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Vio Bank VS Barclays

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: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • A wide variety of CD terms available
  • Competitive interest rates on CDs
  • Low required opening amount
  • Can choose how to receive interest

Cons:

  • CDs are not eligible for fund transfers
  • Early withdrawal has penalty and fee
  • No interest rate guarantee
  • Customer service has specific hours
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 4.0 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:

  • Competitive interest rates on most CDs
  • Good variety of CD terms
  • No required amount to open CDs
  • Encourages CD laddering

Cons:

  • CDs under 12-months have low rates
  • Limited ways to fund CDs
  • Link external account to CDs
  • Rate guarantee not offered
Vio Bank CD Review

Vio Bank offers a wide variety of CD terms. There are 11 different CD terms available through Vio Bank. The terms range from 6-months to 120-months. Each of the CD terms can be opened online. You must be 18 years or older to open an account with Vio.

The Vio Bank CDs offer competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online accounts. They are much higher than typical bank rates. Each term offers rates competitive with other online CDs of the same term length. Vio Bank regularly monitors interest rates. This helps to ensure their rates are competitive with national rates.

The amount required to open Vio Bank CDs is low. Each CD only requires $500 to open. You can open any of the CDs online, with that set amount. With the required opening amount, you will earn the competitive interest rates on the CD.

When you open a CD with Vio Bank, you can choose how often and how to receive earned interest. Choose how often your interest credits to your CD. There may be options on what account to have the interest credit to as well. If you close your account before the interest credits, you will not receive your earned interest.

Vio Bank CDs are not eligible for fund transfers. Only the savings accounts are eligible for the fund's transfer. If you try to transfer funds to or from your Vio Bank CD, you will receive an error message.

To withdraw money from the CDs before the maturity date has a set penalty and a fee for terms longer than 31 days. For terms 31 days or shorter, the penalty is all the earned interest on the withdrawn amount. For terms from 32 days to 12 months, the penalty is one percent on the withdrawn amount and a $25 fee. For terms longer than 12-months, the penalty is three percent of the withdrawn amount and a fee of $25.

Vio Bank does not offer an interest rate guarantee. The rate on the day you open your Vio Bank CD is the rate you earn for the life of the CD term. If the rates increase shortly after opening your account, your CD rate will not increase.

Vio Bank is an entirely online bank. Customer service has specific hours and ways to contact them. Reach a representative through phone, email, or mail. Vio does offer extended customer service hours. But, a representative is not available anytime.

Read the full Vio Bank review.

Barclays CD Review

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.

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