American Express vs Varo Money
High-Yield Savings Accounts Comparison
Last Updated: September 16, 2025
We earn a commission if you open an account through some links on this page.
Summary of American Express vs. Varo Bank
As of September 16, 2025 American Express offers an APY of 3.50% for its High Yield Savings Account, with a minimum balance of $0, compared to Varo Bank's 5.00% APY for its High-Yield Savings Account, with a minimum balance of $0.01.
Varo Bank yields $25 more than American Express on a $10,000 balance after one year. American Express pays $350, while Varo Bank pays $375 (with an effective APY of 3.75%) - an APY advantage for Varo Bank.
American Express
Strengths
- No minimum deposit or balance requirement for the High Yield Savings Account.
- American Express has a maintenance fee of $0.
- App Store rating of 4.9.
Potential Drawbacks
- American Express has an F BBB rating and is not BBB Accredited.
- Current APY is lower than Varo Bank's 5.00%.
- No direct deposit option for the High Yield Savings Account.
Varo Bank
Strengths
- Varo Bank offers a higher current APY of 5.00%.
- Varo Bank has an A- BBB rating and is BBB Accredited.
- Google Play rating of 4.6.
Potential Drawbacks
- Direct deposit of $1,000/month is required to earn the highest APY.
- Lower APY of 2.50% applies to balances over $5,000.
- Minimum balance of $0.01 is required.
Summary: American Express offers a competitive APY of 3.50% with no minimum balance or direct deposit requirement, but has a poor BBB rating. Varo Bank provides a higher APY of 5.00%, but requires a $1,000 monthly direct deposit and has a minimum balance of $0.01. Varo also enjoys a better BBB rating and a higher Google Play rating compared to American Express.
Compare American Express' vs Varo Bank's Savings Accounts
| American Express | Varo Bank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | High Yield Savings Account | vs | High-Yield Savings Account |
| APY | 3.50% (as of 9/16/2025) | 2.50% - 5.00% (as of 9/16/2025) | |
| Bundled Account | No | No | |
| FDIC-insured | Yes | Yes | |
| Online Only | Yes | Yes | |
| Compound Frequency | Daily | Daily | |
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | |
| Minimum Balance for APY | $0 | $0.01 | |
| Maintenance Fee | $0 | $0 | |
| Direct Deposit Required | No | Yes. Min. $1,000/month | |
| Note | Earn 5.00% APY on up to $5,000 and 2.50% APY on the rest. Direct deposit required. | ||
| App Store Rating | 4.9/5 | 4.9/5 | |
| Google Play Rating | 3.7/5 | 4.6/5 | |
| BBB Rating | F | A- |
Comparative Historical APY Insights (Last 8 Months)
| American Express | Varo Bank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | High Yield Savings Account | vs | High-Yield Savings Account |
| Latest APY | 3.50 % | 5.00 % | |
| Trend | Sideways | Sideways | |
| Slope (bps/mo) | -4.1 | 0.0 | |
| Rate Changes / Mo | 0.38 | 0.00 | |
| Days Since Last Change | 55 | 237 | |
| High (-8 m) | 3.80 % | 5.00 % | |
| Low (-8 m) | 3.50 % | 5.00 % | |
| Draw-down from High | -7.9 % | 0.0 % | |
| Volatility (CV) | 0.027 | 0.000 |
APY Insights Glossary
- Latest APY
- Most recent advertised annual-percentage yield.
- Trend
- Direction over the last 8 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 (-8 m)
- Highest APY in the last 238 days.
- Low (-8 m)
- Lowest APY in the last 238 days.
- Draw-down from High
- How far today sits below the 8-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 Varo Bank
All calculations are based on APY.
American Express
APY: 3.50%
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
Effective APY: 3.50% (based on your deposit and contributions)
Total balance: $20,114.1
Earnings: $2,114.1
Bank OverviewVaro Bank
APY: 5.00%
ℹ️You earn 5.00% on the first $5,000 and 2.50% on the rest.
Total savings breakdown:
- Interest earned: $2,211.4 (10.94%)
- Total contributions: $13,000 (64.32%)
- Initial deposit: $5,000 (24.74%)
Your total balance
$20,211.40
Effective APY: 3.65% (based on your deposit and contributions)
Total balance: $20,211.4
Earnings: $2,211.4
Bank OverviewWith a $5,000 initial deposit and $13,000 in total contributions over 5 years, American Express's total earnings would be $97.3 lower than Varo Bank's total earnings.
The Banksparency Savings Calculator provides estimated savings growth based on user input and our latest data.
More Comparisons
Compare American Express' APY of 3.50% with other banks
Compare Varo Bank's APY of 5.00% with other banks
| Bank Pair | Competitor APY | Min Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Varo Bank vs Ally Bank | 3.50% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Axos Bank | 4.46% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Bank of America | 0.01% | $100 |
| Varo Bank vs Barclays | 4.10% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs BrioDirect | 4.30% | $5,000 |
| Varo Bank vs Capital One | 3.50% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Chase Bank | 0.01% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Chime | 3.75% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs CIT Bank | 4.00% | $100 |
| Varo Bank vs Discover Bank | 3.50% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Elevault | 4.60% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs EverBank | 4.30% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Fitness Bank | 4.75% | $100 |
| Varo Bank vs FVCbank | 4.35% | $500 |
| Varo Bank vs GO2bank | 4.50% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Marcus by Goldman Sachs | 3.65% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Neighbors Bank | 4.60% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Newtek Bank | 4.35% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Peak Bank | 4.35% | $100 |
| Varo Bank vs Pibank | 4.60% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Presidential Bank | 4.50% | $5,000 |
| Varo Bank vs Santander Bank | 0.03% | $25 |
| Varo Bank vs SoFi Bank | 4.50% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Synchrony Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs TIMBR | 4.40% | $1,000 |
| Varo Bank vs UFB Direct | 4.21% | $5000 |
| Varo Bank vs Wells Fargo | 2.51% | $25 |
| Varo Bank vs Zynlo Bank | 4.35% | $10 |