In a note sent to customers, RAMS said it would be cutting the bonus interest rate on its RAMS Saver by 40 basis points, to just 0.05% p.a.

With a base interest rate of 0.10% p.a, this takes the total interest rate to a mere 0.15% p.a.

To earn that 0.05% in bonus interest, customers have to deposit at least $200 each month and make no withdrawals. 

At a balance of $10,000, a bonus rate of 0.05% p.a. would result in $5 in extra interest earned over a year.

However, this bonus rate is payable on balances up to $500,000 - at this maximum, 0.05% p.a. would be worth $2,500 in extra interest per year. 

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
  • 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
  • Save up to 10% on eGift cards at over 50 retailers with Macquarie Marketplace
Disclosure

Savings Account

  • 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
  • Save up to 10% on eGift cards at over 50 retailers with Macquarie Marketplace
Disclosure
400$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details
  • Special offer: Savings Accelerator (Kick Starter offer).
  • For a limited time, new ING customers can get a bonus 0.70% p.a. on their savings rate on balances of $150,000 up to $500,000 for the first 4 months. T&Cs apply.
  • If your balance is over $500,000 (but less than $5 million) you will earn the ongoing variable rate of 4.7%
Disclosure

Savings Accelerator

  • Special offer: Savings Accelerator (Kick Starter offer).
  • For a limited time, new ING customers can get a bonus 0.70% p.a. on their savings rate on balances of $150,000 up to $500,000 for the first 4 months. T&Cs apply.
  • If your balance is over $500,000 (but less than $5 million) you will earn the ongoing variable rate of 4.7%
Disclosure
010000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details
  • Earn up to 5.20% pa by depositing $1,000 in the previous month
  • No account fees
  • Easy access to your money
Disclosure

AMP Saver Account

  • Earn up to 5.20% pa by depositing $1,000 in the previous month
  • No account fees
  • Easy access to your money
Disclosure
010000$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]$product[$field["value"]]More details
  • Deposit at least $1,000+ each month from an external source
  • Make 5 or more eligible transactions
  • Grow your savings balance each month
Disclosure

Savings Maximiser

  • Deposit at least $1,000+ each month from an external source
  • Make 5 or more eligible transactions
  • Grow your savings balance each month
Disclosure
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 November 9, 2024. View disclaimer.

Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

This is the latest in a string of savings account rate changes made by RAMS, which just a couple of years ago boasted one of the highest total interest rates on the market at 3.00% p.a.

As the image below shows, it had this rate as recently as 2019. 

RAMS1

Source: RAMS' website, via Wayback Machine. 

This interest rate change of 40 basis points was alluded to in December 2020, when the Westpac-owned bank also slashed the same rate from 0.65% p.a to 0.45% p.a. (20 basis points). 

Previous changes include: 

  • Cutting by 10 basis points in November from 0.75% p.a to 0.65% p.a 
  • Cutting the base rate by 15 basis points in October  to 0.10% p.a 
  • Cutting the bonus rate from 1.10% p.a to 0.90% p.a in September 
  • Trimming its rate by 45 basis points in May 2020, and by 20 basis points in August 2019 

To be clear, RAMS is not the only bank to cut savings account interest rates recently, especially when five cash rate reductions have been made by the Reserve Bank since mid-2019. 

But based on Savings.com.au's research, no other bank has cut quite so drastically, as other previous market-leading savings account rates offered by the likes of ING and UBank remain above the 1.00% p.a mark. 

For accounts with select conditions, like Westpac's Life account for under 30's, rates as high as 3.00% p.a can be found. 

RAMS and Westpac have been contacted for comment on this large change. 

RAMS2

Image source: RAMS

Westpac, NAB and Commbank have also cut recently 

Three of the four big banks - Westpac, NAB, and CBA - have lowered their own savings account rates so far in 2021, albeit not by the same margin. 

Westpac, which owns RAMS, made some 15 basis point cuts to its accounts, including the Westpac life account, which now has a maximum interest rate of just 0.40% p.a for customers over 30 (0.20% base rate + 0.20% conditional bonus rate).

Commonwealth Bank meanwhile lowered savings rates by just 5 basis points, although with rates already so low it barely has room to move. 

The GoalSaver account (CBA's non-introductory account) has a total interest rate of 0.45% p.a, with 0.40% p.a tied up in the bonus rate. 

NAB followed suit by making cuts of up to 15 basis points: The NAB Reward Saver now has a maximum rate of just 0.40% p.a (0.05% base rate + 0.35% bonus rate). 

In other, bigger savings account news, neobank 86 400 was purchased by NAB, while Xinja has handed back its banking license and returned all deposits to customers. 

Image source: Frinkiac