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Barclays Tiered Savings Review: A Strong APY

Review Updated
Ryan Wilcox
Author: Ryan Wilcox
Ryan Wilcox
Ryan Wilcox
Full-Time Personal Finance Writer

Ryan Wilcox is a full-time Personal Finance Writer at Motley Fool Money, covering credit cards, bank accounts, investing, auto insurance, and other personal finance topics. Ryan has been writing about credit cards and savings since 2022. Before joining Motley Fool Money, he was a full-time writer at The Points Guy, where he focused on maximizing credit card rewards and travel strategies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and American History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also spent four years reporting for The Daily Tar Heel. With a background in both journalism and consumer finance, he brings a clear and thoughtful voice to money topics. Outside of work, Ryan is likely reading, writing, or updating his Letterboxd account.

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Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures that our product ratings are not influenced by compensation. APY = Annual Percentage Yield.

Looking to supercharge your savings this year? If so, a high-yield savings account (HYSA) is an easy way to do it. And you're looking at one of the best: a Barclays Tiered Savings account.

Barclays offers one of the best combinations of earning potential and ease of use that I've seen. It has no account fees and no minimum balance requirements, and it's still got one of the higher APYs out there -- which means it's incredibly beginner-friendly.

Here's what to know about Barclays Tiered Savings and whether it's right for you.

Barclays Tiered Savings
Open Account for Barclays Tiered Savings

On Barclays' Secure Website.

Member FDIC.

Rates as of

Barclays Tiered Savings

Open Account for Barclays Tiered Savings

On Barclays' Secure Website.

Member FDIC.
4.90/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
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= Poor
4.90/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Open Account for Barclays Tiered Savings

On Barclays' Secure Website.

Special Offer
$200 Bonus with qualifying activities. Terms Apply Circle with letter I in it.

To earn a $200 bonus, new customers can open a savings account; deposit $25,000 or more within 30 days; and maintain at least that balance for 120 consecutive days. The bonus will be credited to your account within 60 days of meeting these requirements. Offer ends Jul. 31, 2026. Terms apply.
APY
3.50% Rate info Circle with letter I in it. Balances less than $250,000 earn 3.50%, and balances greater than $250,000 earn 3.65%.
Min. To Earn APY
$0
  • Competitive APY
  • No monthly account fee
  • Unlimited number of external transfers (up to daily transaction limits)
  • FDIC insured
  • No minimum deposit to open an account
  • Balance requirement for maximum APY
  • No ATM access
  • No wire transfers (inbound or outbound)
  • No branch access; online only

Barclays Tiered Savings rewards savers with a tiered APY structure, offering higher rates as your balance grows. No monthly fees and no minimum balance to open mean it's accessible to everyone, while unlimited transfers and withdrawals let you manage your savings your way.

At Motley Fool Money, we rate savings accounts on a five-star scale, shown in tenths of a point to highlight even small differences between products. Accounts are evaluated across four main criteria:

  • APY
  • Brand and reputation
  • Fees and minimum requirements
  • Accessibility and features

Scores may be adjusted to reward limited-time high rates or penalize accounts with excessive fees. Our goal is to highlight accounts that are competitive, easy to use, and backed by trusted institutions. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates bank accounts.

At Motley Fool Money, we rate savings accounts on a five-star scale, shown in tenths of a point to highlight even small differences between products. Accounts are evaluated across four main criteria:

  • APY
  • Brand and reputation
  • Fees and minimum requirements
  • Accessibility and features

Scores may be adjusted to reward limited-time high rates or penalize accounts with excessive fees. Our goal is to highlight accounts that are competitive, easy to use, and backed by trusted institutions. Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates bank accounts.

What I like about the Barclays Tiered Savings account

Strong APY

With Barclays' tiered earning system, the more you save, the more you can earn, with balances over $250,000 qualifying for the top tier rate-- 3.65% APY.

For those of us without a quarter of a million in the bank, though, this account is still elite. If you're under that threshold, you qualify for an impressive 3.50% APY.

No fees, minimums, or limits

Barclays charges no monthly maintenance fees, and there's no minimum deposit required to open the account. That makes it easy to get started and keep your full balance working for you. The only small fee you might incur is if you request a print statement for your account.

Barclays also doesn't limit how many times you can move your money each month. That's a big plus compared to banks that still enforce a withdrawal limit.

Compare savings rates

Make sure you're getting the best account for you by comparing savings rates and promotions. Here are some of our favorite high-yield savings accounts to consider.

Account APY Bonus Next Steps
up to 3.80%
Rate info Circle with letter I in it. Earn up to 3.80% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on one SoFi Savings account with a 0.70% APY Boost (added to the 3.10% APY as of 5/28/26) for up to 6 months. Open your first SoFi Checking and Savings account and receive eligible direct deposits OR qualifying deposits of $5,000 every 31 days by 12/31/26. Rates are variable, subject to change. Terms apply at sofi.com/banking#2. SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.
Min. to earn: $0
Earn $50 or $400 and +0.70% Boost on Savings APY with direct deposit. Terms apply. Circle with letter I in it.

Earn up to 3.80% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on one SoFi Savings account with a 0.70% APY Boost (added to the 3.10% APY as of 5/28/26) for up to 6 months. Open your first SoFi Checking and Savings account and receive eligible direct deposits OR qualifying deposits of $5,000 every 31 days by 12/31/26. Rates are variable, subject to change. Terms apply at sofi.com/banking#2. SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.
4.15%
Rate info Circle with letter I in it. Earn a guaranteed 4.15% APY for 90 days. After that, your savings keep growing at a competitive standard rate -- currently 3.95% APY (subject to change). No minimum account balance required. Deposit or withdraw at any time with no additional fees.
Min. to earn: $1
Earn up to $1,200 when you sign up and fund your account using code SUMMER26.¹
up to 4.10%*
Rate info Circle with letter I in it. 4.10%* APY for balances of $5,000 or more; otherwise, 0.60%* APY
Min. to earn: $5,000
Earn up to 4.10% APY with promo code CITBoost Circle with letter I in it.

With the 6 month Boost limited-time offer, you earn 4.10%* APY on balances over $5,000 (balances less than $5,000 earn 0.60%* APY). After the boost is complete you will continue to earn standard rates -- 3.75% APY for balances over $5,000 (balances less than $5,000 earn 0.25% APY). The minimum to open a Platinum Savings account is $100. Member FDIC. No monthly service fees.
Disclaimers

Platinum Savings is a tiered interest rate account. Interest is paid on the entire account balance based on the interest rate and APY in effect that day for the balance tier associated with the end-of-day account balance. APYs — Annual Percentage Yields are accurate as of January 9, 2026: 0.25% APY on balances of $0.01 to $4,999.99; 3.75% APY on balances of $5,000.00 or more. Interest Rates for the Platinum Savings account are variable and may change at any time without notice. The minimum to open a Platinum Savings account is $100.

Based on comparison to the national average Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on savings accounts as published in the FDIC National Rates and Rate Caps, accurate as of February 17, 2026.

* Platinum Savings APY Boost Promotion Terms and Conditions

This is a limited time offer available to New and Existing customers who meet the Platinum Savings APY Boost promotion criteria.

Accounts enrolled in the Platinum Savings Annual Percentage Yield (APY) Boost promotion will receive a 0.35% APY boost on the Platinum Savings current standard APY tiers for 6 months following the opening of a new account or when an existing Platinum Savings account is enrolled in the promotion. The Platinum Savings APY boost will be applied on account balances up to $9,999,999.00. Account balances above $9,999,999.00 will earn the standard APY. If the standard-published APY should change during the promotion period, the APY boost will move with it, offering an account APY above the standard rate.

The Promotion begins on February 13, 2026, and ends August 31, 2026. Customers enrolled in the promotion prior to the end date will receive the APY boost for the 6-month period outlined in the terms and conditions.

The promotion can end at any time without notice.

For complete list of account details and fees, see our Personal Account disclosures.

CIT General Disclosure

For complete list of account details and fees, see our Personal Account disclosures. https://www.cit.com/cit-bank/resources/forms

¹New customers only. Earn a cash bonus when you deposit and maintain funds with partner banks on the Raisin platform. Customers can earn up to $60 for depositing between $10,000 and $24,999 ($50 welcome bonus + $10 bonus boost when you set up two recurring deposits or more totaling $100), up to $150 for depositing between $25,000 and $49,999 ($125 welcome bonus + $25 bonus boost when you set up two recurring deposits or more totaling $250), up to $300 for depositing between $50,000 and $99,999 ($250 welcome bonus + $50 bonus boost when you set up two recurring deposits or more totaling $500), up to $600 for depositing between $100,000 and $199,999 ($500 welcome bonus + $100 bonus boost when you set up two recurring deposits or more totaling $1,000), and up to $1,200 for depositing $200,000 or more ($1,000 welcome bonus + $200 bonus boost when you set up two recurring deposits or more totaling $2,000).

To qualify for the bonus, you must be a new Raisin customer who signs up between June 1, 2026, and July 31, 2026, and the promo code SUMMER26 must be entered at the time of sign-up. Deposit at least $10,000 within 14 days of your first deposit. You can make one or multiple deposits during this window, and your total deposited amount determines your bonus tier. You may add more funds during the 14-day window to reach a higher bonus tier. Satisfying these base requirements is mandatory to unlock and earn the optional recurring deposit boost. You can add this boost during your 14-day window by setting up an automated schedule that posts at least twice during the 90-day holding period. The recurring deposit boost is an extra cash reward earned by setting up an automated savings schedule within your first 14 days that posts at least twice during the 90-day holding period. Your base welcome bonus tier sets the maximum cap for this extra reward. If you choose to skip it, you will still earn your base welcome bonus by meeting the standard qualifying terms. However, you cannot earn the recurring boost on its own; satisfying the base welcome bonus requirements is mandatory to unlock it.

Once the deposit window closes, your balance must remain at or above your qualifying bonus tier for 90 days. If your balance drops below that amount during the 90-day period, you may no longer be eligible for that bonus. Only funds deposited within 14 days of the initial deposit date and maintained with partner banks on the Raisin platform for 90 days will be eligible for this bonus.

Bonus cash will be deposited by Raisin into the customer’s Cash Account within 30 days of meeting all qualifying terms. This offer is available to new customers only and may not be combined with any other bonus offers. Raisin reserves the right to modify or terminate this offer at any time.

Downsides you should consider

High balance requirement for top APY

As mentioned, to unlock the highest APY tier, you'll need to keep at least $250,000 in the account -- definitely out of reach for most.

You'll still earn a great 3.50% rate below that threshold, but the very best rewards are reserved for the biggest balances.

Limited withdrawal methods

You can transfer funds electronically, but you won't find ATMs or branches to withdraw cash.

There's no checking account to link directly either, so if you need quick access to your money, this account might not work for you.

Customer service

Another potential downside: Barclays doesn't offer in-person support, since it's an online-only bank.

You can still reach customer service by phone from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, seven days a week. That's good coverage, though not quite 24/7 like some competitors.

Accessing your money

Depositing money

You can fund your Barclays Tiered Savings account through ACH transfers, mobile check deposit, or by mailing in a check. Mobile deposit limits include a $5,000 daily check max and a $10,000 total daily deposit limit.

You can deposit up to 20 checks totaling $50,000 over 10 business days. Keep in mind, though, that Barclays doesn't accept cash, wire transfers, money orders, or third-party checks.

Withdrawing money

You can move your money out of Barclays via electronic transfer to another linked bank account. But there are no ATMs or branches, so you won't be able to make cash withdrawals directly.

As mentioned, Barclays is best for people who don't need frequent, instant access to their cash.

Security and reliability

Barclays is a well-known U.K. bank with a long-standing global presence. Its U.S. savings accounts are online-only, but backed by the same financial stability.

All deposits are FDIC-insured up to $250,000, giving you peace of mind that your money is protected.

Who should open a Barclays Tiered Savings account?

No matter how much you've got in the bank, Barclays Tiered Savings offers one of the better APYs out there. That means it's a fit for basically anyone, no matter your income or financial status.

Also, the lack of monthly charges and minimums makes this high-yield savings account a great way to grow your money. It's not the absolute highest APY out there, but if you want automatic and stress-free earnings, Barclays Tiered Savings is a strong option.

Ready to get started? Open a Barclays Tiered Savings account now and start growing your money today.

FAQs

  • There aren't any monthly fees or minimum deposit requirements. The only fee you might incur is if you request a paper statement.

  • Yes, deposits are insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per account ownership category.

  • You can fund your account using ACH transfers, mobile check deposit, or by mailing a physical check.