Citibank VS CD Bank

Which bank is better for you?

  • Financial Rates: 3.0 Star Icon
  • Customer Service: 5.0 Star Icon
  • Website Experience: 4.5 Star Icon
  • Bank Fees: 2.5 Star Icon
No Rate Information
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Pros:

  • Good rates with Citi Accelerate Savings
  • Variety of accounts available
  • Low opening required amounts
  • ATM fee reimbursement for some accounts

Cons:

  • Regular account rates not competitive
  • Competitive rates have requirements
  • Accounts have monthly fees
  • Competitive CD rates require a high amount
  • 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
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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
Citibank Review

The Citi Accelerate Savings accounts offer competitive interest rates. These accounts are opened as packages. There are five packages to choose. The Citi Accelerate Savings account offers competitive interest rates. Those rates are competitive with other online accounts. This account is only offered to people who apply online. You can apply through Citibank online, CitiMobile, or Citiphone Banking.

Citi offers a good variety of bank accounts. They offer checking and savings accounts. They offer a wide variety of CD terms, with 16 different term options. Citi offers a variety of account packages that fit your banking needs. The packages vary depending on your account balance amounts.

There is not a required amount to open Citi Accelerate Savings accounts. The checking accounts do not have an opening required amount. But, to waive the monthly fees, you must have a set account balance. The minimum opening balance for CDs varies between markets. To earn the most competitive rates for some CDs requires a balance of over $25,000.

The Citigold account package offers ATM reimbursement. To qualify to be a Citigold member, you must have combined Citi account balances over $200,000. Once you qualify, Citi will reimburse you for any ATM fees charged by other banks or ATM providers. This is only for consumer accounts.

Most other account interest rates with Citi are not competitive. The Citi Accelerate Savings account offers rates competitive with other online accounts. There are also a few CD terms that offer competitive rates. Most other Citi account rates compare to typical bank rates.

To earn the most competitive rates with the Citi Accelerate Savings account, you must meet set requirements. These requirements help to waive the monthly fees. All the Citi Accelerate Savings accounts must be opened in a package. That means opening other Citi accounts that link to the Accelerate Savings account.

Each account has a monthly fee. The savings and checking account fees range from $10 to $30. There are ways to waive the monthly fees for each account. Having a set amount of direct deposit into the account can waive the fees. Having a set account balance can also waive the monthly fee. The balances required to waive the fees are high. It can range from $1,500 to $200,000 depending on the account.

Most Citi CD terms do not offer competitive interest rates. Only the six, 12, and 18-month CDs offer rates competitive with other online CDs. To earn the most competitive rates for the 12 and 18-month CDs requires a balance of $25,000. All the other CD rates are not competitive with other online CD accounts.

Read the full Citibank 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.

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American Express
Savings (Rate as of 4/26/2024)
APY 4.25%
Rate 4.16%
For APY $1
Monthly Fee $0.00
Checkbook No
Member FDIC
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