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Citi® Accelerate Savings Review
Citi Mobile® App available to make banking easy
Reviews 6
Citi® Accelerate Savings account
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Citi® Accelerate Savings account
Citi® Accelerate Savings account
Average
Reviews 6
Bestmoney Staff
Apr. 06, 2023
2 min read
BestMoney Staff
Citi® Accelerate Savings account Summary
Citi is the online and mobile banking platform from Citigroup, one of the “Big Four” banks in the United States. Citi offers most of the same products and services found at thousands of Citi branches in the U.S., along with a stack of dedicated online features. With basic and premium checking accounts, Citi appeals to a broad audience of online banking customers.
Pros
  • No minimum deposit to open checking account
  • Wide range of savings accounts, CDs and IRAs
  • Solutions for small businesses
  • Range of lending products
Cons
  • Some features and rates limited to residents of certain states
  • Minimum balance to use checking accounts
  • Lacks features compared to native online banks

Citi® Accelerate Savings account at a glance

9.6
Editorial score

Fees?

Fees waived with minimum balance
8.0

Security

FDIC insured, SSL encryption, multi-factor authentication
10.0

Customer service

24/7 customer service
10.0

Online experience

Excellent user-friendly site
10.0

Mobile experience

Excellent mobile app
10.0

This content is not provided by Citibank. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone and have not been endorsed by Citibank.

Advantages Over Regular Bank 

As one of the Big Four American banks (alongside Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo), Citigroup is the very definition of a regular bank. However, its online banking platforms offers numerous advantages over traditional banking. 

Here are some of the top reasons to choose Citi’s online banking platform:

  • Open a checking, savings or certificate of deposit account online, without having to go to a branch.
  • No monthly maintenance fees for checking, as long as you meet minimum monthly balance requirements (ranges from $500 to $200,000 depending on type of account).
  • Access to other Citigroup products and services, such as mortgages, credit cards, personal loans, and lines of credit.

Cutting-Edge Banking Services 

Citigroup has invested heavily in its online banking platform. As a result, customers can expect to find plenty of great features on their banking platform and app.

Citi’s online banking platform lets you:

  • Pay bills online
  • Send money to friends with Zelle
  • Move money between your Citi and non-Citi accounts
  • Set up balance and payment alerts
  • Add your Citi debit card to mobile wallets (e.g. Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay)
  • Purchase presale tickets and exclusive experiences for concerts, sports, and dining with Citi Entertainment
  • Access benefits by enrolling in Citi ThankYou Rewards with an eligible checking package

Traditional Banking Services 

Given it’s Citigroup we’re talking about, it goes without saying that online banking users get access to all the same banking services as traditional banking customers.

Here are some of Citi’s top banking services:

  • Range of credit cards, including 0% intro APR credit cards, balance transfer credit cards, and rewards credit cards.
  • Wide range of checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and banking IRAs.
  • Mortgages, home equity loans, personal loans, and lines of credit.
  • Investing insights and tools.
  • Citigold, comprising a Citigold relationship manager and Citi personal wealth management financial advisor.
  • Free access to thousands of Citi ATMs around the United States and globally.
  • Small business accounts and credit cards.

Interest Rates and Fees 

From 5 types of checking and savings accounts and linked checking-savings accounts to dozens of CD and IRA options, Citi offers many ways to save.  The Accelerate Savings account – available in select states only and subject to certain terms and conditions – offers a 4.05% APY. 

Citi APYs

 

Rates

Min. balance

Monthly fee

Savings

4.05%

$0

$0-30

CDs

0.05% - 4.30%

$0 - $500

$0

Customer Service 

Being a regular bank with an online platform, Citi offers its users several support options. Customers can get in touch by: the live chat option on the Citi website; calling online banking support on 800-374-9700; or by visiting one of the hundreds of physical branches in the United States. Citi also offers a personalized relationship service to users of its premium checking accounts and wealth management services (which require a minimum balance ranging from a few thousand dollars to $200,000).

Mobile Apps

For a large traditional bank, the Citi mobile app is pretty good. Although it lacks certain online banking features, it does provide a convenient way to track and manage your bank accounts from the convenience of a smartphone or tablet. Citi’s mobile app has been certified by independent financial services ratings agency J.D. Power for providing an outstanding mobile credit card experience. It has a 4.6-star rating on the App store.

Here are some of the things you can do with the Citi mobile app:

  • Manage your finances and get personalized spending and saving insights
  • Instant access to your bank and credit card account summary without having to sign in
  • Custom alerts for transactions, purchases, payments, and more
  • Put a lock on a lost debit or credit card
  • Deposit a check by taking a photo from your phone
  • Send, receive, or request money using Zelle
  • Ask Siri to give your checking, savings, or credit balance

Security 

As a large bank, Citi has the means to protect its users from fraud and hacking. When you bank online with Citi, all your activity goes through 128-bit SSL encryption, an extended validation SSL certificate, and multi-factor authentication. Every time you sign in to Citi Online, your visit is timestamped so any unauthorized account access can be tracked. If Citi believes your account has been compromised, it blocks your online and mobile access and sends you an instant notification. 

Conclusion 

With Citi, what you see is what you get: a full-service banking platform and app from one of America’s largest banks. If you’re looking for an online banking platform that lets you access all the services of a major U.S. bank without ever having to go into a branch, then it’s fair to say Citi does the job.

BestMoney Staff
Written by
Bestmoney Staff
Our editorial staff consists of writers who are knowledgeable about financial services. We specialize in simplifying the process of choosing the right provider for your needs.
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See what some costumers are saying about Citi® Accelerate Savings account
Citi® Accelerate Savings account
Average
Reviews 6
on
Excellent
17%
Great
17%
Bad
66%
consumer-image
milla z
2 months ago
I lost my money in citi bank
I lost my money here. Stuped system... The most bad bank in all world...
consumer-image
shari
2 months ago
I purchased tickets through…
I purchased tickets through Ticketmaster using my Citi card. They were never delivered and Citi would not handle my dispute to my benefit. I researched and found the two companies heavily linked. Do not buy tickets from Ticketmaster especially using the Citi card.
D
danielle adams
3 months ago
Very dishonest and prejudice compant
First City has charged me a late fee for 4 consecutive months for payments that I have made on time. When I attempted to call their customer service number, not only did Citi refuse to refund these illegal late fees for on time payments, their customer service agents were using very transphobic and abusive language because I was not cisgender I do NOT recommend using anything from this company as I closed all credit card accounts including my Home Depot card and IO also recommend they be marked as anti-trans on Shinigami Eyes for their transphobic behavior.
consumer-image
william celmons
7 months ago
Good for business banking
Good for business banking. I use them to operate my business account. There is branch up the street from me about 15 minutes. So, in the rare occasion I need to go in it's fairly handy. They don't have as many branches as B of A or WF but seem to have better business services. Just my opinion.
consumer-image
laurie g
7 months ago
This card will ruin your credit & Worst customer service ever
Worst customer service ever! This card will mess up your credit! I was approved for a credit card, I’ve never missed a payment and always paid more than my minimum. I got sick and was out of work but I was still paying over the minimum due every month. They randomly lowered my credit limit by $700. I called them to let them know I had returned to work and wanted to be assured that I would not have my credit limit lowered again. I still have not maxed out my card but they randomly decided to close my account with no explanation. Each time I contacted customer service I was treated like a deadbeat And not like a customer. Nobody could give me an explanation to why my account was closed and just told me they had the right to do so. First of all after they decreased my credit limit my credit dropped by 100 points. Then they treat you like absolute garbage for no reason even if you’ve never missed a payment. I worked really hard to get my credit score up and because of this credit card now my score is going to be decreased even more because they closed my account for no reason!
A
anonymous
a year ago
Nightmare trying to do external…
Nightmare trying to do external transfer. DO NOT USE