American Express vs Santander Bank
High-Yield Savings Accounts Comparison
Last Updated: September 5, 2025
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Summary of American Express vs. Santander Bank
As of September 5, 2025 American Express offers an APY of 3.50% for its High Yield Savings Account, with a minimum balance of $0, compared to Santander Bank's 0.03% APY for its Santander Savings account, with a minimum balance of $0.
American Express yields $347 more than Santander Bank on a $10,000 balance after one year. American Express pays $350, while Santander Bank pays $3 - an APY advantage for American Express.
American Express
Strengths
- American Express offers a competitive APY of 3.50%.
- No maintenance fees or minimum balance requirements.
- High App Store rating of 4.9.
Potential Drawbacks
- American Express has an F BBB rating.
- No physical branches available.
- Google Play rating is lower at 3.8.
Santander Bank
Strengths
- Santander Bank has an A- BBB rating, indicating higher trust.
- Branches available primarily in the Northeast and Miami.
- Higher Google Play rating of 4.3.
Potential Drawbacks
- Santander Bank offers a very low APY of 0.03%.
- Maintenance fee of $1 applies.
- Minimum deposit requirement of $25.
Compare American Express' vs Santander Bank's Savings Accounts
| American Express | Santander Bank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | High Yield Savings Account | vs | Santander Savings |
| APY | 3.50% (as of 9/5/2025) | 0.03% (as of 9/5/2025) | |
| Bundled Account | No | No | |
| FDIC-insured | Yes | Yes | |
| Online Only | Yes | No | |
| Compound Frequency | Daily | Daily | |
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 | |
| Minimum Balance for APY | $0 | $0 | |
| Maintenance Fee | $0 | $1 | |
| Direct Deposit Required | No | No | |
| App Store Rating | 4.9/5 | 4.8/5 | |
| Google Play Rating | 3.8/5 | 4.3/5 | |
| BBB Rating | F | A- |
Comparative Historical APY Insights (Last 7 Months)
| American Express | Santander Bank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | High Yield Savings Account | vs | Santander Savings |
| Latest APY | 3.50 % | 0.03 % | |
| Trend | Sideways | Sideways | |
| Slope (bps/mo) | -4.2 | -0.0 | |
| Rate Changes / Mo | 0.40 | 0.00 | |
| Days Since Last Change | 44 | 225 | |
| High (-7 m) | 3.80 % | 0.03 % | |
| Low (-7 m) | 3.50 % | 0.03 % | |
| Draw-down from High | -7.9 % | 0.0 % | |
| Volatility (CV) | 0.026 | 0.000 |
APY Insights Glossary
- Latest APY
- Most recent advertised annual-percentage yield.
- Trend
- Direction over the last 7 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 (-7 m)
- Highest APY in the last 226 days.
- Low (-7 m)
- Lowest APY in the last 226 days.
- Draw-down from High
- How far today sits below the 7-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 Santander Bank
American Express
Total savings breakdown:
- Interest earned: $2,114.1 (10.51%)
- Total contributions: $13,000 (64.63%)
- Initial deposit: $5,000 (24.86%)
Your total balance
$20,114.10
Total balance: $20,114.1
Earnings: $2,114.1
Bank OverviewSantander Bank
Total savings breakdown:
- Interest earned: $17.2 (0.10%)
- Total contributions: $13,000 (72.15%)
- Initial deposit: $5,000 (27.75%)
Your total balance
$18,017.20
Total balance: $18,017.2
Earnings: $17.2
Bank OverviewWith a $5,000 initial deposit and $13,000 in total contributions over 5 years, American Express's total earnings would be $2,096.9 higher than Santander Bank's total earnings.
The Banksparency Savings Calculator provides estimated savings growth based on user input and our latest data.