What is a Payable on Death account?
Payable on Death (POD) accounts let you designate that funds in your Savings account be payable after your death (and after the death of any joint owner(s) of the account) to one or more surviving individual beneficiaries without having to set up a trust. Beneficiaries named on POD accounts must be individuals; POD accounts cannot be set up in the names of trusts. Certain state law restrictions apply to POD accounts. Please consult an attorney or a qualified estate planning professional before designating your account as a POD account. Savings accounts can only be opened in the name or names of individuals, and not in the names of trusts.
You may designate your individual or joint American Express® Savings account as a POD account by using the required Beneficiary Designation Form. Visit our forms page to download the Beneficiary Designation Form.
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About Savings
What it is, how it works and everything in between.
High Yield Savings Accounts (HYSAs)
Understanding Your Account
Quick links to get you—and keep you—on the right track.
Accessing and Managing Your Account
Transfers, Deposits & Withdrawals
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Accounts offered by American
Express National Bank. Member FDIC. Each depositor is insured to at least $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, per ownership category.
* The Annual Percentage Yield (APY) as advertised is accurate as of . Interest rate and APY are subject to change at any time without notice before and after a High Yield Savings Account is opened. Interest Rate and APY of a Certificate of Deposit account is fixed once the account is funded.
** The national rate referenced is from the FDIC's published Monthly Rate Cap Information for Savings deposit products. Visit the FDIC website for details.
1 There is no minimum balance required to open your Account, to avoid being charged a fee, or obtain the Annual Percentage Yield (APY) disclosed to you.
2 For a CD account, rates are subject to change at any time without notice before the account is funded. The rate received will either be (i) the rate reflected during your application process or (ii) the rate being offered when your CD is funded, whichever is higher. All CDs must be funded within 60 calendar days from the time we approve your application or will be subject to closure. The interest rate and Annual Percentage Yield (APY) will be disclosed in your account-opening documents, which you will receive after completing your account-opening deposit. After a CD is opened, additional deposits to the account are not permitted. Early CD withdrawals may be subject to significant penalties which could cause you to lose some of your principal. Please see the Consumer Deposit Account Agreement and Savings Schedules for additional terms and conditions and Truth-in-Savings disclosures.
3 For purposes of transferring funds to or from an external bank, business days are Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Transfers can be initiated 24/7 via the website or phone, but any transfers initiated after 7:00 PM Eastern Time or on non-business days will begin processing on the next business day. Funds deposited into your account may be subject to holds. See the Funds Availability section of your Consumer Deposit Account Agreement and Savings Schedules for more information.
4 Calculations are estimates of expected interest earned. Actual results may vary, based on various factors such as leap years, timing of deposits, rounding, and variation in interest rates. The first recurring deposit is assumed to begin in the second period after any initial deposit.
5 IRA Contributions are subject to aggregate annual limits across all IRA plans held at American Express or other institutions. IRA distributions may be taxed and subject to penalties based on IRS guidelines. Required minimum distribution, if applicable, is only relevant to this IRA plan and does not take into consideration other IRA plans held at American Express or other institutions. Please see IRS.gov for more information. We recommend you consult with a financial or tax advisor when making contributions to and distributions from an IRA plan account.