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Discover® Money Market Account Review: Pairing Competitive APYs With an Award-Winning Customer Experience

Review Updated
Brittney Myers
Nathan Alderman
Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures that our product ratings are not influenced by compensation. APY = Annual Percentage Yield.

We may think mostly of credit cards when we think of Discover®, but the popular card issuer is also a bank with a range of products, including the competitive Discover® Money Market account. While not the highest rates we've seen, you can get a solid APY with no minimum deposit. Plus, you can enjoy Discover's famously good customer service.

Read our full Discover® Money Market account review for all the details.

Discover® Money Market
Open Account for Discover® Money Market

On Discover Bank's Secure Website.

Member FDIC.

Ratings Methodology
Rates as of Apr 05, 2025

Discover® Money Market

Open Account for Discover® Money Market

On Discover Bank's Secure Website.

Member FDIC.
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.
4.50/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Open Account for Discover® Money Market

On Discover Bank's Secure Website.

Monthly Fee
$0
Min. Balance
$0
APY
3.60%-3.65% Rate info Circle with letter I in it. 3.60% applies to balances under $100K, Need $100,000+ to earn 3.65%
Min. To Earn APY
$0.01-$100,000 for 3.60%; $100,000+ for 3.65%
  • Competitive APY
  • No minimum balance to maintain account
  • No monthly fee
  • Debit card and check availability
  • No minimum deposit required to open
  • FDIC insured
  • Best rate requires at least $100,000
  • No in-person banking/branches

This account offers a competitive APY, especially given there are no monthly service fees, while still giving access to ATMs and checks. You don't need to maintain a high balance to earn a good rate.

Compare savings rates

Make sure you're getting the best account for you by comparing savings rates and promotions. Here are some of our favorite high-yield savings accounts to consider.

Account APY Promotion Next Steps
up to 3.80%²
Rate info Circle with letter I in it. You can earn the maximum APY by having Direct Deposit (no minimum amount required) or by making $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits every 30 days. See SoFi Checking and Savings rate sheet at: https://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet.
Min. to earn: $0
New customers can earn up to a $300 bonus with qualifying direct deposits!¹
4.10% APY for balances of $5,000 or more
Rate info Circle with letter I in it. 4.10% APY for balances of $5,000 or more; otherwise, 0.25% APY
Min. to earn: $100 to open account, $5,000+ for max APY
Earn a bonus of at least $225 after a one-time deposit of $25,000+. Circle with letter I in it. Transfer a one-time deposit of $25,000-$49,999.99 for a bonus of $225. Transfer a one-time deposit of $50,000+ for a bonus of $300. Account must be opened with code PS2025 while this promotion lasts, and funded within 30 days. Bonus will be fulfilled within 60 days from the funding date. There is no period of time where the customer will be required to maintain the funds. Account must be open when bonus is credited. One bonus per account and primary customer. Bonus will be credited into the Platinum Savings Account that fulfills the funding requirement. Funding can be deposited all at once or incrementally.
3.70%
Rate info Circle with letter I in it. 3.70% annual percentage yield as of April 5, 2025. Terms apply.
Min. to earn: $0
N/A
Open Account for American Express® High Yield Savings

On American Express's Secure Website.

Disclaimers



SoFi disclosure:

¹ New and existing Checking and Savings members who have not previously enrolled in Direct Deposit with SoFi are eligible to earn a cash bonus of either $50 (with at least $1,000 total Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period) OR $300 (with at least $5,000 total Direct Deposits received during the Direct Deposit Bonus Period). Cash bonus will be based on the total amount of Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit Promotion begins on 12/7/2023 and will be available through 1/31/26. See full bonus and annual percentage yield (APY) terms at sofi.com/banking#1.

² SoFi members who enroll in SoFi Plus with Direct Deposit or by paying the SoFi Plus Subscription Fee every 30 days or with $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits during the 30-Day Evaluation Period can earn 3.80% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the stated interest rate. Members without either SoFi Plus or Qualifying Deposits, during the 30-Day Evaluation Period will earn 1.00% APY on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. Only SoFi Plus members are eligible for other SoFi Plus benefits. Interest rates are variable and subject to change at any time. These rates are current as of 1/24/25. There is no minimum balance requirement. Additional information can be found at http://www.sofi.com/legal/banking-rate-sheet. See the SoFi Plus Terms and Conditions at https://www.sofi.com/terms-of-use/#plus.

³ We do not charge any account, service or maintenance fees for SoFi Checking and Savings. We do charge a transaction fee to process each outgoing wire transfer. SoFi does not charge a fee for incoming wire transfers, however the sending bank may charge a fee. Our fee policy is subject to change at any time. See the SoFi Checking & Savings Fee Sheet for details at sofi.com/legal/banking-fees/.

⁴ SoFi Bank is a member FDIC and does not provide more than $250,000 of FDIC insurance per depositor per legal category of account ownership, as described in the FDIC’s regulations.

Any additional FDIC insurance is provided by the SoFi Insured Deposit Program. Deposits may be insured up to $3M through participation in the program. See full terms at SoFi.com/banking/fdic/sidpterms. See list of participating banks at SoFi.com/banking/fdic/participatingbanks.

We’ve partnered with Allpoint to provide you with ATM access at any of the 55,000+ ATMs within the Allpoint network. You will not be charged a fee when using an in-network ATM, however, third-party fees incurred when using out-of-network ATMs are not subject to reimbursement. SoFi’s ATM policies are subject to change at our discretion at any time.

Early access to direct deposit funds is based on the timing in which we receive notice of impending payment from the Federal Reserve, which is typically up to two days before the scheduled payment date, but may vary.

Overdraft Coverage is limited to $50 on debit card purchases only and is an account benefit available to customers with direct deposits of $1,000 or more during the current 30-day Evaluation Period as determined by SoFi Bank, N.A. The 30-Day Evaluation Period refers to the “Start Date” and “End Date” set forth on the APY Details page of your account, which comprises a period of 30 calendar days (the“30-Day Evaluation Period”). You can access the APY Details page at any time by logging into your SoFi account on the SoFi mobile app or SoFi website and selecting either (i) Banking > Savings > Current APY or (ii) Banking > Checking > Current APY. Members with a prior history of non-repayment of negative balances are ineligible for Overdraft Coverage.

Full Discover® Money Market account review

Top perks

A competitive APY: The biggest feature of the Discover® Money Market account that makes it worthwhile is the competitive APY (annual percentage yield). It's not as high as some of our other top money market accounts, but it's a very respectable 3.60%-3.65%.

No minimum balance to maintain your account: You won't need to maintain a set balance to open an account or keep it open. You don't need to meet a minimum for a good APY, either, though the top tier rate does have a minimum threshold.

No monthly account fee: Normally, perks like ATM cards and check writing mean paying pesky checking account fees. Not with this account. There's no monthly account service fee. You also won't pay fees for standard checks, eligible ATM withdrawals, or replacement debit cards.

No opening balance requirement: You can open a Discover® Money Market account with a $0 deposit.

ATM access and paper checks: Money market accounts pair the best features of savings and checking accounts. For one thing, you get the high APY of a top savings account. Plus, you'll receive a debit card with ATM access. You even have the option to write paper checks.

Discover customer service: Every time someone comes out with a list of the best banks or credit card companies for customer service, Discover is usually ranked pretty high. For instance, they're usually first or second in the J.D. Power rankings. You deal with your bank regularly, so you want to choose a reliable one.

What could be improved

A high balance required to earn best APY: The basic APY offered to all account holders is solid, but if you want the highest possible rate, you'll need to deposit and maintain a balance of at least $100,000. Needless to say, that is very high. Moreover, if you have that much money to deposit somewhere, this might not be the best use of it.

No bank branches for in-person banking: The main drawback to an online bank vs. brick-and-mortar banks is that you won't be able to visit a branch. So if in-person banking is important to you, you may need to look at alternative options.

How to access your money

Getting money into and out of your account is fairly simple, especially if you can transfer to or from another account.

Deposit options

Since Discover® Bank is an online bank, most of your deposit options are digital:

  • Online transfer from another Discover® Bank account
  • ACH transfer from an external bank account
  • Wire transfer from an external account (fees apply)
  • Automatic Direct Deposit
  • Checks deposited via mobile check deposit
  • Mail a check (and deposit slip) directly to Discover® Bank
  • Add cash at Walmart (terms apply)

That last option is probably the most interesting on the list. Basically, if you have a contactless Discover® Bank debit card, you can take your card and some cash to any Walmart. Then, you simply ask a cashier to add the cash to your Discover® Bank account.

Withdrawal options

You have more withdrawal options than you do for deposits, including:

  • Online transfer to another Discover account
  • ACH transfer to an external bank account
  • Online bill pay
  • Write a paper check
  • Request an official bank check
  • Use your debit card to withdraw from an ATM (fees may apply)
  • Get cash back at eligible retailers
  • Complete a wire transfer (fees may apply)

If you want cash in hand, your best option is probably to hit the ATM. Your debit card can be used at more than 60,000 in-network ATMs with no extra fees. Or, use your card at any ATM -- just watch out for those extra service fees.

A Discover® Money Market account is right for you if:

A Discover® Money Market account is for folks who want checking account features, like check writing and/or ATM access, but still want a competitive APY. You won't get the top rate unless you deposit $100,000 or more. But you do get to enjoy Discover's top-rated customer service, which may be of the most value to some.

Keep reading about Discover:

Our money market account methodology

At Motley Fool Money, we evaluate money market accounts based on four main criteria: annual percentage yield (APY), brand and reputation, fees and minimum balance requirements, and perks.

Our scores are weighted as:

  • APY: 40%
  • Brand and Reputation: 20%
  • Fees and Minimums: 10%
  • Perks: 30%

Learn more about how Motley Fool Money rates bank accounts.

FAQs

  • A money market account essentially combines the best features of both checking and savings. You get the high interest rate of a savings account, plus the ATM and check-writing capabilities of a checking account.

  • No, there are no account opening or monthly service fees with a Discover® Money Market account.

  • If you want a competitive APY and no fees, the Discover® Money Market account can be worth opening. It doesn't have the highest rate we've seen, but Discover has famously good customer service.