Promotions like it was raining: online banks and specialized establishments are competing fiercely to offer “boosted” rates, of between 4% and 5.50% for three or four months, to customers opening a savings account. banking.
New players are even entering the market, such as the online savings specialists Placement-direct and Meilleurtaux in recent weeks. “Now is not the time to let your money sit in your current account”, notes Guillaume Autier, president of the Meilleurtaux group. “This did not matter eighteen months ago, when rates were at zero, but today it represents a significant loss of purchasing power”, he adds.
The best offers are certainly attractive, but, let’s be clear, they remain less favorable over one year than the Livret A, whose return (3%) is exempt from tax and social security contributions. Conventional savings accounts are subject to the single flat-rate deduction of 30% (or, optionally, to income tax and social security contributions).
However, once the promotional period has passed, the best of them bring in between 2% (Fortuneo) and 3% (Cashbee), or 1.40% to 2.1% net. This is less than the Livret A, but much better than the average of the market books, at 0.76% gross in September, according to the Banque de France.
More than the 3% of Livret A
The majority of banking networks do not make any commercial effort, with rates ranging between 0.10% gross at BNP Paribas and 0.50% at La Banque Postale. “The banks are not rushing to raise the rate of their savings accounts, because, as they stand, they consider that it is not possible to compete with regulated savings; they prefer to direct savers towards term deposits”underlines Philippe Crevel, director of the Savings Circle.
Tax-advantaged savings accounts, however, retain several advantages: it is possible to place very large sums there, often up to 10 million euros. “The good strategy therefore consists of filling in priority your regulated booklets up to their respective ceiling (22,950 euros for the Livret A, 12,000 euros for the Sustainable and Solidarity Development Booklet) before looking at the classic booklets”underlines Gilles Belloir, the general director of Placement-direct.fr.
In addition, the best savings accounts deserve attention for investing your money over a very short period, corresponding to the duration over which they serve a boosted rate reserved for new customers. Receiving between 5% and 5.50% over three months therefore corresponds to a net rate of 3.50% to 3.85%, i.e. more than the 3% of Livret A.
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