Synchrony Bank
Product Name: Synchrony
Product Description: Synchrony Bank is an online bank that offers competitive APYs on savings, CD, and Money Market accounts.
Summary
Synchrony Bank is an online bank that offers competitive APYs on savings, CD, and Money Market accounts. Deposits are FDIC-insured, and there are no monthly fees minimum deposit requirements.
Pros
- High yields on savings and select CDs
- No minimum deposit requirementsÂ
- Synchrony Premier World Mastercard pays Unlimited 2% cash back on all purchase
Cons
- Does not offer a checking account
- Online banking only, there are no local branches
Synchrony Bank is an online bank that offers competitive APYs on savings, CD, and Money Market accounts. Deposits are FDIC-insured, and there are no monthly fees or minimum deposit requirements. You can also access a no-fee cash-back credit card. But with no checking account and limited retirement investing options, is Synchrony right for you?
At A Glance
- Competitive high-yield savings APY of 4.75% APY
- No monthly fees or minimum balance requirements
- Wide range of CD terms
- IRA CDs and MMAs
- Doesn’t offer a checking account
Who Should Use Synchrony Bank?
Synchrony Bank is best-suited for customers looking for an online bank with high APYs on savings and certificates of deposit (CDs), who already have a checking account elsewhere to manage their day to day finances. If you’re looking for a flat-rate cash-back credit card, Synchrony’s Premier World Mastercard is also worth considering. It has no annual fee and offers a generous 2% cash back with no spending limit.
If you need an online bank to manage all of your financial transactions, including day-to-day banking and investments, then Synchrony is probably not your best option.
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Synchrony Bank Alternatives
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| Savings APY | 5.36% APY | 4.25% APY | 4.76% APY |
| Min. Balance Requirement |
$500 | $0 | $25,000 |
| Monthly Fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Learn More | Learn More | Learn More |
What Is Synchrony Bank?
Synchrony Bank is the online banking subsidiary of Synchrony Financial based in Stamford, CT. It offers various deposit, credit, financing, and lending products. It’s also a leading private label credit card provider, and is the backbone behind popular store credit cards such as Amazon, Lowes, Walmart, and Gap.
Synchrony Financial (SYF) had revenues of $13.5 billion in 2023 and is a component of the S&P500 index. Synchrony Bank is FDIC insured (#27314), and they’re headquartered in Utah.
You can contact Synchrony Bank customer service by calling 1-866-226-5638 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST, Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, Closed Sunday).
Synchrony Bank’s routing number is 021213591.
Deposit Products
Synchrony Bank offers the full menu of deposit products – money market (similar to checking), savings, high-yield savings, certificates of deposit, and even IRA accounts.
- High-Yield Savings: No monthly service fees, 4.75% APY, no minimum balance.
- Certificates of Deposit: Maturity periods of 3 months to 60 months, no minimum deposit, with the 9-month CD paying 5.10% APY
- Money Markets: No monthly service fee, mobile check deposit, no minimum balance, up to 2.25% APY
- IRA: You can open a regular IRA account or an IRA CD account or Money Market account. APYs are the same as they are for regular taxable accounts.
- Checking: Not offered
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Credit Cards
Synchrony Bank offers three credit cards, each with its own distinct features and benefits.
Synchrony Plus World Mastercard has no annual fee, and pays an unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases. The card also includes some Mastercard benefits, incliding Travel and Lifestyle Services and Priceless Experiences.
The Synchrony Premier World Mastercard is the company’s premium card offering. It doubles the unlimited cash back to 2% on all purchases. While it lacks the additional benefits offered by many premium rewards cards, such as complimentary insurance coverages or annual statement credits, there is no annual fee.
Finally, the Synchrony Preferred Mastercard is offered for applicants with either no credit or fair to good credit. There is no cash back, but the card provides an opportunity to either build or rebuild credit with no annual fee.
Synchrony Bank also issues several white-label credit cards, meaning they’re run by Synchrony Bank but they are branded with others names. One popular Synchrony Bank powered credit card is Amazon.com’s Amazon Prime Store Card – which gives you a $10 Amazon.com gift card upon approval plus 5% cashback at Amazon.com with no caps. No annual fee, special financing on orders $149 or more, and all the typical protections of credit cards, like $0 liability.
They also power other retail cards like American Eagle Outfitters, Athleta, Chevron, Old Navy, PayPal & eBay, Sam’s Club, Toys “R” Us, Walmart and more. If you have one of those cards, you may have seen SYNCB appear on your credit report. I had SYNCB/PPC and was surprised to see it because I didn’t know it stood for Synchrony Bank / PayPal Credit! It’s normal though, just looks weird.
Fees and Penalties
Like most online banks, Synchrony Bank does not charge any monthly fees on its savings or money market accounts. There are also no minimum balance requirements.
What is rare is that they will not charge you a fee if you exceed six withdrawals/transfers in a statement cycle. Many banks will charge this because you aren’t supposed to (according to the Federal Reserve) treat a savings account like a checking account, but Synchrony won’t. They do, like other banks, reserve the right to close your account if it happens too much.
CD Early Withdrawal Penalties
There is an early termination fee if you make a withdrawal from a Synchrony CD before the maturity date:
- Term 12 months or less: 90 days of simple interest at the current rate
- Terms of more than 12 months but less than 48 months: 180 days of simple interest at the current rate
- Terms of 48 months or more: 365 days of simple interest at the current rate
These interest penalties are fairly standard – it’s the exact same as what Bank of America and any major bank would charge.
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Synchrony Bank vs. Alternatives
Western Alliance Bank
If you’re looking for an even higher yield on savings, Western Alliance Bank is worth checking out. It currently pays 5.36% APY on all balances on its High-Yield Savings Premier account. You can open your account online in less than five minutes, with a minimum deposit of $500.
There are no fees for this account, giving you the benefit of the entire APY. Western Alliance Bank is part of a $70 billion financial organization. The bank also offers an extensive line of business banking services, including checking and savings accounts, global market services, treasury management, business credit cards and various specialized loan programs.
Get Started With Western Alliance Bank
Discover Bank
Discover Bank offers its Online Savings Account, currently paying 4.25% APY on all account balances, with no monthly fee. While this rate is lower than what Synchrony is currently offering, Discover has a free checking account and a debit card that earns 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in purchases.
There also are no fees for excessive withdrawals, expedited delivery for official bank checks, returned items, stop payment orders, or insufficient funds.
Like Synchrony, Discover is an all-online bank. But unlike Synchrony, Discover has one of the best credit card offers in the industry. The Discover it card pays 5% cash back on rotating quarterly spending categories, such as groceries, restaurants, and gasoline, and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. It also matches your accumulated cash back within the first year of account opening.
Get Started With Discover Bank
Customers Bank
Customers Bank is a relative newcomer to the banking scene, having been established only in 2009. But the bank has grown and now has over $22 billion in assets.
Its High-Yield Savings Account currently pays 4.76% APY on the full balance. Unfortunately, the minimum opening deposit of $25,000 limits the number of customers who can benefit from the high APY. The account has no monthly fees.
Note that Customers Bank gives back to schools and organizations in their local communities, so you will be helping local communities just by opening an account at the bank.
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FAQs
Is Synchrony Bank legit?
Synchrony Bank was established in 1932, as GE Capital Retail Bank, and currently has more than $95 billion in assets. It rates only 1.1 out of five stars (“Bad”) with Trustpilot, though that’s based on only 20 reviews.
However, users of the mobile app have a decidedly positive opinion about the company. It scores 4.6 out of five stars among more than 5,000 Android users on Google Play, and 4.8 out of five stars among more than 22,000 iOS users on The App Store.Â
Where is Synchrony Bank located and are there any branches?
Synchrony Bank is based in Stamford, Connecticut, but as an online bank, it has no physical branches. Access to Synchrony Bank, transactions takes place entirely online and through mobile devices.
Is Synchrony Bank in trouble?
In late 2023, reports surfaced of a lawsuit against Synchrony Bank, alleging the company has been “installing tracking software to invade customers privacy and track their browsing habits.” No further information is available as to the legitimacy of the claim, or whether it will be accepted by the court.
Get Started With Synchrony Bank
Summary
Synchrony Bank has a compelling offer for anyone looking for a no-fee online savings account with a competitive yield. Throw in a solid cash-back credit card and a wide range of CDs, and you can save with Synchrony. However, there are better options if you’re looking for a complete banking solution or want a bank that can handle your investments as well as your savings.
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About Jim Wang
Jim Wang is a forty-something father of four who is a frequent contributor to Forbes and Vanguard’s Blog. He has also been fortunate to have appeared in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Entrepreneur, and Marketplace Money.
Jim has a B.S. in Computer Science and Economics from Carnegie Mellon University, an M.S. in Information Technology – Software Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as a Masters in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University. His approach to personal finance is that of an engineer, breaking down complex subjects into bite-sized easily understood concepts that you can use in your daily life.
One of his favorite tools (here’s my treasure chest of tools, everything I use) is Empower Personal Dashboard, which enables him to manage his finances in just 15-minutes each month. They also offer financial planning, such as a Retirement Planning Tool that can tell you if you’re on track to retire when you want. It’s free.
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank or financial institution. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
