Savings — by use case
CDs trade liquidity for a guaranteed, locked-in APY — useful when you believe rates are at or near peak and want to lock before they fall. FDIC-insured. No market risk. Here are the 4 best CDs worth comparing in 2026.
Quick answer
For CD rates, our top pick is Marcus by Goldman Sachs High-Yield CD (Goldman Sachs Bank USA) — Competitive APY across 6-72 month terms with no minimum deposit requirement. Goldman Sachs Bank USA backing. 10-day rate guarantee — if rates rise within 10 days of opening, you get the higher rate. Strong option for locking mid-to-long term.
Below: 3 lenders ranked for CD rates, with the specific reason each one fits. Methodology, pricing inputs, and FAQs sourced from official issuer disclosures and regulator guidance.
3 lenders / products specifically suited to CD rates, ranked by fit.
Goldman Sachs Bank USA
Editor's pick
Competitive APY across 6-72 month terms with no minimum deposit requirement. Goldman Sachs Bank USA backing. 10-day rate guarantee — if rates rise within 10 days of opening, you get the higher rate. Strong option for locking mid-to-long term.
Synchrony Bank
Best high-APY no-minimum
Consistently among the highest CD APYs available with no minimum deposit requirement on most terms. Good option for rate-maximizing savers without large minimums.
Discover Bank
Discontinued — moved to Capital One
No longer accepting new applications — Discover's CD product has moved to Capital One as part of Capital One's acquisition of Discover. Kept here for reference only; see the other CDs above for options currently open to new customers.
We started with the full lineup in Best High-Yield Savings Accounts 2026 and filtered for the specific signals that matter when the use case is CD rates. Each pick was scored on fit-for-use-case, transparent pricing, qualification floor, and consumer-protection posture. Rankings reflect the editorial judgment of our team — they are not a function of affiliate compensation.
See our full ClearValue Rating methodology for the scoring rubric, refresh cadence, and the source-discipline rules every pick must clear.
The questions shoppers ask about CD rates financing — answered without the marketing spin.
CDs win when: (a) you don't need the money for a defined period, (b) you believe interest rates are at or near peak and will fall — locking in the current rate before the Fed cuts rates. HYSAs win when: (a) you need flexibility to access funds, (b) rates are rising and you want to capture higher rates as they go up. In a falling-rate environment, locking a CD secures the current rate.
Varies by term and institution. Common structures: 90 days of interest for terms under 1 year; 150 days for 1-3 year terms; 6-12 months of interest for terms above 3 years. Ally's penalty is lower than typical — 60 days for most terms, and Ally also offers a dedicated no-penalty CD for HYSA-like flexibility with a CD-like rate.
CD laddering (dividing savings across multiple CDs with staggered maturity dates) balances the rate lock-in benefit with liquidity. Example: split $20,000 into 4 $5,000 CDs at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. As each matures, reinvest or access as needed. Useful when rates are uncertain — you avoid locking all funds in at the wrong term. The FDIC has guidance on CD features at fdic.gov. The Federal Reserve publishes current rate data at federalreserve.gov. See our full guide (/banking/personal/best-high-yield-savings-accounts-2026) and (/loans/personal/best-personal-loans-2026). Scored against ClearValue's published methodology. Updated May 2026.
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Full editorial methodology + all picks (not filtered to CD rates) — when your use case is broader than this page.
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