Marcus by Goldman Sachs Bank Review

Marcus by Goldman Sachs Bank Review

Online-only bank offering high-yield savings and no-fee loan products

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Marcus is a recent addition to the offerings from 154-year-old Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs, having launched in 2016. Officially known as “Marcus by Goldman Sachs,” it is an online-only bank offering high-yield savings accounts, high-yield and penalty-free certificates of deposit (CDs), and no-fee personal loans. This comprehensive review of Marcus will help you decide if it is the right financial institution for you.

  • Pros & Cons
  • Company Overview
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • Higher-than-average savings and CD rates

  • No monthly fees on savings accounts

  • No minimum deposits on savings, low minimum deposits on CDs

  • Penalty-free CDs

  • Fixed-rate personal loans with no fees (no new applications available)

Cons
  • No checking accounts

  • No ATM network

  • No branches

  • No mobile check deposits

Company Overview
  • Year Founded 2016
  • Official Website www.marcus.com
  • Banking Products Offered Savings, CDs
  • Customer Service Phone line: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (CST); Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (CST): 1-855-730-7283
Table of Contents
Marcus by Goldman Sachs Bank Review

Pros Explained

  • Higher-than-average savings and CD rates: Marcus by Goldman Sachs's 4.50% savings account annual percentage yield (APY) is nearly 10 times the national average of 0.46%. In addition, every term of Marcus CDs also boasts a higher APY than those offered at other banks.
  • No monthly fees on savings accounts: Marcus does not charge a monthly maintenance fee for its savings accounts.
  • No minimum deposits on savings, low minimum deposits on CDs: Customers can open a savings account with no deposit, although you must fund your account within 60 days of opening it. CDs only require a $500 minimum deposit, and you can take up to 10 days from opening the CD before depositing.
  • Penalty-free CDs: In addition to its high-yield CD offerings, Marcus also has No-Penalty CDs, which allow customers to withdraw the entire balance before the maturity date without paying a penalty.
  • Fixed-rate personal loans with no fees: Though as of 2023 Marcus stopped offering new applications for personal loans, existing customers qualify for unsecured personal loans for amounts ranging from $3,500 to $40,000 and terms ranging from 36 to 72 months. There are no sign-up fees or prepayment fees whatsoever, and the fixed annual percentage rates (APRs) range from 6.99% to 24.99%.

Cons Explained

  • No checking accounts: As Marcus does not offer any checking accounts, you will not be able to handle all of your banking needs with it. The lack of checking accounts also means you will need to connect your Marcus account to another institution for many banking options, such as deposits and withdrawals.
  • No ATM network: You will not be able to easily access the money in your Marcus accounts, as there is no ATM network whatsoever. This is more than simply having to pay for an out-of-network ATM fee. If you need cash from your savings account in a hurry, you must initiate an ACH transaction or wire funds to another bank.
  • No branches: As an online-only bank, there are no physical branches you can visit. The lack of branches further limits your ability to access your Marcus account funds.
  • No mobile check deposit: Despite an easy-to-use mobile app for both iOS and Android, the only way to deposit a check into your Marcus account is to send it via U.S. mail. However, you can also set up fund transfers with a linked external bank account, make direct deposits into savings, and send a domestic wire transfer.

Who Is Marcus by Goldman Sachs Best for?

Marcus by Goldman Sachs will appeal to customers who are looking for excellent rates from a trusted name in banking. It will be an especially good fit for customers who:

  • Want higher-than-average savings and CD rates
  • Need a savings account with no minimum deposit
  • Are looking for flexibility in their CDs
  • Want a savings account that is difficult to access
  • Need a personal loan with no fees and a fixed rate
  • Do not need a bank to handle all of their account needs
  • Want to bank with an established institution with a long history

What Does Marcus by Goldman Sachs Offer?

Marcus by Goldman Sachs has a limited menu of product offerings, although it strives to make its small list of products stand out. These offerings include:

  • Savings account
  • CDs

Savings Account

The high-yield savings account is Marcus’ only traditional bank account offering. Still, no minimum deposit, no monthly maintenance fee, and a 4.50% APY mean this account is structured to give savers the biggest bang for their bucks.

Marcus by Goldman Sachs Savings Account
Account Name Min Opening Deposit Monthly Fee APY
Online Savings Account $0 $0 4.50%
As of March 21, 2024

CDs

Marcus offers three types of CD: High-Yield CD, No-Penalty CD, and Rate Bump CD (which includes the option to switch to a higher rate, if available, during the CD's term). The High-Yield version has more term options, ranging from six months to 72 months. All three CDs have a minimum deposit of $500.

The High-Yield CD offers a 10-day CD rate guarantee. Open a CD and deposit at least $500 within 10 days, and even if the rate has gone up within that 10-day period, you’ll automatically get the highest rate available during it. In addition, High-Yield CD holders have 30 days following the day they opened the account to fully fund the CD.

If you need to access the money in your High-Yield CD prior to its maturity date, you will pay an early withdrawal penalty. The penalty is 90 days of interest for CDs with terms of 12 months or less, 180 days of interest for CDs with terms between 12 months and five years, and 270 days of interest for CDs with terms greater than five years.

No-Penalty CDs don’t have the same rates offered by the High-Yield CDs, but that is because you can withdraw the entire balance of your No-Penalty CD without giving up any of your interest, provided the CD has been fully funded for at least seven days. However, you cannot make a partial withdrawal from your No-Penalty CD.

Pay close attention to your CD’s maturity date. If you do not take any action to withdraw your balance within 10 days of it, Marcus will automatically renew your CD for another term.

High-Yield CD Rates
Terms APY
6 Months 4.80%
9 Months 4.90%
12 Months 4.90%
14 months 5.00%
18 Months 4.60%
24 Months 4.20%
36 Months 4.15%
48 Months 4.05%
60 Months 4.00%
72 Months 3.90%
As of March 21, 2024
No-Penalty CD Rates
Terms APY
7 Months 4.70%
11 Months 4.70%
13 Months 4.70%
As of March 21, 2024
Rate-Bump CD Rates
 Terms  APY
20 Months   4.40%
As of March 21, 2024

Other Financial Products Offered by Marcus by Goldman Sachs

Other than its single high-yield savings account and the High-Yield, No Penalty CDs, and Rate-Bump CDs, the only other product Marcus offers is a no-fee personal loan. However, as of 2023, Marcus is no longer accepting online applications for personal loans without an invitation code.

In keeping with its apparent focus on doing a few things extremely well, Marcus’ personal loans were ranked highest in customer satisfaction by J.D. Power in 2019.

Marcus by Goldman Sachs Customer Service

With no branches, Marcus customers must access their accounts online, via the mobile app, or even over the phone. However, even without brick-and-mortar branches, Marcus offers a number of methods for getting your questions answered. To start, the FAQ section on the Marcus by Goldman Sachs website provides detailed and easy-to-understand responses to a comprehensive list of potential questions.

Customers can also access a live chat while logged onto their accounts on the Marcus website, as well as reach customer service representatives by phone seven days a week.

As an online-only bank, Marcus also has a robust mobile app that is available for both iOS and Android. The iOS version has a near-perfect 4.8-star rating on the App Store, while the Android version enjoys a 4.5-star rating.

How to Bank With Marcus by Goldman Sachs

Opening an account or applying for a loan with Marcus only takes a few minutes on its website. However, if you do not already have an external checking account, it will be more difficult for you to access Marcus’s offerings.

Though the bank’s mobile app is otherwise robust and user-friendly, it does not allow for a mobile check deposit. If you need to make a deposit into your high-yield savings account, you will have to mail a paper check, make a transfer from a linked external bank account, set up a direct deposit, or effectuate a wire transfer.

Verdict

Marcus by Goldman Sachs may not offer much in the way of banking products, but it provides maximum value to its customers within the narrow confines of the few products on offer. Thanks to highly competitive APYs on its savings and CD accounts, as well as its no-fee personal loans, customers looking for these specific products will likely be satisfied with their options. That said, the limited number of products means that Marcus is not a bank that will work for anyone who is looking for a convenient institution to handle all of their banking needs. The fact that there is no checking account, no ATM access, and no mobile check deposit, makes this more of a niche banking option rather than one that will appeal to a large swath of customers. This means that Marcus customers are likely a self-selecting group that is specifically looking to maximize APY and minimize personal loan fees.

Methodology

Investopedia is dedicated to providing consumers with unbiased, comprehensive reviews of banks. We collected over 20 data points across more than 80 banks—including products available, interest rates, fees, and accessibility—to ensure that our content helps users make the right decision for their savings and banking needs.

Article Sources
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  4. Marcus by Goldman Sachs. "Frequently Asked Questions," Click "What Is the 10-Day CD Rate Guarantee?"

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  11. J.D. Power. "Alternative Lenders Satisfying Customers With Digital Platforms and Quick Approvals, but Still Not Viewed as Customer Driven, J.D. Power Finds: Study Rankings."

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