CIMB FastSaver Account review: Earn up to 2.90% p.a. on fresh funds

What happened?

The CIMB FastSaver Account is offering an interest rate of up to 2.90% p.a. on the first S$25,000 in September 2026.

This is higher than the maximum 2.70% p.a. offered in August, after CIMB raised its bonus interest rate on incremental fresh funds.

Personal Banking customers can now earn an additional 0.90% p.a. by depositing at least S$10,000 of incremental fresh funds from 1 to 30 September 2026. Preferred Banking customers can earn an additional 1.00% p.a.

However, the highest rate does not apply automatically to your entire account balance.

To earn up to 2.90% p.a. on the first S$25,000 as a Personal Banking customer, you will need to top up incremental fresh funds, credit your salary or set up a qualifying recurring transfer, and spend on the CIMB Visa Signature Credit Card.

In this article, I will look at how the CIMB FastSaver Account works, how much interest you can earn, and how it compares with other savings accounts in Singapore.

What is the CIMB FastSaver Account?

The CIMB FastSaver Account is a relatively fuss-free savings account with tiered base interest rates. 

For September 2026, CIMB is also running a promotion where new and existing customers can earn bonus interest on incremental fresh funds.

The fresh funds bonus is 0.90% p.a. for Personal Banking customers and 1.00% p.a. for Preferred Banking customers, when you top up at least S$10,000 in incremental fresh funds during the promotion period between 1 and 30 September 2026. Fresh funds refer to funds that do not originate from an existing CIMB account.

The base rates remain tiered, with higher interest applied on balances up to S$75,000 and a lower rate above that.

On top of the base rates, you can earn additional bonus interest if you meet the relevant criteria:

1. Incremental fresh funds bonus: 0.90% p.a. for Personal Banking customers or 1.00% p.a. for Preferred Banking customers, on up to S$1 million of eligible incremental balance.
2. Salary credit or recurring transfer bonus: An additional 0.50% p.a. on the first S$25,000 when you credit at least S$1,000 in salary or make a qualifying recurring GIRO standing instruction.
3. Credit card spend bonus: Earn an extra 1.00% p.a. on the first S$25,000 when you spend at least S$800 in the statement month on a CIMB Visa Signature Principal Card.

Refer to the table below to understand how much interest you can potentially earn on the CIMB FastSaver Account.

CIMB FastSaver base interest rate

Let's first look at the interest rates earned without the salary credit, card spending, and incremental fresh fund bonus. 

For our first S$25,000 of deposits, we are able to earn a base interest rate of of 0.50% p.a.

The interest rate then rises to 1.08% p.a. on the next S$25,000 of deposits. 

The tiered interest rate goes up to as high as 1.58% p.a. on incremental balances of between S$50,000 and S$75,000. 

For incremental balance above S$75,000, the interest rate falls to 0.50% p.a.

We know this sounds fairly complex, so let us help to break it down the effective interest rates (EIR) for you.

With CIMB FastSaver, you can earn an effective interest rate of up to 1.05% p.a. for fresh funds of the first S$75,000.

This means that CIMB FastSaver’s base effective interest rate is highest at around S$75,000 of deposits.

For larger balances, the effective interest rate falls because balances above S$75,000 earn a lower base rate of 0.50% p.a.

CIMB FastSaver fresh funds promotion and how the bonus interest works

CIMB has launched a limited-time incremental fresh funds bonus that can increase your returns if you are planning to move fresh funds into the FastSaver Account during the promotional window.

Under this promotion, you will earn an additional 0.90% p.a. on your incremental balance, which refers to the increase in your CIMB FastSaver balance compared with your reference balance on 31 August 2026. For new customers, the comparison balance is treated as S$0.

To qualify, you need to grow your balance by at least S$10,000, and the incremental balance that earns the bonus is capped at S$1,000,000 per eligible account. 

The bonus applies to incremental fresh funds placed between 1 August and 31 August 2026, and CIMB will credit the bonus interest on 31 October 2026, so you may not see it reflected immediately in your monthly interest crediting.

Also, do take note that the bonus interest is calculated on the incremental portion of your funds rather than your entire account balance.

For example, if I had S$20,000 in my FastSaver Account on 31 August and increase my balance to S$50,000 in September, my incremental balance would be S$30,000.

Another important point is that customers who had already deposited at least S$10,000 in incremental fresh funds under the August 2026 promotion will not qualify again under the September 2026 promotion for the same account.

With the Bonus Interest Rate on Incremental Balance​, you can earn an effective interest rate of up to 1.95% p.a. for fresh funds of the first S$75,000.

You can find the terms and conditions of the bonus interest/profit promotion here.

CIMB FastSaver salary credit bonus interest and how much you can earn

You can also earn an additional interest rate of 0.50% p.a. on the first S$25,000 when you credit your salary or schedule a recurring GIRO transfer of at least S$1,000.

This means that you would be able to earn an effective interest rate of up to 1.04% p.a. for up to S$50,000 of deposits, and up to 1.22% p.a. for up to S$75,000 of deposits.

However, the effective interest rate would decline for deposits amounts above S$75,000.

If you are able to top up a minimum of S$10,000 in incremental fresh funds, you would be able to earn a higher effective interest rate of up to 1.94% p.a. for up to S$50,000 of deposits, and up to 2.12% p.a. for up to S$75,000 of deposits.

You can find the terms and conditions of the bonus interest rate here and here. 

CIMB FastSaver credit card spend bonus with CIMB Visa Signature

You can further earn an additional interest rate of 1.00% p.a. with a minimum monthly spending of S$800 on your CIMB Visa Signature Credit Card.

This means that you would be able to earn an effective interest rate of up to 2.00% p.a. for up to S$25,000 of deposits, and up to 1.55% p.a. for up to S$75,000 of deposits.

However, the effective interest rate would decline for deposit amounts above S$75,000.

If you are able to top up a minimum of S$10,000 in incremental fresh funds as a Personal Bank customer, you would be able to earn a higher effective interest rate of up to 2.90% p.a. for up to S$25,000 of deposits, and up to 2.45% p.a. for up to S$75,000 of deposits.

You can find the terms and conditions of the additional interest rate here and here. 

What we like about the CIMB FastSaver Account

The CIMB FastSaver account remains relatively fuss-free if you are only looking at the base interest rate.

There are no fall-below fees, monthly fees, investment purchase requirements or bill payment requirements.

The base effective interest rate is also highest for balances of up to S$75,000, where the tiered rates work more favourably.

For customers who can meet the fresh funds, salary or recurring GIRO, and card spend criteria, the account becomes more attractive for the first S$25,000.

However, to earn the promotional rate of 2.90% p.a. on the first S$25,000, you'll have to fulfil the salary credit, spending criteria as well as topping up incremental fresh funds. 

The CIMB FastSaver Account has no fall-below fees, making it an option for emergency fund storage, especially for young professionals who are just starting their careers. 

You can access your money anytime without any lock-up period or losing liquidity.

CIMB is one of the few banks in Singapore that is Shariah-compliant. 

What we do not like about the CIMB FastSaver Account

The interest rate for the CIMB FastSaver falls to 0.50% p.a. for incremental balances over S$75,000. 

As a result, we would explore other bank accounts that offer higher interest rates if we have a high account balance.

Also, to earn up to 2.90% p.a. on the first S$25,000, you would need to meet the fresh funds requirement, credit your salary or set up a recurring GIRO transfer, and spend at least S$800 on the CIMB Visa Signature Credit Card.

The effective interest rate also falls once your balance becomes larger, especially because the salary and card spend bonuses only apply to the first S$25,000.

The September 2026 fresh funds bonus is also time-limited, and the bonus interest will only be credited on 30 November 2026.

In addition, it's worth noting that CIMB has only one branch in Raffles Place and limited ATMs. This is less important for us as we perform mainly digital transactions. 

However, it might be something to keep in mind if you need assistance from a physical bank teller.

What does the Beansprout community think about the CIMB FastSaver account?

The CIMB FastSaver account has been widely discussed in Beansprout's Telegram community. 

Here are some comments that our community members have shared about the CIMB FastSaver Account:

"CIMB is instant. Savings account. No locks."

- Beansprout community member on 5 August 2024

"application process is very easy and straightforward"

- Beansprout community member on 3 October 2024

Let us know what you think about the CIMB FastSaver Account in the comments below or join the discussion in our Beansprout Telegram community.

CIMB FastSaver vs UOB Stash vs Standard Chartered JumpStart: Which savings account offers higher interest

Like many other Singaporeans, we want to compare and get the best deal for ourselves.

Let’s compare the CIMB FastSaver Account to other entry-level accounts, such as the UOB Stash Account and SC JumpStart Account.

The SC JumpStart Account offers a decent effective interest rate for balances below S$50,000. However, you will need to be between 18 to 26 years old to open the JumpStart Account.

UOB Stash Account offers a maximum effective interest rate of 1.50% p.a. on S$100,000, provided the current month’s average balance is equal to or higher than the previous month’s average balance.

Here is how the accounts compare if we look at CIMB FastSaver with the September Personal Banking fresh funds bonus, excluding salary and card spend bonuses.

Based on the August promotion, CIMB FastSaver offers a higher effective interest rate across these balance levels if your full balance qualifies as incremental fresh funds.

However, this comparison should be read with one caveat.

CIMB’s fresh funds bonus is promotional and comes with eligibility conditions, while UOB Stash may be more relevant for savers who want a more ongoing no-frills savings account structure.

How to open a CIMB FastSaver Account in Singapore

As a new customer, you can sign up for the CIMB FastSaver account here. 

To open a CIMB FastSaver account, you will need to be at least 16 years old and have a minimum initial deposit of S$1,000. This whole process takes no longer than 10 minutes!

Step 1: Apply for CIMB FastSaver account here

Step 2: Transfer a minimum of $1,000 to activate your account via FAST

Step 3: Access your account by downloading ‘CIMB Clicks Singapore’ App to set up your digital token

As an existing customer, you can sign up for the CIMB FastSaver promo here. 

What would Beansprout do?

The higher fresh-funds bonus makes CIMB FastSaver more attractive to me in September if I already have cash sitting outside CIMB.

As a Personal Banking customer, I can earn an additional 0.90% p.a. on eligible incremental fresh funds, up from 0.70% p.a. in August.

If I have S$25,000 and can comfortably meet the fresh-funds, salary or recurring transfer and card-spend requirements, I can earn up to 2.90% p.a. on the first S$25,000.

However, I would not open a credit card or redirect my salary purely to chase the headline rate.

If I prefer fewer conditions, the fresh-funds promotion on its own is still worth considering. Assuming my entire balance qualifies, S$75,000 would earn an estimated EIR of about 1.95% p.a. without the salary or card-spend bonuses.

For an existing CIMB customer, the first thing I would do is check my 31 August 2026 balance. I would then work out how much of my September deposit is genuinely incremental fresh funds and whether I had already participated in CIMB's August promotion.

I would also remember that the promotional bonus is earned during September and October, rather than being a permanent feature of the account.

I can also stack this with other savings accounts by parking only the amount needed to maximise each account’s bonus tiers, so I can optimise my overall return on cash.

To find out which savings account allows your money to work harder, check out our guide to the best savings account with highest interest rates in Singapore.

If you are deciding where to park your cash, you can also explore how the CIMB FastSaver Account fits into the broader Liquidity Pot within Beansprout's Four Pot of Wealth, alongside fixed deposits, Singapore T-bills and Singapore Savings Bonds here and money market funds.

But once you’ve already set aside enough cash to cover your safety buffer and upcoming expenses, putting every extra dollar into savings accounts may not be the most efficient way to grow your wealth. 

At that point, it can be worth exploring longer-term options like diversified investments that have a better chance of outpacing inflation over time.

For a more structured way to organise your investments and wealth, you can read our guide to the Four Pots of Wealth, as well as our beginner’s guide to start investing in Singapore.

To explore ways to grow your money beyond savings accounts, check out our our guide to best ways to earn a passive income in Singapore.

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