CD Rates – 3-Year – Ashburn, Virginia 2020

Three Year CDs - Branch Banks 2020

A three year CD is an intermediate CD, sandwiched between the popular one and five year CD terms. Three year CD generally offer between .30 and .60 percentage points more than a 1 year CD. Currently, their average yield is comparable to the average yield of an online savings account Online savings accounts allow consumers to withdraw money at any time so consumers should consider whether they want to lock their money into a CD when there is little premium versus an online account.

The top 3 year CD rates, as listed on the rate table above, are significantly higher than online or offline savings account rates.

Another factor to consider when opening a 3 year CD is the rate environment. If interest rates are rising, it may not be advisable to lock money away for three years when rates will soon be higher. If rates are falling, and may do so for some time (as they did from 2008 through 2013), then it may make sense to open a 3, 4 or 5 year CD to lock into a higher rate before it drops. To get a sense of where rates might go, check out the BestCashCow rate analysis page.

While conventional wisdom holds that online banks always offer higher rates than branch-based banks, an analysis conducted by BestCashCow in 2012 showed that with longer term CDs (3 years or longer), small community based banks and credit unions can often be just as competitive or not more so. If you prefer to bank in person, then it is possible to get branch service and a high CD rate if you shop around a bit. The tables at the top of this page can provide you the best rates in your area.

All banks listed on BestCashCow are FDIC insured; BestCashCow.com strongly recommends that you stay within FDIC insurance limits and that if you are unsure of how the limits affect you, please visit the FDIC website.

To understand all of the income generating options available to a saver, please view the Income Generating Investments Comparison Chart.