American Express vs Varo Money
High-Yield Savings Accounts Comparison
Last Updated: August 1, 2025
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Summary of American Express vs. Varo Bank
As of August 1, 2025 American Express offers an APY of 3.50% for its High Yield Savings Account account, compared to Varo Bank's 5.00% APY for its High-Yield Savings Account account.
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 required for the High Yield Savings Account.
- American Express has a maintenance fee of $0.
Potential Drawbacks
- American Express has a BBB rating of F and is not BBB Accredited.
- The current APY is lower than 30 days ago at 3.50%.
Varo Bank
Strengths
- Varo Bank offers a higher APY of 5.00% on savings up to $5,000.
- Varo Bank has a BBB rating of A- and is BBB Accredited.
- Varo Bank's Google Play rating is 4.7, higher than American Express.
Potential Drawbacks
- Direct deposit of at least $1,000/month is required to earn the listed APY.
- Varo Bank has a minimum balance requirement of $0.01.
Summary: Varo Bank's High-Yield Savings Account offers a significantly higher APY of 5.00% compared to American Express's 3.50%. While American Express has no direct deposit requirement, it holds a poor BBB rating of F. In contrast, Varo Bank enjoys an A- rating and is BBB Accredited, though it requires direct deposit to access its high APY. Both banks have no maintenance fees.
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 8/1/2025) | 2.50% - 5.00% (as of 8/1/2025) | |
| 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 | 3.8/5 | 4.7/5 | |
| BBB Rating | F | A- |
Comparative Historical APY Insights (Last 6 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) | -4.0 | 0.0 | |
| Rate Changes / Mo | 0.47 | 0.00 | |
| Days Since Last Change | 11 | 192 | |
| High (-6 m) | 3.80 % | 5.00 % | |
| Low (-6 m) | 3.50 % | 5.00 % | |
| Draw-down from High | -7.9 % | 0.0 % | |
| Volatility (CV) | 0.022 | 0.000 |
APY Insights Glossary
- Latest APY
- Most recent advertised annual-percentage yield.
- Trend
- Direction over the last 6 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 (-6 m)
- Highest APY in the last 193 days.
- Low (-6 m)
- Lowest APY in the last 193 days.
- Draw-down from High
- How far today sits below the 6-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
| Bank Pair | Best APY | Min Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| American Express vs Ally Bank | 3.50% | $0 |
| American Express vs Axos Bank | 4.46% | $0 |
| American Express vs Bank of America | 0.01% | $100 |
| American Express vs Barclays | 4.10% | $0 |
| American Express vs Capital One | 3.50% | $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 | 3.50% | $0 |
| American Express vs Fitness Bank | 4.85% | $100 |
| American Express vs Marcus by Goldman Sachs | 3.65% | $0 |
| American Express vs Presidential Bank | 4.50% | $5,000 |
| American Express vs SoFi Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| American Express vs Synchrony Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| American Express vs UFB Direct | 4.21% | $5000 |
| American Express vs Wells Fargo | 2.51% | $25 |
Compare Varo Bank's APY of 5.00% with other banks
| Bank Pair | Best 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 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 Fitness Bank | 4.85% | $100 |
| Varo Bank vs Marcus by Goldman Sachs | 3.65% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Presidential Bank | 4.50% | $5,000 |
| Varo Bank vs SoFi Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs Synchrony Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| Varo Bank vs UFB Direct | 4.21% | $5000 |
| Varo Bank vs Wells Fargo | 2.51% | $25 |