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Popular Direct Review 2024

Updated July 24, 2024
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At a glance

3.8
Rating: 3.8 stars out of 5
Bankrate Score
Caret Down Icon

CDs

Rating: 3.8 stars out of 5

Savings

Rating: 4.8 stars out of 5

About Bankrate Score

Overview

Popular Direct is best for anyone looking for an online savings account and CDs that pay top-notch yields. Customers thinking about signing up for Popular Direct should be comfortable completely banking online, since there’s no ATM access to withdraw your cash. On that note, it’s important to point out that Popular Direct’s mobile app has received very low ratings, which may be a pain point considering if you must bank solely online with Popular Direct.

Highlights

  • High APY
  • Top CD Rates
Sponsored offers
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These are sponsored offers rated highly by us for competitive rates, fees, and minimums.

Bank logo
Member FDIC
Savings Account
3.80
%
APY
APY
Info Icon
As of 12/8/2024
Rating: 4.4 stars out of 5
$0
Min. balance for APY
View offer Arrow Right Icon
Promoted offer: It only takes about 5 minutes to open a fee-free account.
Bank logo
Member FDIC
CD
4.00
%
APY
APY
Info Icon
As of 12/8/2024
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
$0
Minimum deposit
View offer Arrow Right Icon
Promoted offer: Get peace of mind with fixed rates and guaranteed returns.

Overall

Popular Direct is an online bank that pays highly competitive rates on its certificates of deposit (CDs) and savings account. It does impose relatively steep minimum deposit requirements for its CDs, however, and its product offerings do not include a money market or checking account.

Pros

  • Checkmark Icon

    Popular Direct offers accounts with highly competitive rates.

  • Checkmark Icon

    Any fees that are charged are relatively easy to avoid.

Cons

  • There is no ATM access; funds can only be accessed electronically.

  • The mobile app has limited capabilities and low customer ratings.

  • Checking and money market accounts are not offered.

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We want to know what you think about Popular Direct

Do you have experience with Popular Direct? Let us know your thoughts.

Popular Direct banking products

4.8
/5
Rating: 4.8 stars out of 5
SCORE BREAKDOWN
APY offering:
4.60%
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance for APY:
$100.00
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
4/5
Info Icon
Monthly service fee:
$0.00
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance to avoid fee:
$0.00
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5/5
Info Icon
Access to funds:
Good
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
4/5
Info Icon
FEATURES
Invest Rate Icon
4.60% APY
Info Icon
Savings Icon
$100 minimum balance for APY
Loan Icon
$100 minimum deposit to open

Popular Direct savings overview

Popular Direct’s savings account earns one of the highest annual percentage yields (APYs) available nationwide. The account requires a $100 minimum deposit, and there’s no monthly fee.

Popular Direct doesn’t include an ATM card with its savings account, so you’ll need to make an external transfer to access the funds. Additionally, you can add money to the account with your phone by using mobile check deposit.

Pros

  • Checkmark Icon

    Popular Direct offers a top-notch APY.

  • Checkmark Icon

    There is no monthly service fee.

  • Checkmark Icon

    The minimum deposit required to open the account is low.

Cons

  • No ATM card is provided.

  • See how rates for this account have changed over time. Interact with the trend lines to view APY by date.

Bank fees

Fee Charged?
Overdraft fee $10
Non-sufficient funds fee None
Monthly maintenance fee None
Out-of-network ATM fee None
Excessive transaction fee None

Customer experience

Customer support. Customer service can be reached over the phone between 7:30 a.m. and midnight ET Monday through Friday, and between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekends.

Mobile app. Popular Direct’s mobile app allows for basic account management, including viewing your account balance, transferring money between internal accounts, and depositing funds remotely. Overall, the app receives very low user ratings on the Google Play and the Apple App stores. The Popular Direct savings account does not come with an ATM card, so customers who want to deposit or withdraw money will need to rely on methods like external transfers and mobile deposit capture.

Customers have additional capabilities when logged onto the bank’s website, such as setting up account alerts, accessing e-statements and transferring money between external accounts.

About Popular Direct

Popular Direct is an online bank that was launched in July 2016. It offers CDs and a savings account that are opened through federally insured regional bank Popular Bank.

Popular Bank, an affiliate of Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, was formerly known as Banco Popular North America. Its parent company, Popular Inc., was founded in 1893. The financial institution serves customers in the United States, Puerto Rico, Latin America and the Caribbean.

How Popular Direct compares to other banks

Compare different account types offered by Popular Direct. Annual percentage yields (APYs) shown were updated between Dec. 1, 2024 and Dec. 7, 2024.

Selected bank
Popular Direct savings account
Popular Direct Logo
Member FDIC
Bankrate score
Rating: 4.8 stars out of 5
4.8
Info Icon
Most comparable
LendingClub Bank savings account
LendingClub Bank Logo
Member FDIC
Bankrate score
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
5.0
Info Icon
Read review
Search for or select a bank:
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Bankrate score
Info Icon
Read review
APY
Info Icon
4.60% 4.75%
Minimum balance for APY
$100.00 $0.00
Estimated earnings
Info Icon
$2,300 $2,375
Popular Direct’s high-yield savings account earns a rate that’s tough to beat, and the $100 minimum required opening deposit is manageable. The account allows for mobile check deposit, although an ATM card is not included. LendingClub Bank offers a LevelUp Savings account that rewards you with a top yield when you make deposits totaling at least $250 per statement cycle. The account has no monthly service fees and no minimum balance required to earn interest, though your savings rate can vary if you don't meet the $250 requirement in a given month.
  • Popular Direct’s savings account earns a top-notch APY.
  • There’s no monthly service fee, and the minimum deposit to open the account is low.
  • There is no minimum deposit requirement to open the LevelUp Savings account.
  • The account has no monthly fees.
  • Savers will earn a highly competitive APY with LendingClub Bank.
  • You can make your opening deposit with a debit card.
    N/A
  • The account does not come with an ATM card.
  • An early account closing fee of $25 is charged when you close the account within 180 days of opening it.
  • To earn the LevelUp rate, you need to deposit at least $250 each month into your account.
  • If you miss a monthly cycle, you will earn a lower, but still high-yielding standard rate.
  • As an online-only bank, LendingClub's savings account can only be opened online.
    N/A
APY offering:
4.60%
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance for APY:
$100.00
4/5
Info Icon
Monthly service fee:
$0.00
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance to avoid fee:
$0.00
5/5
Info Icon
Access to funds:
Good
4/5
Info Icon
APY offering:
4.75%
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance for APY:
$0.00
5/5
Info Icon
Monthly service fee:
$0.00
5/5
Info Icon
Minimum balance to avoid fee:
$0.00
5/5
Info Icon
Access to funds:
Great
5/5
Info Icon
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Info Icon
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Bankrate does not currently track additional product details for this bank.

Popular Direct vs. CIT Bank

Both Popular Direct and CIT Bank are online-only institutions. CIT offers a wider range of deposit accounts over Popular Direct, offering multiple types of CDs, savings, money market and checking accounts. (Popular Direct only offers one savings account and various CDs.) This makes CIT Bank the better choice if you’re looking to consolidate your finances under one roof. 

The yields at both banks are comparable. Popular Direct CDs tend to have consistently higher yields regardless of the term when compared to CIT Bank. However, you’ll need $10,000 on hand to open those Popular Direct CDs, whereas CIT Bank requires just $1,000 to open a standard CD. Likewise, Popular Direct’s savings account offers a higher yield than CIT Bank’s Savings Connect account. 

All this noted, it’s important to mention that CIT Bank generally offers a better online-only experience. The CIT Bank app has much higher user ratings on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store when compared to Popular Direct.

Popular Direct FAQs

Review methodology

With so many financial institutions to choose from, it can be hard to know who to trust. Bankrate’s ever-growing list of bank and credit union reviews is updated regularly. Our editorial team analyzes and reviews each institution across deposit products such as savings accounts, checking accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs) and money market accounts (MMAs). Banks are rated by important factors such as offered interest rates, fees, minimum balance requirements, access to funds and more.

We assign a score to each type of account and its features, weigh them carefully based on importance to account holders and determine an overall score. Read our full review methodology.