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Key Takeaways
- You can earn 5.50% APY on a 9-month certificate of deposit (CD) if you open the account before Saturday, Sept. 27.
- Nuvision Credit Union’s limited-time, 90th anniversary CD is currently the nationwide rate leader, paying 5.50% APY on balances up to $5,000.
- Snagging this CD while you can would let you lock in a guaranteed 5.50% return until June 2026.
- Rates on savings accounts and new CDs are expected to decline now that the Fed has made its first interest rate cut of the fall.
- If you’re in the market for a longer term, consider locking in a rate of 4.00% or more with one of the best nationwide CDs.
The full article continues below these offers from our partners.
This Nation-Leading 5.50% CD Will Be Gone Soon
For weeks, our daily research into the best CD rates nationwide has resulted in nothing higher than 4.60% annual percentage yield (APY). But today, we learned that Nuvision Credit Union’s 90th anniversary limited-time CD is paying almost a full percentage point more.
The 9-month CD pays 5.50%—but only if you open the account by Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. Opening this certificate today would guarantee you a 5.50% return until June 2026.
There are a couple of restrictions on this CD, however. The maximum allowed deposit is $5,000, and you are limited to one account per person. But membership in the credit union is open to U.S. residents nationwide, at no cost.
How Much Can You Earn by Summer 2026 With This Top CD?
If you deposit the maximum $5,000 in this CD and leave it there until maturity, you can earn over $200. Compounding monthly, your $5,000 balance, earning 5.50%, would grow to about $5,205 after nine months.
It’s an outstanding offer, considering the next-best rate in the country is a significantly lower 4.60%. But if you want to put more than $5,000 in a CD, or want to lock in a CD rate for longer than nine months, we’ve still got you covered with dozens of other high-paying offers that you can open instead of—or in addition to—Nuvision’s 5.50% CD.
CD and Savings Account Rates Are Headed Down—So Lock in Soon
Unfortunately for savers, the Fed is expected to follow its September rate cut with one to two additional cuts later this year. The Fed could even keep cutting rates into 2026. If this long slide comes to pass, the rates you’ll be able to earn on savings accounts and CDs in a year or two will be much lower than what you can lock in today.
Whether you opt for Nuvision’s stellar 5.50% rate or you open a CD that allows a larger deposit or promises a longer rate guarantee—or perhaps both—time is of the essence right now. With any given CD offer potentially evaporating overnight, it’s smart to lock in as soon as possible, so you’re guaranteed one of today’s top rates far into the future.
Earn More With a CD/High-Yield Savings Combo
If you think you’ll just put your cash in a high-yield savings account and forego a CD, that gives you the advantage of full access to your money at any time. But the downside right now is that your savings account rate will likely drop. Instead, a CD locks in your APY for its full term. That’s why a winning strategy is to keep some cash in high-yield savings and a portion you can live without in a top-paying CD.
Daily Rankings of the Best CDs and Savings Accounts
We update these rankings every business day to give you the best deposit rates available:
Important
Note that the “top rates” quoted here are the highest nationally available rates Investopedia has identified in its daily rate research on hundreds of banks and credit unions. This is much different from the national average, which includes all banks offering a CD with that term, including many large banks that pay a pittance in interest. Thus, the national averages are always quite low, while the top rates you can unearth by shopping around are often 5, 10, or even 15 times higher.
How We Find the Best Savings and CD Rates
Every business day, Investopedia tracks the rate data of more than 200 banks and credit unions that offer CDs and savings accounts to customers nationwide and determines daily rankings of the top-paying accounts. To qualify for our lists, the institution must be federally insured (FDIC for banks, NCUA for credit unions), and the account’s minimum initial deposit must not exceed $25,000. It also cannot specify a maximum deposit amount that’s below $5,000.
Banks must be available in at least 40 states to qualify as nationally available. And while some credit unions require you to donate to a specific charity or association to become a member if you don’t meet other eligibility criteria (e.g., you don’t live in a certain area or work in a certain kind of job), we exclude credit unions whose donation requirement is $40 or more. For more about how we choose the best rates, read our full methodology.
