This is a multi-part deal, but you may already have some of these accounts. Marcus is the online banking arm of Goldman Sachs. AARP members are eligible for two member benefits at Marcus:

• 0.10% APY rate increase to the Online Savings rate for 24 months. As of 1/18/2021, that means 0.60% APY instead of 0.50% APY.
• Special 8-month No-Penalty CD at 0.55% APY as of 1/18/2021. Their standard No-Penalty CD is 0.45% APY for 7 months.

AARP membership is targeted at those age 50+, but there is no actual age restriction. I was a member in my 30s, as AARP has offered a variety of member benefits that can be quite valuable – insurance discounts, hotel discounts, restaurant discounts, and so on. If only younger folks had such a well-organized association! The standard membership fee is $16/year, but it drops to $12/year if you sign-up for auto-renewal with a credit card on file (you can still cancel at any time).

Swagbucks is a popular points website, and you can currently get 1,500 Swagbucks (worth $15 Amazon gift card)for joining AARP through their site. This essentially offsetts the AARP annual membership fee. If you are a member, log in and search for “AARP”. If you are not a member yet, join via my Swagbucks referral link and earn a $3 referral bonus + an additional $10 bonus if you spend at least $25 through their shopping portal within 30 days of registration. (There are even some money-making offers on Swagbucks like donating $15 to the Sierra Club and getting 4,000 Swagbucks in return worth $40 in Amazon gift cards.)

Taken altogether, you can get the 0.10% APY rate boost, special CD access, and a year of AARP membership (including many other perks) all at zero net cost. Thanks to reader Bill P for the tip.

• Marcus by Goldman Sachs® provides no-fee personal loans & high-yield online savings for individuals. Committed to helping customers reach their financial goals. Fixed-rate loans from $3,500 to $40,000. We cover everything from the fundamentals to CD strategies. 8 min read Read More. What the Rise in Retail Trading Means For Individual.
• Unlike with bonds, the face value of a CD does not change with increases in interest rates, but no one wants to deposit money into a CD at 2.00% for five year only to have rates rise to 4.00% a year later. In general, avoid investing in long-term CD at the start of economic recoveries following a recession.

With a Marcus No-Penalty CD, you can earn a competitive fixed rate with the flexibility to withdraw your money beginning 7 days after funding. With a Marcus No-Penalty CD, you can earn a competitive fixed rate with the flexibility to withdraw your money beginning 7 days after funding.

• Competitive interest rates
• Nine term options available

• No physical branches in the U.S.

• Customers who want the highest CD rates in the industry
• Customers comfortable with banking online

Overall, Barclays bank accounts would be unremarkable if not for its high-earning interest rates. In fact, the bank’s CD interest rates outperform many of its competitors. The accounts don’t come with special perks or allowances, though.

Barclays offers competitive interest rates on certificates of deposit (CDs). All of its accounts, with the exception of the three-month, six-month and nine-month accounts, offer interest rates at 0.25%. This means no matter the term length you choose, you can earn more than you would with many of its competitors. Furthermore, the bank compounds interest daily and credits it monthly.

Overview of Barclays CDs

You never have to pay any monthly fees or meet any minimum deposits with a Barclays CD. Of course, to earn interest you’ll need to have at least 1 cent in the account - although that won’t get you much return - within 14 days of account opening. You should carefully consider how much you want to deposit since you won’t be able to make any additional deposits during the account’s term.

You also can’t withdraw any of the principal balance from your Barclays CD before the account’s maturity date. If you do, you’ll have to pay a penalty of 90 days’ worth of simple interest on accounts of 24 months and 180 days’ simple interest on accounts longer than 24 months. These penalties tend to vary between financial institutions. Barclays does make exceptions in certain cases like death or incompetence of an account owner. You can, however, set up monthly disbursements of the interest earned to another bank account. This allows you to benefit from the account before its maturity date.

How Much You Earn With Barclays Certificate of Deposits Over Time

Barclays’ high certificate of deposit rates allow you to grow your money toward your savings goals, whether that’s a new car or a vacation. You stand to earn more by opening a CD with a term longer than three months since that account has the lowest rate.

You can also easily build a CD ladder with the bank’s CDs. A CD ladder involves opening a number of CDs at a time, each with a different maturity date. That allows you to have a somewhat steady stream of funds. So for example, you could have CD payouts after three, six, nine and 12 months. You would have to remember to withdraw or transfer your funds at each maturity date, before it automatically renews for the same term length.

The table below demonstrates what your final account balance could look like depending on various initial deposits and term lengths.

How Barclays CDs Rates Compare to Other Banks

Barclays offers its customers solid interest rates on CDs. As you can see below, it's generally on par with rates from Capital One, Ally Bank and Marcus by Goldman Sachs. However, Capital One is clearly weaker than its competitors when it comes to one- and three-year terms, whereas Barclays currently has the worst rate for the five-year category.

Marcus Cd Rates 2020

Should You Get a Barclays CD Account?

Synchrony Bank Cd Rates

With nine term options ranging from three months to five years, Barclays CDs allow you to save toward various savings goals. They also make it easy to create a CD ladder, where you open multiple CDs with spaced out maturity dates. That way you can benefit from CD payouts over the course of a year or more.

Marcus Cd Rates Certificate Of Deposit

The bank doesn’t charge any maintenance fees or require minimum deposits and balances. This allows you to save on your own terms and keep your savings. You can also take monthly interest disbursements, without touching your principal amount. As always with CDs, be careful about making withdrawals so you don’t run into early withdrawal penalties. If you think you’re more likely to need constant access to your account, you may want to consider the Barclays Online Savings Account instead.