Updated April 10, 2019

Marcus by Goldman Sachs Review

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Marcus by Goldman Sachs offers savings accounts and CDs at high interest rates. But don't expect accounts with a lot of bells and whistles. Read on for the pros and cons.

Marcus (previously GS Bank) is the online bank offered by the investment giant, Goldman Sachs. It offers savings products with very competitive rates and no minimum deposit and no services fees.

But there are no branches, no checking, and no ATM network. All banking is done online or over the phone.

Read on to see if it's right for you.

Services Offered

Marcus by Goldman Sachs offers savings account and certificates of deposit. Here's a quick overview:

  • Online Savings Account
    Earn competitive interest rates with as little as just $1 deposit. This is like a typical savings account, except that there are no physical branches or an ATM network.

  • High-Yield, No-Penalty, and Rate Bump CDs
    CDs have $500 minimum opening deposit. You lock in a rate, so you know exactly how much interest you will earn. You can earn a higher APY if you can commit to tying up your money for longer.

There is a maximum amount of $3,000,000 for all individual and joint deposit accounts combined. Online savings accounts and CDs have a maximum balance of $1,000,000 per account.[1]

Marcus Online Savings Account

The online savings account offers a very high rate, though you'll have to sacrifice some conveniences. Here are some details:

  • Minimum of $1 to earn the stated APY
  • No minimum opening deposit requirement
  • No monthly service fees
  • No transaction or transfer fees
  • Unlimited withdrawals and transfers
  • Daily compounding interest
  • FDIC insured

There is no mobile check deposit feature or ATM card. You'll need to transfer money in and out of an external account. So there may be some delay when transferring funds.

The limit is $125,000 per online ACH transfer and $50,000 per online wire transfer. If you do your banking over the phone, there is no limit as to how much money you can transfer.[2]

Compare Savings Account Promotion

Certificate of Deposits

Marcus by Goldman Sachs offers three types of CDs:

  • High-Yield CDs (Terms of 6 months to 6 years):
    The minimum to open is $500. But you have 30 days to fully fund your CD. You can continue to add funds into it for 30 days after account opening.

    Your rate is locked in for the entire term. If you can commit to not touching your money for a year, the 12-month CD offers one of the best rates on the market. Longer terms offer higher APYs.

    High-yield CDs come with a 10-day rate guarantee. If the rate on your selected CD goes up within the first 10 days, you'll automatically get the higher rate.

    What is the penalty for early withdrawals from Marcus CDs?
    It depends on the term of your CD. Here's how it breaks down:[3]
    • Less than or equal to 1 year: 90 days of interest on the principal
    • More than 1 year to 5 years: 180 days of interest on the principal
    • More than 5 years: 270 days of interest on the principal

  • No Penalty CD (Terms of 7 to 13 months):
    This CD gives you the flexibility to withdraw your full balance with no penalty (starting from 7 days after account funding). This is good if you suddenly need your money. The minimum to open is $500 (you cannot add more funds).

    The rate on this CD is actually a little bit better than the online savings rate. And the ability to withdraw gives you some peace of mind that your money isn't tied up.

  • Rate Bump CD (one fixed term of 20 months):
    This CD has the option to change to a higher rate with no change fee and no penalty. You can have multiple Rate Bump requests and the rate increase will take effect the same day (if request is received before 6PM ET).

    The minimum to open is $500. When your Rate Bump CD has an increased rate, you can add more funds for 10 calendar days, starting from the day the Rate Bump request is submitted.

Your CDs have a 10-day grace period after maturity. Once your CD matures, you have 10 days to either withdraw the funds, renew the CD, or close it and open a new CD with a different term.

You can also have your CD's interest disbursed to an external account. You just have to call customer service to arrange it.

Tip: CD laddering is a smart savings strategy. This is when you split your investments into different CDs with staggered maturity dates. As each CD matures, you can re-invest the money into a new CD with the new current rate.

This way you can get higher interest rates on longer-term CDs without tying up all of your money for a long time. Read more about CD laddering from Marcus.

Why We Like Marcus by Goldman Sachs

  • High interest rates
    Interest rates are competitive with other online savings and CDs, and as much as 25x more than traditional brick-and-mortar banks.

  • Low opening deposits
    There is no opening deposit for the Online Savings Account, and only $500 for CDs.

  • No fees
    There are no monthly service fees, no transaction fees, and no transfer fees.

  • FDIC insured
    If the bank goes out of business or runs out of money, the FDIC will reimburse you up to $250,000.

  • Extended customer service hours
    You can reach representatives via phone and web chat 24 hours a day / 7 days a week.

  • Interest calculators
    Marcus provides calculators to estimate the amount of interest you'll earn. This could be the motivating factor you need to start putting money away.

  • Up to 6 beneficiaries
    You can name up to 6 pay-on-death beneficiaries per account.

Downsides

In exchange for high rates, Marcus does away with a lot of features.

  • No mobile deposits
    If you want to make a deposit, you'll have to do so the old-fashioned way - via the mail. You can also deposit the money into an external account and then make a transfer online. Either way, it's extra steps.

  • No checking accounts
    If you like to keep all of your accounts in one place, this could be a downside.

  • No ATM card or ATM network
    There is no way to get fast access to your funds.

  • No physical branches
    All business must be done online or over the phone.

Bank Promotions:

How It Compares

  • Ally: Ally offers a larger variety of accounts than Goldman Sachs, including a checking account. Their savings, checking, and CD accounts have no monthly fees and no minimum opening deposit. Ally also has a network of fee-free ATMs for you to access your funds.

    Ally is often a customer's favorite for their superior service and user-friendly interface and mobile app. Their customer service is available 24/7.

  • Capital One: Capital One 360 offers checking, online savings, and CDs. The rates are lower than what Marcus by Goldman Sachs offers, but could be a good choice if you want all your banking in one place. We like Capital One 360's options for teen checking and kids savings.

    There are no monthly service fees and no overdraft fees.

Bottom Line

Marcus by Goldman Sachs isn't meant to replace all your banking needs. It's good as a bare-bones savings account with high rates. You can park your money there and have it grow securely.

Your best returns will be achieved with longer deposits and higher balances. When you combine that with the limited fees, it can be a winning combination for you.

Just understand that there are no convenience features, like mobile deposits and ATM network.

References

  1. ^ Marcus. How much money can I deposit?, Retrieved 4/2/2024
  2. ^ Marcus. What are ACH and wire transfer limits?, Retrieved 4/2/2024
  3. ^ Marcus. What fees or penalties are associated with my CD?, Retrieved 4/3/2024
CIT Bank
Member FDIC

CIT Bank Platinum Savings - 4.70% APY

  • 4.70% APY with a balance of $5,000 or more
  • 0.25% APY with a balance of less than $5,000
  • $100 minimum opening deposit
  • No monthly maintenance fee
  • Member FDIC
Discover Bank
Member FDIC

Discover® Online Savings - $200 Cash Bonus

Expires 3/13/2025

To qualify for Bonus: Apply for your first Discover Online Savings Account, enter Offer Code CY924 at application, deposit into your Account a total of at least $15,000 to earn a $150 Bonus or deposit a total of at least $25,000 to earn a $200 Bonus. Qualifying deposit(s) may consist of multiple deposits and must post to Account within 45 days of account open date. Maximum bonus eligibility is $200.

What to know: Offer not valid for existing or prior Discover savings customers, including co-branded, or affinity accounts. Eligibility is based on primary account owner. Account must be open when bonus is credited. Bonus will be credited to the account within 60 days of the account qualifying for the bonus. Bonus is subject to tax reporting. Offer ends 03/13/2025, 11:59 PM ET. Offer may be modified or withdrawn without notice. Due to new customer funding limits, you may wish to initiate fund transfers at your other institution. For information on funding your Account, see FAQs on Discover.com/Bank. See advertiser website for full details.

Bank of America
Member FDIC

Bank of America Advantage Banking - $300 Bonus Offer

Expires 1/31/2025
  • The $300 bonus offer is an online only offer and must be opened through the Bank of America promotional page.
  • The offer is for new checking customers only.
  • Offer expires 01/31/2025.
  • To qualify, open a new eligible Bank of America Advantage Banking account through the promotional page and set up and receive Qualifying Direct Deposits* totaling $2,000 or more into that new eligible account within 90 days of account opening. Bank of America Advantage SafeBalance Banking® for Family Banking accounts are not eligible for this offer.
  • Once all requirements are met, Bank of America will attempt to pay bonus within 60 days.
  • Additional terms and conditions apply. See offer page for more details.
  • *A Qualifying Direct Deposit is a direct deposit of regular monthly income – such as your salary, pension or Social Security benefits, which are made by your employer or other payer – using account and routing numbers that you provide to them.
  • Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC.
Chase
Member FDIC

Chase Total Checking® - $300 Bonus

Expires 1/22/2025
  • New Chase checking customers enjoy a $300 bonus when you open a Chase Total Checking® account with qualifying activities
  • With over 4,700 branches, Chase has the largest branch network in the U.S. plus access to more than 15,000 ATMs.
  • Chase Mobile® app - Manage your accounts, deposit checks, transfer money and more -- all from your device.
  • JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC
  • Open your account online now
  • Available online nationwide except in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. For branch locations, visit locator.chase.com.
  • Chase Overdraft Assist℠ - no overdraft fees if you're overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the business day or if you're overdrawn by more than $50 and bring your account balance to overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the next business day*
Bluevine

Free Business Checking - Earn $300 Bonus

Expires 12/31/2024

To earn the $300 bonus, customers must apply for a Bluevine Business Checking account anytime between now and 12/31/2024 using the referral code CD300.

After opening the account, customers must add funds within 30 days, then meet at least one of the following eligibility requirements every 30 days for the next 90 days from account funding:

  • Deposit at least $5,000 from eligible merchant services to your Bluevine account OR
  • Make at least $5,000 of outbound payroll payments from your Bluevine account using eligible payroll providers OR
  • Spend at least $2,000 with your Bluevine Business Debit Mastercard® and/or Bluevine Business Cashback Mastercard®

Banking services provided by Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC

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About Marcus by Goldman Sachs

Marcus is the online bank offered by the investment giant, Goldman Sachs. It offers savings products with very competitive rates and no minimum deposit and no services fees.

About CreditDonkey
CreditDonkey is a bank comparison website. We publish data-driven analysis to help you save money & make savvy decisions.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed on this page are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.

†Advertiser Disclosure: Many of the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which CreditDonkey receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). CreditDonkey does not include all companies or all offers that may be available in the marketplace.

*See the card issuer's online application for details about terms and conditions. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. However, all information is presented without warranty. When you click on the "Apply Now" button you can review the terms and conditions on the card issuer's website.

CreditDonkey does not know your individual circumstances and provides information for general educational purposes only. CreditDonkey is not a substitute for, and should not be used as, professional legal, credit or financial advice. You should consult your own professional advisors for such advice.

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