A high interest savings account may yield features and benefits beyond those of a standard deposit account. Here is a brief look at the reasons why a high interest account may be just the thing for you.
You Get More Money!
The most obvious benefit, as well as the best one, is that you get more money from your deposit, and that's a benefit that is hard to say no to. Be aware though, that there are restrictions and limitations. Nothing comes without a price, and to get that high interest, you may have to leave your deposit in for several months, or you may have to have a high minimum deposit.
Reduced Fees
Many high interest accounts, especially those that require a higher minimum balance, offer reduced fee structures and free services that holders of standard deposit accounts will have to pay for. You may be able to get a break on the monthly service fees, as well as transaction fees.
ATM Fees
If you have a high interest account that allows you to make withdrawals, ATM fees are a major consideration. Most banks allow you to make free withdrawals from their own ATM machines, but charge you a fee if you use another bank's ATMs or an ATM in a foreign country. If you do a lot of travelling, look for an account that gives you free use of foreign ATMs and ATMs of other banks.
Introductory Promotional Rates
Some banks offer introductory rates that are even higher than their usual high rate. On the downside, these introductory rates are good only once, for a pre-set period of time, and often, only to new customers. But if you can find these deals, they are excellent for gaining some extra interest income for a time.
Low Risk
There are a great many high yield investment vehicles such as share funds and corporate bonds, and many of these offer the possibility of gaining returns higher than that of the highest high interest savings account. However, there is considerably less risk involved in high interest products from a bank.