Top CD rates today: March 21, 2025 | Highest APYs range from 4.15%-4.50%

The third week of March has been a quiet week for changes in top rates on certificates of deposit (CDs). The Federal Reserve also decided to hold its benchmark rate steady this week, which could result in continued stability in competitive CD rates. In fact, we at Bankrate have only seen one such rate decrease in March, while another top rate ticked up slightly.

Currently, 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. The table below shows top CD rates for the most common terms, as well as national averages and the amount you can earn in interest with a $5,000 deposit.

Today's top CD rates by term

Note: Annual percentage yields (APYs) shown are as of March 21, 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.

Is a CD a safe place to keep your money?

When shopping around for a CD, be sure to go with one in which the funds are federally insured. This means you won’t lose your money if the financial institution were to fail. Choose a bank that’s insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) or a credit union insured by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). Under such federally insured institutions, CDs and share certificates are each insured for up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank or credit union, for each account ownership category.

What the current interest rate environment means for CDs

Recent federal funds rate changes: The Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark interest rate three times in late 2024, and the federal funds rate currently stands at a target range of 4.25-4.5 percent. Prior to these rate cuts, the Fed had gradually raised rates 11 times in 2022 and 2023, and rates stood at a 23-year high leading up to the September 2024 cut. Officials then decided at their January and March 2025 rate-setting meetings to leave the benchmark rate untouched.

What this means for deposit accounts such as CDs: Yields on competitive savings accounts and CDs tend to move in lockstep with the Fed’s interest rate moves. As such, many banks increase their yields when the Fed raises rates, and they lower yields when the federal funds rate drops. The Fed’s previous rate cuts spurred decreases in CD APYs, although officials' current holding pattern could mean an overall stabilization in CD rates.

Prior to the September 2024 rate cut, the Fed had held rates steady since July 2023. Meanwhile, top CD APYs peaked in late 2023 and have since been decreasing gradually, as illustrated below.

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.

• Research methodology

  Bankrate calculates and reports the national average APYs for various CD terms. Factored into national average rates are the competitive APYs commonly offered by online banks, along with the very low rates often found at large brick-and-mortar banks.

  In June 2023, Bankrate updated its methodology that determines the national average CD rates. For the process, more than 500 banks and credit unions are now surveyed each week to generate the national averages. Among these institutions are those that are broadly available and offer high yields, as well as some of the nation’s largest banks.