Stanchart Bonus Account vs UOB One Account: Which is better for you?

Standard Chartered (Stanchart) has recently joined other banks in increasing the interest rate on its Bonus Saver (Bonus$aver) deposit account. 

The new maximum interest rate? Up to 7.88%.

But the bigger question is, how much effort does it take? Is 7.88% the realistic number to look at? 

Does this make the Stanchart Bonus Saver better than the UOB One account, which offers an interest rate of up to 7.8%?

Once again, let me use simple math and show you how much interest you can get with the Stanchart Bonus Saver account

Stanchart Bonus Saver (Bonus$aver) account review

Similar to other local Banks, this deposit account requires you to fulfill certain requirements before you can earn an interest rate of up to 7.88%. 

The requirements include the difficult (or dreaded) categories – Invest and Insure.

If you noticed, the estimated monthly card spending is also on the higher end.

To give you a better summary, I went to read the fine print in detail.

Let me share what I like and dislike about this deposit account in the next section.

What I like about Stanchart Bonus Saver (Bonus$aver) account

Let’s start on a positive note.

This deposit account does not follow a tiered system where you earn higher interest rates based on the amount you have in the bank.

It does not matter whether you have $50k or $100k as you will be earning a uniform interest rate on your deposits.

Does it matter? Yes!!! 

Let me show you why it matters later.

Also, this deposit account comes with a multi-currency feature.

What I dislike about Stanchart Bonus Saver (Bonus$aver) account

Two things.

One, it is difficult to hit the $2,000 minimum spending per month.

Did I also mention it? It is $2,000 worth of eligible transactions.

Your online bill payments, income tax payments, EZ-link transactions, top-ups and AXS payments are excluded.

Hence, I think that the $500-$1,999  is a more realistic tier to look at. 

Two, if you have been following my previous articles, you will know that I am not a fan of the Insure and Invest category. 

It is not sustainable to be earning the interest rate. 

For the interested parties, the criteria for Insure and Invest are below. 

Take note that the bonus interest will be paid for a consecutive 12 months and you will need to purchase new ones thereafter.

So… what is the realistic interest rate we are looking at for the Stanchart Bonus Saver (Bonus$aver) account?

If you are able to  

• Spend around $500-$1,999 on credit card

• Credit more than $3,000 monthly salary
• Make at least 3 bill payments online (electricity, phone and credit card bills)

The realistic interest rate would be 4.13% p.a. instead of the 7.88%.

If you are able to meet the minimum monthly card spending of $2,000, then your effective interest rate on the Stanchart Bonus Saver account goes up to 4.88% p.a.

Is the Stanchart Bonus Saver (Bonus$aver) account better than the UOB One account?

As I said, the advantage of the Stanchart Bonus Saver (Bonus$aver) account is the absence of a tiered system.

Unsurprisingly, the Stanchart Bonus Saver account offers a better interest rate compared to the UOB One account at lower deposit amounts. 

But the UOB One account still offers a higher effective interest rate compared to the Stanchart Bonus Saver for deposits of more than $75,000.

Final verdict on Stanchart Bonus Saver (Bonus$aver) vs UOB One Account

The Stanchart Bonus Saver account has a more stringent requirement compared to the UOB One account. 

You will need to credit at least $3,000 worth of salary, compared to just $1,600 for the UOB One account. As such, this may not be a friendly option for fresh graduates.

If you meet this salary credit criteria, then the Stanchart Bonus Saver account would offer a higher effective interest rate of 4.13% p.a. for deposits of below $75,000. 

If you are a big spender with a credit card spending of more than $2,000 a month, then you can potentially earn an even higher interest rate of 4.88% p.a.

However, if you have deposits of $100,000, then the UOB One account still offers a higher effective interest of 5.0% p.a. 

The moral of the story? The best Singapore deposit account differs for each individual.

We will be your best buddy in uncovering the devil in the details!

What do you think? Share your thoughts with me in the Telegram community.