Best CD Rates (May 2026)
Verified across 12 banks. Top accessible rate is Marcus 4.05% on 9-month, top overall is Advancial 4.34% on 5-year ($50K min). The yield curve is inverted — short-term CDs are beating 5-year.
Quick Answer
- Highest rate (any term): Advancial Federal Credit Union — 4.34% APY on 5-year, $50,000 minimum.
- Highest accessible rate:Mountain America Credit Union — 4.20% APY (Bankrate's top tracked).
- Best from a brand-name bank: Marcus by Goldman Sachs — 4.05% APY on 9-month + 10-day rate guarantee.
- Top 1-year CD: E*Trade — 4.10% APY, $0 minimum.
- Top no-penalty CD: Ally or Marcus No Penalty CD at ~3.50% APY — sacrifice ~50 bps for full liquidity.
- Yield curve note:9-month and 1-year CDs are paying more than 5-year. Don't lock long unless you have a specific reason.
Top CD Issuers Compared
| Feature | Marcus | Synchrony | E*Trade / Ally | Sallie Mae | Credit Unions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top APY (current) | 4.05% (9-mo) | 4.00% (9-mo) | 3.75% (5-yr) / 4.10% (1-yr E*Trade) | Up to 4.00% (varies by term) | 4.20% (Mountain America CU top) |
| Min deposit | $0 | $0 | $0–$2,500 | $2,500 | Varies |
| Term range | 6 mo – 6 yr | 3 mo – 5 yr | 3 mo – 5 yr | 6 mo – 5 yr | 6 mo – 5 yr |
| Best for | Top short-term rate, big-bank brand | Online-banking ecosystem | Wide rate menu, multiple banks under one roof | Saver who already uses Sallie Mae for student loans | Higher rate via credit-union membership |
| FDIC / NCUA | FDIC | FDIC | FDIC | FDIC | NCUA (credit unions) |
All 12 Issuers — Verified May 2026 Rates
Click through to each bank's site to confirm the rate before you fund — APYs change frequently and the verification window is narrow.
| Bank / Credit Union | Top APY | 1-Yr | 5-Yr | Min | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus by Goldman Sachs | 4.05% (9-mo) | 4.00% | 3.40% | $500 | 10-day rate-guarantee window: fund within 10 days, lock the highest posted rate for the term |
| E*Trade | 4.10% (1-yr) | 4.10% | — | $0 | 1-year is the sweet spot. Limited longer-term offerings. |
| Synchrony Bank | 4.00% (9-mo) | 3.95% | 3.75% | $0 | No minimum, online-only |
| Mountain America Credit Union | 4.20% | — | — | Varies | Bankrate's top tracked rate. Membership eligibility required. |
| Advancial Federal Credit Union | 4.34% (5-yr) | — | 4.34% | $50,000 | Highest 5-yr rate but $50K minimum gates most savers |
| United Fidelity Bank | 4.15% (5-yr) | — | 4.15% | Varies | Top non-credit-union 5-year rate |
| Sallie Mae | 4.00% (varies) | 3.85% | 3.50% | $2,500 | Range: 3.20%–4.00% APY across terms, 6-month to 5-year |
| Capital One 360 CD | Competitive (varies) | 3.90% | 3.50% | $0 | No minimum, terms 6 mo to 5 yr |
| Discover | Competitive (varies) | 3.85% | 3.50% | $2,500 | Strong customer service, Discover ecosystem |
| Ally Bank | Competitive (varies) | 3.85% | 3.50% | $0 | Includes Raise Your Rate CD with one-time rate bump |
| Quontic Bank | Competitive (varies) | — | — | $500 | Online-first, often top-tier rates |
| Bread Savings | Competitive (varies) | 3.85% | 3.65% | $1,500 | Formerly Comenity Direct |
CD vs HYSA: Which Should You Pick?
With top HYSAs paying 3.30–4.00% APY (verified May 2026) and top CDs paying 3.75–4.34%, the gap is narrower than usual. The decision is really about liquidity vs rate certainty:
CDs win when…
- You won't touch the money for the full term
- You want rate certainty in a falling-rate scenario
- You're laddering for a goal with a fixed date
- You can earn 50+ bps over the best HYSA
HYSAs win when…
- It's your emergency fund or near-term cash
- You think rates may go higher
- The rate gap to the best CD is <25 bps
- You don't want surrender penalties as a guard rail
Which CD should you open?
Pick the row that matches your situation:
- You want the highest accessible rate without a $50K minimumMountain America CU (4.20%) or Marcus 9-mo (4.05%)Both deliver top-tier APY without the high minimum that gates Advancial.
- You're an E*Trade brokerage customerE*Trade 1-Year (4.10%)Best 1-year rate + no minimum + brokered CD flexibility (secondary market).
- You have $50K+ committed for 5 yearsAdvancial FCU 5-Year (4.34%)Highest published rate available. Membership eligibility required.
- You're not sure how long you can lock the moneyAlly or Marcus No Penalty CD (~3.50%)50 bps less than the top CD but full liquidity. Often beats keeping cash in a low-rate checking account.
- You have $20K+ for a multi-year goal5-CD ladder (1, 2, 3, 4, 5-year terms)Always have one CD maturing each year; smooths rate risk; works in any rate environment.
- Your emergency fund is in a sub-1% checkingMove to a HYSA first; consider CDs for the layer aboveBest HYSAs (Marcus 3.50%, Synchrony 3.50%) pay 3+ percentage points more than typical checking. CDs are for the next-tier savings, not the emergency fund.
Open a Marcus CD
Marcus 9-month CD at 4.05% APY (May 2026) with the 10-day rate guarantee — fund within 10 days, lock the highest posted rate during that window. $500 minimum, FDIC insured.
Open a CDSponsored partner
Methodology
We rank CDs by published APY across 3-, 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-, 36-, and 60-month terms; minimum deposit; FDIC/NCUA insurance status (we exclude any account that isn't federally insured); early-withdrawal penalty severity; and whether the rate is currently open to new customers (banks frequently advertise rates that have closed to new applications). APY data is verified Mondays at 9 AM PT against each issuer's published disclosure; if a rate has shifted by more than 25 bps since our last refresh, we update the comparison and bump the page's What-Changed callout. Banks with non-standard early-withdrawal penalties (e.g. forfeit-all-interest-plus-principal terms) are flagged in the per-CD watch-outs but not excluded — they're sometimes worth it for the higher headline rate if you're confident you won't withdraw early.
Frequently Asked Questions
How we verified this
All 12 bank rates verified May 1, 2026 against the bank's own current rate disclosure pages, plus cross-referenced against Bankrate, NerdWallet, U.S. News, CNBC Select, and Fortune's May 2026 CD round-ups. Industry context (yield-curve inversion, rate forecasts) cited from NerdWallet's CD Rate Forecast and Bankrate's rate-environment reporting. CD rates change frequently — confirm with the bank before funding.
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Updated May 1, 2026.