American Express vs Barclays
High-Yield Savings Accounts Comparison
Last Updated: June 20, 2025
Summary of American Express vs. Barclays
As of June 20, 2025 American Express offers an APY of 3.60% for its High Yield Savings Account account, compared to Barclays's 4.10% APY for its Tiered Savings account.
Barclays yields $50 more than American Express on a $10,000 balance after one year. American Express pays $360, while Barclays pays $410 - an APY advantage for Barclays.
In addition, Barclays also offers 3.70% APY for the Online Savings account.
American Express
Strengths
- American Express offers a High Yield Savings Account with an APY of 3.60%.
- No minimum deposit or balance requirements for American Express accounts.
- American Express has no maintenance fees for its savings account.
Potential Drawbacks
- American Express has a BBB rating of F and is not BBB Accredited.
- American Express has a lower App Store rating of 4.9 compared to Barclays.
- American Express does not offer tiered APYs based on balance.
Barclays
Strengths
- Barclays offers a higher APY of 4.10% for balances over $250,000.
- Barclays has a BBB rating of A+ and is BBB Accredited.
- Barclays has a higher Google Play rating of 4.7.
Potential Drawbacks
- Barclays' higher APY requires a minimum balance of $250,000.
- Barclays' APY decreased from 4.20% over the last 30 days.
- Barclays requires a minimum balance to earn the highest APY.
Summary: American Express provides a competitive APY of 3.60% without minimum balance requirements, but has a poor BBB rating. Barclays offers a higher APY of 4.10% for substantial balances, is BBB Accredited, and has better app ratings, but requires a significant minimum balance to achieve the top rate. Overall, Barclays may appeal to those with larger deposits, while American Express suits those seeking lower barriers to entry.
Compare American Express' vs Barclays' Savings Accounts
| American Express | Barclays | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | High Yield Savings Account | vs | Tiered Savings | Online Savings |
| APY | 3.60% (as of 6/20/2025) | 3.90% - 4.10% (as of 6/20/2025) | 3.70% (as of 6/20/2025) | |
| Bundled Account | No | No | No | |
| FDIC-insured | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Online Only | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Compound Frequency | Daily | Daily | Daily | |
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Minimum Balance for APY | $0 | $250,000 | Enough to earn $0.01 in interest | |
| Maintenance Fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| Direct Deposit Required | No | No | No | |
| Note | N/A | The 4.10% APY is only available for balances over $250,000. For lower balances, the APY is 3.90%. | N/A | |
| Visit Bank | High Yield Savings Account | Tiered Savings | Online Savings | |
| App Store Rating | 4.9/5 | 4.8/5 | ||
| Google Play Rating | 3.8/5 | 4.7/5 | ||
| BBB Rating | F | A+ | ||
Comparative Historical APY Insights (Last 5 Months)
| American Express | Barclays | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | High Yield Savings Account | vs | Online Savings | Tiered Savings |
| Latest APY | 3.60 % | 3.70 % | 4.10 % | |
| Trend | Sideways | Sideways | Falling | |
| Slope (bps/mo) | -4.4 | -4.1 | -7.0 | |
| Rate Changes / Mo | 0.40 | 0.99 | 1.19 | |
| Days Since Last Change | 45 | 12 | 4 | |
| High (-5 m) | 3.80 % | 4.00 % | 4.50 % | |
| Low (-5 m) | 3.60 % | 3.70 % | 4.10 % | |
| Draw-down from High | -5.3 % | -7.5 % | -8.9 % | |
| Volatility (CV) | 0.019 | 0.018 | 0.025 | |
APY Insights Glossary
- Latest APY
- Most recent advertised annual-percentage yield.
- Trend
- Direction over the last 5 months (regression slope).
- Slope (bps/mo)
- Average monthly change; 10 bps = 0.10 pp.
- Rate Changes / Mo
- Typical number of APY moves per month.
- Days Since Last Change
- Recency of the latest APY adjustment.
- High (-5 m)
- Highest APY in the last 151 days.
- Low (-5 m)
- Lowest APY in the last 151 days.
- Draw-down from High
- How far today sits below the 5-month peak.
- Volatility (CV)
- Coefficient of variation = stdev ÷ mean.
Why Track Savings-Account APYs?
- See how quickly a bank reacts to Fed moves or competition.
- Gauge “twitchiness” - frequent moves can annoy savers.
- Spot if you're buying near a peak (draw-down) or riding a rise.
- Slope (bps/mo) shows speed of change.
- Volatility (CV) scales jumps by average level.
Calculate Savings Growth for American Express vs Barclays
All calculations are based on APY.
American Express
APY: 3.60%
Total savings breakdown:
- Interest earned: $36 (3.47%)
- Total contributions: $0 (0.00%)
- Initial deposit: $1,000 (96.53%)
Your total balance
$1,036.00
Effective APY: 3.60% (based on your deposit and contributions)
Total balance: $1,036
Earnings: $36
Bank DetailsBarclays
APY: 4.10%
Total savings breakdown:
- Interest earned: $41 (3.94%)
- Total contributions: $0 (0.00%)
- Initial deposit: $1,000 (96.06%)
Your total balance
$1,041.00
Effective APY: 4.10% (based on your deposit and contributions)
Total balance: $1,041
Earnings: $41
Bank DetailsAfter 1 year American Express would earn you $5 less than Barclays.
More Comparisons
Compare American Express' APY of 3.60% with other banks
| Bank Pair | Best APY | Min Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| American Express vs Ally Bank | 3.50% | $0 |
| American Express vs Axos Bank | 4.66% | $0 |
| American Express vs Bank of America | 0.01% | $100 |
| American Express vs Capital One | 3.60% | $0 |
| American Express vs Chase Bank | 0.01% | $0 |
| American Express vs Chime | 3.75% | $0 |
| American Express vs CIT Bank | 4.00% | $100 |
| American Express vs Discover Bank | 3.60% | $0 |
| American Express vs Fitness Bank | 5.00% | $100 |
| American Express vs Marcus by Goldman Sachs | 3.65% | $0 |
| American Express vs SoFi Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| American Express vs Synchrony Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| American Express vs Varo Bank | 5.00% | $0 |
Compare Barclays' APY of 4.10% with other banks
| Bank Pair | Best APY | Min Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Barclays vs Ally Bank | 3.50% | $0 |
| Barclays vs Axos Bank | 4.66% | $0 |
| Barclays vs Bank of America | 0.01% | $100 |
| Barclays vs Capital One | 3.60% | $0 |
| Barclays vs Chase Bank | 0.01% | $0 |
| Barclays vs Chime | 3.75% | $0 |
| Barclays vs CIT Bank | 4.00% | $100 |
| Barclays vs Discover Bank | 3.60% | $0 |
| Barclays vs Fitness Bank | 5.00% | $100 |
| Barclays vs Marcus by Goldman Sachs | 3.65% | $0 |
| Barclays vs SoFi Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| Barclays vs Synchrony Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| Barclays vs Varo Bank | 5.00% | $0 |