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Citizens Access Review 2024

Updated September 9, 2024
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At a glance

3.9
Rating: 3.9 stars out of 5
Bankrate Score
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CDs

Rating: 4.2 stars out of 5

Savings

Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5

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
Sponsored offers
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These are sponsored offers rated highly by us for competitive rates, fees, and minimums.

Bank logo
Member FDIC
Savings Account
4.00
%
APY
APY
Info Icon
As of 11/21/2024
Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5
$0
Min. balance for APY
View offer Arrow Right Icon
Promoted offer:
Bank logo
Member FDIC
Savings Account
4.75
%
APY
APY
Info Icon
As of 11/21/2024
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
$0
Min. balance for APY
View offer Arrow Right Icon
Promoted offer: No monthly maintenance fee, $0 to open, easily grow your money
Bank logo
Member FDIC
Checking Account
0.00
%
APY
APY
Info Icon
As of 11/21/2024
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
$0
Min. balance for APY
View offer Arrow Right Icon

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

  • Checkmark Icon

    Citizens Access offers a competitive savings APY.

  • Checkmark Icon

    Customer service is available by phone seven days a week or by using the chat function on the bank’s website.

  • Checkmark Icon

    The Citizens Access savings account doesn’t have a monthly service fee.

Cons

  • Citizens Access has no physical branches or ATM access.

  • The online bank offers a limited selection of products.

Citizens logo

We want to know what you think about Citizens Access

Do you have experience with Citizens Access? Let us know your thoughts.

Citizens Access banking products

4.9
/5
Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5
SCORE BREAKDOWN
APY offering:
4.15%
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
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Minimum balance for APY:
$1.00
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
Monthly service fee:
$0.00
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance to avoid fee:
$0.00
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
Access to funds:
Good
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
4/5
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FEATURES
Invest Rate Icon
4.15% APY
Info Icon
Savings Icon
$1 minimum balance for APY
Loan Icon
$1 minimum deposit to open

Citizens Access savings overview

Citizens Access offers a competitive APY on its savings account. And that competitive yield is on all balances.

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

  • Checkmark Icon

    Citizens Access offers a competitive APY.

  • Checkmark Icon

    The bank does not charge any monthly service fees.

  • Checkmark Icon

    All balances earn a competitive APY.

Cons

  • Citizens Access doesn’t provide an ATM card for withdrawals.

  • Citizens Access doesn’t offer accounts for those under 18 years old.

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

    Citizens Access
    APY
    APY
    Info Icon
    National average APY
    How do we get this data?
    Info Icon

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.

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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
Citizens Access Logo
Member FDIC
Bankrate score
Rating: 4.9 stars out of 5
4.9
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Most comparable
Synchrony Bank savings account
Synchrony Bank Logo
Member FDIC
Bankrate score
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5.0
Info Icon
Read review
Search for or select a bank:
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Bankrate score
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Read review
APY
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4.15% 4.30%
Minimum balance for APY
$1.00 $0.00
Estimated earnings
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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.
  • Citizens Access’ savings account earns a competitive yield.
  • The account charges no monthly fee and requires just a penny to open.
  • You can get up to $5 worth of ATM fees reimbursed with this account.
  • You’ll earn a competitive yield with Synchrony’s savings account.
  • There are no monthly service fees.
    N/A
  • ATM access to this account is not provided.
  • As an online-only bank, Citizens Access may not be the best choice for those who prefer branch access.
  • Some banks pay a higher yield on their savings accounts.
  • All tiers have the same APY, so customers are not rewarded for depositing more money
    N/A
APY offering:
4.15%
5/5
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Minimum balance for APY:
$1.00
5/5
Info Icon
Monthly service fee:
$0.00
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance to avoid fee:
$0.00
5/5
Info Icon
Access to funds:
Good
4/5
Info Icon
APY offering:
4.30%
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance for APY:
$0.00
5/5
Info Icon
Monthly service fee:
$0.00
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance to avoid fee:
$0.00
5/5
Info Icon
Access to funds:
Great
5/5
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Bankrate does not currently track additional product details for this bank.

Citizens Access 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.

Citizens Access customer reviews

CTA Citizens Access has 22 reviews

Citizens Access has 22 reviews

Dive into community reviews below and see what others think about Citizens Access.

4.4 Star Icon
22 ratings
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Score breakdown
5 stars
45%
4 stars
50%
3 stars
5%
2 stars
0%
1 star
0%
Score by category
Overall Rating 4.4 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 3.9 / 5
Amount of fees 3.9 / 5
Customer support 4.3 / 5
Website / Mobile app 4.3 / 5
Verified Badge Icon Bankrate methodology disclosure

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

See what users like you are saying about Citizens Access.
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Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Good quality. They invest a lot in Pittsburgh.
Score by category
Amount of fees 4 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 4 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
It is convenient and has great customer service for all your banking needs. Accessibility, online banking, low fees.
Score by category
Amount of fees 4 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 4 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Their customer support has always been excellent and very eager to help.
Score by category
Amount of fees 3 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 3 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 3 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Citizens provided a great incentive for me to open a checking account: get $300 after opening the account and having direct deposits made into it for 3 months. That bonus was really valuable to me. Every physical location I've been to has had great customer service. The app itself isn't that great and can be glitchy sometimes but it functions. I have no fees with my checking account and I'm happy using it as my primary checking account. I was mostly influenced by the bonus to open a checking account.
Score by category
Amount of fees 1 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 1 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 4 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
No fees for any kind of relationship banking or for certain balances. Close proximity. I've been with the bank for over 30 years.
Score by category
Amount of fees 5 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 5 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Good customer service. Always very helpful. Online access.
Score by category
Amount of fees 3 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 3 / 5
Customer support 4 / 5
Website / Mobile app 3 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
My experience has been wonderful. The only area I think could improve is custumer service. Other than that I love all the products they offer and I have had no issues. I would say the overall service itself as well as the low fees and the rates - those are the most important for myself personally.
Score by category
Amount of fees 4 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 4 / 5
Customer support 3 / 5
Website / Mobile app 4 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
When you open up an MMA account with this bank, you get no fee checking. You also have a large variety of no charge ATMs available and also have a money market investment professional at your side. They are courteous, professional, and it's always clean.
Score by category
Amount of fees 4 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 4 / 5
Customer support 3 / 5
Website / Mobile app 4 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Be aware of the monthly maintenance cost. Citizens Access customer service is very fast and professional.
Score by category
Amount of fees 4 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 4 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 4 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Flexibility of deposit. The service response is fast and professional.
Score by category
Amount of fees 5 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 5 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 4 / 5