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.

The opening amount required for Zions Bank CDs is low. Each of the standard CD terms requires $1,000 to open. The IRA CD accounts also require $1,000 to open. The jumbo CDs require $100,000 to open.

There are a good variety of CD terms available through Zions Bank. The CD terms range from one month to five years. They include standard, IRA, and jumbo CDs. The CD term lengths are the same for the different CD types.

The early withdrawal penalties for Zions Bank CDs are low. If you withdraw money from terms 31-days or less, the fee is all the interest earned. If the term is from 32-days to one-year, the fee is 90 days of interest. For all terms longer than one year, the fee is 180-days of interest.

You can set up your Zions Bank CDs to renew automatically. If you select this option, your CD will renew at maturity. The interest rate for the renewed CD are the interest rates offered at the time of renewal. Contact customer service to set up automatic renewal.

You cannot open Zions Bank CDs online; you must visit a branch location. Branch locations are listed on their website. Once you open a CD in a branch location, you can access your CD and other accounts online.

The interest rates for Zions Bank CDs are lower than other online CD rates. To earn the highest interest rates requires a balance of at least $100,000. The highest rates are just higher than the standard rate. Even the highest rate is lower than online CD rates.

The interest rates for Zions Bank CDs may change based on your location. To know the correct rates for your area, input your zip code on the Zions Bank website. You can also call customer service or visit a branch location.

The short-term CDs with Zions Bank offer low interest rates. These rates are not competitive with other online CDs of the same term length. These term lengths include a one, three, six, and nine-month CDs. The interest rates increase with terms 12-months or longer.

Read the full Zions Bank review.