8 Best 3-Year CD Rates Today: November 2025 — Earn Up to 3.90% APY 

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Three-year CDs are popular because they’re short enough to give you liquidity, but long enough to earn solid interest. Sallie Mae Bank has the best three-year CD rate, paying APY.

Today’s Best 3-Year CD Rates

When you put your money in a deposit account, you want to maximize your earning potential. Here’s a look at the best rates for three-year CDs currently available.

Sallie Mae Bank

• APY:
• Account minimum: $2,500
• Early withdrawal penalty: 180 days of interest

As an online bank, Sallie Mae Bank offers a high interest rate for a three-year CD. The CD also has more lenient early withdrawal penalties than other institutions on the list. 

Pros

• High interest rate
• More lenient early withdrawal penalty than others on the list

Cons

• High minimum opening deposit
• No physical locations

Synchrony Bank

• APY:
• Account minimum: $0
• Early withdrawal penalty: 180 days of simple interest, though no penalty for withdrawing on interest

Synchrony Bank’s three-year CD requires no minimum balance, so you can put in as much or as little as you want. If you withdraw some or all of your principal early, you’ll pay 180 days’ worth of simple interest as a penalty, but there’s no penalty for withdrawing interest.

Pros

• High interest rate
• More lenient early withdrawal penalty than others on the list
• No minimum opening deposit

Cons

• No physical locations

Bread Savings

• APY:
• Account minimum: $1,500
• Early withdrawal penalty: 180 days of interest

Bread Savings has a three-year CD with a high interest rate, and the early withdrawal penalty is also manageable. Its CD minimum opening deposit requirements are also still not as high as a few of the other options on this list. 

Pros

• High interest rate
• More lenient early withdrawal penalty than others on the list

Cons

• No physical locations
• Steep minimum opening deposit, but a few on the list are even higher

Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union

• APY: to
• Account minimum: $1,000 to $4,999.99
• Early withdrawal penalty: 180 days of interest

Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union pays between and , depending on the amount you deposit. For a minimum of $1,000 to $4,999.99, you’ll earn  APY. To earn the most on your money, you will need to deposit $75,000 or more to unlock the  APY. You’ll pay 180 days’ interest as an early withdrawal penalty if you take your money out before the three years are up.

You may join Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union if you live, work, go to school or worship in Texas. You may also qualify for membership if you volunteer for certain organizations or serve at a military post in certain areas in Texas.

Pros

• Good interest rates overall, and can earn a higher APY with a higher account balance
• More lenient early withdrawal penalty than others on the list
• Membership perks as a credit union

Cons

• Only has branches in Texas
• Other banks on this list have a lower minimum opening deposit
• Need to meet certain membership requirements

Alliant Credit Union

• APY: to
• Account minimum: $1,000
• Early withdrawal penalty: Up to 180 days of interest

Alliant Credit Union’s three-year certificate pays a good interest rate and has standard early withdrawal penalties. You’ll pay up to 180 days’ interest as a penalty for early withdrawal, but no more than the number of days the CD has been open, so you will at least get your initial deposit back if you have to cash in early.

The credit union also has many ways to join. You can open an account with Alliant if you work at a partner organization, live in an eligible community near its Corporate Headquarters in Chicago, or become part of the Alliant Credit Union Foundation.

Pros

• Good interest rate, and can earn a higher APY with a higher account balance
• More lenient early withdrawal penalty than others on the list
• Strong mobile banking

Cons

• Need to qualify for membership, but the criteria are more lenient than standard credit unions
• Other banks on this list have a lower minimum opening deposit
• No physical locations

First Internet Bank of Indiana

• APY:
• Account minimum: $1,000
• Early withdrawal penalty: 360 days of interest

First Internet Bank of Indiana might not pay the highest interest rate on its three-year CD, but it’s still a pretty competitive rate overall.

Pros

• Good interest rate

Cons

• Steep early withdrawal penalty
• Other banks on this list have a lower minimum opening deposit
• No physical locations

Popular Direct

• APY:
• Account minimum: $10,000
• Early withdrawal penalty: 365 days of interest

Popular Direct pays a good APY on its three-year CD, so it might be a good option for savers who can deposit a significant amount upfront.

Pros

• Good interest rate

Cons

• No physical locations
• Steepest minimum opening deposit on this list
• Steep early withdrawal penalty

BMO

• APY:
• Account minimum: $1,000
• Early withdrawal penalty: 270 days of interest

BMO offers CD specials, so you can earn a higher rate than standard CDs. Its 35-month CD special pays a higher rate than its three-year standard CD, but keep in mind that specials can change at any time.

Pros

• Decent interest rate
• Strong branch presence throughout the United States

Cons

• Steep early withdrawal penalties
• Other banks on this list have a lower minimum opening deposit

Good To Know

A CD usually pays a higher interest rate than a traditional savings account or checking account, because when you buy a CD, you agree to leave your money for a fixed period. In exchange, the bank will give you a higher interest rate that won’t change over the term of the CD.

If you take your money out before the term is over, you’ll be penalized. The penalty is typically a fixed amount of the interest you earn on the CD. In most cases, if you open a three-year CD and then take the money out within the first six months, you’ll lose money. The penalty will be greater than the amount of interest you’ve earned, so you’ll get back less than the amount you deposited.

How Much Can You Earn with a 3-Year CD Right Now?

You can earn a good amount of money in a CD, but it all depends on how much you deposit upfront. This chart calculates how much you can earn on a three-year CD earning 3.60% APY with various deposit amounts: 

Three-Year CD Rate Movement Tracker

This chart shows how national average rates for three-year CDs have fluctuated in 2025, using data from the FDIC

Are 3-Year CD Rates Going Up or Down?

In 2025, three-year CDs have maintained the same rates. But rate cuts by the Federal Reserve could change your finances. The Fed’s decisions impact bank account interest rates. When the Fed cuts rates, banks usually lower CD rates. 

According to the latest Summary of Economic Projections released by the Fed, the Fed projects several rate cuts in the future. However, projections can change over time, and there’s disagreement between Federal Reserve board members on how quickly rates should be cut. 

In 2022 and 2023, the Fed raised interest rates to tackle inflation. CD rates went up rapidly. The Fed’s goal has been to lower inflation to 2% while also maintaining maximum employment and stable prices. 

In 2024 and 2025, the Fed has mostly maintained rates, while only cutting rates a few times. CD rates have declined slightly, but they’re still among the highest seen in the last 20 years when you look at historical CD rates.

You might notice that short-term certificates are higher than long-term certificates, including three-year CD rates. This is because you’re seeing an inverted yield curve. It might be a bad sign for the economy, since there’s economic uncertainty.

Should You Open a 3-Year CD Today?

A three-year CD can be an important component of your savings and investing strategy, but only if that timeframe makes sense for your goals. You might like a three-year CD if you want a low-risk account for storing money. But take into consideration the early withdrawal penalty, and decide if accessibility really matters to you. 

You could choose to open a high-yield savings account or money market account instead of a CD. These accounts also pay higher than traditional savings accounts and give you ways to access your money sooner than a CD. You could also choose to open multiple accounts at once.

How GOBankingRates Chose the Best 3-Year CDs: Methodology

Several factors were analyzed to determine the picks for the best three-year CD rates. Here are the key features GOBankingRates used for comparison:

• The minimum deposit amount needed to open a CD
• Annual percentage yield
• Which CD terms have higher interest rates compared to the national average
• How three-year CD rates compare to other banking products offered

Karen Doyle contributed to the reporting for this article.

Rates are subject to change; unless otherwise noted, rates are updated periodically. All other information on accounts is accurate as of Nov. 18, 2025. 

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