Savings accounts are accounts maintained by retail financial institutions that pay interest but cannot be used directly as money in the narrow sense of a medium of exchange (for example, by writing a check). These accounts let customers set aside a portion of their liquid assets while earning a monetary return. For the bank, money in a savings account may not be callable immediately and therefore often does not incur a reserve requirement freeing up cash from the bank's vault to be lent out with interest.

The other major types of deposit account are transactional (checking) account, money market account, and time deposit.

In the United States, under Regulation D, 12 Code of Federal Regulations(CFR) 204.2(d)(2), the term "savings deposit" includes a deposit or an account that meets the requirements of Sec. 204.2(d)(1) and from under the terms of the deposit contract or by practice of the depository institution, the depositor is permitted to make up to six pre-authorized transfers or withdrawals per month or statement cycle of at least four weeks. There is no regulation limiting number of deposits into the account.