Ally Bank is an acclaimed digital bank that offers a suite of competitive FDIC-insured online deposit accounts including CDs (certificate of deposits), savings accounts, interest checking and money market accounts.

In this review we will just focus on Ally Bank’s fixed-rate CDs. They have seven standard term CDs ranging from 3 months to 5 years that can be opened as standard CDs or IRA CDs. They also have two promotional CDs – the “Raise Your Rate CD” and the “No Penalty CD.”

The Raise Your Rate CD is beneficial in an ascending interest rate environment. This product gives you the opportunity to increase your rate once over a 2-year term or twice over a 4-year term if the rate for your term and balance tier goes up while your CD is active.

The No Penalty CD, as the name implies, allows you to withdraw any amount at any time after the first six days of funding the account. You can keep the interest earned with no penalties.

For those that may not remember, Ally Bank is the rebrand of GMAC – the financial arm of General Motors. Following the financial collapse of 2008, GMAC fully rebranded to Ally Bank in 2009. Since then they’ve been recognized for numerous awards for online banking innovation, customer service, and their commitment to giving back to local communities.

To see if Ally Bank’s CD rates are right for you, continue reading our review below.

Ally Bank CD Rates + Account Details

Ally Bank CDs are FDIC insured up to $250,000 per depositor or $500,000 for joint accounts. There is no minimum deposit requirement to open an Ally Bank CD.

CD Rates

Ally Bank’s CD rates were surveyed on May 19, 2023.

To give the yields above some context, the current national average for 12 month CDs and 5 year CDs sits at just 1.59% and 1.37% APY (annual percentage yield), respectively, according to FDIC data.

The top yields from online banks like Ally and credit unions with nationwide acceptance are now inching over the 5.00% APY and 4.50% APY mark for the same respective terms.

The 20 month CD is a promotional term available through August 15, 2023. This will automatically renew into an 18 month CD upon maturity. Read more here.

The 13 month Select CD is another promotional deposit that is available June 13, 2023. This will automatically renew into a 12 month CD upon maturity. Read more here.

Ally Ten Day Best Rate Guarantee

All of Ally Bank’s CDs come with a “ten day best rate guarantee.” This means that if you fund your account within 10 days of opening it and rates go up during this time, you will get Ally’s best rate for that term and your balance tier during that time. This also applies with CD renewals.

Compounding Interest

Interest is compounded daily which gives your overall APY a boost over bank deposits that compound less frequently like monthly or quarterly.

Tiered rates by deposit amount do exist in more favorable savings rate environments; however, Ally Bank CDs pay the same APY for each term regardless of your deposit amount currently.

Early Withdrawal Penalties

Early withdrawal penalties at Ally Bank vary by CD term. They are as follows:

• CD terms of 24 months or less will incur an early withdrawal penalty of 60 days’ interest.
• CD terms of 25 – 36 months will incur an early withdrawal penalty of 90 days’ interest.
• CD terms of 37 – 48 months will incur an early withdrawal penalty of 120 days’ interest.
• CD terms of 48 months or longer will incur an early withdrawal penalty of 150 days’ interest.

Grace Period

Ally Bank has a standard grace period of 10 days where you can withdraw, add or transfer funds without incurring a fee. If nothing is done during this period, the CD will renew under the same terms at the current APY.

Ally Bank Loyalty Rewards for CD Account Holders

Ally Bank has a little-known loyalty program for those that continue to open and/or renew certificates of deposit with them. Currently, they are giving a 0.05% APY bump when you renew any CD with them. Be sure to check back 30 days before your CD matures to see what the reward is at that time.

Raise Your Rate CD Rates + Details

The Raise Your Rate CD offered by Ally Bank is going to be best suited for a climbing interest rate environment. Given the fact that CD rates are generally fixed throughout their duration, an opportunity to give your CD rate a bump when interest rates are on the rise, can be a huge benefit. And one that many other banks do not offer.

Raise Your Rate CD Rates

The 2 year Raise Your Rate CD will give you the opportunity to increase your rate once over the life of the deposit.

The 4 year Raise Your Rate CD will give you the opportunity to increase your rate twice over the life of the deposit.

No Penalty CD Rate + Details

The Ally Bank No Penalty CD comes with only one term at the moment. The term is 11 months. You can withdraw any or all of your money from this deposit at any time after six days from funding the account.

No Penalty CD Rate

As with Ally Bank’s other certificate of deposit products this APY is the same regardless of your deposit amount. In the past Ally Bank has rewarded larger deposits with higher yields; however, rates today are the same across the board for all amounts.

[You can read a review of Ally Bank’s money market account and its current APY here.]

How Much Can You Earn with an Ally Bank CD?

How much you earn with an Ally Bank CD depends on 3 variables. They are:

1. the term you choose,
2. its APY (annual percentage yield), and
3. your deposit size.

Below is a chart showing the total amount of earnings you’d accumulate from interest payments through the life of a few of Ally Bank’s CDs. This assumes a deposit size of $10,000.

How do Ally Bank’s CD Rates Compare?

To get a better idea of how Ally’s CD rates stack up against the competition take a look at the 2 tables below. The first table compares Ally Bank’s best CD rates with other top U.S. banks and the second compares Ally’s CD rates with other FDIC-insured online banks.

Ally vs Big Banks

Ally vs other Online Banks

Final Thoughts

Ally Bank keeps their CDs simple and rewarding with no monthly maintenance fees, no opening deposit requirements and even the opportunity to open a “no penalty CD” with fee-free access to your deposited funds.

Their CD rates beat the national average handily although Ally has pulled back their top yields slightly as they used to offer a 5.00% APY promotional CD earlier this year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions about Ally Bank’s certificates of deposit? See what other consumers are asking and our responses below.

Are Ally Bank’s CDs FDIC insured?

Yes, Ally Bank is member FDIC (#57803) and all of their deposit accounts are federally insured up to $250,000 per depositor or $500,000 on joint accounts.

Are Ally CD rates higher than Capital One CD rates?

CD rates are changing rapidly due to an increasing interest rate environment. Here is a head-to-head comparison of Capital One’s CD rates vs Ally Bank’s CD rates:

Are Ally Bank’s CD rates going up?

Not at the moment. Ally Bank’s CD rates rose substantially throughout the second half of 2022 and into the beginning of 2023, however, they peaked towards the end of Q1, 2023 with a 5.00% APY (annual percentage yield) offer before dropping down their top yield to the current 4.85% APY shortly thereafter.