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Banesco USA VS Giantbank.com

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Variety of Terms: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Required Opening Amount: 4.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Competitive interest rates on CDs
  • Low opening required amounts
  • Can open BaneSmart CDs online
  • Options on how to receive interest

Cons:

  • Limited CD terms available online
  • Does not offer interest rate guarantee
  • Interest on 12-months must be paid out
  • Fund accounts through mailing a check
  • Financial Rates: 4.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 2.0 Star Icon
  • Variety of Terms: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Required Opening Amount: 4.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Most accounts offer competitive rates
  • Good variety of CD terms offered
  • Can apply through mail or online
  • Opening required amount is low

Cons:

  • Short-term CDs have low rates
  • Limited ways to fund CDs
  • Customer service has limited hours
  • Transfer interest to internal accounts
Banesco USA CD Review

The Banesco USA BaneSmart CDs offer competitive interest rates. These rates are much higher than typical bank rates. Banesco USA CDs offer rates competitive with other online CDs.

The Banesco CDs have low opening required amounts. The amounts range from $1,000 to $1,500 depending on the account. You must keep these balances in your CD accounts to earn competitive interest rates.

You can open each BaneSmart CD term online. The application is on the Banesco USA website. You do not need to visit a branch location.

There are options on how and when you receive your interest payments. You can choose to receive BaneSmart CD interest payments monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually. You can also choose to receive the interest when the CD reaches maturity. You can deposit interest earnings into any Banesco USA accounts.

There are limited BaneSmart CD terms available through Banesco USA. The terms range from six to 36-month CDs. There are a total of five CDs available online. More CD terms may be available at a branch location.

The BaneSmart CDs do not offer an interest rate guarantee. If the interest rates increase shortly after you open your CD, your rates will not increase. The interest rates for BaneSmart CDs are competitive. But, there is not a guarantee if the rates increase.

Banesco CD terms longer than 12-months have limits on interest payments. The annual percentage yield cannot stay in the account. A payout is necessary. Withdrawing the money before the CD reaches maturity will result in a fee. Contact customer service for more information on this matter.

There are limited ways to fund your BaneSmart Banesco CD. To initially fund your CD, you need to mail in a check. The CD terms range from six to 36-months.

Read the full Banesco USA review.

Giantbank.com CD Review

Most giantbank.com CDs offer competitive interest rates. The rates for some CDs are competitive with other online accounts. All of the CD rates are higher than typical bank rates. The CD terms that are 12-months and longer offer the most competitive interest rates.

There are a good variety of giantbank.com CD terms available. The terms range from 91-days to 60-month CDs. There are seven different terms offered through giantbank.com. You can apply for any of these CD terms online.

There are two options on how to open a CD with giantbank.com. You can apply for the CD online or fill out an application and send the application back through the mail. If you open the CD online there is a maximum opening amount of $50,000.

The opening required amount for giantbank.com CDs are low. Each of the CD terms requires $2,500 to open. You must keep a balance of at least $2,500 in the giantbank.com CDs to earn interest. Any amount over the required balance earns a competitive interest rate. The interest rates are not tiered.

The short-term CDs do not offer as competitive interest rates as the longer-term CDs. The 91-day, six-month, and nine-month CDs do not offer as competitive rates. These rates are still competitive. The rates are just not as competitive as the other giantbank.com terms.

giantbank.com limits the ways you can initially deposit money into CD accounts. Those ways include mailing in a check or a wire transfer. You can also transfer money from another giantbank.com account. The website does not say you can make the initial transfer from an external bank into a giantbank.com CD.

giantbank.com is an online bank. You can contact customer service through email, mail, phone, or fax. Customer service does have limited hours they are open. They are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST.

Customers can transfer the interest earned on giantbank.com CDs to other accounts. But, the money can only be transferred to other giantbank.com accounts. Those accounts include giantbank.com checking or money market accounts.

Read the full Giantbank.com review.

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