Summary: Founded in 2005, Poppy Bank is based in California and operates over 30 branches across Northern and Southern California. It offers personal and business accounts, several of which pay interest rates rivaling the best available today — particularly its online savings account.

• Poppy Personal Checking: This basic checking account requires a $1,000 minimum balance. It does not earn interest. There is a monthly service charge of $10.

• Poppy Personal Interest Checking: This account pays 0.05% APY on balances of at least $1,000. A $10 monthly maintenance fee applies.

• Poppy Student Checking: The minimum balance required for this account is just $50, and there is no monthly fee. However, this account does not earn interest.

• Poppy Personal Money Market: This account requires a $1,000 minimum balance and comes with a $10 monthly fee. Balances earn 0.1% APY.

• Poppy Personal Savings: The basic savings account from Poppy Bank requires a $1,000 minimum balance and has no monthly fee. It earns 0.1% APY.

• Poppy Premier Personal Savings: This account is similar to the personal savings account, but earns 0.5% APY.

• Poppy IRA Savings: There is no minimum balance required for this account, and there is no monthly service charge. It earns 0.2% APY.

• Poppy Student Savings: Designed for students, this account requires a minimum balance of just $50 and does not come with a monthly fee. Account holders earn an impressive 4% APY.

• Poppy Premier Online Savings: This account is a good option for both those living outside of California and for anyone seeking a high savings yield. Currently paying 4.25% APY, this account lets you earn more on your savings. However, you must maintain a balance of $1,000 or more to earn the advertised rate. This account also limits you to six withdrawals per month. While this is not uncommon for savings accounts, additional withdrawals will incur a $5 fee each.

Term lengths range from three to 60 months, and the highest rate offered is 4% APY. All CDs require a minimum deposit of $1,000. While these aren’t the best CD rates in the industry, and $1,000 is a slightly high minimum, it’s not a bad option for someone who is already a Poppy Bank customer.

Poppy Bank generally charges minimal fees, although it does not offer a fee-free checking account. Unfortunately, it doesn’t waive the fee with a minimum balance. Other fees are shown below.

Consider these Poppy Bank pros and cons before signing up:

Pros

• High yield on savings: Poppy Bank offers up to 4.25% APY on its Premier Online Savings account, which is one of the best rates available today.

• No monthly fee for savings account: The online savings account doesn’t have a monthly fee, making it easier to grow your savings.

• Large fee-free ATM network: Poppy Bank is part of the MoneyPass ATM network, which offers more than 61,000 fee-free ATMs across the country.

Cons

• Most accounts require a $1,000 balance: You generally must maintain a $1,000 minimum, which may be a high bar for some customers.

• Limited branch access: While it has multiple branches in California, there aren’t any in other states.

• No online chat for support: Poppy Bank has a call center that is open during the week, but there is no live chat option.

Poppy Bank’s contact options include phone support, secure online messaging, and email. Its website doesn’t include a live chat, but you can reach someone by phone from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Poppy Bank’s mobile app has mixed reviews, with a 4.4 rating on the Apple App Store and a 3.6 rating on Google Play. Customers can check their balances, transfer funds, pay bills, and deposit checks with the app. While some users have no issues with the app, others have experienced various technical glitches.

For correspondence, mail can be sent to:

POPPY BANK ADMINISTRATION

438 1st St., Suite 100

Santa Rosa, CA 95401

The general contact number is 888-636-9994. Phone support is available 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. PT, Monday through Friday.

Yes, Poppy Bank accounts are insured by the FDIC up to $250,000 per depositor, per ownership category.

Poppy Bank’s routing number is 121143891.

Having operated branch locations since 2005, Poppy Bank is generally considered reliable. It has a 5-star rating from BauerFinancial, an independent organization that rates banks and credit unions.

Poppy Bank is a community bank based in Santa Rosa, California. Its president and CEO is Khalid Acheckzai.

Poppy Bank doesn’t usually charge for withdrawals. However, it charges a $1 fee for overdrafts and a $5 fee for exceeding six monthly withdrawals from its savings and money market accounts.

Poppy Bank has 33 domestic locations, according to the FDIC.