Barclays vs Santander Bank
High-Yield Savings Accounts Comparison

Last Updated: September 5, 2025

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Summary of Barclays vs. Santander Bank

As of September 5, 2025 Barclays offers an APY of 4.10% for its Tiered Savings account, with a minimum balance of $250,000, compared to Santander Bank's 0.03% APY for its Santander Savings account, with a minimum balance of $0.

Barclays yields $387 more than Santander Bank on a $10,000 balance after one year. Barclays pays $390 (with an effective APY of 3.9%), while Santander Bank pays $3 - an APY advantage for Barclays.

In addition, Barclays also offers 3.70% APY for the Online Savings account.

Barclays

Strengths

  • Barclays offers a high APY of 4.10% for balances over $250,000.
  • Barclays has an A+ BBB rating and is BBB Accredited.
  • Barclays has no maintenance fees on its savings accounts.

Potential Drawbacks

  • Barclays requires a minimum balance of $250,000 to earn the highest APY.
  • Barclays has no physical branches.

Santander Bank

Strengths

  • Santander Bank has physical branches, primarily in the Northeast and Miami.
  • Santander requires a low minimum deposit of $25 to open an account.

Potential Drawbacks

  • Santander offers a significantly lower APY of 0.03%.
  • Santander has a maintenance fee of $1 on its savings account.
  • Santander is not BBB Accredited and has an A- BBB rating.
Summary: Barclays provides a superior high-yield savings account with an APY of 4.10% for high balances, no maintenance fees, and an A+ BBB rating. In contrast, Santander Bank offers a much lower APY of 0.03%, charges a $1 maintenance fee, and has a lower A- BBB rating, but it does have physical branches and a lower minimum deposit requirement.

Compare Barclays' vs Santander Bank's Savings Accounts

BarclaysSantander Bank
ProductOnline SavingsTiered SavingsvsSantander Savings
APY
3.70% (as of 9/5/2025)3.90% - 4.10% (as of 9/5/2025)0.03% (as of 9/5/2025)
Bundled Account
NoNoNo
FDIC-insured
YesYesYes
Online OnlyYesYesNo
Compound Frequency
DailyDailyDaily
Minimum Deposit$0$0$25
Minimum Balance for APYEnough to earn $0.01 in interest$250,000$0
Maintenance Fee$0$0$1
Direct Deposit Required
NoNoNo
NoteThe 4.10% APY is only available for balances over $250,000. For lower balances, the APY is 3.90%.
App Store Rating4.8/54.8/5
Google Play Rating4.7/54.3/5
BBB RatingA+A-

Comparative Historical APY Insights (Last 7 Months)

BarclaysSantander Bank
ProductOnline SavingsTiered SavingsvsSantander Savings
Latest APY3.70 %4.10 %0.03 %
TrendSidewaysFallingSideways
Slope (bps/mo)-3.8-6.40.0
Rate Changes / Mo0.660.800.00
Days Since Last Change8779226
High (-7 m)4.00 %4.50 %0.03 %
Low (-7 m)3.70 %4.10 %0.03 %
Draw-down from High-7.5 %-8.9 %0.0 %
Volatility (CV)0.0240.0340.000
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 Barclays vs Santander Bank

All calculations are based on APY.

Barclays

APY: 4.10%

⚠️The higher APY only applies once your balance reaches $250,000.

Total savings breakdown:

  • Interest earned: $2,370.2 (11.64%)
  • Total contributions: $13,000 (63.82%)
  • Initial deposit: $5,000 (24.55%)

Your total balance

$20,370.20

Effective APY: 3.90% (based on your deposit and contributions)

Total balance: $20,370.2

Earnings: $2,370.2

Bank Overview

Santander Bank

APY: 0.03%

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

Effective APY: 0.03% (based on your deposit and contributions)

Total balance: $18,017.2

Earnings: $17.2

Bank Overview

With a $5,000 initial deposit and $13,000 in total contributions over 5 years, Barclays's total earnings would be $2,353 higher than Santander Bank's total earnings.

The Banksparency Savings Calculator provides estimated savings growth based on user input and our latest data.

More Comparisons

Compare Barclays' APY of 4.10% with other banks
Compare Santander Bank's APY of 0.03% with other banks