Why MariBank Is One of the Best Savings Accounts for Freelancers and the Self-Employed in Singapore (2026)

The standard Singapore savings account playbook does not work for freelancers. DBS Multiplier requires salary crediting from an employer. OCBC 360 rewards you for hitting monthly card spend and income credit targets. UOB One penalises you if your credited income varies month to month.

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If you are self-employed, on variable income, between gigs, or simply do not have a fixed employer crediting a "SALA"-coded salary each month — those bonus interest tiers are out of reach by design.

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MariBank was not built specifically for freelancers. But its product structure happens to serve them extremely well. Here is why, and how to get the most out of it including the current sign-up bonus.

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No Salary Crediting Required. Ever.

The Mari Savings Account earns 0.88% p.a. on your entire balance with zero conditions. No employer GIRO. No minimum spend. No transactions to hit each month. Interest is credited daily based on the previous day's balance.

For a freelancer whose income arrives in lumps from multiple clients — or who uses a different payment account for business — this structure is genuinely useful. The interest does not drop when you miss a month. There is no "base rate fallback" if conditions are not met. 0.88% p.a. is what you earn, reliably, every day.

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For context: most traditional bank base rates without conditions sit at 0.05% to 0.10% p.a. That is not a typo. MariBank's unconditional rate is 8× to 17× higher than the fallback rate most Singaporeans actually earn on their savings.

Stack the ShopeeVIP Bonus Interest (0.40% p.a., activated by linking a ShopeeVIP membership in-app) and the effective rate for Shopee users rises to 1.28% p.a. with no income conditions required.

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No Minimum Balance. No Fall-Below Fee.

Freelance income is uneven. Some months are strong, some are not. A traditional savings account with a fall-below fee punishes you for exactly that pattern — holding less than S$1,000 or S$3,000 in a given month can cost you S$2–S$5.

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The Mari Savings Account has no minimum balance and no fall-below fee. You can hold S$10 or S$100,000 in it and the fee structure is identical: zero. This matters when you are managing cash flow across a business account, a personal account, and a savings buffer — you do not need to maintain artificial minimums.

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The Mari Credit Card Is Simpler Than Most Business Expense Cards

Many freelancers run personal and professional spend on the same card. The Mari Credit Card works cleanly for this:

• 1.5% unlimited cashback on all local and overseas eligible spend — no categories, no caps on local spend
• No annual fee, permanently — no waiver calls, no minimum spend to keep the fee-free status
• No foreign exchange fee on overseas transactions, using the Mastercard rate — valid until 31 December 2026
• Cashback is credited instantly when transactions post, not batched at month end

For freelancers who invoice international clients and incur overseas expenses — or who take client calls on international platforms — the zero FX fee combined with instant 1.5% cashback makes this one of the lowest-friction cards to carry.

Income requirement: minimum S$30,000 p.a. if aged 55 and below. For the Mari Savings Account (no credit card), there is no income requirement at all.

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The Overseas Transfer Feature Is Underrated for Freelancers with International Clients

MariBank's overseas transfer service reaches over 59 destinations in 21 currencies, with a S$0 transfer fee promotion running until 31 December 2026. Supported destinations include Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, USA, and Taiwan.

For a Singapore-based freelancer who subcontracts to regional talent, pays for offshore services, or receives payment from overseas clients — this is a meaningful feature. Most traditional bank remittance fees run S$20–S$35 per transfer depending on destination. At zero, every transfer you make through MariBank saves that amount directly.

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September 2026: The Best New User Window Right Now

If you are a freelancer or self-employed person who has not yet opened a MariBank account, September 2026 is a strong month to do it. Here is what is available:

Referral cash (1–30 September 2026): Enter code 8ZUU96EA during sign-up and receive:

• S$10 cash for the Mari Savings Account or Mari Invest Bundle path
• S$15 cash for the Mari Credit Card Bundle or Instant Loan Bundle path

Both amounts are credited instantly on approval. No waiting period.

Mari Savings Account Bonus Interest (17 Aug–31 Dec 2026): New users earn an additional 1.60% p.a. during their first 30 days on top of the base rate — activate it by tapping Claim on your Savings Account page in the app. New users with ShopeeVIP can stack to a total of 2.88% p.a. in their first month.

Credit Card Bundle path bonus: If income-eligible, the Credit Card Bundle also unlocks up to S$100 in New to Card Rewards:

• S$30 Welcome Cashback — spend S$300 (excluding Shopee) within 30 days of card approval
• S$70 Shopee Voucher Pack — use Mari Credit Card Instant Checkout on Shopee

For a freelancer starting the Mari Savings Account only (S$10 referral + 1.60% p.a. new user bonus) the sign-up is clean, fast, and costs nothing to hold.

How to Open the Account

1. Download the MariBank app (Apple App Store, Google Play, or Huawei AppGallery)
2. Register with a Singapore mobile number
3. Select your product — Mari Savings Account if you want the simplest path; Mari Credit Card Bundle if income-eligible and you want the higher referral cash and credit card welcome rewards
4. Enter 8ZUU96EA in the "Have a Referral / Promo Code?" field — this appears before the Singpass step, and cannot be added retroactively after submission
5. Complete Singpass / MyInfo verification
6. Tap Claim on your Savings Account page to activate the bonus interest promotion

The whole process takes around 10–15 minutes. There is no branch visit and no physical document submission.

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September promotion closes 30 September 2026. Cap: first 10,000 successful referrals.

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Full September 2026 terms and reward breakdown: dlcuration.com/maribank-referral-code.html

What MariBank Does Not Offer (Be Honest With Yourself)

• No ATM cash withdrawal — locally or overseas. If you need regular cash access, keep a separate card
• No CPF OA or SRS integration — for investing CPF funds, use Endowus or FSMOne
• No cheque services
• No relationship manager or physical branch
• Mari Invest products are not SDIC-insured — unlike the savings account

For a freelancer who primarily needs a solid digital savings account, a competitive credit card, and overseas transfer access without monthly conditions — MariBank covers all of that cleanly. The gaps are real but easy to work around with a supplementary card for cash and a separate investment account.

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Referral code: 8ZUU96EA · Closes 30 September 2026 · Cap: 10,000 referrals

Not financial advice. All product features and promotion terms based on publicly available MariBank information as at September 2026. Verify current terms in the MariBank app before applying.