USAA offers two kinds of certificate of deposit (CD) accounts: Variable Rate CDs and Fixed Rate CDs. Uniquely, the first two accounts offer much more flexibility than normal CDs do. You’ll find that you can make additional deposits and see rate changes during your term.
To calculate how much interest you could earn with a CD, try using SmartAsset's CD calculator.
USAA Variable Rate CD
USAA’s variable rate CD offers customers the unique opportunity to make additional deposits through the account’s term. These deposits must be at least $25, but this allows for a lot more flexibility than CDs usually do.
The interest rate for this USAA CD account, as you may have guessed from the name, can change daily. This is different from most CDs, where the rate is locked in for the duration of the CD term.
Variable Rate CD | Minimum Deposit | APY |
182 day | $250 | 0.01% |
1 year | $250 | 0.01% |
USAA Fixed Rate CD
USAA’s Fixed Rate CDs are the bank’s standard CDs. The rate you see at opening will be the rate your account earns for the length of its term. Just like any standard CD, you cannot make any additional deposits with these accounts. You can open these as Jumbo or Super Jumbo accounts, too.
Fixed Rate CD | Minimum Standard Deposit: $1,000 | Minimum Jumbo Deposit: $95,000 | Minimum Super Jumbo Deposit: $175,000 |
30 Day | - | 0.05% | 0.05% |
91 Day | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% |
120 Day | - | 0.05% | 0.05% |
150 Day | - | 0.05% | 0.05% |
182 Day | 4.90% | 4.90% | 4.90% |
7 Month | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% |
270 Day | 4.75% | 4.75% | 4.75% |
1 Year | 4.65% | 4.65% | 4.65% |
15 Month | 4.55% | 4.55% | 4.55% |
18 Month | 4.45% | 4.45% | 4.45% |
2 Year | 4.25% | 4.25% | 4.25% |
30 Month | 2.75% | 2.75% | 2.75% |
3 Year | 2.75% | 2.75% | 2.75% |
4 Year | 2.50% | 2.50% | 2.50% |
5 Year | 2.50% | 2.50% | 2.50% |
7 Year | 2.02% | 2.02% | 2.02% |
Overview of USAA Federal Savings Bank CDs
USAA CDs offer some pretty decent interest rates, especially with its Fixed Rate CDs. The best rates are reserved for the longer-term accounts, though, starting at three years. So while you get to benefit from great rates and earnings, you’ll have to wait at least three years to have access to your savings.
Keep in mind that USAA Federal Savings Bank requires membership to open an account and use its range of products. You are eligible for USAA membership if you’re active military, former military, and an eligible family member or a cadet or midshipman. Once you’re a member, you’ll have access to USAA’s insurance, banking and investing products. USAA will also provide advice and tools for situations like deployment.
Compare USAA Federal Savings Bank to Other Competitive Offers
How Much You Earn With USAA Certificate of Deposits Over Time
The amounts below represent what your final balances could look like when your CD reaches maturity. It was assumed that USAA compounds interest daily in order to calculate the amounts below. Your earnings can differ from these given amounts depending on the actual method of compounding, your deposit and the rate at the time of opening.
Initial Deposit | 91-Day Fixed Rate CD | 1-Year Fixed Rate CD | 3-Year Fixed Rate CD |
$1,000 | $1,000.12 | $1,046.50 | $1,084.79 |
$5,000 | $5,000.62 | $5,232.50 | $5,423.95 |
$10,000 | $10,001.25 | $10,465 | $10,847.90 |
How USAA CDs Rates Compare to Other Banks
The USAA rates given below are the Standard Rates for the Fixed Rate CDs. You can see in the comparison table that USAA’s rates aren’t necessarily low-earning. Many big banks like Chase have lower rates. USAA doesn’t have the highest rates either, though, coming in somewhere in the middle.
To find the highest rates in the industry, you may need to turn to an online bank. These banks don’t have the costs of maintaining physical locations so they can pass those savings onto you with better interest rates. Two great examples are Ally Bank and Marcus by Goldman Sachs. They offer some really high-earning rates. Marcus especially outperforms USAA. However, if you have higher balances, Ally may be better for you since its CDs earn according to balance tiers. This means that higher balances can get even better rates.
CD Account | USAA (Fixed Rate) | Chase | Ally Bank | Marcus by Goldman Sachs |
6 Month (182 Day) | 4.90% | 0.01% | 4.40% | 5.10% |
1 Year | 4.65% | 0.01% | 4.50% | 5.00% |
3 Year | 2.75% | 0.01% | 4.00% | 4.15% |
5 Year | 2.50% | 0.01% | 3.90% | 4.00% |
Should You Get a USAA CD Account?
Only USAA members can open a CD account with the bank. But once you’re a member, the CDs are certainly great options to boost your savings. The interest rates are just good enough so you can see some solid returns, depending on your initial deposit and term length. You also have your pick of three kinds of CDs so you can find the account with the kind of flexibility, if any, you want in a CD.