The Kick Starter offer is an additional 0.50% p.a that is added on to the ongoing variable Savings Accelerator rate for the introductory term, up to balances of $500,000.

For example, the ongoing variable rate on balances up to $50,000 is 2.85% p.a., which becomes 3.35% p.a for the first four months.

"This is all about giving new savers an opportunity to kick start their savings with ING," an ING spokesperson told Savings.com.au.

This offer is only available for new customers who have never had a personal savings account with ING before, and can be changed or withdrawn by ING with notice.

The maximum rate available on the ING Savings Accelerator is now 5.20% p.a, for balances between $150,000 and $500,000 when the Kick Starter offer applies, which reverts back to the standard variable rate of 4.70% p.a.

This remains 55 basis points behind RaboBank, which offers a 5.75% p.a introductory rate for the first four months on balances up to $250,000, but this reverts to 4.40% once this period is up.

Should savers have a balance lower than $150,000, lower interest rates apply.

The highest rate at ING remains the Savings Maximiser account, which currently returns 5.50% p.a provided all conditions are met in a given month.

Although the top rate on the Accelerator product is lower, and only for four months, the Maximiser requires users to (every month): Deposit $1,000 in the linked Everyday account, make five settled debit card transactions on the Everyday account and grow the balance.

The top rate on the Savings Maximiser applies on the account balances up to $100,000, with just the standard variable rate (0.55% p.a) applying on anything above this.

With a higher deposit requirement, the Accelerator product could suit those who have already accumulated large amounts of savings and don't want to deal with deposit criteria. 

The top basic rate on the Savings Accelerator is still among the higher unconditional ongoing savings account rates available at the moment, although Australian Unity remains the market leader at 5.20% p.a.

The ongoing rate is five basis points behind Macquarie Bank's Savings Account, where the ongoing variable rate is 4.75% p.a after the introductory period, where rates are 5.35% p.a.

At Macquarie though, these rates only apply up to $250,000, which is at the cap of the government's deposit guarantee.

New Savings Accelerator Rates

Balance Basic variable rate Rate with Kickstarter Intro Offer applied
$0-$49,999 2.85% p.a 3.35% p.a
$50,000-$149,999 3.75% p.a  4.25% p.a
$150,000-$500,000 4.70% p.a 5.20% p.a

Advertisement

Need somewhere to store cash and earn interest? The table below features savings accounts with some of the highest interest rates on the market.

Provider

4000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details
  • Bonus rate for the first 4 months from account opening
  • No account keeping fees
  • No minimum balance

High Interest Savings Account (< $250k)

  • Bonus rate for the first 4 months from account opening
  • No account keeping fees
  • No minimum balance
4000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details
  • A high-interest online savings account with no monthly fees, easy withdrawals and award-winning digital banking
  • No withdrawal notice periods or interest rate penalties

Savings Account (Amounts < $250k)

  • A high-interest online savings account with no monthly fees, easy withdrawals and award-winning digital banking
  • No withdrawal notice periods or interest rate penalties
010000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details
  • Earn up to 5.40% pa by depositing $1,000 in the previous month
  • No account fees
  • Easy access to your money

Saver Account (<$250k)

  • Earn up to 5.40% pa by depositing $1,000 in the previous month
  • No account fees
  • Easy access to your money
02000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details
No monthly fees
  • Download the App to open your account
  • Get better visibility of your spending within App!
  • Deposit $200 per month to activate bonus interest
No monthly fees

Save Account

  • Download the App to open your account
  • Get better visibility of your spending within App!
  • Deposit $200 per month to activate bonus interest
Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

All products with a link to a product provider’s website have a commercial marketing relationship between us and these providers. These products may appear prominently and first within the search tables regardless of their attributes and may include products marked as promoted, featured or sponsored. The link to a product provider’s website will allow you to get more information or apply for the product. By de-selecting “Show online partners only” additional non-commercialised products may be displayed and re-sorted at the top of the table. For more information on how we’ve selected these “Sponsored”, “Featured” and “Promoted” products, the products we compare, how we make money, and other important information about our service, please click here. Rates correct as of April 27, 2024. View disclaimer.

Picture by Ingo Stiller on Unsplash