Barclays vs Wells Fargo
High-Yield Savings Accounts Comparison
Last Updated: August 29, 2025
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Summary of Barclays vs. Wells Fargo
As of August 29, 2025 Barclays offers an APY of 4.10% for its Tiered Savings account, compared to Wells Fargo's 2.51% APY for its Platinum Savings account.
Barclays yields $385 more than Wells Fargo on a $10,000 balance after one year. Barclays pays $390 (with an effective APY of 3.9%), while Wells Fargo pays $5 (with an effective APY of 0.05%) - an APY advantage for Barclays.
In addition, Barclays also offers 3.70% APY for the Online Savings account, while Wells Fargo offers 0.01% APY for the Way2Save Savings account.
Barclays
Strengths
- Barclays offers a high APY of 4.10% for balances over $250,000.
- Barclays has a strong BBB rating of A+ and is BBB Accredited.
- Barclays has no maintenance fees or direct deposit requirements.
Potential Drawbacks
- Barclays has no physical branches, being online-only.
- The 4.10% APY only applies to large balances over $250,000.
- Lower balances earn a significantly lower APY of 3.90%.
Wells Fargo
Strengths
- Wells Fargo has physical branches and ATMs in 36 states and D.C.
- Wells Fargo's Platinum Savings offers a competitive APY of 2.51% for $1,000,000+ balances.
- Wells Fargo's App Store rating is higher at 4.9.
Potential Drawbacks
- Wells Fargo has a poor BBB rating of F and is not BBB Accredited.
- Wells Fargo charges a $12 maintenance fee, waived only with a high balance.
- The highest APY is significantly lower than Barclays' offering.
Summary: Barclays offers a much higher APY of 4.10% for large balances and has a strong BBB rating, but lacks physical branches. In contrast, Wells Fargo provides branch access and a competitive APY of 2.51% for high balances, but has a poor BBB rating and higher fees. Customers may prefer Barclays for higher yields, while those valuing branch access might lean towards Wells Fargo.
Compare Barclays' vs Wells Fargo's Savings Accounts
| Barclays | Wells Fargo | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Tiered Savings | Online Savings | vs | Way2Save Savings | Platinum Savings |
| APY | 3.90% - 4.10% (as of 8/29/2025) | 3.70% (as of 8/29/2025) | 0.01% (as of 8/29/2025) | 0.05% - 2.51% (as of 8/29/2025) | |
| Bundled Account | No | No | No | Yes | |
| FDIC-insured | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Online Only | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
| Compound Frequency | Daily | Daily | Daily | Daily | |
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $0 | $25 | $25 | |
| Minimum Balance for APY | $250,000 | Enough to earn $0.01 in interest | $0 | $1,000,000 | |
| Maintenance Fee | $0 | $0 | $5. Waived under some circumstances. | $12. Waived with $3,500 minimum daily balance. | |
| Direct Deposit Required | No | No | No | No | |
| Note | The 4.10% APY is only available for balances over $250,000. For lower balances, the APY is 3.90%. | This is a tiered savings account where rates vary based on the balance. The 2.51% APY is available for balances of $1,000,000 or more, and 0.05% APY up to $99,999.99. These APYs require the account is linked to a Wells Fargo Premier checking account. See bank for more tiers and details. | |||
| App Store Rating | 4.8/5 | 4.9/5 | |||
| Google Play Rating | 4.7/5 | 4.8/5 | |||
| BBB Rating | A+ | F | |||
Comparative Historical APY Insights (Last 2 Months)
| Barclays | Wells Fargo | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Online Savings | Tiered Savings | vs | Platinum Savings | Way2Save Savings |
| Latest APY | 3.70 % | 4.10 % | 2.51 % | 0.01 % | |
| Trend | Sideways | Sideways | Sideways | Sideways | |
| Slope (bps/mo) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Rate Changes / Mo | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Days Since Last Change | 48 | 48 | 47 | 48 | |
| High (-2 m) | 3.70 % | 4.10 % | 2.51 % | 0.01 % | |
| Low (-2 m) | 3.70 % | 4.10 % | 2.51 % | 0.01 % | |
| Draw-down from High | 0.0 % | 0.0 % | 0.0 % | 0.0 % | |
| Volatility (CV) | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | |
APY Insights Glossary
- Latest APY
- Most recent advertised annual-percentage yield.
- Trend
- Direction over the last 2 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 (-2 m)
- Highest APY in the last 48 days.
- Low (-2 m)
- Lowest APY in the last 48 days.
- Draw-down from High
- How far today sits below the 2-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 Wells Fargo
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 OverviewWells Fargo
APY: 2.51%
⚠️The higher APY only applies once your balance reaches $1,000,000.
Total savings breakdown:
- Interest earned: $28.6 (0.16%)
- Total contributions: $13,000 (72.11%)
- Initial deposit: $5,000 (27.73%)
Your total balance
$18,028.60
Effective APY: 0.05% (based on your deposit and contributions)
Total balance: $18,028.6
Earnings: $28.6
Bank OverviewWith a $5,000 initial deposit and $13,000 in total contributions over 5 years, Barclays's total earnings would be $2,341.6 higher than Wells Fargo'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
| Bank Pair | Best APY | Min Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Barclays vs Ally Bank | 3.50% | $0 |
| Barclays vs American Express | 3.50% | $0 |
| Barclays vs Axos Bank | 4.46% | $0 |
| Barclays vs Bank of America | 0.01% | $100 |
| Barclays vs Capital One | 3.50% | $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 | 3.50% | $0 |
| Barclays vs Fitness Bank | 4.85% | $100 |
| Barclays vs Marcus by Goldman Sachs | 3.65% | $0 |
| Barclays vs Presidential Bank | 4.50% | $5,000 |
| Barclays vs SoFi Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| Barclays vs Synchrony Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| Barclays vs UFB Direct | 4.21% | $5000 |
| Barclays vs Varo Bank | 5.00% | $0 |
Compare Wells Fargo's APY of 2.51% with other banks
| Bank Pair | Best APY | Min Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo vs Ally Bank | 3.50% | $0 |
| Wells Fargo vs American Express | 3.50% | $0 |
| Wells Fargo vs Axos Bank | 4.46% | $0 |
| Wells Fargo vs Bank of America | 0.01% | $100 |
| Wells Fargo vs Capital One | 3.50% | $0 |
| Wells Fargo vs Chase Bank | 0.01% | $0 |
| Wells Fargo vs Chime | 3.75% | $0 |
| Wells Fargo vs CIT Bank | 4.00% | $100 |
| Wells Fargo vs Discover Bank | 3.50% | $0 |
| Wells Fargo vs Fitness Bank | 4.85% | $100 |
| Wells Fargo vs Marcus by Goldman Sachs | 3.65% | $0 |
| Wells Fargo vs Presidential Bank | 4.50% | $5,000 |
| Wells Fargo vs SoFi Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| Wells Fargo vs Synchrony Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| Wells Fargo vs UFB Direct | 4.21% | $5000 |
| Wells Fargo vs Varo Bank | 5.00% | $0 |