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Wells Fargo Bank Review 2024

Updated September 26, 2024
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At a glance

3.6
Rating: 3.6 stars out of 5
Bankrate Score
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CDs

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Checking

Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5

Savings

Rating: 2.9 stars out of 5

MMA

Rating: 2.1 stars out of 5

About Bankrate Score

Overview

Wells Fargo may be a good fit for those who want access to a large network of branches and ATMs as well as a full-featured mobile banking app. Those seeking out high savings rates, however, may want to consider other options.

Highlights

  • Digital Leader
  • Large Branch Network
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
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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
3.90
%
APY
APY
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As of 11/21/2024
Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5
$0
Min. balance for APY
View offer Arrow Right Icon
Promoted offer: It only takes about 5 minutes to open a fee-free account.
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

Overall

Wells Fargo is one of the biggest banks with locations in 39 states and the District of Columbia. But the bank has also faced heavy scrutiny by regulators in recent years for opening fake accounts and other offenses. While you won’t find attractive yields here, Wells Fargo’s checking account scores highly in our analysis.

Pros

  • Checkmark Icon

    Fees on checking accounts can easily be avoided.

  • Checkmark Icon

    Wells Fargo has eliminated non-sufficient funds (NSF) fees.

  • Checkmark Icon

    Wells Fargo offers early direct deposit.

Cons

  • Yields on certificates of deposit and savings accounts are generally low, like many big banks.

  • The money market account has a steeper monthly fee if a specified balance isn’t maintained.

  • Wells Fargo still charges a $35 fee for overdrafting your account on most of its checking accounts.

CTA We want to know what you think about Wells Fargo

We want to know what you think about Wells Fargo

Do you have experience with Wells Fargo? Let us know your thoughts.

Wells Fargo banking products

2.9
/5
Rating: 2.9 stars out of 5
SCORE BREAKDOWN
APY offering:
0.01%
Rating: 1 stars out of 5
1/5
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Minimum balance for APY:
$25.00
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
Monthly service fee:
$5.00
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance to avoid fee:
$300.00
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
4/5
Info Icon
Access to funds:
Great
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
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FEATURES
Invest Rate Icon
0.01% APY
Info Icon
Savings Icon
$25 minimum balance for APY
Loan Icon
$25 minimum deposit to open

Wells Fargo savings overview

Wells Fargo offers two savings accounts: Way2Save and Platinum Savings. This review covers the former.

Wells Fargo’s Way2Save savings account has a $25 initial deposit requirement and a $5 monthly service fee.

A few ways to avoid the fee are by:

  • Keeping at least $300 in this savings account.
  • Having one recurring transfer of at least $25 from your Wells Fargo checking account automatically transferred into your Way2Save Savings account.
  • Being under 25 years old and the primary person on the account.
Some helpful savings tools are built into the account, including one that automatically transfers $1 into savings whenever you make a debit purchase.

The account’s APY is below the national average and well below the best rates offered by other banks.

Pros

  • Checkmark Icon

    Just $25 is needed to open an account.

  • Checkmark Icon

    An ATM card is available.

  • Checkmark Icon

    There are multiple ways to avoid the monthly fee.

  • Checkmark Icon

    The account comes with automated savings tools.

Cons

  • Higher APYs are available at other banks and credit unions.

  • There are options to waive the monthly maintenance fee, but other banks offer higher APYs with fewer or no requirements to earn them.

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

    Wells Fargo
    APY
    APY
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    National average APY
    How do we get this data?
    Info Icon

Bank fees

Fee Charged?
Overdraft fee $35
Non-sufficient funds fee None
Monthly maintenance fee $5 - $35, depending on the account
Out-of-network ATM fee $2.50*
Excessive transaction fee None
*Non-international withdrawals

Customer experience

Customer support

Physical presence. Wells Fargo has more than 4,000 branches across 39 states and the District of Columbia, allowing customers to take advantage of in-person banking in most states. There are also plenty of ATM locations, with over 12,000 ATMs across the country.

Customer service. Wells Fargo offers 24/7 support over the phone and social media chat.

Low customer satisfaction. Wells Fargo consistently scores below average in overall customer satisfaction, according to J.D. Power’s 2024 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study. Of note, the bank scored last among other big banks in the Northwest region and the New York Tri-State area for the second year in a row.

Digital experience

Highly rated mobile app. The Wells Fargo mobile app has high reviews from users on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. In addition to helpful budgeting tools, debt-to-income reports and spending reports, the app makes it easy to deposit checks, retrieve your monthly FICO score, and send money through Zelle. Moreover, Wells Fargo’s app lets you send money to non-Wells Fargo accounts easily, as you can add external accounts right on the app.

Fee notifications. Wells Fargo’s app doesn’t notify you when you’ll be charged a monthly fee. “Once, my savings account dipped below the minimum threshold to avoid the monthly account fee,” said a Bankrate staff member who uses Wells Fargo personally. “There was no notification that the account balance was lower than necessary to avoid the fee, which would’ve been helpful to know given it’s difficult to remember what fee rules are.

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The above images were last updated on April 17, 2024.

Complaints

CFPB enforcement action. In 2022, Wells Fargo was fined $1.7 billion by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Among other things, the CFPB found that Wells Fargo “unfairly froze multiple consumer accounts in instances of suspected fraud when lesser restraints were available; made deceptive claims as to the availability of waivers of monthly service fees; and unfairly charged overdraft fees even if the consumer had enough funds available in their account to cover the amount of the transaction at the time they made it.” In addition to the fine, Wells Fargo was ordered to pay more than $2 billion in redress. 

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Bankrate staff insights

"Overall, banking with Wells Fargo is stress-free, and I trust the security of my accounts and money,” said a Bankrate staff member with an account at Wells Fargo. “It’s my primary bank for paying my expenses, and the ability to transfer money to other sources makes it great for this. But as with most big banks, the interest rates are, no pun intended, uninteresting. The 0.15% rate on the savings account has driven me to utilize a separate online bank for my actual savings account to earn a competitive rate."

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.

About Wells Fargo

Founded in 1852 as a bank and express delivery company, Wells Fargo offers a full range of banking services, including checking accounts, savings accounts, CDs, money market accounts, mortgages and other loans.

In 2016, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau fined Wells Fargo $100 million for the widespread illegal practice of secretly opening unauthorized accounts. The violation forced the bank to amend its approaches to sales, such as by sending an email confirmation to customers after the opening of a deposit account.

With branches in 39 states and the District of Columbia, Wells Fargo may be a good fit if you value nearly nationwide access to your accounts. The bulk of its 4,000 branches are in California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

How Wells Fargo compares to other banks

Compare different account types offered by Wells Fargo. Annual percentage yields (APYs) shown were updated between Nov. 14, 2024 and Nov. 20, 2024.

Selected bank
Wells Fargo savings account
Wells Fargo Logo
Member FDIC
Bankrate score
Rating: 2.9 stars out of 5
2.9
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Most comparable
Chase Bank savings account
Chase Bank Logo
Member FDIC
Bankrate score
Rating: 2.9 stars out of 5
2.9
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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0.01% 0.01%
Minimum balance for APY
$25.00 $0.00
Estimated earnings
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$5 $5
The Wells Fargo Platinum Savings account has check-writing privileges. That might give you more payment flexibility than with other savings accounts. The bank doesn’t offer a debit card for this account. The Chase Savings account is the bank’s standard savings account. It offers a yield well below the national average for savings accounts. The Chase Savings account has a $5 monthly maintenance fee. Starting every day with at least $300 or automatically transferring at least $25 per month from your Chase checking account to this savings account are two ways to waive the fee.
  • You can access your money through an ATM card with this account.
  • The Platinum Savings account offers yields higher than the national average at all tiers.
  • Those who already bank with Chase might find it convenient to have a savings account at this bank.
  • Chase’s many branches and ATMs might also make this a good fit for people who live in a Chase market.
    N/A
  • You’ll need at least $1 million to earn Well Fargo’s top Platinum Savings account yield.
  • But you can get that at other online banks with no minimum balance.
  • There’s a $12 monthly service fee if you don’t keep at least $3,500 in the Platinum Savings account.
  • The Chase Savings account has a waivable $5 monthly maintenance fee.
  • Many online banks don’t have monthly service fees.
  • The Chase Savings account doesn’t earn a competitive yield.
    N/A

Wells Fargo 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.

Wells Fargo customer reviews

CTA Wells Fargo has 23 reviews

Wells Fargo has 23 reviews

Dive into community reviews below and see what others think about Wells Fargo.

4.2 Star Icon
23 ratings
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Score breakdown
5 stars
43%
4 stars
43%
3 stars
4%
2 stars
4%
1 star
4%
Score by category
Overall Rating 4.2 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 3.8 / 5
Amount of fees 3.8 / 5
Customer support 4.1 / 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 Wells Fargo.
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Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
A minimum balance before a monthly fee will be charged and there isn't any overdraft protection program. I didn't have the option to choose. This bank purchased my original bank, Wachovia.
Score by category
Amount of fees 4 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 4 / 5
Customer support 4 / 5
Website / Mobile app 4 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
Their location is up my road. They are ran by great professional people I respect.
Score by category
Amount of fees 5 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 5 / 5
Customer support 5 / 5
Website / Mobile app 4 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
The staff is very knowledgeable and courteous. Lots of branches and ATMs.
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
I very much enjoy doing business with Wells Fargo Bank. Their customer service is excellent and it is easy to get a representative on the phone that has all of the knowledge on hand to answer any questions that I may have. Their rates are very competitive and their website is excellent and very user friendly. I had a recommendation from a friend to use this bank. I did a bit of research also to read customer reviews and they were very good regarding rates and customer service.
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
This bank has a lot of saving features and a lot of help for your financial needs!. Wells Fargo has great customer service and helps a lot with any questions you need.
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
They work with you on all of your financial needs regardless of income, and they try to work with you on building your portfolio if you don't know how. The customer service and product availability are all there. They are going into a new era of more customer service and great websites and good incentives for their credit and debit cards and accounts.
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
Online bankimg and great experience at bank. I've had nothing but positive experiences at bank.
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
They are an all around great bank to do business with. Customer service Location Family history with bank.
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
Very easy to manage and no fees to rollover your accounts. My family has been part of wells Fargo for over 1005 years. We know the team at our local Wells Fargo office. Their banking products fit my needs.
Score by category
Amount of fees 4 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 4 / 5
Customer support 4 / 5
Website / Mobile app 5 / 5
Anonymous account holder
September 13, 2024
It's ok. Close location.
Score by category
Amount of fees 3 / 5
Competitiveness of APY 3 / 5
Customer support 4 / 5
Website / Mobile app 4 / 5