Ever since Sears first introduced the Discover Credit Card back in 1985, the Discover Bank brand has become a household name.
Although the bank is often associated with their popular credit cards, they also have a suite of FDIC-insured deposit accounts featuring annual percentage yields considerably above the current national average(s).
There deposit account offerings include:
- a checking account
- an online savings account
- a money market account,
- and 12 CDs (certificates of deposit) with terms ranging from 3 months to 10 years.
In this review we will just focus on Discover Bank’s CD accounts so if you’re in the market for a fixed-rate certificate of deposit with a competitive yield, then continue reading our review below.
Discover Bank CD Rates + Account Details
Discover Bank CDs require a minimum deposit of $2,500 to open an account. All CD accounts are federally insured by the FDIC up to the applicable limits.
CD Rates
| CD Term | APY |
| 3 months | 2.00% |
| 6 months | 3.40% |
| 9 months | 3.50% |
| 12 months | 4.85% |
| 18 months | 5.00% |
| 24 months | 4.30% |
| 30 months | 4.30% |
| 3 years | 4.30% |
| 4 years | 4.00% |
| 5 years | 4.00% |
| 7 years | 3.80% |
| 10 years | 3.80% |
To put Discover Bank’s CD Rates in perspective, the current national average for a 12 month and a 60 month CD sit at just 1.72% APY and 1.37% APY, respectively, according to recent FDIC data.
That said, the best 12 month CD rates are now crossing the 5 percent mark while the top 5 year CDs are still above 4.50% APY.
How do Discover Bank CD Rates Compare?
If you’re curious to see how Discover Bank’s CD rates compare to other competitive offers from FDIC-insured online banks then take a look at the table below. This shows the highest CD rate offered from Discover Bank along with some of their competitors.
| Bank | Best CD Rate (APY) |
| Barclays | 5.00% |
| First Internet Bank | 5.48% |
| My Banking Direct | 5.15% |
| TIAA Bank | 5.25% |
| Discover Bank | 5.00% |
How Much Can You Make with a Discover Bank CD?
The amount of money you can earn with a Discover Bank CD is going to depend on your deposit size, the CD term you select as well as its going APY (annual percentage yield). Take a look at the table below. It displays earnings from a handful of Discover Bank CDs assuming a deposit size of $10,000.
| CD Term | APY | Earnings |
| 6 months | 3.40% | $168.58 |
| 12 months | 4.85% | $485.00 |
| 18 months | 5.00% | $759.30 |
| 5 years | 4.00% | $2,166.53 |
Grace Period and Early Withdrawal Fees
Upon the maturity of your Discover Bank CD, you will have a 9 day grace period in which you may modify your CD or close it out. If you need funds prior to this 9 day window, you will incur an early withdrawal fee. Those fees are shown below:
Early withdrawal fees:
| CD Term | Penalty |
| less than 1 year | 3 months simple interest |
| 1 – 4 years | 6 months simple interest |
| 4 – 5 years | 9 months simple interest |
| 5 – 7 years | 18 months simple interest |
| 7 – 10 years | 24 months simple interest |
The only other fee you’ll need to be aware of is for outgoing wires. If you plan on moving any money out of the CD upon maturity you’ll incur a $30 fee per wire.
How do Discover Bank CD Rates Compare
Discover Bank typically offers higher CD rates than the major U.S. banks and competes with other online banks on rates.
That said, while Discover Bank was quick to offer better rates when the interest rate environment started to pick up last year, other banks and credit unions have begun to catch up.
Take a look at the tables below to compare Discover Bank’s CD rates with the big banks, popular online banks and a handful of competitive credit unions with nationwide acceptance.
Discover Bank CD Rates vs Big Banks
| Bank | Min. Deposit | Best CD Rate |
| Discover Bank | $2,500 | 4.75% |
| Chase | $1,000 | 3.75% |
| Bank of America | $100,000 | 4.30% |
| Wells Fargo | $5,000 | 4.26% |
| Citibank | $500 | 4.30% |
Discover Bank CD Rates vs Online Banks
| Bank | Min. Deposit | Best CD Rate |
| Discover Bank | $2,500 | 4.75% |
| Ally Bank | none | 5.00% |
| Capital One 360 | none | 4.30% |
| Synchrony Bank | none | 5.00% |
| Marcus by Goldman Sachs | $500 | 5.05% |
How Much Can You Earn with a Discover Bank CD
If you’re curious about how much you can earn with a Discover Bank CD, then take a look at the table below. We use a $10,000 deposit as an example.
| CD Term | APY | Total Interest Earned |
| 12 month | 4.50% | $450 |
| 18 month | 4.75% | $720.90 |
| 24 month | 4.30% | $878.49 |
| 60 month | 4.10% | $2225.13 |
| 120 month | 4.10% | $4,945.39 |
How to Open a Discover Bank CD
Once you’ve found the right CD term for you, you can navigate to Discover Bank’s online CD page here and click the orange “Open an Account” button found at the top right of the page and directly in the center under the words “Lock in your future.”
When you begin the application process, you’ll want to have some personal information readily available. Be prepared with the following:
- full name
- home address
- date of birth
- phone number
- Social Security number
- employment status (employer and length of employment may be requested)
- driver’s license, passport or other form of photo ID
After your application is completed and accepted you can fund the account.
Funding your Discover Bank CD
Upon completing the application you will have exactly 45 days to fund this account. The account can be funded in one of 4 ways. Here are the 4 ways in which you can fund your account:
- Transfer funds from another bank account via an online transfer.
- Transfer funds from another bank account via telephone. This function is only available for your initial transfer. Call 1-800-347-7000 to get started.
- Download their mobile app from iTunes or the Google Play store and complete a mobile check deposit.
- Make a check out to yourself and send it via snail mail to the following address: Discover Bank P.O. Box 30417 Salt Lake City, UT 84130
What Happens When Your CD Matures
Exactly 30 days prior to your Discover Bank CD maturing, Discover Bank will send you a notification making you aware of the date.
Upon maturity you will enter what is referred to as a grace period. As mentioned, the grace period with Discover Bank CDs is 9 days. During these 9 days you can make additional deposits, withdraw any interest or principal or change the term of your deposit. However, once you take any of the aforementioned actions, this will trigger the end of your grace period, even if the full 9 days are not up.
If you do nothing during the 9 day grace period your CD will automatically renew into the same CD term you had before with whatever current APY Discover Bank is offering on said term.
Earning Interest
You’ll start earning interest on your deposit the same day it is funded. The interest is compounded daily and returned to the deposit (or another Discover Bank account) once per month.
With the interest earned you can do one of two things:
- The do nothing / default option places the interest back into the CD to compound until maturity.
- If you’re living off of the interest as income, or for whatever reason want the interest to be accessible, you may have it transferred to another Discover bank account.
Consumer Sentiment + Customer Service
Discover’s performance as a bank is above average with user reviews hovering around 4 out of 5 stars on the top review sites.
The online institution simply has a reputation for being a stand-up company with total transparency. It is also known and respected for having a team of customer service representatives that are as helpful as they are speedy. User reviews reflect satisfaction with the bank, with only the occasional angry customer reporting excessively long transfer holds, unexpected account closures, and the like.
Likewise, the Discover apps are top-notch. With 4.1 million consumer ratings on the Apple store, the IOS app receives a 4.9 out of 5 star rating as of April 2023. It also receives a 4.7 out of 5 star rating on Google Play with over 281k reviews.
Discover has multiple phone lines devoted to various banking needs, and these are all open 24/7 year-round. To open or manage an account, call 1-800-347-7000. For online banking tech support, call 1-800-290-9885. For everything else, visit this page for the right number. Mail can be addressed to:
General Correspondence Discover Bank
P.O. Box 30416
Salt Lake City, UT 84130
Discover has only one branch (the bank’s headquarters in Delaware), but there is a sizable network of ATMs from which you can service your accounts at no cost.
Discover will allow you to make incoming or outgoing ACH transfers of up to $250,000 per month.
Discover Bank Certificates of Deposit Q & A
Still have questions about Discover Bank’s CD rates? Here are some of the common questions consumers have plus our responses below.
Are Discover Bank CDs FDIC insured?
Yes. Like all reputable online banks, Discover Bank is member FDIC (#5649) and all consumer deposits are federally insured up to $250,000 per depositor or $500,000 on joint accounts.
Are there better rates for Discover Bank AAA Members?
Yes. As of July 2023, you can earn 0.05% APY more than the standard CD rates listed above for most or all terms. You can learn more here.