The interest rates for Synchrony CDs are competitive. Each of the CD terms offers competitive interest rates. They are competitive with other online CD accounts. Synchrony rates are much higher than typical bank rates. They are not tiered, so any balance over $2,000 earns the competitive rate.

There are a good variety of CD terms available through Synchrony Bank. The CDs range from 3-months to 60-month terms. There is a total of nine CD terms available. Synchrony Bank also offers a Special Rate 15-month CD term.

Synchrony encourages CD laddering to earn more interest. By laddering CDs, you earn competitive rates from investing in longer-term CDs. Laddering means one long term CD matures each year. This means you can access your money more often, without paying a fee. Your money earns the best rate, but one CD matures each year in case you need to access it.

When you open a CD with Synchrony, you receive the interest rate the day you open the account. If the rates increase during the time Synchrony receives and processes your deposit you will receive the higher rate. The window for the rate to increase is 15 days for regular CDs. IRA CDs have a 60-day window. Once Synchrony determines the rate, it is locked in for the life of the CD term.

If you open a Synchrony account and quickly change your mind, there is a fee for closing the account. Customers can close their CD within six calendar days after the CD funds. The fee for withdrawing money within the first six days is seven days of interest. If you close the account after one day, you are still charged seven days of interest.

The minimum required amount to open any of the Synchrony CDs is $2,000. The deposit must be from one single transaction. With the $2,000 you can open any of the CDs offered, including the 15-month CD. You cannot open a CD with Synchrony Bank without at least $2,000.

Synchrony offers a 15-day rate guarantee for regular CDs and a 60-day rate guarantee for IRA CDs. The rate guarantees do not apply when you renew a CD after it reaches maturity. The interest rate guarantee only takes effect when you open a new CD.

Synchrony offers perks to each of its customers. To earn the best perks, you must be a Diamond member and meet those set requirements. To be a Diamond member, you must have account deposits over $250,000 and be a customer for more than five years.

Read the full Synchrony Bank 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.