Bank5 Connect VS CD Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
1.50%APY
Savings/MMA
Advertiser Disclosure
Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon

Pros:

  • Competitive rates on all accounts
  • ATM fee reimbursement
  • Low opening required amounts
  • No monthly maintenance fees

Cons:

  • Limited personal deposit accounts
  • External transfers only for checking
  • Daily withdrawal amounts low
  • Customer service not always available
  • Financial Rates: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 5.0 Star Icon
No Rate Information
Advertiser Disclosure
Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon Star Icon

Pros:

  • Good variety of CD terms and no fees
  • Competitive interest rates on CDs
  • Can open any CD account online
  • Short-term CDs offer competitive rates

Cons:

  • Only CDs offered
  • Must link CDs to external accounts
  • High opening required amounts
  • Customer service not available 24/7
Bank5 Connect Review

Bank5 Connect offers competitive interest rates on all accounts. The rates are much higher than your typical brick and mortar bank rates. They are competitive with other online accounts. Interest rates are not tiered. Any amount over $100 earns the most competitive rate.

To get cash from a Bank5 Connect account, you can access any ATMs in the SUM network. If you withdraw money from an ATM that is not in the SUM network, Bank5 Connect will reimburse you the ATM fee. Bank5 Connect will reimburse up to $15 each month in ATM fees.

Bank5 Connect has low opening required amounts. The checking and savings account only require $10 to open. The CDs require $500 to open. To earn interest on the checking and savings account you must have $100 in the accounts.

Bank5 Connect accounts do not have monthly maintenance fees. There is not a required balance to keep in the account. To earn interest, you must have $100 in the checking and savings account. However, you will not be charged a fee for not having that balance.

Bank5 Connect does not offer a wide variety of accounts. Only personal deposit accounts are available. Those accounts include a checking account, savings account, and CDs. CD terms range from 6-months to 36-month terms. They also offer one investment CD. That term is a 24-month CD. There are no business accounts offered through Bank5 Connect.

Only money in a Bank5 checking account can be transferred to an external bank account. You cannot transfer funds from the Bank5 Connect savings to an external account. You must transfer the money from the Bank5 Connect checking account.

The Bank5 Connect checking account has daily withdrawal and purchase limits. You can only withdraw $500 each day from an ATM. There is a daily purchase limit of $1,000 with your debit card. If you need to spend more money, you must contact a Bank5 Connect representative.

Bank5 Connect customer service are not available 24/7. Their hours vary depending on the day. They open at 7:30 a.m. every day, except Sunday. They open at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. They are open until 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Wednesday, and 7:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday. They close at 3:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Online chat is available Monday thru Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All times are Eastern Standard Time.

Read the full Bank5 Connect review.

CD Bank Review

There are a variety of CD terms offered through CD Bank. The terms range from three-month to 60-month terms. There are nine CDs offered between those terms. There are no fees to open the accounts or to maintain the account. The only fee is if you withdraw the money before the CD reaches maturity.

Each of the accounts offered through CD Bank offer competitive interest rates. The rates are competitive with other online CDs. The rates are much higher than typical brick and mortar bank rates.

CD Bank is an entirely online bank. You can open any CD term online as long as you meet the requirements. You must be at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen or resident alien. The process to open a CD with CD Bank is completely online.

Usually, with CDs, the longer terms earn more competitive interest rates. However, some short-term CDs from CD Bank offer more competitive rates than the longer terms. The 9, 12, 18, and 24-month CD terms offer the most competitive interest rates.

CD Bank offers a limited amount of accounts. They only offer personal deposit CDs. Those CD terms range from three-month to 60-months. There are no other personal deposit accounts available. There are also no business accounts offered through CD Bank.

The easiest way to fund CD Bank accounts is to link the account to an external account. You can mail a check or request a wire transfer. To make electronic transfers does require a linked external account. Money can only be deposited into CD accounts at CD Bank during the grace period after the CD reaches maturity.

The amount required to open any CD with CD Bank is high. Each term requires $10,000 to open. You must also have $10,000 in the account to earn the most competitive interest rate. Balances under $10,000 do not earn the competitive interest rates.

Customer service for CD Bank has specific hours. They are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. If you contact customer service after hours, they will address your issue the next business day.

Read the full CD Bank review.

Sponsored Offers

Advertiser Disclosure
Featured Offers
American Express
Savings (Rate as of 4/19/2024)
APY 4.30%
Rate 4.21%
For APY $1
Monthly Fee $0.00
Checkbook No
Member FDIC
Next >
LendingClub
Savings (Rate as of 4/19/2024)
APY 5.00%
Rate 5.00%
For APY $0
Monthly Fee $0.00
Checkbook No
Member FDIC Plus, no monthly fees and unlimited free external transfers
Next >
CIT Bank
Savings (Rate as of 4/19/2024)
APY 5.05%
Rate 4.93%
For APY $5,000
Monthly Fee $0.00
Checkbook No
Member FDIC CIT Bank, a division of First Citizens, 125+ years of experience.
Next >
Barclays
Savings (Rate as of 4/19/2024)
APY 4.35%
Rate 4.35%
For APY $0
Monthly Fee $0.00
Checkbook No
Member FDIC
Next >