Savings accounts keep your money safe while allowing you to earn a little bit more than checking accounts. Find out how to manage your savings, which accounts to use, and what you need to know.

Saving accounts are accounts maintained by retail financial institutions that pay interest but cannot be used directly as money in the narrow sense of a medium of exchange (for example, by writing a cheque). These accounts let customers set aside a portion of their liquid assets while earning a monetary return. For the bank, money in a savings account may not be callable immediately and in some jurisdictions, does not incur a reserve requirement, freeing up cash from the bank's vault to be lent out with interest.

Withdrawals from a savings account are occasionally costly, and they are more time-consuming than withdrawals from a demand (current) account. However, most saving accounts do not limit withdrawals, unlike certificates of deposit. In the United States, violations of Regulation D often involve a service charge, or even a downgrade of the account to a checking account. With online accounts, the main penalty is the time required for the Automated Clearing House to transfer funds from the online account to a "brick and mortar" bank where it can be easily accessed. During the period between when funds are withdrawn from the online bank and transferred to the local bank, no interest is earned.

Some financial institutions offer online-only savings accounts. These usually pay higher interest rates and sometimes carry higher security restrictions. Online access has opened the accessibility of offshore financial centres to the wider public.