American Express vs Barclays
High-Yield Savings Accounts Comparison
Last Updated: June 16, 2025
Summary of American Express vs. Barclays
As of June 16, 2025 American Express offers an APY of 3.60% for its High Yield Savings Account account, compared to Barclays's 4.20% APY for its Tiered Savings account.
Barclays yields $60 more than American Express on a $10,000 balance after one year. American Express pays $360, while Barclays pays $420 - 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 a current APY of 3.60%.
- No minimum deposit or balance requirements for American Express's account.
- American Express has a higher App Store rating of 4.9.
Potential Drawbacks
- American Express has an F rating from the BBB and is not accredited.
- American Express's APY has not changed in the last 30 days.
Barclays
Strengths
- Barclays provides a Tiered Savings account with a higher APY of 4.20% for balances over $250,000.
- Barclays has an A+ BBB rating and is accredited.
- Barclays has a strong Google Play rating of 4.7.
Potential Drawbacks
- Barclays requires a minimum balance of $250,000 to earn the highest APY.
- The Online Savings account offers a lower APY of 3.70% compared to Barclays's Tiered Savings.
Summary: American Express offers a competitive 3.60% APY with no minimum balance, but lacks BBB accreditation and has a lower overall rating. In contrast, Barclays provides a higher APY of 4.20% for larger deposits and boasts an A+ BBB rating. However, Barclays requires a significant minimum balance to access its top rate, while American Express remains consistent without minimums.
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 6/16/2025) | 4.00% - 4.20% (as of 6/16/2025) | 3.70% (as of 6/16/2025) | |
| 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 4.20% APY is only available for balances over $250,000. For lower balances, the APY is 4.00%. | 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 % | 4.20 % | |
| Trend | Sideways | Sideways | Falling | |
| Slope (bps/mo) | -4.4 | -3.9 | -6.8 | |
| Rate Changes / Mo | 0.41 | 1.03 | 1.03 | |
| Days Since Last Change | 39 | 6 | 6 | |
| High (-5 m) | 3.80 % | 4.00 % | 4.50 % | |
| Low (-5 m) | 3.60 % | 3.70 % | 4.20 % | |
| Draw-down from High | -5.3 % | -7.5 % | -6.7 % | |
| Volatility (CV) | 0.018 | 0.017 | 0.023 | |
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 145 days.
- Low (-5 m)
- Lowest APY in the last 145 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: 4.20%
Total savings breakdown:
- Interest earned: $42 (4.03%)
- Total contributions: $0 (0.00%)
- Initial deposit: $1,000 (95.97%)
Your total balance
$1,042.00
Effective APY: 4.20% (based on your deposit and contributions)
Total balance: $1,042
Earnings: $42
Bank DetailsAfter 1 year American Express would earn you $6 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 | 3.60% | $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 4.20% with other banks
| Bank Pair | Best APY | Min Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Barclays vs Ally Bank | 3.60% | $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 |