Top CD Rates Today, June 17, 2024 - 8 Options to Earn 5.50% or More (2024)

Key Takeaways

  • The best nationwide CD rate is Nuvision Credit Union's stellar 6.00% on a 10-month term. But you can only deposit up to $5,000.
  • Have more than that to sock away? Seven additional CDs pay 5.50% or better on terms of 3 to 9 months.
  • NexBank offers the top 12-month rate of 5.40% APY, but it requires a $25,000 minimum deposit. Otherwise, you can score 5.36% for 12 months from CIBC Agility.
  • Looking for longer guarantees? Vibrant Credit Union promises 5.00% until nearly to 2027, while Wellby Financial is paying 4.86% for 4 years.
  • The Fed again held rates steady last week, waiting for inflation to ease. But with rate cuts expected this summer or fall, it's smart to grab one of today's best CDs before APYs begin dropping.

Below you'll find featured rates available from our partners, followed by details from our ranking of the best CDs available nationwide.

Banks and Credit Unions Offer 5.40% to 6.00% for Up to a Year

The top nationally available CD rate still comes from Nuvision Credit Union, which has held the title since June 4 with 6.00% APY on a 10-month term. Previously, we hadn't seen a rate that high since November. Although this is the best CD return available, this offer is limited to a $5,000 maximum deposit (with a minimum of $1,000).

If you want to commit more than that, you might like INOVA Federal Credit Union's runner-up rate of 5.55%. Though it has no stated maximum, the term length is just 5 months. Our daily ranking of the best nationwide CDs also includes eight more options for earning at least 5.50% APY.

To stretch your rate lock to summer 2025, consider NexBank's 5.40% APY offer for 12 months—if you can muster a $25,000 deposit. Or if not, CIBC Agility pays almost as much, at 5.36% APY with an easier $1,000 minimum.

Get a Longer CD to Secure Your Rate Into 2026 and Beyond

We may see U.S. interest rates decline over the next two to three years, so it could be a good time to lock in a high multi-year rate while you can. Credit Human currently allows you to pick a term of 18 to 23 months for a rate of 5.15% APY. That can guarantee your return into 2026, if you wish.

If you want to earn at least 5.00%, the longest terms you'll find are in the 3-year range. Vibrant Credit Union promises that APY for 30 months, and two providers—DollarSavingsDirect and Transportation Federal Credit Union—offer it for a full 36 months.

To extend your rate lock even further, the best 5-year CDs offer APYs up to 4.80%. The highest rate among them is provided by banking giant BMO Alto, while nine additional 5-year CDs pay 4.50% or better.

Large U.S. Bank is 5-Year CD Rate Leader

The top nationwide CD rates are typically offered by smaller banks and credit unions. But right now, the top 5-year return comes from a large U.S. Bank. BMO Alto is the online-only arm of banking giant BMO, which operates about 1,000 physical branches and is the 12th-largest U.S. bank by deposits. Though it only pays the top nationwide rate in the 5-year term, BMO Alto also has reasonably competitive rates on CDs ranging from 6 months to 4 years.

CD TermsFriday's Top National RateToday's Top National RateDay's Change (percentage points)Top Rate Provider
3 months5.51% APY5.51% APYNo changeTotalDirectBank
6 months5.55% APY5.55% APYNo changeINOVA Federal Credit Union
1 year6.00% APY6.00% APYNo changeNuvision Credit Union
18 months5.25% APY5.25% APYNo changeDR Bank and NASA Federal Credit Union
2 years5.15% APY5.15% APYNo changeCredit Human
3 years5.00% APY5.00% APYNo changeVibrant Credit Union, DollarSavingsDirect, and Transportation Federal Credit Union
4 years4.86% APY4.86% APYNo changeWellby Financial
5 years4.80% APY4.80% APYNo changeBMO Alto

Some of the Best CD Rates We've Seen in 20 Years

CD rates reached a historic peak of 6.50% in October 2023, and they have only come down slightly since then. In February of this year, 30 CDs in our daily ranking guaranteed at least 5.50% APY. Now, however, you'll only find eight.

Despite that, looking back over the past 20 years, these rates remain exceptional. APYs above 4% still present a great investment opportunity, and it may be worth locking one in before the Fed cuts rates.

You don't have to get the absolute highest APY to feel satisfied with your investment. If you find an account with a term length and features you like, it may be a wise decision to grab it now before rates move.

Other Big Banks That Pay Attractive Rates

If you only want to open a CD at a big-name bank, be sure to do your homework, as the CDs at the bank where you have your checking account may pay peanuts. Among the 30 largest U.S. banks, however, there are a handful that pay a reasonably competitive rate. You can find the top options in our list of better-than-average big bank CDs.

Jumbo CDs Offer a Rate Bump in Some Terms

If you've got enough for a jumbo CD, you can lock in a rate higher than standard CDs for certain terms. State Department Federal Credit Union offers 5.41% APY for 15 months, better than the best standard CD of 5.25% from DR Bank. And if you want to put money away for the long haul, Grow Financial Federal Credit Union is offering a 5-year rate of 4.86% APY, a bit better than the best standard rate of 4.80%, from BMO Alto.

As you can see below, the best jumbo CD rates don't always pay more than standard certificates. In many cases you can do better with a standard CD. That's the case right now in six of the eight terms below.

CD TermToday's Top National Bank RateToday's Top National Credit Union RateToday's Top National Jumbo Rate
3 months5.51% APY*5.30% APY5.20% APY
6 months5.51% APY5.55% APY*5.51% APY
1 year5.40% APY6.00% APY*5.50% APY
18 months5.25% APY5.25% APY5.41% APY*
2 years5.00% APY5.15% APY*4.91% APY
3 years5.00% APY*5.00% APY*4.97% APY
4 years4.70% APY4.86% APY*4.48% APY
5 years4.80% APY4.75% APY4.86% APY*

Where Will CD Rates Go in 2024?

To combat decades-high inflation, the Federal Reserve aggressively hiked the federal funds rate between March 2022 and July 2023, raising the benchmark rate to its highest level in 22 years. That's important to savers because when the fed funds rate rises, banks and credit unions increase the interest rates they're willing to pay on customer deposits.

As a result, this past fall saw historically favorable conditions for CD shoppers, as well as for anyone holding cash in ahigh-yield savingsormoney market account. Rates on CDs rose to an October-November peak that was the highest we've seen in two decades.

But since its last rate hike in July, the Fed has been in a holding pattern. As was all but certain, the Federal Reserve's rate-setting committee announced on June 12 it was once again maintaining the federal funds rate at its current level. It's the seventh meeting in a row in which the central bank has held its benchmark rate steady.

That's because inflation has been cooling, allowing the Fed to stop raising interest rates. Yet, further inflation progress has been elusive. That puts the central bank in wait-and-see mode as it looks for evidence that inflation is falling enough to justify lowering the federal funds rate.

Last week's written statement from the Fed again included familiar language about remaining focused on tamping down inflation that is still too high: "Inflation has eased over the past year but remains elevated. In recent months, there has been modest further progress toward the Committee's 2% inflation objective."

The rate decision was also accompanied by the quarterly "dot plot" release, which reveals where each Fed board member (represented by a unnamed dot on a graph) predicts the federal funds rate will be at the end of the current year, as well as the next two years.

The June dot plot shows a median projection of one rate cut of 0.25 percentage points by the end of 2024. However, a sizable group predicted we'll see two rate decreases. At the other end of the spectrum, a 20% contingent forecasted the federal funds rate will stay where it is for the rest of this year.

Speaking during his customary press conference following the statement release, Fed Chair Jerome Powell made it clear that the committee is looking for continued evidence of a decline in inflation before it will implement a rate cut.

"Goals have moved toward better balance, but the economic outlook is uncertain," Powell said. "We remain highly attentive to inflation risks. We've stated that we do not expect it will be appropriate to reduce the target range for the federal funds rate until we have gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2%."

In response to the Fed's announcement and Powell's remarks, fed funds traders have increased their bets that a first rate cut will come in September. For the next meeting, concluding July 31, odds of another rate hold are currently pegged at about 90%. But looking toward the Sept. 18 announcement, more than 60% of traders believe the Fed will have implemented its first rate decrease by then.

In the meantime, Fed officials are expected to continue watching and waiting for additional data before making any decisions. This means CD rates are generally expected to continue their plateau. When at some point the Fed signals it's ready to start cutting rates, which could happen in the not-too-distant future, that will begin driving CD yields down more quickly. So it's a good time to lock in one of today's stellar CD rates while you still can.

Daily Rankings of the Best CDs and Savings Accounts

Best 3-Month CD Rates

Best 6-Month CD Rates

Best 1-Year CD Rates

Best 18-Month CD Rates

Best 2-Year CD Rates

Best 3-Year CD Rates

Best 4-year CD Rates

Best 5-Year CD Rates

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts

Best Money Market Accounts

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 much different than the national average, which includes all banks offering a CD with that term, including many large banks that pay a pittance in interest. Thus, the national averages are always quite low, while the top rates you can unearth by shopping around are often 5, 10, or even 15 times higher.

How We Find the Best CD Rates

Every business day, Investopedia tracks the rate data of more than 200 banks and credit unions that offer CDs to customers nationwide and determines daily rankings of the top-paying certificates in every major term. To qualify for our lists, the institution must be federally insured (FDIC for banks, NCUA for credit unions), and the CD's minimum initial deposit must not exceed $25,000.

Banks must be available in at least 40 states. And while some credit unions require you to donate to a specific charity or association to become a member if you don't meet other eligibility criteria (e.g., you don't live in a certain area or work in a certain kind of job), we exclude credit unions whose donation requirement is $40 or more. For more about how we choose the best rates, read our full methodology.

Article Sources

Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in oureditorial policy.

Top CD Rates Today, June 17, 2024 - 8 Options to Earn 5.50% or More (2024)
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