of Citizens Bank, is an online-only bank that offers a competitive yield on its savings account and charges no monthly fee. Its products, which also include CDs, are available nationwide.
How Citizens Access compares to other banks
Compare different account types offered by Citizens Access. Annual percentage yields (APYs) shown were updated between Nov. 14, 2024 and Nov. 20, 2024.
Selected bank
Citizens Access savings account
Bankrate score
4.9
Bankrate Savings rating = 4.9/5 Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Annual percentage yields (APYs), minimum opening deposit requirements and minimum balances to avoid monthly service fees are some of the things that make up Bankrate’s score. |
Most comparable
Synchrony Bank savings account
Bankrate score
5.0
Bankrate Savings rating = 5.0/5 Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Annual percentage yields (APYs), minimum opening deposit requirements and minimum balances to avoid monthly service fees are some of the things that make up Bankrate’s score. |
Search for or select a bank:
Bankrate score
Bankrate Savings rating Bankrate scores are objectively determined by our editorial team. Annual percentage yields (APYs), minimum opening deposit requirements and minimum balances to avoid monthly service fees are some of the things that make up Bankrate’s score. |
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APY
APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY includes the effects of compounding interest. APYs last updated between Nov. 14, 2024 and Nov. 20, 2024.
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4.15% | 4.30% | |
Minimum balance for APY
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$1.00 | $0.00 | |
Estimated earnings
Interest earned calculation based on a $50,000 deposit amount for a period of 1 year and is rounded to the nearest dollar. Exact earnings are dependent on calendar year, balance, and compounding frequency. Minimum deposit rules may apply.
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$2,075 | $2,150 | |
Citizens Access offers a high-yield savings account with a minimum opening deposit of just one cent. This online bank doesn’t charge monthly service fees and offers a highly rated mobile app. | You’ll earn a competitive yield and can access your money at an ATM with the Synchrony Bank High Yield Savings Account. You’ll also have $5 worth of domestic ATM fees reimbursed per month and you won’t be charged a monthly service fee. | |
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N/A
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N/A
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APY offering:
4.15%
5/5
APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY includes the effects of compounding interest.
Minimum balance for APY:
$1.00
5/5
The lowest deposit amount an account must have before it can earn interest.
Monthly service fee:
$0.00
5/5
A monthly charge a financial institution deducts from an account if certain requirements are not met.
Minimum balance to avoid fee:
$0.00
5/5
The lowest balance an account must maintain in order to avoid a fee.
Access to funds:
Good
4/5
A procedure that allows an individual or organization to access and manage the funds of another account holder.
|
APY offering:
4.30%
5/5
APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY includes the effects of compounding interest.
Minimum balance for APY:
$0.00
5/5
The lowest deposit amount an account must have before it can earn interest.
Monthly service fee:
$0.00
5/5
A monthly charge a financial institution deducts from an account if certain requirements are not met.
Minimum balance to avoid fee:
$0.00
5/5
The lowest balance an account must maintain in order to avoid a fee.
Access to funds:
Great
5/5
A procedure that allows an individual or organization to access and manage the funds of another account holder.
|
APY, or annual percentage yield, is the yearly return on a bank or investment account. APY includes the effects of compounding interest.
The lowest deposit amount an account must have before it can earn interest.
A monthly charge a financial institution deducts from an account if certain requirements are not met.
The lowest balance an account must maintain in order to avoid a fee.
A procedure that allows an individual or organization to access and manage the funds of another account holder.
Bankrate does not currently track additional product details for this bank.
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Citizens Access FAQs
Review methodology
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.
Citizens Access customer reviews
Citizens Access has 22 reviews
Dive into community reviews below and see what others think about Citizens Access.
In July 2024, Bankrate collaborated with a third-party vendor to survey 1,200 bank account holders nationwide. Bankrate and our vendor collected and summarized account holder responses to five rating questions on a 5-point scale as well as open-ended reviews of the banking experience. Responses are based on individual account holder product details, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Reviewers received an incentive for their feedback. Their ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by the associated bank or credit union, nor do these responses reflect Bankrate's own expert review of these banking products.
Community Reviews
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