Last updated: July 2026

Best Savings Accounts for Large Balances (Over $100,000)

Most savings accounts cap their advertised rate at $100,000 — money above that earns near zero. Here's what actually pays on large balances.

Why this matters

Growth Saver pays 5.65% — but only on the first $25,000. Money above that cap earns the base rate. Up Essentials Saver (Up) pays 5.35% with no cap at all. The headline rate doesn't tell the whole story when your balance exceeds the cap.

Best rate — no balance cap
5.35% p.a.

Earns this rate on any balance. No cap.

All savings accounts — balance cap shown

No-cap accounts listed first, then capped accounts. The balance cap column shows the maximum balance that earns the advertised rate — money above that typically earns the base rate only.

Account Rate p.a.
No balance cap — full rate on any amount
Up Essentials Saver
Up
5.35%
Personal Savings Account
Judo Bank
5.35%
base 0.05% + bonus 5.30%
Bonus Saver Account
RACQ Bank
5.26%
base 0.01% + bonus 5.25%
STAR SAVER
Southern Cross CU
5.20%
base 1.00% + bonus 4.20%
Max E Saver
Defence Bank
5.20%
base 0.10% + bonus 5.10%
Incentive Saver
St George Bank
5.15%
base 0.10% + bonus 5.05%
Incentive Saver
BankSA
5.15%
base 0.10% + bonus 5.05%
Incentive Saver
Bank of Melbourne
5.15%
base 0.10% + bonus 5.05%
Growth Saver Account
Suncorp Bank
5.10%
base 0.10% + bonus 5.00%
MOMENTUM SAVER
Teachers Mutual Bank
5.10%
base 0.10% + bonus 5.00%
Hero Saver
Bankwest
5.10%
base 0.65% + bonus 4.45%
ANZ Plus Growth Saver
ANZ
5.10%
base 0.10% + bonus 5.00%
Flex Saver
easystreet
5.05%
Bankwest Easy Saver
Bankwest
5.00%
GoalSaver
Commonwealth Bank
5.00%
base 0.25% + bonus 4.75%
Macquarie Savings Account
Macquarie Bank
5.00%
Hello Saver account
MyState Bank
5.00%
NAB Reward Saver
NAB
5.00%
base 0.01% + bonus 4.99%
Essential Saver account
Teachers Mutual Bank
5.00%
Westpac Life
Westpac
5.00%
base 0.10% + bonus 4.90%
Future Saver
Great Southern Bank
4.85%
base 0.10% + bonus 4.75%
Savings Accelerator
ING
4.80%
Online Saver
MOVE Bank
4.70%
Purple Bonus Saver
Beyond Bank
4.65%
base 0.01% + bonus 4.64%
MySavings account
Heartland Bank
4.55%
E&P High Yield Account
MyState Bank
4.50%
Smart Saver Account
Newcastle Permanent
4.50%
base 0.05% + bonus 4.45%
Online Saver
Bank Australia
4.45%
ANZ V2 PLUS
ANZ
4.10%
Bonus Saver
Greater Bank
4.00%
High Interest Savings Account
Rabobank
4.00%
Target Bonus Account
People First Bank
4.00%
base 0.01% + bonus 3.99%
Balance cap applies — bonus rate only on amount up to the cap
Growth Saver
MOVE Bank
5.65%
base 0.10% + bonus 5.55%
Savings Maximiser
ING
5.50%
base 0.01% + bonus 5.49%
PremiumSaver
Rabobank
5.40%
Smart Saver Account
BOQ
5.40%
base 0.05% + bonus 5.35%
Bonus Saver
MOVE Bank
5.35%
base 0.10% + bonus 5.25%
HomeME Account
ME Bank
5.35%
base 0.05% + bonus 5.30%
Savvy Saver Account
P&N Bank
5.25%
base 0.20% + bonus 5.05%
Home Saver
Great Southern Bank
5.25%
base 0.50% + bonus 4.75%
Boss Saver
BCU Bank
5.25%
base 0.20% + bonus 5.05%
Dream Fund
People First Bank
5.15%
base 0.41% + bonus 4.74%
Power Saver
BCU Bank
5.10%
base 0.50% + bonus 4.60%
Smart Saver Account
P&N Bank
5.10%
base 0.50% + bonus 4.60%
Save account
UBank
5.10%
base 0.00% + bonus 5.10%
AMP Bank GO Save
AMP Bank
5.10%
Bonus Saver
Bank Australia
5.10%
base 0.10% + bonus 5.00%
Bonus Saver
MyState Bank
5.00%
base 0.00% + bonus 5.00%
Simple Saver Account
BOQ
4.80%
Bendigo Reward Saver
Bendigo Bank
4.75%
base 0.10% + bonus 4.65%
SaveME Account
ME Bank
4.35%
base 0.00% + bonus 4.35%
Online Saver Account
People First Bank
4.35%
base 2.95% + bonus 1.40%
Virgin Money Boost Saver
Virgin Money
4.20%
base 0.05% + bonus 4.15%

Cap applies to the bonus or advertised rate — base rate applies to the excess. How rates work. No affiliate fees — we're independent.

Understanding balance caps on savings accounts

What happens above the cap?

When a savings account has a balance cap, only the amount up to that cap earns the advertised rate. Any balance above the cap earns the base rate — which for conditional bonus savers is often 0.01% p.a. For a saver with $150,000 in an account capped at $100,000, that means $50,000 is effectively earning nothing.

The split strategy

One approach for balances above the cap is to split: put $25,000 into Growth Saver (MOVE Bank) to capture the full bonus, then put the remainder into a no-cap account like Up Essentials Saver. On a $125,000 balance, the maths looks like this:

Strategy ($125,000) Annual return
All in Growth Saver (5.65%, capped at $25,000) ~$1,510
All in Up Essentials Saver — Up (5.35%, no cap) ~$6,690
Split: $25,000 Growth Saver + $100,000 Up Essentials Saver (two different banks) ~$6,760
⚠️ The split must be across two different institutions — you can't open two accounts at the same bank to earn the same rate twice. Each institution counts separately for both the rate cap and the $250,000 government deposit guarantee.
Estimates only. Calculated from current rates as at today — rates can change at any time. Base rate applied to balance above the cap. Assumes conditions are met every month. Verify rates directly with the bank before making any financial decision.

Government deposit guarantee

The Australian Government Financial Claims Scheme protects deposits up to $250,000 per institution. If you're splitting a large balance across multiple banks, each institution's $250,000 limit applies separately — so $200,000 across two banks is fully protected at both. For balances above $500,000, the same logic applies across additional institutions — each bank's protection limit applies independently. All lenders listed on this page are APRA-regulated.

Term deposits as an alternative

For large lump sums that won't be touched, a term deposit locks in a rate for the full term — no conditions to meet, no risk of rate cuts mid-term, and most have no balance caps on competitive rates. The trade-off is that your money is locked until maturity. If a locked-in rate appeals, compare term deposits across Australian banks before committing.

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