The opening required amount for PenFed CDs is low. Each standard and IRA CD terms only require $1,000 to open. The education CDs only require $500 to open. You can open the CDs online or in a branch location.

There are a good variety of CDs available through PenFed. They offer nine standard CD terms from six months to seven years. Their IRA CDs and educational savings certificates terms range from one to seven years.

Each CD term with PenFed offers competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online CDs. The standard, IRA, and education CDs interest rates are competitive. They are higher than the typical bank interest rates.

There is more than one way to choose how to receive interest payments earned from your PenFed CDs. You can have the money added to the CD or another account. You can choose to have the money sent to you in a check. You can receive the interest earned monthly or when the CD matures.

To open a CD with PenFed, you must first become a member of the credit union. If you have or are currently serving in the military, you can become a member. Living in certain areas or being a member of set organizations qualifies you. If you work for the U.S. government or other organizations, you are eligible as well. If you do not meet any of these requirements, you can pay a $5 fee. Once you are a member, you can apply for accounts.

PenFed offers standard CDs, IRA CDs, and educational CDs. Members can only open standard CDs online. To open the other types of CDs, you must visit a branch location or contact customer service. All the standard CD terms are available to open online.

The standard PenFed CDs do not offer an interest rate guarantee. If you open a CD and the interest rates increase shortly after, your interest rates will not increase. The PenFed standard CDs offer competitive interest rates.

The early withdrawal fees for PenFed CDs are high. If you withdraw money early from a six-month CD, you will lose all your interest. For CD terms longer than six-month the fee is all interest earned if withdrawn in the first year. After the first year, the fee is 30 percent of what would have been earned if the CD had reached maturity.

Read the full PenFed Credit Union review.

The interest rates for Capital One 360 CDs are competitive. Each of the terms offers competitive rates. The rates are competitive with other online CDs. The interest rates are not tiered. There is no required balance to earn competitive rates.

The Capital One 360 CDs do not have a set amount required to open the account. You choose how much you want to invest in the Capital One 360 CDs. The CDs cannot exceed $1,000,000.

Capital One 360 CDs offer a Rate Lock Guarantee. You fund your CD by linking it to an external account, which can be another Capital One account. Capital One 360 gives you 10 days to confirm ownership of the linked account. Because this takes a few days, your CD interest rate will be the highest one offered during those days.

Capital One 360 offers a good variety of CD terms. The CDs range from six months to five-year terms. They offer a total of nine CD terms. Each of the terms is FDIC insured.

The only deposit you can make into your CD is when you initially open the account. You cannot add money to the CD during the term life.

During the CD term, you cannot withdraw partial amounts of the principal. These types of withdrawals are only allowed during the grace period. If you make a withdrawal before the maturity date, you will be charged a fee.

To fund your Capital One 360 CD, you must link the CD to an external bank account. Once you have the CD linked to an external account, you can transfer money into the CD. The linked account can be another Capital One account.

Once your CD matures, you cannot add money to the current CD. If you have more money to add, your current CD will be closed and Capital One 360 will help you open a new CD. That CD will include the money from the previous CD and the money you want to add.

Read the full Capital One 360 review.