A savings account is – as the name suggests – a bank account into which you deposit money to accrue interest and build your savings.
Savings accounts are popular and useful for just about anyone who’s trying to save towards a goal. Some investors, such as those with a self-managed super fund, use a savings account as part of their investment portfolio to guarantee receiving some kind of return on their money.
According to Statistics New Zealand, Kiwi households had been saving more than they spend from 2010 to 2015, saving around 2% of their disposable income per year – an impressive record. But as of November 2015, we were back to spending more than we save.
The 2015 OECD survey showed that New Zealand’s economy is growing faster than most other OECD countries, and we remain one of the richest countries in the world. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand says we collectively hold deposits of around $155.9 billion as of June 2016.
When we have realistic goals for our savings and we know what to look for when choosing a savings account, we can do quite well for ourselves. Apart from reading Canstar’s guides, we also recommend you look up the savings planner and budget planner tools from Sorted.org.nz.
If you’re struggling to save and would prefer advice on how to budget to meet your regular financial needs, head on over to our Budgeting & Saving guide. You’ll find all our best hints and tips to help you survive and thrive financially.
There are a few basic things to look for in a savings account, depending on your financial needs:
Some common fees to look out for on various savings accounts are:
The good news is that most savings accounts won’t charge fees for electronic transfers, and you can usually waive the monthly account-keeping fee simply by depositing a certain amount each month.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand lowered our official cash rate again in August 2015 and it now sits at 2.00%, and this has translated in a small way to the rates on offer for savings accounts. You can compare interest rates for regular and bonus savings accounts and online savings accounts on our website.
When it comes to our star ratings of savings and transaction accounts and award for savings accounts in New Zealand, CANSTAR assesses the savings and deposit offerings for two different customer profiles:
Flexible Savers do most of their banking online, but they like to keep their branch options open. They need an account with a reasonable interest rate, easy access to their money, and no conditions restricting how much interest they can earn on their savings. A flexible account suits them more than locking away their money in a term deposit.
Regular Savers deposit a certain amount of money per month towards general savings or a specific goal. They can generally earn a good base rate plus bonus interest for making regular deposits. They need a great interest rate, without needing to access their money all the time.
CANSTAR has seen a shift recently towards notice saver accounts rather than term deposits. Customers want to be able to use some of their money and continue to save the rest at the same time.
Pros:
Cons:
Whichever type of account you choose, you need a consistently competitive rate to grow your savings. Many customers diversify their investment portfolio by investing part of their money in a savings account and part in a term deposit. You can compare savings accounts and term deposits on the CANSTAR website.
Written by: TJ Ryan
Please note that these are a general explanation of the meaning of terms used in relation to savings accounts. Your bank or financial institution may use different terms, and you should read your product disclosure statement (PDS) carefully to understand everything that may apply to your account. You cannot rely on these terms in relation to any savings account you may open.
Account-keeping fees: An ongoing fee charged to cover or partially cover the bank’s internal costs of creating and maintaining the account.
Annual equivalent rate (AER): A rate that can be compared between lenders, which shows what the interest rate would be if interest was paid and compounded once each year. Any advertisement for a savings product that quotes an interest rate must also quote the AER so that you can compare what return you could expect over time.
At call: At call transaction or savings accounts allow you to immediately withdraw your money from the account whenever you like. This is different to other types of savings accounts, where you have to leave your money in the account for a certain amount of time if you want to earn interest.
ATM (Automatic Teller Machine): A machine found in public places or at bank branches, which allows you to withdraw cash from your account. ATMs are usually on 24/7 so that you can use them any time you need cash. Although you don’t often need cash in New Zealand these days!
Balance: The amount of money currently in your account.
Banking Ombudsman: If you have a dispute with your bank and haven’t been able to resolve it through the bank’s internal complaints resolution process, you can contact the Banking Ombudsman of New Zealand. It is a free and independent service that helps people resolve disputes with their financial institution.
Basis points: A unit of measurement used in financial situations to describe the percentage change in interest rates or the value of a financial product. One basis point is 0.01% or 0.0001 in decimal form.
Bonus savings account: Accounts that give bonus interest whenever the accountholder meets certain conditions, such as making no withdrawals and depositing a certain amount of money into the account.
Branch: The physical building where your bank or financial institution does its business. Branches are only open during normal working hours.
Cash management account: A savings account for high balances (usually $10,000 – $20,000) with a higher interest rate and the flexibility of a transaction account.
Cheque account or checking account: A transaction account that allows you to make purchases with your own money by writing a cheque. If you do not have enough money in your account when the other person cashes your cheque into their own account, the cheque will “bounce”, meaning it is not paid and you may be charged a penalty fee.
Compound interest: Interest calculated on the total funds in the bank account, including interest earned, as opposed to only paying interest on the principal amount. Almost all savings accounts use compound interest.
Consumer: Someone who buys and uses products or services.
Credit card: A card that gives the account holder access to a line of credit. You can spend up to a specified credit limit, but the money must be repaid, otherwise you start paying interest on the balance of the card (whatever you have spent).
Debit card: A card that is linked to a transaction account and allows the cardholder to make transactions with merchants and withdrawals from ATMs. Also known as a bank card or cheque card.
Deposit: Money that you put into an account with a financial institution.
Direct debit: When a transaction is automatically removed from an account and received into a different person’s account. For example, wages are automatically removed from an employer’s bank and deposited into an employee’s bank account.
EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale): A payment system where you use your debit card to make payment for goods or services, or to withdraw cash. EFTPOS machines are used to process these payments at shops.
Electronic banking: A broad term used to refer to the banking system where you use online banking, telephone banking, ATMs, or EFTPOS to access your account. You can use electronic banking to make withdrawals or other payments, deposits, or transfers.
GST (Goods and Services Tax): The New Zealand tax levy on payments for goods and services.
Income: Money you earn, including hourly wages, salary, interest on your bank account balance, and government benefits such as Student Allowance.
Inflation: The percentage by which the price of goods and services rises each year across the country.
Introductory rate: An introductory bonus offer where a variable interest rate applies to the account for a set time period. At the end of the bonus period, rates revert to the base rates.
Junior savings account: Savings accounts for children. A parent or guardian operates the account in the child’s name but the child also has access to their account.
Online savings account (OSA): A savings account that is primarily managed on the internet.
Promotional rate: An interest rate which is only offered during a specified promotional period. When the promotional period ends, the interest rate will generally revert to the base rate. Similar to an introductory rate.
Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ): The Reserve Bank is the central bank of New Zealand, and they are responsible for setting the official cash rate. They manage monetary policies such as the official cash rate to stabilise inflation and the economy; maintain a sound and efficient financial system; and supply our national banknotes and coins.
Savings account: Bank accounts that pay significant interest back to the account holder and are not used to make transactions. Savings accounts typically have higher interest rates than transaction accounts. They can be linked to transaction accounts to make savings available as funds for transactions as needed.
Term deposits: An account with a financial institution where money is deposited for a set term (period of time) and earns interest when that term ends. The interest rate is usually fixed for the term of the deposit and is generally higher than a transaction account, but not always higher than some other at-call high interest savings accounts. There are fees charged if the investor withdraws their money before the end of the term. Also known as a fixed deposit.
Transaction: The movement of money in or out of your account, including deposits, withdrawals, and transfers between bank accounts.
Transaction account: A deposit account that serves the purpose of providing frequent access to funds in your account for debit card transactions made through EFTPOS at merchants, branches, ATMs, and also for the use of cheques.
Transfer: When you give the bank instructions to move money from one account to another account, e.g. moving money from your savings account to your transaction account. This is different to a “payment” where you send money from your account to somebody else’s account.
Withdrawal: When instructions are carried out to pay money out of your account and it is paid, e.g. getting cash out of an ATM.
Yield: The rate of return earned on an investment.
+ Our Ratings & Guides
Compare Savings Accounts for Regular Saver
Compare Savings Account for Flexible Saver
Bank of the Year Savings Account Award
Savings and Everyday Transaction Accounts Star Ratings Report
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Savings and transaction account fees: What to expect
How to spend your bonus or windfall wisely
Coping with a fluctuating income
Three ways to make your $ resolutions stick
Save money by having a budget!
Who offers savings accounts in New Zealand? These are the providers we research and rate:
For more information on how CANSTAR rates savings accounts, read our latest star ratings report and/or Savings Award report.
