Data & methodology · Snapshot 2026-09-07
Where our numbers come from
We don't guess and we don't take a bank's word for it. The SavingsSense rate index is built from government open data as an indicative snapshot. Here's the whole supply chain, including the consented sources we're adding as we grow.
The free spine, live today
Government-mandated open data. No cost, no gatekeeper.
CDR Product Reference Data: savings & transaction accounts
Consumer Data Right (ACCC)weeklyfree
Every bank's advertised savings accounts: base and bonus rates, balance tiers, and the conditions that unlock the bonus.
Powers: The savings comparison table and the headline bonus-rate ranking.
Public product endpoints. No consumer consent needed. Enumerate holders from the CDR Register.
CDR Product Reference Data: term deposits
Consumer Data Right (ACCC)weeklyfree
Fixed term-deposit rates keyed by term (1 month to 5 years) and balance tier.
Powers: The best-rate-per-term term-deposit table.
RBA cash rate (F1.1)
Reserve Bank of Australiaon-releasefree
The official cash rate and its history: the anchor deposit rates move off.
Powers: Context on where savings rates sit versus the cash rate.
RBA Retail Deposit & Investment Rates (F4)
Reserve Bank of Australiamonthlyfree
The average rate Australians actually earn on at-call and term deposits.
Powers: The 'best available vs what most people earn' loyalty-tax gap.
Enrichment, rolling out
Free market signals that add context and trust.
APRA Monthly Banking Statistics
Australian Prudential Regulation Authoritymonthlyfree
Household deposit balances by institution: how much cash sits where.
Powers: The 'how much lazy cash is earning near-zero' national context.
Financial Claims Scheme (deposit guarantee)
Australian Government / APRAon-releasefree
Which ADIs are covered by the $250k government deposit guarantee.
Powers: Trust badges on the comparison table.
Upgrades, as we scale
Consented open banking.
CDR Consumer Data (open banking)
Consumer Data Rightdailyfree consent
A connected saver's actual account, rate and balance, with consent.
Powers: Tells you exactly what your idle cash is losing versus the best rate (v2).
Requires accreditation or a CDR intermediary.
Methodology FAQ
Where do SavingsSense rates come from?
Every advertised rate is sourced from the Consumer Data Right (CDR) Product Reference Data: the free, government-mandated feed each Australian bank must publish for its savings accounts and term deposits. We enumerate data holders from the ACCC CDR Register, read each provider's products, and normalise the deposit rates into a single weekly snapshot.
How do you calculate a savings account's headline rate?
For a bonus saver we add the ongoing VARIABLE base rate to the BONUS uplift to get the maximum achievable rate, and flag that it's conditional. For an account with an introductory promo rate we take the higher of the base or the intro rate. We only count rates available on balances up to $250,000 so jumbo-only tiers don't distort the ranking.
How do you pick term-deposit rates?
Term deposits publish a fixed rate per term. We read every row, map its ISO-8601 term (e.g. P6M, P1Y) to a standard term from 1 month to 5 years, and keep the best rate per term for each provider, then surface the market-best rate for each term across all providers.
How often is the index updated?
A cron job refreshes the whole index weekly. It never overwrites good data with zeros: if a refresh fails to fetch usable rates, the previous snapshot stays in place and the failure is logged. Each page shows the snapshot week.
Is this financial advice?
No. SavingsSense is general information only, compiled from public data. It doesn't consider your personal circumstances. Always read the product disclosure statement and confirm the current rate on the provider's website before opening an account.
See it applied
Compare every provider's savings and term-deposit rates, ranked best-first.
Compare best rates