Discover Bank vs Wells Fargo
High-Yield Savings Accounts Comparison
Last Updated: August 29, 2025
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Summary of Discover Bank vs. Wells Fargo
As of August 29, 2025 Discover Bank offers an APY of 3.50% for its Online Savings Account account, compared to Wells Fargo's 2.51% APY for its Platinum Savings account.
Discover Bank yields $345 more than Wells Fargo on a $10,000 balance after one year. Discover Bank pays $350, while Wells Fargo pays $5 (with an effective APY of 0.05%) - an APY advantage for Discover Bank.
In addition, Wells Fargo also offers 0.01% APY for the Way2Save Savings account.
Discover Bank
Strengths
- Discover Bank offers a competitive APY of 3.50% for its Online Savings Account.
- Discover Bank has an A+ BBB rating and is BBB Accredited.
- Discover Bank charges no maintenance fees and has no minimum balance requirement.
Potential Drawbacks
- Discover Bank has no physical branches.
Wells Fargo
Strengths
- Wells Fargo has physical branches and ATMs in 36 states and Washington, D.C.
- Wells Fargo's Platinum Savings offers a competitive APY of 2.51% for high balances.
Potential Drawbacks
- Wells Fargo has a low BBB rating of F and is not BBB Accredited.
- Wells Fargo's Platinum Savings requires a $1,000,000 balance for the highest APY.
Summary: Discover Bank offers a higher APY of 3.50% without minimum balance requirements and has a strong A+ BBB rating. In contrast, Wells Fargo provides branch access and a 2.51% APY for high balances but lacks BBB accreditation and has a low rating of F. Overall, Discover Bank may be more appealing for online savers seeking higher yields and better trustworthiness.
Compare Discover Bank's vs Wells Fargo's Savings Accounts
| Discover Bank | Wells Fargo | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Online Savings Account | vs | Way2Save Savings | Platinum Savings |
| APY | 3.50% (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 | Yes | |
| FDIC-insured | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Online Only | Yes | No | No | |
| Compound Frequency | Daily | Daily | Daily | |
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $25 | $25 | |
| Minimum Balance for APY | $0 | $0 | $1,000,000 | |
| Maintenance Fee | $0 | $5. Waived under some circumstances. | $12. Waived with $3,500 minimum daily balance. | |
| Direct Deposit Required | No | No | No | |
| Note | 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 | 4.9/5 | 4.9/5 | ||
| Google Play Rating | 4.3/5 | 4.8/5 | ||
| BBB Rating | A+ | F | ||
Comparative Historical APY Insights (Last 2 Months)
| Discover Bank | Wells Fargo | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Online Savings Account | vs | Platinum Savings | Way2Save Savings |
| Latest APY | 3.50 % | 2.51 % | 0.01 % | |
| Trend | Sideways | Sideways | Sideways | |
| Slope (bps/mo) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Rate Changes / Mo | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Days Since Last Change | 46 | 46 | 46 | |
| High (-2 m) | 3.50 % | 2.51 % | 0.01 % | |
| Low (-2 m) | 3.50 % | 2.51 % | 0.01 % | |
| Draw-down from High | 0.0 % | 0.0 % | 0.0 % | |
| Volatility (CV) | 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 47 days.
- Low (-2 m)
- Lowest APY in the last 47 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 Discover Bank vs Wells Fargo
All calculations are based on APY.
Discover Bank
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 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, Discover Bank's total earnings would be $2,085.5 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 Discover Bank's APY of 3.50% with other banks
| Bank Pair | Best APY | Min Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Discover Bank vs Ally Bank | 3.50% | $0 |
| Discover Bank vs American Express | 3.50% | $0 |
| Discover Bank vs Axos Bank | 4.46% | $0 |
| Discover Bank vs Bank of America | 0.01% | $100 |
| Discover Bank vs Barclays | 4.10% | $0 |
| Discover Bank vs Capital One | 3.50% | $0 |
| Discover Bank vs Chase Bank | 0.01% | $0 |
| Discover Bank vs Chime | 3.75% | $0 |
| Discover Bank vs CIT Bank | 4.00% | $100 |
| Discover Bank vs Fitness Bank | 4.85% | $100 |
| Discover Bank vs Marcus by Goldman Sachs | 3.65% | $0 |
| Discover Bank vs Presidential Bank | 4.50% | $5,000 |
| Discover Bank vs SoFi Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| Discover Bank vs Synchrony Bank | 3.80% | $0 |
| Discover Bank vs UFB Direct | 4.21% | $5000 |
| Discover Bank 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 Barclays | 4.10% | $0 |
| 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 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 |