Common consumer savings accounts at major banks like Wells Fargo are useless and pathetic compared to what they were. You could get almost 8% in the 1980s. It's in the decimals for the vast majority of consumer accounts at the balances 95% of the people have. 0.25% isn't uncommon, and neither is 0.01%.

You might be able to get ~5% on a high yield savings account if you can find one that doesn't have too many restrictions. A decent CMA at a brokerage will probably get somewhere between 2-5%, and many of them operate just like regular checking with debit carts and the like.

Sure, the Big Banks are convenient with ATMs everywhere and all that, but thanks to the vast majority of transactions being electronic, that convenience matters less and less every day.

E: people are sharing banks they know of with good rates, check them out or your local credit union. Stay away from Big Consumer Banking. Their rates are junk.