Top CD rates today: April 1, 2025 | Lock in 4.40% APY until April 2026
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Key takeaways
- The current leading CD rate across terms is 4.50 percent APY, offered for three- and six-month terms.
- Competitive APYs for some terms are currently several times greater than national averages.
- The Federal Reserve held rates steady at its March meeting, and top CDs continue to earn the best returns in over a decade, outside the current rate cycle.
March 2025 was the quietest month for changes in top certificate of deposit (CD) rates since July 2024, among terms and financial institutions monitored by Bankrate — with just one increase and one decrease in leading annual percentage yields (APYs). The overall stability in competitive CD APYs may be due to the Federal Reserve leaving its benchmark rate untouched so far in 2025.
Right now, the highest APY across CD terms is 4.50 percent, and it’s offered on terms of three and six months. Longer terms of one to five years are earning top APYs from 4.15-4.40 percent.
Bankrate’s table below shows the highest yields offered on widely available CDs, by term. It also lists national average CD rates and how much you’d earn for each term with a $5,000 investment.
Today's top CD rates by term
| CD term | Institution offering top APY | Highest APY | National average APY | Estimated earnings on $5,000 with top APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-month | Bask Bank | 4.50% | 1.30% | $55 |
| 6-month | Bread Savings | 4.50% | 1.78% | $111 |
| 9-month | Bask Bank | 4.40% | N/A | $164 |
| 1-year | Bask Bank | 4.40% | 1.85% | $220 |
| 18-month | TAB Bank | 4.16% | 2.13% | $315 |
| 2-year | Popular Direct | 4.15% | 1.62% | $424 |
| 3-year | America First Credit Union | 4.15% | 1.54% | $649 |
| 4-year | America First Credit Union | 4.20% | 1.71% | $894 |
| 5-year | SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union | 4.25% | 1.55% | $1,157 |
Note: Annual percentage yields (APYs) shown are as of April 1, 2025. APYs for some products may vary by region.
N/A: Not available; Bankrate doesn’t track national averages for the 9-month CD term due to limited available data. Estimated earnings are based on the highest APYs and assume interest is compounded annually.
What’s been happening with CD rates?
Rates on high-yield CDs started falling in late 2023 and early 2024 as banks anticipated Federal Reserve rate cuts. The APYs banks offer on deposit accounts tend to move in lockstep with the federal funds rate. Top yields decreased in the wake of three Fed rate cuts in 2024. However, the Fed has held its benchmark rate steady so far in 2025, and we've seen some stability in leading CD rates, possibly as a result.
Competitive CD rates continue to outpace the rate of inflation, which currently stands at 2.8 percent. "Now is a good time to open a CD so you can lock in a solid rate and start earning on your savings sooner," says Louise Eisenach, vice president of savings and deposits at Capital One. "While future interest rates will in part remain up to the Fed, opening a CD now can help you lock in a strong rate to earn guaranteed returns on savings you don’t need immediate access to."
Recent trends in top CD rates
Competitive CD APYs trended downward throughout 2024 and are decreasing so far in 2025. For example, the highest one-year CD APY at the start of January 2024 was 5.66 percent, whereas it was 4.40 percent on April 1, 2025. Among the popular terms Bankrate monitors for this page, all rates saw steeper declines in the second half of 2024, as compared to the first half.
CD glossary
Here are some terms you’ll likely come across when choosing a CD.
- Add-on CD: An add-on CD enables you to make additional deposits after your initial investment. This feature affords more flexibility than traditional CDs, which only allow one deposit at the beginning of the term.
- Annual percentage yield (APY): A percentage that indicates how much interest a CD earns in one year, which takes into account the effect of compounding.
- Brokered CD: A type of CD issued by a bank but sold through a brokerage firm or other financial institution.
- CD ladder: An investment strategy that involves purchasing multiple CDs with varying maturity dates to provide liquidity and take advantage of higher rates.
- Early withdrawal penalty: A fee charged if funds are withdrawn from a CD before the maturity date. Penalties often range anywhere from 90 days to 365 days’ worth of interest.
- Grace period: A specific time after the maturity date during which an account holder can make changes to the CD without penalties. A grace period typically ranges from five to 14 days.
- IRA CD: A CD that’s held within an individual retirement account.
- Minimum opening deposit: The lowest amount of money required to open a CD account, which can vary by institution. Some institutions don’t have a minimum deposit requirement.
- No-penalty CD: A type of CD that allows you to withdraw your money without facing a penalty while providing a fixed APY.
- Promotional CD: Also known as a bonus or special CD, it’s a CD with an above average APY. These may be offered by banks and credit unions as a way to obtain new customers.
- Jumbo CD: A CD that has a high minimum balance requirement, typically $100,000, sometimes as low as $95,000. This type of CD tends to offer a higher interest rate than regular CDs with the same term.
- Bump-up CD: Also known as a “raise-your-rate CD,” a bump-up CD provides savers with the option to increase the CD’s APY without having to change its term. Generally, only one rate increase is allowed during its term.