Ad Disclaimer

Sallie Mae VS Ally Bank

Which bank is better for you?

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

Pros:

  • Competitive interest rates on CDs
  • Good variety of CD terms offered
  • Interest rates on CDs not tiered
  • Penalty for early withdrawals is low

Cons:

  • CDs have a required opening amount
  • Must keep set amount in account
  • Does not offer guarantee for rates
  • Link CDs to external bank accounts
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Variety of Terms: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Required Opening Amount: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon

Pros:

  • No opening required amount
  • Competitive interest rates on CDs
  • A wide variety of CD terms
  • Ten Day Best Rate Guarantee

Cons:

  • No Penalty CD has a high opening amount
  • Interest earned credited annually
  • Some CDs have tiered interest rates
  • Must withdraw entire amount of No Penalty
Sallie Mae CD Review

Each Sallie Mae CD offers competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online CD accounts. Sallie Mae rates are much higher than typical bank rates. The longer the CD term the higher the interest rates offered. Sallie Mae’s five-year CD offers very competitive interest rates.

Sallie Mae offers a good variety of CD terms. The terms range from 6-months to 60-months. There are 11 CD terms in total. Sallie Mae offers CD terms in more than just traditional terms. Those term lengths include an 11-month CD, a 13-month CD, a 15-month CD, and a 30-month CD. These options allow customers to find the best fit for their money.

The CD interest rates for Sallie Mae CDs are not tiered. You do not have to have a large account balance to earn the most competitive rates available. Any balance above the required opening amount earns competitive interest rates.

Most CDs have a fee if you withdraw the money before the CD reaches maturity. The penalty for Sallie Mae CDs is less compared to other banks CD fees. The penalty for withdrawing money from CD terms 12-months or less is 90 days of interest. The fee for CDs over 12-months is 180 days of interest.

There is a set amount required to open Sallie Mae CDs. Each of the CD terms requires $2,500 to open. Make deposits through an electronic transfer or an e-deposit on the mobile app. You can also mail a check.

To earn interest on the Sallie Mae CDs, you must keep an account balance of $2,500. If your balance drops below that amount, you will not earn any interest. Sallie Mae CDs offer competitive interest rates if you keep that set balance.

Sallie Mae CDs do not come with a guarantee to lock in the best rate. The interest rate at the time you open the CD is the interest rate you receive for the life of the term. The rate you lock in is fixed for the life of the CD term.

Sallie Mae CDs must be linked to an external account to make electronic transfers. Once you link an external account, you can transfer money electronically. Customers can withdraw earned interest from the CD. To withdraw the interest, transfer the money into the linked external account.

Read the full Sallie Mae review.

Ally Bank CD Review

All Ally high yield CDs do not have a required amount to open the account. You can open each of the CDs with any amount. The Raise Your Rate CDs and the No Penalty CD do not have a set amount required to open.

Ally CDs offer competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online CD accounts. The interest rates for Ally CDs are much higher than typical bank rates.

There are a wide variety of CDs offered through Ally. They offer seven high yield CDs. Those terms range from three months to five years. Ally offers a Raise Your Rate CD. These CDs are available in two-year and four-year terms. They also offer a No Penalty CD. This CD is an eleven-month term.

Ally offers a Ten-Day Best Rate Guarantee for each of the different CDs. When you open your CD, you have ten days. If interest rates go up within that time, so does your interest rate for the CD. The best rate guarantee is also available when you are renewing your CD.

The No Penalty CD has high opening amounts to earn the most competitive rates. Balances under $5,000 earn the lowest rates. To earn the most competitive rate for the CD requires a minimum opening balance of $25,000. Balances over $5,000 but less than $25,000 receive an interest rate between the two rates.

Interest earned from Ally CDs is generally credited annually. If your CD is a one-year term or less, they credit your interest at the CD maturity. If your CD term is longer than one year, they credit your interest at your CD terms year-end. You can make some changes to your CDs through the Ally website.

Some Ally CD accounts have tiered interest rates. To earn the most competitive interest rate for your account requires a balance of $25,000. There is not a required amount to open these CDs, but the higher the account balance, the higher the rate you earn.

The Ally No Penalty CD allows you to withdraw your money anytime after the first six days. You cannot make a partial withdrawal of the funds. If you are going to withdraw the money, you must withdraw the entire CD balance.

Read the full Ally Bank review.

Favorite Rates