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- Takeaways
- Rates of 4.50% – 4.60% that you can guarantee well into 2026
- All Institutions Federally Insured Are Equally Protection
- Consider CDs with a longer term to lock in your rate for the future
- Today's Best CDs Still Pay Historically High Returns
- Jumbo CDs top regular CDs in four terms
- Where will CD rates be heading in 2025
- Daily Rankings for the Best CDs, Savings Accounts and Investments
- You can also read about the importance of this in
- How we find the best CD rates
Takeaways
- The best CD rate is 4.60% and can be found at T Bank or Abound Credit union for 6 months.
- XCEL Federal Credit Union offers a 18-month certificate with 4.50% APY for a rate lock that extends to October 2026.
- Want to ensure your return for an even longer period of time? The top rates for certificates of 2 years to 5 years range between 4.28% and 4.32%.
- The Fed is currently in a “wait-and see” mode with regards to rate cuts in 2025. In today’s uncertain economic climate, it may be wise to lock in today’s best CD rates.
Below you'll find featured rates available from our partners, followed by details from our ranking of the best CDs available nationwide.
Rates of 4.50% – 4.60% that you can guarantee well into 2026
Abound Credit union offers a 10-month guaranteed rate of 4.60%. T Bank is offering a 6-month lock-in for a 4.60% rate. Abound’s offer will lock in your rate until February 20, 2026.
The longest term of these CDs is 18 months. This CD can be purchased from XCEL Federal Credit Union. It will lock in a 4.50% introductory rate until October of the following year.
CD Terms | Yesterday's Top National Rate | Today's Top National Rate | Day's Change (percentage points) | Top Rate Provider |
3 months | 4.50% | 4.50% | No change | PonceBank Direct and Nuvision Credit Union |
6 months | 4.60% | 4.60% | No change | T Bank |
1 year | 4.60% | 4.60% | No change | Abound Credit Union |
18 Months | 4.50% | 4.50% | No change | XCEL Federal Credit Union |
2 years | 4.28% | 4.28% | No change | Lafayette Federal Credit Union |
3 Years | 4.32% | 4.32% | No change | Genisys Credit Union |
4 years | 4.28% | 4.28% | No change | Lafayette Federal Credit Union |
5 Years | 4.28% | 4.28% | No change | Lafayette Federal Credit Union |
All Institutions Federally Insured Are Equally Protection
Your deposits are insured by the federal government if the institution fails. Not only that, but the coverage is identical—deposits are insured up to $250,000 per person and per institution—no matter the size of the bank or credit union.
Consider CDs with a longer term to lock in your rate for the future
Lafayette Federal Credit Union pays 4.28% for a rate-lock you can enjoy until 2027. Want a higher APY with a longer guarantee? Genisys Credit Union offers 4.32% over 30 months.
Savings enthusiasts who wish to keep their money in a safe place for longer may prefer the top-rated 4-year or 5-year certificate. Lafayette Federal Credit Union still offers a 4.28% 4-year rate, despite the fact that the 4-year rates dropped from 4.40% last week. Lafayette Federal Credit union offers the same rate of 4.28% on all certificates from 7 month to 5 year, allowing you to lock in that rate until 2030.
Given the possibility that the Fed could cut rates in 2025, or even 2026, it is probably a good idea to buy multiyear CDs right now. The central bank has already lowered the federal fund rate by one percentage point. This year, there could be further cuts. Bank APYs will fall if the Fed lowers interest rates, but you can enjoy a CD’s rate until it matures.
Today's Best CDs Still Pay Historically High Returns
It's true that CD rates are no longer at their peak. The best CDs offer a fantastic return despite this pullback. The best CD rates in October 2023 were above 6%. However, the current leading rate is only 4.60%. Compare this to early 2022 before the Federal Reserve began its rapid-fire rate-hike campaign. The best CDs offered a range of 0.50% – 1.70% APY depending on the term.
Jumbo CDs top regular CDs in four terms
Jumbo CDs require much larger deposits and sometimes pay premium rates—but not always. In fact the best jumbo CDs rates are not better than top standard rates for five of the eight CD terms tracked by us.
The top CDs that are 18 months long pay the same rate – 4.50%. Institutions are offering higher rates on jumbo CDs in the following terms.
- 2 years: Lafayette Federal Credit Union offers the highest standard rate of 4.28% on a 2-year Jumbo CD.
- 3 years: Hughes Federal Credit Union offers the 3-year jumbo-CD at 4.34% compared to 4.32%, which is the highest standard rate.
- 4 years: Lafayette Federal Credit Union is offering 4.33% on a 4-year jumbo-CD compared to 4.28% at the highest standard interest rate.
- 5 years: GTE Financial, as well as Lafayette Federal Credit Union, offer 4.33% jumbo CDs for 5 years compared to the standard rate of 4.28%.
When shopping for CDs, it is wise to always compare both types. If you find that a standard CD offers the best price, you can open it by paying a large deposit.
CD Term | Today’s top National Bank Rate | Today’s Top National Credit Union rate | Today’s top National Jumbo Rate |
3 months | 4.50%* | 4.50%* | 4.11% |
6 months | 4.60%* | 4.55% | 4.55% |
1 year | 4.50% | 4.60%* | 4.55% |
18 Months | 4.35% | 4.50%* | 4.50%* |
2 years | 4.25% | 4.28% | 4.33%* |
3 Years | 4.15% | 4.32% | 4.34%* |
4 Years | 4.15% | 4.28% | 4.33%* |
5 Years | 4.15% | 4.28% | 4.33%* |
Where will CD rates be heading in 2025
In December, Federal Reserve announced the third rate reduction to the federal fund rate in as few meetings. This is a full percentile point decrease since September. In January and March, however, the central banks declined to further reduce the benchmark rate.
The Fed’s three 2024 rate cuts represented a pivot from the central bank’s historic 2022–2023 rate-hike campaign, in which the committee aggressively raised interest rates to combat decades-high inflation. At its 2023 peak, the federal funds rate climbed to its highest level since 2001—and remained there for nearly 14 months.
Fed rate movements are important to savers as they lower the rates that banks, credit unions and consumers are willing to pay for their deposits. CD rates and saving account rates are affected by changes in the fed funds rates.
Time will tell what exactly will happen to the federal funds rate in 2025 and 2026—and tariff activity from the Trump administration has the potential to alter the Fed’s course. But with more Fed rate cuts possibly arriving this year, today’s CD rates could be the best you’ll see for some time—making now a smart time to lock in the best rate that suits your personal timeline.
Daily Rankings for the Best CDs, Savings Accounts and Investments
These rankings are updated every day so that you can get the best possible rates.
- Best 3-Month Rates
- Best 6-Month Rates
- Best 1-Year Cd Rates
- Best CD Rates for 18-Months
- Best 2-Year CD rates
- Best 3-Year CD rates
- Best 4-Year Rates
- Best 5-Year CD rates
- Best High-Yield Savings accounts
- Best Money Market Accounts
You can also read about the importance of this in
Note that the "top rates" quoted here are the highest nationally available rates Investopedia has identified in its daily rate research on hundreds of banks and credit unions. This is different from the national average that includes all banks that offer a CD in that term. Many large banks pay pittances of interest. The national averages are usually quite low while the best rates are often five, ten, or even fifteen times higher.
How we find the best CD rates
Investopedia tracks rates for more than 200 banks nationwide that offer CDs, and calculates daily rankings to determine the best-paying certificates by term. To qualify for our lists, the institution must be federally insured (FDIC for banks, NCUA for credit unions), the CD’s minimum initial deposit must not exceed $25,000, and any specified maximum deposit cannot be under $5,000.
Banks must be located in at least forty states. While some credit unions ask you to donate money to a charity or organization to become a membership if you don’t meet the other eligibility criteria, (e.g. if you live in a specific area or have a certain type of job), we exclude those credit unions that require a minimum donation of $40. To learn more about our methodology, please read the full article.
Article Sources Investopedia asks writers to use primary resources to support their writing. White papers, government data and original reporting are some of the sources. Where appropriate, we also reference original research by other reputable publishers. Our website contains more information about the standards that we use to produce accurate, unbiased content. Editorial policy
Federal Reserve Board. "Open Market Operations."
Federal Reserve Board. "Federal Reserve Issues FOMC Statement, Jan. 29, 2025."
Federal Reserve Board. "Federal Reserve Issues FOMC Statement, March 19, 2025."