Banking » Reviews » Synchrony Bank CD Rates, September 2023
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Synchrony Bank CD Rates, December 2023

Synchrony CD rates are highly competitive, and include a variety of terms from 3 months to 5 years. Also, there is no penalty CD.
Author: Baruch Mann (Silvermann)
Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Writer, Contributor

Experience

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor, which helps consumers make better financial decisions.  Silvermann’s areas of expertise include investing, banking, and credit cards. Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more. Aside from being a finance expert, his background includes working as a business and financial analyst. Above all, he is passionate about teaching people how to manage their money and helping millions on their journey to a better financial future.
Interest Rates Last Update: September 20, 2023
The banking product interest rates, including savings, CDs, and money market, are accurate as of this date.
Author: Baruch Mann (Silvermann)
Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Writer, Contributor

Experience

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor, which helps consumers make better financial decisions.  Silvermann’s areas of expertise include investing, banking, and credit cards. Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more. Aside from being a finance expert, his background includes working as a business and financial analyst. Above all, he is passionate about teaching people how to manage their money and helping millions on their journey to a better financial future.
Interest Rates Last Update: November 1, 2023

The banking product interest rates, including savings, CDs, and money market, are accurate as of this date.

We earn a commission from our partner links on this page. It doesn't affect the integrity of our unbiased, independent editorial staff. Transparency is a core value for us, read our advertiser disclosure and how we make money.

Table Of Content

Synchrony is an online bank offering a variety of deposit accounts including high yield savings and CDs.

While Synchrony does not have any physical branches, it does have a solid reputation for offering impressive rates and minimal fees. The line of CDs ranges from three months to five years with different terms including standard CDs and no penalty CDs.

This should enable you to find the ideal CD product to suit your preferences and financial requirements. But, do Synchrony Bank CD rates stack up against the competition? Here we’ll explore Synchrony CDs in more detail.

Synchrony CDs

APY Range

2.25% – 5.50%

Minimum Deposit

$0

Terms

3 months – 5 year

Our Rating

4.5
4.5/5

Synchrony CDs

APY Range

2.25% – 5.50%

Minimum Deposit

$0

Terms

3 months – 5 year

Our Rating

4.5
4.5/5

Synchrony Bank CD Rates

Synchrony Bank CDs offer highly competitive rates. Many traditional banks fail to offer rates comparable or higher than the national average rate, so online banks are typically more competitive. However, Synchrony rates can also stand up against other online banks. For example, Synchrony's 6-month CD rates are among the highest in the market. 

Even the lowest rate, which is offered with the three-month standard CD is higher than the national average. This is quite impressive, as many banks offset the lower term with a far lower rate. So, even if you don’t want to commit your funds for a long period, you can still access a competitive rate.

CD Term
APY
3 Months
2.25%
6 Months
5.25%
9 Months
5.50%
12 Months
5.30%
11 Months – No Penalty
4.50%
18 Months
5.25%
24 Months
4.40%
36 Months
4.30%
48 Months
4.00%
60 Months
4.00%

How Much Can You Earn If You Deposit $100,000 Today?

Here are the expected earnings (before taxes), assuming a deposit of $100,000 into Synhcrony CD, in the event that interest is compounded daily and there is no early withdrawal penalty:

CD Term
Interest Earned
3 Months
$556
6 Months
$2,118
9 Months
$3,232
12 Months
$4,538
11 Months – No Penalty
$3,448
18 Months
$6,884
24 Months
$8,852
36 Months
$13,567
48 Months
$18,487
60 Months
$23,620

How Synchrony Bank CDs Work

The standard Synchrony Bank CDs offer terms of three months to five years, with the rates weighted towards terms longer than 12 months. You can withdraw the interest accumulated on your CD without any penalty, but, if you do need to withdraw some or all of your principal a penalty will apply.

The penalty is calculated according to your CD term. If your CD term is 12 months or less, the penalty is 90 days of simple interest. This increases to 180 days of simple interest if your CD term is 12 to 48 months and 365 days for terms of over 48 months.

CD Term
Early Withdrawal Penalty
3 Months
90 days of interest
6 Months
90 days of interest
9 Months
90 days of interest
12 Months
90 days of interest
11 Months – No Penalty
/
18 Months
180 days of interest
24 Months
180 days of interest
36 Months
180 days of interest
48 Months
365 days of interest
60 Months
365 days of interest

Synchrony also has a Bump Up CD, which allows you to increase the APY rate once during the term to enjoy a higher rate if the rates increase in the intervening months. There is only one term option for the Bump Up CD, 24 months, and the above early withdrawal penalties apply if you need to withdraw your principal before the CD matures.

If you are concerned about needing access to your funds before the CD maturity date, Synchrony does have an 11 month No Penalty CD. This has a slightly lower rate compared to the standard Synchrony CDs, but you can withdraw all or some of your funds after the first six days of funding the CD with no penalty.

The final Synchrony CD option is an IRA CD. This offers a highly competitive rate, which is comparable with the longer term standard Synchrony CDs and there is only a 12 month term option. However, it does offer access to the tax advantages of a retirement account.

All Synchrony CDs have no minimum balance requirements and no monthly maintenance fees.

Synchrony CD Rates vs Synchrony Savings Rates

In addition to its CDs, Synchrony Bank also offers a high yield savings account. Both types of accounts have no minimum balance requirements or maintenance fees, but there are some key differences between these accounts that may influence which is the better option for you.

The Synchrony high yield savings account offers a higher rate than the various CDs with a term of less than 12 months. However, longer term CDs do offer higher rates.

The main reason that the savings account offers a generally lower rate compared to the CDs is that you have immediate access to your funds. Since it is a high yield account, you are limited to six withdrawals per month, but you can transfer funds out or withdraw cash with the optional ATM card. This means that you don’t need to worry about penalties or losing accumulated interest if you suddenly have a cash emergency.

It is also important to note that once you fund your CD, you cannot make additional deposits. So, if you want to regularly save, the high yield savings account is better suited to your needs.

CDs
Savings
APY
2.25% – 5.50%
4.75%
Minimum Deposit
$0
$0
Fees
$0
$0

Synchrony CD Rates vs Synchrony Money Market Account

Synchrony Bank also offers a money market account. This account has no minimum balance requirements, but it has a lower rate than the Synchrony CDs, except the three-month CD, which offers the same rate.

The critical difference between CDs and money market accounts is in the account's functionality. While CDs lock in your funds for a set period, the money market account offers check-writing abilities and ATM access. While Synchrony does not offer a checking account, the money market account provides a good compromise. You can have your salary directly deposited into the account and use it to pay for your daily expenses.

This makes the two accounts very different. Although the money market account has an impressive APY on balances, it is designed to allow you to pay in funds and access your money without restrictions. On the other hand, a CD is designed to provide you with a fixed-term savings option to receive a guaranteed return on your funds.

About Synchrony Bank

Synchrony is a fully online bank that has been established since 2003. It was created with the intention to provide technology and financial solutions to help its customers towards their goals.

As an online bank, Synchrony does not have any physical branches, but it has a generous ATM policy, reimbursing customers up to a monthly limit for domestic ATM fees charged by the machine owner.

Synchrony also has established a solid reputation for offering impressive rates on its savings accounts, CDs, and money market accounts. It also offers a line of credit cards, but the bank does not currently offer a checking account.

Overall, Synchrony is a good bank, but if you are interested in moving all of your day-to-day finances to a new bank, you may find Synchrony a little lacking.

FAQs

Yes, Synchrony Bank is included on our best no-penalty CDs list with its 11 month no-penalty CD, which allows you to make withdrawals at any time apart from the first six days after funding the account. Synchrony 

Synchrony Bank does have its Bump Up CD, which offers the ability to bump up your rate once during the 24 month term if the overall market rates have increased since you opened the account. This could be considered a promotional product as it may not be continuously available.

There is a 10 day grace period after your CD matures. During this time, you can add funds to the account, make withdrawals or close the account without any penalties.

Interest on Synchrony CDs is compounded daily and added to your account monthly. You can withdraw the accumulated interest in your CD account with no penalty, but this will compromise the overall return of your CD over its full term.

The withdrawal penalty applies to all Synchrony CDs with the exception of the no penalty CD. The amount of the penalty is calculated according to a number of days of simple interest and the length of your CD term.

This can vary from 90 days to 365 days of simple interest, with shorter term CDs attracting a lower penalty. For example, if you have a CD with an 18 month term, the early withdrawal penalty is 180 days, but a three month CD has a penalty of 90 days.

Compare CD Rates

Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Baruch Mann (Silvermann)

Baruch Silvermann is a financial expert, experienced analyst, and founder of The Smart Investor, which helps consumers make better financial decisions.  Silvermann's areas of expertise include investing, banking, and credit cards. Silvermann has contributed to Yahoo Finance and cited as an authoritative source in financial outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC Select, CNET, Bankrate, Fox Business, The Street, and more. Aside from being a finance expert, his background includes working as a business and financial analyst. Above all, he is passionate about teaching people how to manage their money and helping millions on their journey to a better financial future.