To earn the higher 3% APY, you must meet both of the following requirements during the Qualifying Period* each calendar month:
- Receive total direct deposits of $1,000 or more each qualifying period*
- Keep a daily savings balance of $5,000 or less the entire calendar month**
- Keep your Bank Account and Savings Account balances above or equal to $0.00 the entire calendar month
* The Qualifying Period begins the first calendar day of the month and ends at close of business on the last business day of the month. Your eligibility resets at the beginning of each month so you’ll need to re-qualify for each new month.
**If you go above $5,000 in your savings account at any time during the month, you will earn 0.50% on your savings balance for the entire month, even if you decrease your balance below $5,000 the next day.
If you don’t meet all of these requirements, you’ll still earn 0.50% APY on your entire Savings Account balance — that towers over the national average of 0.06%^!
^Average Rate as of September 20, 2021, as found on fdic.gov/regulations/resources/rates
At account opening, the APY will be 0.50%. If you’re a new customer looking to qualify for 3% APY, you’ll need to set up and receive your first direct deposit from your employer or government agency, receive your debit card in the mail, and activate it in addition to meeting the requirements listed above.
When you qualify for 3% APY, you will earn the higher rate for that entire calendar month, even if you only met the requirement on the last day of the Qualifying Period. You’ll continue to qualify for the premium rate for the current month, as long as the daily balance of your Varo Savings Account doesn’t exceed $5,000 and your Varo Bank Account and Savings Account balances don’t drop below $0.00. If your Varo Savings Account daily balance goes above $5,000 at any point during the month, your APY will be 0.50% for the entire month. We’ll let you know if your rate changes.
You can see the rate you are currently earning in the app. From the home screen, select your Varo Savings Account, then select Account Details in the upper right-hand corner. Your rate will be listed under Current APY.
The fine print (see the Varo Savings Account Agreement for full terms and conditions):
Rates are variable and may change, and your Savings balance must be at least $0.01 to earn interest.
These deposit transactions into your Varo Bank Account are NOT considered qualifying direct deposits:
- ACH Transfers made using your Varo Bank Account number and routing number, including:
- Transfers from an account held in your name at another bank, brokerage firm, or other financial institution whether from the Varo Bank Account holder or a third party; or
- Transfers from digital wallets or Peer to Peer (P2P) services, including, but not limited to, PayPal, Venmo, Square, and ApplePay Cash.
- Non-Payroll transfers made to the Varo Visa® Debit Card via Visa® Direct from digital wallets or P2P services, including, but not limited to, PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, GooglePay, Facebook, or other similar transfers.
- Cash deposits made via Third Party Money Transfer Services, including but not limited to the Green Dot® Network.
- Mobile Deposit of checks via the Varo Bank Mobile App.
- Varo-to-Varo Transfers received in the Varo Bank Account.
These types of debit transactions are NOT considered qualifying debit card purchases:
- Transactions at ATMs, including but not limited to cash withdrawals and balance inquiries.
- Over the Counter ("OTC") cash withdrawals.
- Transfers from the Varo Visa® Debit Card via external Peer to Peer (P2P) transfer services, including, but not limited to, PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and ApplePay Cash or similar services.
- ACH Debits from merchants, utility service providers and other financial institutions.
- ACH Transfers from your Varo Bank Account to another bank account you own made using the Mobile App.
- Payments made using the bill payment (“Mail a check”) feature in the Mobile App
- Transfers or withdrawals from the Varo Savings Account.
- Varo-to-Varo Transfers sent from the Varo Bank Account.