CIMB StarSaver Savings Account: Earn up to 2.38% p.a. on fresh funds

What happened?

CIMB StarSaver is offering a promotional interest rate of up to 2.38% p.a. on fresh funds.

This caught the attention of the Beansprout community, with members asking how it compares to CIMB FastSaver and whether it is worth considering for larger cash balances. 

CIMB StarSaver is a no-frills savings account that lets you earn its prevailing interest rate without salary crediting, credit card spending, insurance purchases or investments.

However, as the account uses a tiered interest structure, the effective interest rate (EIR) will depend on how much money you deposit. 

In this article, I look at how the CIMB StarSaver Savings Account works, how much interest you can earn, and how it compares with CIMB FastSaver.

What is the CIMB StarSaver Savings Account?

The CIMB StarSaver Savings Account is a savings account that offers tiered interest rates based on your account balance.

Unlike some higher-yield savings accounts, there are no requirements to credit your salary, spend on a credit card, purchase insurance or invest in wealth products to earn the prevailing interest rate.

The account comes with no fall-below fees, no monthly fees, access to CIMB Clicks, FAST transfers and e-statements.

This makes it a relatively straightforward option for savers who want to park cash while keeping it readily accessible.

CIMB StarSaver interest rates

CIMB StarSaver offers the following prevailing interest rates as of August 2026.

The interest is accrued daily and credited monthly, with daily interest paid on the entire daily balance provided the account balance is at least S$1,000 on any given day.

A key feature of CIMB StarSaver is that the higher interest tiers extend all the way to S$1 million.

This allows customers with larger balances to earn a more competitive effective interest rate compared with accounts where bonus interest only applies to a small portion of their balance.

However, the account uses tiered interest rates. 

This means the first S$100,000 earns 0.50% p.a. before any bonus interest, while the 1.58% p.a. tier applies only to the next S$750,000 after the first S$250,000.

CIMB StarSaver fresh funds promotion

From time to time, CIMB runs fresh funds promotions that provide additional bonus interest on incremental balances. 

Under CIMB’s August 2026 CASA bonus interest promotion, customers can earn additional bonus interest on eligible incremental fresh funds.

To qualify, you need to deposit a minimum incremental balance of S$10,000 in fresh funds into a qualifying account during the promotion period from 1 August to 31 August 2026.

You also need to maintain at least S$10,000 in incremental balance throughout the bonus interest earning period from 1 August to 31 August 2026.

The bonus interest rate is:

The bonus interest is capped at S$1,000,000 of incremental balance for each eligible account.

For existing customers, the incremental balance is compared against the end-of-day balance on 31 July 2026.

For new customers, CIMB states that the comparison balance on 31 July 2026 is S$0.

Fresh funds refer to funds that do not originate from existing CIMB accounts, including CIMB current, savings or fixed deposit accounts.

Read the full T&C here. 

How much interest can you earn with CIMB StarSaver? 

CIMB StarSaver’s highest promotional rate comes from the 1.58% p.a. prevailing rate on its highest balance tier, plus the 0.70% p.a. bonus interest for Preferred Banking customers.

As the account uses tiered interest rates, the effective interest rate on your full balance will differ depending on how much you deposit.

Here is how the estimated EIR works out if the full balance qualifies as incremental fresh funds.

For S$1 million of eligible fresh funds, the calculation is:

For CIMB Preferred Banking customers, the annualised EIR on S$1 million of eligible fresh funds works out to about 2.197% p.a. 

For CIMB Personal Banking customers, the annualised EIR on S$1 million would be about 2.097% p.a. 

However, the actual bonus interest is earned only during the August and September 2026 bonus interest earning period, and the bonus interest will be credited on 31 October 2026.

CIMB StarSaver vs CIMB FastSaver: What is the difference?

CIMB StarSaver and CIMB FastSaver are both included in CIMB’s August 2026 fresh funds promotion.

For both accounts, the fresh funds bonus is 0.70% p.a. for Personal Banking customers and 0.80% p.a. for Preferred Banking customers, capped at S$1 million of incremental balance.

The main difference between CIMB StarSaver and CIMB FastSaver is how far their higher prevailing interest tiers extend, and whether I am willing to meet additional bonus conditions. 

CIMB FastSaver offers additional interest when you credit your salary or set up recurring transfers of at least S$1,000, and when you spend at least S$800 on the CIMB Visa Signature Card. However, these additional interest categories apply to only the first S$25,000 balance.

Therefore, CIMB FastSaver may be more attractive for smaller balances, as customers can earn up to 2.70% p.a. on the first S$25,000 if they meet the fresh funds, salary or recurring GIRO, and card spend requirements. 

However, CIMB StarSaver may work better for larger balances because its higher prevailing interest tiers extend up to S$1 million.

What to watch out for with CIMB StarSaver

The first thing to note is that this is a fresh funds promotion.

If your money is already sitting in a CIMB account, transferring it into StarSaver may not qualify as fresh funds.

Secondly, the bonus interest applies to incremental balances.

For existing customers, this is measured against the end-of-day balance on 31 July 2026.

Thirdly, customers who qualified for the July 2026 promotion by depositing at least S$10,000 in incremental fresh funds will not qualify again for the August 2026 promotion using the same account. 

This is important if you participated in the July promotion and are thinking of keeping or rolling the same funds into the August promotion. 

Lastly, Singapore dollar deposits of non-bank depositors are insured by the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation for up to S$100,000 in aggregate per depositor per Scheme member by law.

Who may find CIMB StarSaver useful?

CIMB StarSaver may be useful if you have a larger amount of fresh funds to park.

This is because the account’s higher prevailing interest tiers extend up to S$1 million, unlike CIMB FastSaver where the higher prevailing tiers apply only to the first S$75,000.

It may also be useful if you want a savings account without salary credit, credit card spend or investment purchase requirements.

The account does not have a lock-in period, so it may be more flexible than a fixed deposit if you want to keep your cash accessible.

However, for balances of S$100,000 or less, StarSaver may not be the most attractive option.

Even with the August 2026 fresh funds bonus, the EIR on S$100,000 works out to about 1.20% p.a. for Personal Banking customers and 1.30% p.a. for Preferred Banking customers. 

As such, I would still compare CIMB StarSaver against CIMB FastSaver and other savings account promotions before deciding where to park my cash. 

How to open a CIMB StarSaver Savings Account

You can apply for a CIMB StarSaver Savings Account online here.

CIMB states that applicants must be at least 16 years old, with a minimum initial deposit of S$1,000.

You can fund the account via FAST from your own single-name personal account with another bank in Singapore, or from your own CIMB Malaysia account.

CIMB also offers a Shariah-compliant alternative, the CIMB StarSaver Savings-i Account, which you can apply online as well.

What would Beansprout do?

CIMB StarSaver stands out for savers with larger cash balances.

Unlike CIMB FastSaver, where the higher promotional rate applies mainly to the first S$25,000, CIMB StarSaver’s higher prevailing interest tiers extend up to S$1 million.

With S$1 million of eligible fresh funds, the EIR works out to about 2.10% p.a. for Personal Banking customers and 2.20% p.a. for Preferred Banking customers under the current promotion. 

I also like that the account is relatively straightforward. There is no need to credit my salary, spend on a credit card or purchase investment products to earn the prevailing interest rate. 

That said, CIMB StarSaver may be less attractive for smaller balances, as the first S$100,000 earns 0.50% p.a. before bonus interest.

Even with the August 2026 fresh funds bonus, the EIR on S$100,000 works out to about 1.20% p.a. for Personal Banking customers and 1.30% p.a. for Preferred Banking customers. 

As such, if I have a smaller amount of cash and can meet the bonus requirements, I would compare CIMB StarSaver against CIMB FastSaver and other savings accounts. 

You can check out our guide to the best savings accounts in Singapore to compare the latest options. 

If I have such a large amount of savings, I would also consider whether I can qualify for priority banking, which may offer preferential deposit rates and other banking benefits. 

More importantly, I would compare these savings accounts against other options in my Liquidity Pot, including fixed deposits, Singapore T-bills and Singapore Savings Bonds and money market funds. 

I would also think about spreading my cash across different banks and instruments rather than concentrating everything in one place, especially since Singapore dollar deposits are insured up to S$100,000 per depositor per Scheme member.

Once I have set aside enough cash for my emergency fund and upcoming expenses, I would also look beyond savings accounts and consider how the Four Pots of Wealth framework and investing can help me grow my wealth over the longer term. 

To find out other ways to make your savings work harder, check out our guide to best ways to earn a passive income in Singapore.

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