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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.
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:
- Bank accounts with cashback offers or extra perks
- Bank accounts with no fees
- Bank accounts with good savings rates or tools
- Bank accounts designed for travel
- Bank accounts with smaller sub-accounts
- Bank accounts for students or young people
1. Bank accounts with cashback offers or extra perks
HSBC Everyday Global
Earn 2% cashback on tap and pay purchases under $100 when you deposit $2,000 a month.
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.
ING Orange Everyday
Earn 1% cashback on utility bills when you deposit $1,000+ and make 5+ card purchases a month.
Macquarie Transaction Account
Earn 2.75% on your transaction account balance, with no conditions to meet.
2. Bank accounts with no fees
Macquarie Transaction Account
Pay no account fees, no international fees and get refunds on all Australian ATM fees.
UBank Spend Account
Pay account keeping fees, no overseas ATM fees, no international transaction fees.
3. Bank accounts designed for travel
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
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.
Macquarie Transaction Account
Earn 2.75% on your transaction account balance, with no conditions to meet.
5. Bank accounts with smaller sub-accounts
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
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.
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:
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Ask a question
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.