The interest rates for Barclays CDs are competitive for most terms. For terms longer than 12-months, the rates are competitive with other online CDs. The interest rates for all CD accounts are much higher than typical bank rates. Barclays CDs interest rates are not tiered. Any balance in the CD earns the competitive interest rate.

Barclays offers a good variety of CD terms. The shortest term offered is a three-month term. The longest term is a 60-month term. Barclays offers a total of nine different CD terms. All the terms are entirely online CDs. Each CD term is available to open online.

There is not a set amount required to open Barclays CDs. Open any of the nine CD terms with any amount. There is not a set amount required to earn the most competitive interest rates. The only balance requirement is that you have enough money in your CD to earn $0.01 in interest.

Barclays encourages CD laddering. This means customers can earn the most competitive interest rates but with more flexibility. CD laddering is investing money in CDs varying in term length. Customers invest in multiple long term CDs. By doing this, one CD will mature each year. This gives customers more access to their money while earning competitive rates. The Barclays website offers a CD ladder calculator. This allows customers to see how to build a successful CD ladder.

The Barclays short term CDs do not offer competitive interest rates. The three, six, and nine-month CDs offer interest rates that are lower than other online banks. These rates are higher than typical bank CD rates of the same term. They are not competitive with other online CDs of the same term length.

Barclays only offers two ways to fund their CDs. Customers can fund the account through an electronic transfer or mailing in a check. If you plan to transfer the money electronically, you must link the CD with an external bank account. Barclays does not accept cash or money orders to deposit into CDs.

The easiest way to make electronic transfers into a Barclays CD is to link it to an external account. You can link up to three external accounts to your Barclays CDs. The linked accounts must be with another bank that is chartered in the United States. You can link accounts when you initially fund your CD or at a later date.

Barclays does not offer an interest rate guarantee. The interest rate you earn on your Barclays CD is the rate on the day you open your account. The interest rates on CDs are competitive with other online accounts. But, if the rates increase shortly after you open your account, Barclays does not increase the interest rate for your CD.

Read the full Barclays review.

PurePoint Financial offers competitive interest rates on each CD term. Their interest rates are competitive with other online CD accounts. PurePoint rates are some of the leaders in the market of online CD accounts. The interest rates are not tiered. Any amount over $10,000 earns the most competitive interest rate offered.

There are four ways to fund your PurePoint CD accounts. Fund your account through an online electronic transfer from a linked account. You can also fund your account through a mobile deposit, a wire transfer, or by mailing in a check. You can only make a deposit into PurePoint CDs when you open the account.

There are a variety of CD terms available through PurePoint Financial. The terms range from six-months to five-years. There is a total of nine CD terms offered. Each of the terms requires $10,000 to open.

PurePoint Financial offers its Best Rate Commitment. Once you fund your PurePoint CD, they watch the rates for ten days. During that time, whatever is the highest rate offered will be the rate you receive for the duration of the CD term. If you renew your CD for the same term, you are again given the ten-day period to lock in the highest rate.

To open PurePoint CDs requires a high amount. Each term requires $10,000 to open. Once you open the account, you earn the most competitive interest rates for any balance over $10,000. PurePoint CDs do not have tiered interest rates.

There is a fee if you withdraw money from your PurePoint CD before it reaches maturity. The fee for any CD term length is 181 days of interest on the withdrawn amount. That fee applies to every PurePoint CD.

The opening required amount to open PurePoint CDs is $10,000. That amount must come from a one-time deposit of at least that amount. The deposit can only come from a single account. If PurePoint does not receive that funding within 45 days, they will close the account. Once you open and fund a CD, you cannot deposit into the CD during the life of the CD term.

To open an account with PurePoint Financial requires signing up for online banking. It does not matter if you open an account over the phone, online, or in person. If the primary account holder does not enroll in online banking within 90 days, PurePoint will close the account. If you open an account over the phone, you only have 30 days to enroll in online banking. A valid email address is also required.

Read the full PurePoint Financial review.