Best 6-month CD rates of July 2024
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BLUEPRINT
Updated 11:23 a.m. UTC July 5, 2024
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The best six-month certificates of deposit (CDs) of 2024 offer you the best of both worlds: a robust interest rate (currently greater than 5%) with a short-term commitment. This gives you the opportunity to earn a solid return on savings that you have earmarked for a particular purchase or goal.
Annual percentage yields (APYs) and account details are accurate as of July 5, 2024.
Summary of the top 6-month CD rates
| Product Image | CD NAME | 6-MONTH CD APY | MIN. DEPOSIT | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Bank5 Connect High-Yield certificates of deposit | 5.05% | $500 | |||||
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 | Barclays Online certificates of deposit | 4.85% | $0 | |||||
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 | CommunityWide Federal Credit Union CW certificate account | 5.30% | $1,000 | |||||
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 | Popular Direct certificates of deposit | 5.35% | $10,000 | |||||
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 | Marcus by Goldman Sachs High-Yield certificates of deposit | 5.10% | $500 | |||||
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 | Bask Bank Certificates of Deposit | 5.35% | $1,000 | |||||
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 | Synchrony Bank certificates of deposit | 4.80% | $0 | |||||
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 | First Internet Bank certificates of deposit | 5.13% | $1,000 | |||||
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 | My eBanc Online Time Deposit | 5.20% | $5,000 | |||||
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 | Vio Bank certificates of deposit | 5.25% | $500 | |||||
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 | Quontic Bank certificates of deposit | 5.05% | $500 | |||||
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Why trust our banking experts
Our team of experts evaluates hundreds of banking products and analyzes thousands of data points to help you find the best product for your situation. We use a data-driven methodology to determine each rating. Advertisers do not influence our editorial content. You can read more about our methodology below.
- 140 CDs from 84+ financial institutions reviewed.
- 4 levels of fact checking.
- 50+ data points analyzed.
Best 6-month CDs of 2024
When making our selections, we strongly considered the APY offered by a particular CD, as well as any hurdles you’d have to jump through in order to qualify for it. Many CDs require a minimum deposit and credit unions often have membership qualifications. The best CDs have high rates and few requirements to attain them.
Bank5 Connect High-Yield certificates of deposit
CommunityWide Federal Credit Union CW certificate account
Popular Direct certificates of deposit
Marcus by Goldman Sachs High-Yield certificates of deposit
Bask Bank Certificates of Deposit
Synchrony Bank certificates of deposit
First Internet Bank certificates of deposit
My eBanc Online Time Deposit
Vio Bank certificates of deposit
Quontic Bank certificates of deposit
Compare the best 6-month CDs
| INSTITUTION | STAR RATING | APY ON 6-MONTH CDs | MINIMUM DEPOSIT REQUIREMENT | EARLY WITHDRAWAL PENALTY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bank5 Connect High-Yield certificates of deposit
| 5 | 5.05%
| $500
| Three months’ interest
|
Barclays Online certificates of deposit
| 4.85 | 4.85%
| $0
| 90 days’ interest
|
CommunityWide Federal Credit Union CW certificate account
| 4.82 | 5.30%
| $1,000
| The withdrawn amount times the number of days left on the term at twice the current APR (divided by 365)
|
Popular Direct certificates of deposit
| 4.81 | 5.35%
| $10,000
| 120 days’ interest
|
Marcus by Goldman Sachs High-Yield certificates of deposit
| 4.80 | 5.10%
| $500
| 90 days’ interest
|
Bask Bank Certificates of Deposit
| 4.76 | 5.35%
| $1,000
| 90 days’ interest
|
Synchrony Bank certificates of deposit
| 4.75 | 4.80%
| $0
| 90 days’ simple interest
|
First Internet Bank certificates of deposit
| 4.75 | 5.13%
| $1,000
| 180 days’ interest
|
My eBanc Online Time Deposit
| 4.71 | 5.20%
| $5,000
| Three months’ interest
|
Vio Bank certificates of deposit
| 4.70 | 5.25%
| $500
| 1% of the amount withdrawn, plus a $25 fee
|
Quontic Bank certificates of deposit
| 4.69 | 5.05%
| $500
| 6 months’ interest
|
Methodology
The reason Americans look to a certificate of deposit (CD) is to earn extra yield on a portion of their savings that they don’t need for a little while. Yields, then, are the most important factor for you to consider. If a six-month CD can’t offer a better yield than what you can find from the best high-yield savings accounts, what’s the point?
To that point, we also reward banks and credit unions that offer daily compounding interest so you earn as much as possible. With interest rates first and foremost, the other, small factors we consider include the bank should also feature highly-rated customer service, a frictionless digital experience, as well as an affordable minimum deposit, so young savers aren’t boxed out.
To come up with our ratings, we looked at more than 140 CDs offered by roughly 85 financial institutions and evaluated them to create a star rating for each. An institution with a perfect score of 100 would get five stars. One with a score of 80 would get four stars and so on. Here are the categories we analyzed and how we weighted each.
- APY: 80%.
- Compound interest schedule: 5%.
- Customer experience: 5%.
- Digital experience: 5%.
- Availability: 3%.
- Minimum deposit: 2%.
Why some banks didn’t make the cut
Not all financial institutions made our list for the best six-month CDs. Those that earned much lower ratings didn’t make the cut because they had an overall low score due to poor APY, high minimum deposit requirements and poor customer ratings.
If you’re wondering why the largest banks in the nation didn’t make the cut, it’s primarily because they don’t offer the most competitive CD rates. Typically the highest APY CDs are offered by relatively smaller banks looking to make some noise and attract customers. The largest companies enjoy the benefits of being a defacto go-to when people think of opening a bank account.
National average interest rate for CDs
The national average for six-month CDs is 1.81% as of June 17, 2024, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). All of the CDs on our list offer significantly higher APYs than the national average.
| CD TERM | NATIONAL DEPOSIT RATE |
|---|---|
1-month CD
| 0.23%
|
3-month CD
| 1.53%
|
6-month CD
| 1.81%
|
12-month CD
| 1.86%
|
24-month CD
| 1.57%
|
36-month CD
| 1.44%
|
48-month CD
| 1.36%
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60-month CD
| 1.43%
|
Finding and choosing the best 6-month CD rate
It wasn’t that long ago CDs, especially six-month CDs, paid very little. In May 2022, for instance, the average six-month CD offered a yield of 0.10%. Put $10,000 into a CD paying that yield and you’ll end up with a grand total of $5 in interest earnings. Enough for a latte.
Now you can do much better. The national average has improved to 1.81%, and you can get many multiples of that with a little bit of research. In fact, you can now earn more than 5% on your savings.
The key is to look around and be flexible.
Quick tip. Do your own research! Settling for a CD at a bank you’re familiar with can cause you to miss out on the best yields available.
The nation’s biggest banks, such as Chase and Bank of America, benefit from generations of customers and a huge marketing advantage. You can often find the best yields from online banks or credit unions, but those names tend to be unfamiliar.
Therefore, when looking for a CD, don’t be held captive by the most well-known brand. Use well-considered methodologies, like the one we employed, to familiarize yourself with as many CD options as possible.
Factors to consider when choosing a 6-month CD
Yield. Yield. Yield. And we don’t meanslow down.
Yes, there are other factors to take into account when deciding which CD is best for you, including customer experience and compounding interest schedule. (You should also be aware of your CD’s early withdrawal fee, but not necessarily let it affect your decision. If you’re genuinely concerned you’ll need the cash before your term expires, better to go with a no-penalty CD.)
All else being equal, you should opt for the CD that offers the highest yield on the market.
However, you needn’t be dogmatic about it. Let’s say there are two CDs you’re interested in, and one pays 5.50%, while the other pays 5.25%, both are near the top of the market. After six months with a $10,000 deposit, you’ll earn additional $12 in interest ($271 compared to $259) by going with the higher yielding option.
Therefore, if you like the 5.25% CD for other reasons (perhaps it's offered by a nearby credit union), then you can make that tradeoff.
However, you should never settle for a subpar yield, no matter the quality of customer service.
When do shorter CD terms make sense?
Shorter CD terms serve well when you have a short-term savings goal, when you won’t need a chunk of money for a short period and when you think deposit rates will increase even more relatively soon.
They offer flexibility that longer-term CDs don’t and, typically, higher yields than savings accounts.
Learn more: The best CD rates
They can also be used in combination with longer-term CDs to form a CD ladder, which is a savings strategy that uses staggered maturity periods so that you can optimize the yield on your savings.
Who are short-term CDs best for?
Short-term CDs are viable options for any number of savers. Someone fresh to the workforce, for instance, could use it to save up for a new car. Someone slightly older may consider short-term CDs as a depot for a family vacation or the down payment on a new home. Those nearing retirement might consider them as a vehicle to stash cash they can’t afford to lose.
No matter who uses it, and for what reason, you need to be intentional about your decision. Let’s say you’re in the market for a new house and you need to act quickly if you find your dream abode. In that case, a 6-month CD isn’t particularly useful, since you’ll have to pay a penalty if you take out the cash early.
Quick tip. Long-term CDs can make sense for you, even if they offer lower yields, if you believe interest rates will fall in the near future.
Likewise, if you’re going to make it part of your overall CD strategy, make sure you understand how to close down your account. Many CDs will automatically renew after a 10-day grace period. If you want the CD term to end, contact your bank (perhaps even in writing) a few weeks before the expiration date.
Should I open a 6-month CD or savings account?
Savings accounts, especially high-yield savings accounts, are perfect places to store your rainy-day funds. They allow you to earn relatively high interest while still being liquid.
You should always have the money accessible so that you won’t need to go into debt if something happens, like a job layoff, a broken leg or an auto collision where you’d need to pay an insurance deductible.
Once you have three-to six-months worth of your expenses amassed in a traditional or online savings account, then look into investments like CDs.
Alternatives to 6-month CDs
If your goal is to lock in a guaranteed return from a low-risk investment over a period of six months, there are few options as useful as a six-month CD. Still, you might consider some of the following:
No-penalty CD. If you’re worried that you’ll need access to your cash before the term expires, you can opt for a no-penalty CD. Marcus by Goldman Sachs currently offers one that yields 4.70%.
3-month CD (doubled). Another option is to opt for a three-month CD and then renew it when the term expires. The benefit of this strategy is that you’ll typically earn a higher yield than by opting for a no-penalty CD. Fidelity, for instance, currently has a 5.30% on its three-month option. The downside is that rates could fall by the time you need to renew your CD.
High-yield savings account. Perhaps the simplest option is to toss your savings into a, well, savings account. You can currently earn 4.50% from the Quontic Bank High Yield Savings, for instance. The problem is that convenience comes with a cost; savings account yields typically pay less than what you find with CDs.
High-yield checking account. While diminished in scope, you can still find attractive high-yield checking accounts, some of which offer yields in the same ballpark of some of our CD selections. Consumers Credit Union Rewards Checking, for instance, yields 0.10% to 5.00% APY, depending on the account balance and if certain requirements are met. This could be a good option for young savers just starting out.
Money market account (MMA). You can also consider a money market account, which is basically a hybrid of a checking and savings account. Some options pay similar yields to CDs; The Quontic Money Market Account currently offers 5.00%. However, that yield isn’t guaranteed for six months and could fall if the rate environment changes.
You’ll notice that stocks and bonds aren’t included in this list, and that’s because those securities (even bonds) carry investment risk that are unacceptable for someone considering a CD. If you want a CD, you want to know that your capital will be preserved for as long as you need it to be, and stocks and bonds cannot satisfy that aim.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
The financial institution with the best interest rates on savings products changes regularly. When you are looking for a six-month CD, compare rates across multiple lenders. Shopping around is the only way to know you are getting the best deal.
The answer is: It depends. What are your financial goals? If you simply want to earn a high APY on cash that you don’t need to have at your beck and call right now, and you’re not interested in locking away your funds for longer, then a six-month CD is worth it.
Generally, the interest you earn through a CD is considered taxable income.
“When tax forms are mailed out each year, you will receive a 1099-INT from the bank where you have your CD to report any interest you have been paid throughout the year,” said Desiree Kaul of Main Street Planning in Satellite Beach, Fla.
You pay taxes on CD interest in the year that the interest is earned. If your six-month CD starts in one year and ends in another, you’ll pay taxes on however much you earned in each year.
You have to include the information from the 1099-INT in your state and federal tax filings. It’s counted as part of your annual income and taxed accordingly. One possible exception is when the CD is part of your individual retirement account (IRA).
If it’s part of your traditional or Roth IRA, “then the rules are based on the IRA’s taxes,” said Nicholas Bunio, CFP in Downingtown, Pa. “If you use the money to buy investments in the account, there are no taxes due. If you take the money out, then either there are income taxes, penalties if you’re under 59 and a half,” or no taxes due if it’s a Roth IRA.
The CD market has been in a wonky place these past few years. That’s because you can often get a better rate on short-term CDs than longer-term ones.
“The yield curve is currently inverted, meaning that shorter-term CDs, such as one to two years, are yielding the same or more than five-year CDs,” said Seth Mullikin, CFP at Lattice Financial in Charlotte.
Whether short-term yields will march higher, though, is another matter. The Federal Reserve wants to move short-term interest rates lower and will do so once inflation gets closer to its 2% target.
Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
