BEST OF

14 Best 6-Month CD Rates for March 2024

Spencer Tierney
By Spencer Tierney 
Edited by Sara Clarke

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Six-month CD rates can play a role in boosting your short-term savings, especially in some saving strategies such as CD ladders. Here's a list of our picks.

Why trust NerdWallet: Our writers and editors follow strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our coverage to help you choose the financial accounts that work best for you. See our criteria for evaluating banks and credit unions.

🤓Nerdy Tip

Some banks have started lowering CD yields, though overall rates remain high. With a CD, you can lock in high rates while they’re still around.

Discover the bank accounts that fit your financial goals
Just answer a few questions to compare bank accounts that meet your needs.

Best 6-Month CD Rates

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

/5
Alliant Credit Union Certificate
Learn more

at Alliant Credit Union, Federally insured by NCUA

Minimum deposit

$1,000

Federally insured by NCUA

APY

4.75%

NerdWallet rating 

2.5

/5
CIT Bank CD
Minimum deposit

$1,000

Member FDIC

APY

5.00%

NerdWallet rating 

2.5

/5
Bask Bank CD
Minimum deposit

$1,000

Member FDIC

APY

5.15%

NerdWallet rating 

3.5

/5
Vio Bank CD
Minimum deposit

$500

Member FDIC

APY

5.15%

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

/5
Quontic Bank CD
Minimum deposit

$500

Member FDIC

APY

5.05%

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

/5
BMO Alto Certificate of Deposit
Minimum deposit

$0

Deposits are FDIC Insured

APY

5.15%

NerdWallet rating 

4.0

/5
TAB Bank CD
Minimum deposit

$1,000

Member FDIC

APY

5.27%

NerdWallet rating 

4.0

/5
LendingClub CD
Minimum deposit

$2,500

Member FDIC

APY

5.30%

NerdWallet rating 

3.0

/5
Live Oak Bank CD
Minimum deposit

$2,500

Member FDIC

APY

5.20%

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

/5
Synchrony Bank CD
Minimum deposit

$0

Member FDIC

APY

5.15%

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

/5
Marcus by Goldman Sachs High-Yield CD
Minimum deposit

$500

Member FDIC

APY

4.80%

NerdWallet rating 

4.0

/5
Sallie Mae Bank CD
Minimum deposit

$2,500

Member FDIC

APY

4.80%

NerdWallet rating 

3.5

/5
Lake Michigan Credit Union Certificate of Deposit
Minimum deposit

$500

Federally insured by NCUA

APY

4.80%

Want to compare more options? Here are our other top picks:

» Want to see more options? Check out our list of the best CD rates overall

Best 6-month CD rates for March 2024

  • Vio Bank: 5.15% APY, $500 minimum deposit.

  • Bask Bank: 5.15% APY, $1,000 minimum deposit.

  • Popular Direct: 5.30% APY, $10,000 minimum deposit.

  • Quontic Bank: 5.05% APY, $500 minimum deposit.

  • CIT Bank: 5.00% APY, $1,000 minimum deposit.

  • BMO Alto: 5.15% APY, no minimum deposit.

  • TAB Bank: 5.27% APY, $1,000 minimum deposit.

  • LendingClub Bank: 5.30% APY, $2,500 minimum deposit.

  • Live Oak Bank: 5.20% APY, $2,500 minimum deposit.

  • Synchrony Bank: 5.15% APY, no minimum deposit.

  • Marcus by Goldman Sachs: 4.80% APY, $500 minimum deposit.

  • Sallie Mae Bank: 4.80% APY, $2,500 minimum deposit.

  • Lake Michigan Credit Union: 4.80% APY, $500 minimum deposit.

  • Alliant Credit Union: 4.75% APY, $1,000 minimum deposit.

No-penalty CDs offer more freedom

When you withdraw your money from a CD before the term expires, you generally pay a penalty of at least several months’ of interest earned.

Some providers, however, allow you to withdraw your money before the term expires, with no penalty. Keep in mind that rates may be a little lower for these no-penalty CDs.

The following banks offer no-penalty CDs:

Last updated on March 1, 2024

Methodology

On a monthly basis, we compare rates at over 40 financial institutions, pulled from our full list, that we’ve seen to be consistently competitive. On a quarterly basis, we analyzed our full list, excluding banks that offered brokered CDs, since those accounts work differently from standard bank CDs. Higher rates might be available elsewhere.

We took a close look at over 90 financial institutions and financial service providers, including the largest U.S. banks based on assets, internet search traffic and other factors; the nation’s largest credit unions, based on assets and membership; and other notable and/or emerging players in the industry. We rated them on criteria including annual percentage yields, minimum balances, fees, digital experience and more.

Financial institutions and providers surveyed are: Affirm, All America Bank, Alliant Credit Union, Ally Bank, Amalgamated Bank, America First Credit Union, American Express National Bank, Andrews Federal Credit Union, Associated Bank, Axos Bank, Bank of America, Bank5 Connect, Bank7, Barclays, Bask Bank, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, BMO, BMO Alto, Boeing Employees Credit Union, Bread Savings, BrioDirect, Capital One, Carver Federal Savings Bank, Charles Schwab Bank, Chase, Chime, CIBC U.S., CIT Bank, Citibank, Citizens, Citizens Bank, City First Bank, Climate First Bank, Commerce Bank, Community First Credit Union of Florida, ConnectOne Bank, Connexus Credit Union, Consumers Credit Union, Current, Delta Community Credit Union, Discover® Bank, E*TRADE, EverBank (formerly TIAA Bank), Fifth Third Bank, First Foundation, First National Bank, First Tech Federal Credit Union, Flagstar Bank, FNBO Direct, Global Credit Union, GO2bank, Golden 1 Credit Union, Greenwood, Hope Credit Union, Huntington Bank, Industrial Bank, Ivy Bank, KeyBank, Lake Michigan Credit Union, LendingClub Bank, Liberty Bank, Live Oak Bank, M&T Bank, Marcus by Goldman Sachs, Navy Federal Credit Union, NBKC, One, OneUnited Bank, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, PNC, Popular Direct, Quontic Bank, Regions Bank, Revolut, Salem Five Direct, Sallie Mae Bank, Santander Bank, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, Security Service Federal Credit Union, Securityplus Federal Credit Union, Self-Help Credit Union, Service Credit Union, SoFi, State Employees’ Credit Union of North Carolina, Suncoast Credit Union, Synchrony Bank, TAB Bank, TD Bank, Truist Bank, U.S. Bank, UFB Direct, Upgrade, USAA Bank, Varo, Vio Bank, Wells Fargo and Zynlo Bank.

To recap our selections...

NerdWallet's Best 6-Month CD Rates for March 2024

Frequently asked questions