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 only offers savings products and personal loans. 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 and No-Penalty 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.

  • Personal Loans: Get a fixed-rate personal loan up to $40,000. Goldman Sachs charges no origination fee, no prepayment penalty, no late fees.

For customers opening accounts after April 15, 2016, there is a maximum amount of $1,000,000 for all of your individual and joint deposit accounts combined.

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
  • Daily compounding interest
  • FDIC insured

Like all savings accounts, federal regulation limits you to 6 withdrawals and/or transfers per month.

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 transfer for online transfers. If you do your banking over the phone, there is no limit as to how much money you can transfer.

Compare Savings Account Promotion

Certificate of Deposits

Marcus by Goldman Sachs offers two 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:
    • Terms up to 1 year: 90 days of interest on the principal
    • Terms from 1-5 years: 270 days of interest on the principal
    • Terms over 5 years: 365 days of interest on the principal

  • No Penalty CD (one fixed term of 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.

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.

Personal Loans

Marcus also offers personal loans that can be used for anything from debt consolidation to home improvement. Here are some details:

  • Personal loans from $3,500 to $40,000
  • Fixed interest rate for the entire life of the loan
  • Fixed monthly payments
  • No fees ever. No origination fee, no prepayment penalty, no closing fees, and no late fees (you only pay interest for the additional days).

You can first see your loan options in just a matter of minutes, without affecting your credit score. If you don't like your options, you don't have to go through the official application process.

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 from 8 AM to 10 PM Monday - Friday and 9 AM to 7 PM Saturday - Sunday.

  • Interest calculators. Marcus provides calculators to estimate of 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.

  • No mobile app. However, you can sign in to your account on your mobile phone and bank from there. Just less convenient than banking via app.

Bank Promotions:

How It Compares

  • Ally: Ally offers a larger variety of accounts than Goldman Sachs, including a checking account. Their accounts have no monthly fees and you don't need a minimum deposit for the checking or CD accounts. 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. But they do charge steep overdraft protection fees if you opt into that service.

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, ATM network, or mobile app.

CIT Bank
Member FDIC

CIT Bank Platinum Savings - 5.05% APY

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  • 0.25% APY with a balance of less than $5,000
  • $100 minimum opening deposit
  • No monthly maintenance fee
  • Member FDIC
Discover Bank
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Online Savings Account - Earn 4.25% APY

  • No fees
  • No minimum opening deposit
  • No minimum balance required
Chase
Member FDIC

Chase Total Checking® - $300 Bonus

Expires 4/17/2024
  • New Chase checking customers enjoy a $300 bonus when you open a Chase Total Checking® account with qualifying activities
  • Access to more than 15,000 Chase ATMs and more than 4,700 branches
  • 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*
Bank of America
Member FDIC

Bank of America Advantage Banking - $200 Bonus Offer

Expires 5/31/2024
  • The $200 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 5/31/2024.
  • To qualify, open a 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 account within 90 days of opening.
  • Bank of America will attempt to pay bonus within 60 days.
  • Additional terms and conditions apply. See offer page for more details.
  • Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC.
Bluevine

Free Business Checking - Up to 2.0% APY

  • 2.0% APY on your balance up to $250,000 for customers that meet monthly eligibility requirements
  • $0 minimum opening deposit
  • $0 monthly service fee
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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