Best Certificate of Deposit Accounts
By: Conor Keenan Last updated February 14, 2026
Conor Keenan is the Co-Founder of CompareAccounts and an Accredited Wealth Management Advisor candidate. He has covered consumer banking & investing trends for over a decade, his work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Reuters & Yahoo Finance.
Editorial Independence: Our opinions, reviews, and recommendations are our own. Partner commissions keep our site free, but our content remains independent.
Finding the right savings account shouldn’t be confusing. Every day, we help thousands of people cut through the noise to open FDIC-insured accounts we trust for our own families and friends. Open yours and start earning more on your savings today.
4.00% APY
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
On U.S. Bank National Association's
Secure Site, Member FDIC
Best For: Branch Access
Watch your money grow when you open a U.S. Bank Elite Money Market account.
U.S. Bank offers new Elite Money Market Account clients up to 4.00% APY with a $25,000 balance.
A minimum $100 initial deposit is required to open the account.
U.S. Bank has over 2,000 branch locations in more than half of U.S. states.
Deposits are insured through the FDIC for up to $250,000 per depositor and if you have any questions U.S. Bank offers "24-Hour Banking" meaning a customer service representative is available 24/7.
In order to earn the 4.00% APY, you must have a balance of $25,000 or more. If you're planning on depositing less than $25,000, we recommend choosing a different account.
Avoid maintence fees with an average daily balance of $10,000 or more. Easy access to your funds when you need it and you can manage your cash and move money safely with the U.S. Bank Mobile App. APY may vary by zip code.
See U.S. Bank's Secure Site For More Details.
APY
4.00%
Annual Percentage Yield (APY)
- Money Market Account
- Min. initial deposit: $100
- Earn up to 4.00% APY
- 4.00% APY Minimum Balance: $25,000
- Avoid maintence fees with $10,000+ avg. daily balance
- APY available for new Elite Money Market clients
- Best for branch access with 2,000+ branches nationwide
- Easy access to your money when you need it
- APY may vary by zip code
- See Site for Details
On U.S. Bank National Association's Secure Site, Member FDIC
APY
3.90%
- High Yield Money Market Account
- Min. initial deposit: $1
- 3.90% APY
- American First is Federally Insured by NCUA, the National Credit Union Administration
- NCUA Insured up to $250,000
- No Monthly Fees
- Unlimited Withdrawals
- 9.2x National Avg. APY
- Interest Compounded Daily
- American First Has Served Its Members for Over 70 Years
- Not-For-Profit Financial Institution
- See Site for Details
On Raisin's Secure Site for
American First Federal Credit Union,
NCUA Insured
3.90% APY
On Raisin's Secure Site
for American First,
NCUA Insured
Best For: High APY Money Market Account
Exclusively through the Raisin platform, American First Credit Union currently offers 3.90% APY on their high-yield money market account with no monthly fees and a minimum initial deposit of $1.00.
Deposits are federally insured through the NCUA for up to $250,000 per depositor and interest compounds daily.
The Raisin platform also offers you the opportunity to access up to $10 million in federal deposit insurance through its network, all from a single secure login.
Interest compounds daily and is posted to your account monthly.
As a not-for-profit financial institution, American First, at its founding, was dedicated to supporting grocery store workers and has continue to grow and serve its members for over 70 years.
Now savers across America have access to American First Credit Union saving products through Raisin.
See Raisin's Secure Site For American First Credit Union to Get More Details.
Bonus Offer
3.90%
On Raisin's Secure Site
For Valley Bank, Member FDIC
Best For: High APY From a Top Regional Bank
Founded in 1927, Valley Bank has been helping customers for nearly 100 years.
Valley Bank is a high-performing regional bank with assets greater than $62 billion and currently offers a 3.90% APY on their high yield savings account through the Raisin Platform.
This APY is substantially higher than what you’ll find at most brick-and-mortar banks and even most online banks.
In addition to this high APY, Valley Bank offers $0 monthly maintenance fees, unlimited withdrawals, and is insured by the FDIC for up to $250,000 per depositor.
By partnering with Raisin, Valley Bank is able to extend its high yield savings offer past its 200 branch locations to help savers nationwide earn more.
Valley Bank was named one of America’s Best Regional Banks by Newsweek in both 2024 & 2025.
Depositing $10,000 or more? New customers can get between a $70 to $1,500 cash bonus depending on deposit size. Use code HEADSTART.
See Raisin's Secure Site for Valley Bank For More Details.
CIT Bank® Certificate of Deposit Account: 3.75% APY - 6 Month Term
Robinhood Brokerage Account Details: Best For: Active Traders Using Robinhood Legend
Robinhood Brokerage Account Details: Best For: Investment Matching with Robinhood Gold
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing: Best For: Security & Resources of a Top-Tier Bank
Synchrony Bank Certificate of Deposit Account: 4.00% APY - 14 Month Term
What to Look for in a High-Yield Savings Account
It’s always wise to compare your options when opening a new savings account. Small differences in interest rates and fees can quickly add up over time, especially if you’re keeping a large balance in savings.
Here are the top features to look for and compare:
1. Interest Rate
The interest rate of a savings account is one of its most important features. However, a very high interest rate can get completely wiped out by monthly fees.
Although your main goal may be a higher interest rate, be sure to focus on low and better yet, no monthly fee accounts. Other important features of your savings account include the required initial deposit, minimum balance required, and how you access your money.
2. Monthly Fees
Monthly fees can destroy your return. You should avoid them like the plague. That’s why we recommend you focus on no monthly fee savings accounts to maximize your return.
3. Required Initial Deposit
Does the bank require a large initial deposit? Are you comfortable depositing that much right away? These days, most banks will allow you to open an account with as little as $1 or even $0 dollars.
Some banks may offer a higher yield with a higher initial deposit. You’ll just need to decide whether that higher initial deposit will be worth any increase in yield.
4. Minimum Balance Required
Minimum balance required to maintain your account is another feature to keep a close eye on.
Most of the banks we recommend do not have large minimum balance requirements, if any minimum balance requirement at all.
The accounts we do recommend that have a higher minimum required balance are usually CD accounts, which you don’t want to open unless you want to lock up your money for 6 months, 12 months or longer.
5. Accessing Your Money
Accessing your money is important with any account. Some high yield savings accounts allow you to transfer funds out of the account as often as you’d like, while others place limits on the number of outgoing transfers you can perform per month.
Additionally, some banks will issue a debit card for your high yield savings account, although that is more common for checking accounts.
We recommend to not focus on the debit card aspect too much and instead ask yourself “how often will I need to pull money from my savings?” We believe that savings should be left alone, until really needed, in order take advantage of compound interest.
Although a limit of 6 out going transfers sounds low, if you need to pull money out more often than that, we’d recommend putting those funds into a checking account instead.
Frequently Asked Questions About High Yield Savings Accounts
What is a High Yield Savings Account?
A high yield savings account is a type of bank account that offers a higher Annual Percentage Yield (APY) than a checking account.
A checking account is used for money that needs to be moved quickly such as to pay bills or use for ever day spending.
Whereas a savings account is a better option for money that doesn’t need to be used right away, for example your emergency fund.
How to Find The Best High Yield Savings Account?
Arguably the best way to find the best savings accounts is right here on www.compareaccounts.com. Although we don’t showcase every single savings account available, we stand by our recommendations as the highest tier of the best accounts in America.
Why are Online High Yield Savings Accounts Better Than Traditional Ones?
Traditional banks offer low rates on savings accounts. This is because they’re managing insanely large amounts of money and need to manage their risk profile. The less “guaranteed returns” they provide, the less risky their overall portfolio becomes. As a result, traditional banks only offer about .01-.10% interest on their savings accounts. A high yield account offers up to 3.86% interest on your savings. Which is much higher than 10x the national average. Now you know why so many people are switching to a high-yield savings account.
Is My Money Safe?
Yes! The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) protects savings accounts listed on this page. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insures Bank and thrift deposits of up to $250,000.
How Do I Open a High Yield Savings Account?
Easy. Simply click on the “open account” button above. Once you arrive at our partner’s site, you’ll be able to open your new savings account safely and securely.
*National Savings Rate Average as published by FDIC