Finder makes money from featured partners, but editorial opinions are our own. Advertiser disclosure

Compare Discover banking products: Savings, CDs, and Checking

This online bank offers transparency and great rates on a number of essential financial services.

No reviews yet. Write a review

If your banking needs err on the basic side and you can’t remember the last time you stepped foot in a physical branch, you may want to consider an online-only bank. Discover currently operates the biggest online-only bank in the country, and its checking and savings accounts offer competitive rates and easy access.

What banking products does Discover offer?

  • Discover® Online Savings Account. This high interest savings account has no monthly fees or balance requirements, making it easier to save.
  • Discover® Cashback Debit. Earn 1.00% cash back on eligible purchases with this free, easily accessible checking account.
  • Discover® Money Market. Earn 3.60% APY on balances between $1 and $99,999, or earn 3.65% APY on balances of $100,000 or more.
  • Discover® CDs. Discover’s certificates of deposit offer flexible terms, up to 4.00% APY and have almost no fees.

Compare Discover bank products

{"visibility":"visibilityTable","ctaLabel":"Calculate","tableCode":"savings_calculator_table","nicheCode":"USFSA","fields":[{"name":"PERIOD","value":"1","options":"","label":"Years to save","suffix":"","useSuffixAsPrefix":false,"useDropDownOption":false,"tooltip":""},{"name":"INITIAL_DEPOSIT","value":"1000","options":"","label":"Initial deposit","suffix":"$","useSuffixAsPrefix":true,"useDropDownOption":false,"tooltip":""}]}
1 - 2 of 2
Product USFSA Finder Score Account type Annual Percentage Yield (APY) FDIC or NCUA insured amount Minimum balance to earn interest Minimum deposit to open Offer Estimated total balance
Finder score
Traditional savings,Custodial account

3.75%

Up to $250,000
$0
$0
$1,037.50
Finder score
Money market
Up to

3.65%

Up to $250,000
$1
$0
$1,036.50
loading

What is the Finder Score?

The Finder Score crunches over 250 savings accounts from hundreds of financial institutions. It takes into account the product's interest rate, fees, opening deposit and features - this gives you a simple score out of 10.

To provide a Score, Finder’s banking experts analyze hundreds of savings accounts against FDIC-reported national averages as a baseline. Accounts with rates well over the national average are scored the highest, while accounts with rates well below are scored low.

Read the full Finder Score breakdown

1 - 1 of 1
Product USFSA-CHK Finder Score Fee Minimum deposit to open Annual Percentage Yield (APY) Offer
Finder score
$0 per month
$0
N/A
loading

What is the Finder Score?

The Finder Score crunches over 300 checking accounts from hundreds of financial institutions. It takes into account the product's monthly fees, overdraft fees, opening deposit, customer support options, ATM network and features — this gives you a simple score out of 10.

To provide a Score, Finder’s banking experts analyze hundreds of checking accounts against what we consider is the best option: no monthly fees, no overdraft fees, a large ATM network of 50,000 or more, additional features outside of typical banking services, and the optional perk of earning interest. Accounts that are nearly free to maintain and use are scored the highest, while accounts with costly fees and few features are scored the lowest.

Read the full Finder Score breakdown

How does it compare to other banks and services?

Discover holds over $63 billion in deposits, making it the 31st-largest FDIC-insured institution in the country. While that’s only a fraction of the amounts held by the Big Four Banks, it’s the biggest online-only bank in the country, which is quite impressive considering it’s only been in business since 2007.

While it’s headquartered in Riverwoods, Illinois, it operates entirely online, meaning there are no physical branches.

Checking accounts

Pros

  • Earn cash back on debit card purchases. Discover’s checking account rewards you with 1.00% cash back on up to $3,000 in eligible debit card purchases each month.
  • Minimal fees. Discover doesn’t charge annual fees or incoming wire transfer fees, has no monthly minimum balance requirements and won’t charge you for official bank checks.
  • Large ATM network. Discover offers access to over 415,000 ATMs with over 60,000 free ATMs through Allpoint or MoneyPass networks.
  • Works with Zelle. You can use Zelle with no fees from Discover, making peer-to-peer transactions a breeze.

Cons

  • Difficult deposits. To deposit money, you’ll need to make an online transfer from another bank account, use mobile check deposit, set up direct deposit or mail a check payable to you with your account number on the memo line.
  • One account option. Discover only offers one personal checking option — the Discover® Cashback Debit checking account.
  • Daily withdrawal limit. To prevent fraud, you can’t withdraw more than $510 a day from ATMs.

Savings accounts

Pros

  • No hidden fees. Discover is completely transparent with its fees, meaning you won’t find any unexpected charges to your account.
  • Competitive APYs. The Discover Online Savings Account earns a flat 3.75% APY and the Discover Money Market account earns 3.60% APY on balances between $1 and $99,999 and 3.65% APY on balances of $100,000 and above.
  • Low minimum deposit for savings accounts. You can open the Discover® Online Savings Account with as little as $0.

Cons

  • Withdrawal limits. You’re limited to six transactions a month. But due to the suspension of Regulation D, you’ll want to check with Discover to see if they’re still doing a cap on transactions.
  • Few account options. Discover only offers one personal savings account and one money market, so your options are limited.

CDs

Pros

  • No fees. The only time you’ll pay a fee is if you need to withdraw your money early. Even then, early withdrawal penalties are lower than the competition.
  • Several term options. Discover offers terms ranging from three months to 10 years.
  • Solid APYs for most CDs. Its CD rates are solid all the way around, with the highest rate of 4.00% for a 12-month term.

Cons

  • No partial withdrawals. If you need to withdraw your money early, you’ll have to take out the full amount and close your CD.

Overall banking

Pros

  • Security. This bank uses proactive fraud monitoring, $0 liability protection, bill pay protection and more.
  • Connected accounts. If you have more than one account at Discover, you can connect and manage all of your money in one place.
  • Comprehensive learning center. The Modern Money Blog helps customers learn about personal finance to promote responsible financial behavior.

Cons

  • One branch. Discover operates entirely online and only has one branch that’s located in Greenwood, Delaware. If you prefer to bank in person, this bank might not be for you.
  • Small product selection. While Discover does offer the basics — checking and savings accounts, money market accounts and CDs — it doesn’t go too far beyond the essentials.
  • Long processing times. Discover might put a hold on new transfers and it often takes a while to process mailed deposits.

    What do regulators and customers say?

    Discover Financial is FDIC-insured, meaning that deposits up to $250,000 are protected by the FDIC if the bank were to fail. However, it holds higher ratings from the BBB and the top three credit ratings agencies, which have also forecasted it to have a stable and positive outlook. It’s officially accredited on the BBB website alongside an A+ rating, though it only holds a 1.5 out of 5-star rating from customers. Many customers express frustration with customer service, long wait times and poor communication.

    Bottom line

    Discover offers competitive rates and low fees on a strong selection of financial products, making it a great choice for people who are comfortable with online banking. However, it only has one physical branch, meaning you probably won’t have access to a teller or be able to make cash deposits unless you live near Greenwood, Delaware. See what other banks offer in our comparison guide.

    Common questions about banking at Discover

    Peter Carleton's headshot
    Written by

    Writer

    Peter Carleton is a freelance writer that covers banking and investing, breaking down what you need to know about where you put your money. When Peter's not thinking about cutting-edge banking apps and robo-advisors, he runs a creative agency and spends his spare time cooking or reading. See full bio

    Cassidy Horton's headshot
    Co-written by

    Writer

    Cassidy Horton is a freelance personal finance copywriter and past contributing writer for Finder. Her writing and banking expertise have been featured in Forbes Advisor, Money, The Balance, Money Under 30, Insure.com, and other top digital publishers. She holds a BS in public relations and an MBA from Georgia Southern University. See full bio

    More guides on Finder

    Ask a question

    Finder.com provides guides and information on a range of products and services. Because our content is not financial advice, we suggest talking with a professional before you make any decision.

    By submitting your comment or question, you agree to our Privacy and Cookies Policy and finder.com Terms of Use.

    Questions and responses on finder.com are not provided, paid for or otherwise endorsed by any bank or brand. These banks and brands are not responsible for ensuring that comments are answered or accurate.

    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
    Go to site