The best bank accounts you’d happily introduce to your parents

Automate, facilitate, allocate, meditate... a great bank account lets you do most of these things. These are our picks, with few fees (if any) and loads of flexibility.

Two men and one woman in line at the bank
Linked savings account
Want to make your money work a little harder for you? If you link your MyState Glide Bank Account to a MyState Bonus Saver Account you can earn a competitive bonus interest rate on your savings.

Compare the best transaction accounts

1 - 6 of 213
Name Monthly fee Govt. Guarantee Own network ATM fee International transaction fee International ATM Fee
ING logo
Apple Pay Google PayVisa
Apple Pay Google Pay
Go to site
Monthly account fee$0
Card accessVisa
Own network ATM fee$0
International ATM Fee$5
International transaction fee3%
Monthly deposit required to waive account fee$0
Contactless PaymentsApple Pay, Google Pay
Monthly fee
$0
Government Guarantee
Own network ATM fee
$0
International transaction fee
3%
International ATM fee
$5
Go to siteMore Info
1% cashback on utility bills (T&Cs apply)
Revolut logo
Apple Pay Google PayVisa and Mastercard
Apple Pay Google Pay
Go to site
Monthly account fee$0
Card accessVisa and Mastercard
Own network ATM fee$0
International ATM Fee
International transaction fee0%
Monthly deposit required to waive account fee
Contactless PaymentsApple Pay, Google Pay
Monthly fee
$0
Government Guarantee
Own network ATM fee
$0
International transaction fee
0%
International ATM fee
$0
Go to siteMore Info
UP logo
Finder Award
Best Rated Brand
Apple Pay Google Pay Samsung Pay Garmin PayMastercard
Finder Award
Best Rated BrandApple Pay Google Pay Samsung Pay Garmin Pay
Go to site
Monthly account fee$0
Card accessMastercard
Own network ATM fee$0
International ATM Fee
International transaction fee0%
Monthly deposit required to waive account fee
Contactless PaymentsApple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Garmin Pay
Monthly fee
$0
Government Guarantee
Own network ATM fee
$0
International transaction fee
0%
International ATM fee
$0
Go to siteMore Info
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What does the best bank account look like?

The best bank account will usually have some or all of the following features:

  • No account keeping fees, or an option to easily have the account fees waived
  • A range of different payment options available
  • No monthly deposit conditions (or if there are some, ones that are easy to meet)
  • A good mobile banking app to manage your account 24/7
  • Extra perks such as cashback offers, points or special bonus offers

There's no single bank account that's best for everyone as all our needs are different – and what's best for you might not be best for someone else.

*The products compared on this page are chosen from a range of offers available to us and are not representative of all the products available in the market. There is no perfect order or perfect ranking system for the products we list on our Site, so we provide you with the functionality to self-select, re-order and compare products. The initial display order is influenced by a range of factors including conversion rates, product costs and commercial arrangements, so please don't interpret the listing order as an endorsement or recommendation from us. We're happy to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions, but we'd like you to make your own decisions and compare and assess products based on your own preferences, circumstances and needs.

Some of the top bank accounts for December 2024

To make it a little easier for you, we've picked a few of the best accounts based on specific features:

  1. Bank accounts with cashback offers or extra perks
  2. Bank accounts with no fees
  3. Bank accounts with good savings rates or tools
  4. Bank accounts designed for travel
  5. Bank accounts with smaller sub-accounts
  6. Bank accounts for students or young people

1. Bank accounts with cashback offers or extra perks

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HSBC Everyday Global

Earn 2% cashback on tap and pay purchases under $100 when you deposit $2,000 a month.

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Virgin Money Go Account

Earn 8 Virgin Money Points for each purchase when you deposit $1,000 a month (or $1,000 if you're over 25) and make 5+ purchases a month.

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ING Orange Everyday

Earn 1% cashback on utility bills when you deposit $1,000+ and make 5+ card purchases a month.

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Macquarie Transaction Account

Earn 2.75% on your transaction account balance, with no conditions to meet.

2. Bank accounts with no fees

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Macquarie Transaction Account

Pay no account fees, no international fees and get refunds on all Australian ATM fees.


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UBank Spend Account

Pay account keeping fees, no overseas ATM fees, no international transaction fees.

3. Bank accounts designed for travel

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HSBC Everyday Global

Hold 10 currencies in the one account and pay no international transaction fees. This account was the winner of the Best Travel Debit Card in the 2022 Finder Awards.

4. Bank accounts with savings rates and tools


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ANZ Plus Account

The ANZ Plus app gives you an overview of your monthly spending, compares your spending month to month and lets you set up and track up to 99 savings goals. Plus, you can earn up to 5% p.a. on your ANZ Save balance.

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Macquarie Transaction Account

Earn 2.75% on your transaction account balance, with no conditions to meet.

5. Bank accounts with smaller sub-accounts


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Suncorp Everyday Options Account

Link up to 9 sub-accounts to your Everyday Options Account to help you manage your budget.

6. Bank accounts for students or young people

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Westpac Choice Student

No account keeping fees full-time tertiary students and customers under 30 years old. Plus, if you're under 14 you can open the account and get a Handycard instead of a debit card.


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MyState Glide Account

This account can be opened online for those aged 14 and older (not 18 as with many other accounts) and charges no account fees or local ATM fees.

How to find the best bank account for you

The best bank account for you depends on your needs, and hopefully our list above helps you work exactly what's important to you. If you travel overseas as a regular jet-setter, as bank account that has low or no international transaction fees could save you a small fortune. So have a think about your needs so you can find an account that saves you money in the long run. Here's a few things to consider:

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Fees

Nasty little things that they are, fees can chew through your account balance, but you can get a bank account with no monthly account-keeping fees. Usually, the account is pretty no-frills without too many extra features; if a fee is payable, check what you're actually getting for that investment?

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Terms and conditions

If there are monthly deposit conditions to meet, perhaps in order to waive the monthly fees, make sure it's an amount you can easily meet. For instance, some accounts require a minimum of $2k to be deposited per month in order to waive fees.

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Branch or no branch?

Some banks – like Macquarie, or online banks – don't have branches. If you're happy to do all your banking online or on your phone, you're all set, but if good old-fashioned in-person service is important to you, make sure the bank you choose has local branches.

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Overseas fees and charges

If you travel regularly or you're in the habit of shopping at overseas retailers, the best bank account for you might just be one that doesn't charge overseas ATM fees and international transaction fees.

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Linked savings account

If you're planning to open a linked savings account with the same bank, look for bank that offers a good interest rate. It shouldn't be too hard to find one at 5% or higher.

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Payment flexibility

Make sure the bank account offers the payment options you want – like BPAY, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, PayID, tap and go with Visa payWave or Mastercard PayPass.

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ATM access

If you use cash, a bank account with a big ATM network and smart ATMs that accept cash might be move them up to the top of your hitlist.

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Joint account options

Stashing cash as a couple or with friends to manage joint expenses? Finding a bank that gives you both access to the account in a joint account is the way to go.

Frequently asked questions

How does Finder choose its bank account top picks?

At Finder, we've been comparing bank accounts for more than a decade. Using the product data we've collected, ongoing consumer testing, customer surveys and many (many!) account comparisons, we've assessed accounts in our panel based on a few key features that we know you care most about to bring you our picks. While we haven't looked at all accounts in the market, we're confident our picks are strong offers.

You can see what we've considered when choosing the top pick for each category below.

We value our editorial independence, basing our comparison results, content and reviews on objective analysis without bias. But Finder may receive compensation when you click links on our site. Learn more about how we make money from our partners.

Sarah Megginson's headshot
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Sarah Megginson as part of our fact-checking process.
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Written by

Editor

Alison Banney is the money editorial manager at Finder. She covers all areas of personal finance, and her areas of expertise are superannuation, banking and saving. She has written about finance for 10 years, having previously worked at Westpac and written for several other major banks and super funds. See full bio

Alison's expertise
Alison has written 625 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Superannuation
  • Savings accounts, bank accounts and term deposits
  • Budgeting and money-saving hacks
  • Managing the cost of living

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One Response

    Default Gravatar
    ZenJuly 5, 2024

    I’m getting rid of my Big 4 bank accounts; they are more concerned these days about shareholders than they are about their customers. Shut my ANZ and CommBank and now i use Wise and Up. I will open a Bendigo bank account as backup, but mainly so I have a facility to deposit cash if the need arises.

    Up is great, with low to no fees and great FX rates and the speed of transfer is terrific.

    I also use Wise for traveling and in Australia and can transfer between Wise and Up in about 5 to 10 seconds,

    Bendigo bank for cash deposit or withdrawal, Up for normal spending and transfers and income in, and Wise for normal spending travel with still Up for travel also.

    The only con for Up is I don’t think you can ring them, but their chat has been excellent.

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