Who Has Better CDs? Ally Bank vs. Capital One 360
The two of the nation’s largest online banks, Ally Bank and Capital One 360, have been battling each other for years. While their savings accounts and checking accounts are in close competition, their CD offerings differ greatly.
Certificates of deposit (CDs) are relatively straightforward deposit accounts -- commit a certain amount of money for a period of time to earn interest and pay a penalty if you withdraw funds prematurely.
More Types of CDs Available
With traditional CDs, you keep a specific amount money in the CD until it matures. You're not supposed to withdraw the money, increase the deposit, or change the interest rates.
Banks may offer different types of CDs that provide more flexibility with how you can manage your money.
Ally Bank offers a no-penalty CD that doesn't charge an early withdrawal penalty if you ever decide to withdraw the money before the CD matures. However, the interest rate tends to be lower on this type of CD. You might even find that Ally's Online Savings account provides a higher interest rate than its no-penalty CD.
Ally Bank also offers 2-year and a 4-year CDs that allow a one-time increase of the interest rate, which can come in handy if you find that you’re stuck with a low rate when interest rates are rising.
Keep Note of the Early Withdrawal Penalties
In addition to higher CD rates, Ally Bank is more lenient with its early withdrawal penalties.
Ally Bank charges just 60 days worth of interest on an early withdrawal of any CD while Capital One 360 has early withdrawal penalties of 2 months’ interest on CD terms of 12 months or less and 6 months’ interest on CD terms of longer than 12 months.
Ally Bank CD Early Withdrawal Penalties
| CD Term | Early Withdrawal Penalty |
|---|---|
| 24 months or less | 60 days of interest |
| 25 - 36 months | 90 days of interest |
| 37 - 48 months | 120 days of interest |
| 48 months or more | 180 days of interest |
Capital One 360 CD Early Withdrawal Penalties
| CD Term | Early Withdrawal Penalty |
|---|---|
| 12 months or less | 3 months of interest |
| More than 12 months | 6 months of interest |
Get a Bonus When You Renew Your CD
Banks can offer more to attract customers. Ally Bank offers a CD renewal bonus to keep loyal customers. Many community banks also allow customers to negotiate the rate when they renew a CD. Capital One 360 does not provide such a perk.
Although Ally Bank does outshine Capital One 360 with its CDs, note that other online banks do offer higher rates (see tables below).
Ally Bank's lax penalty policy and renewal bonus are likely to be the differentiating factors.
