The USAA (United Services Automobile Association) got its start back in 1922 as a mechanism for self-insurance by and for military officers.
Oddly enough the perception of military officers during this time was that they were a “high risk” group and were thus unable to secure auto insurance.
The USAA was initially created to solve this unique problem, but over time they outgrew their original mission.
They have evolved into a diverse set of companies all in the financial services sector with a range of products that includes property, casualty and life insurance, banking, investing and financial planning. They service over 12.4 million members and just shy of $130 billion in assets under management (AUM).
In our review below we will be focusing on the certificate of deposit rates offered by the banking division of USAA.
In this post you'll learn:
USAA Bank CD Rates + Account Details
USAA Bank CDs are federally insured by the FDIC up to $250,000 per depositor or $500,000 on joint accounts.
USAA offers 3 types of CDs (certificates of deposit). These are:
- Fixed rate CDs with terms ranging from 30 days to 7 years.
- Variable Rate CDs with terms of 182 days or 1 year.
- Adjustable Rate CDs with terms from 3 to 7 years.
All USAA Bank CDs require a minimum deposit of $1,000 to open them. They offer Jumbo CDs with deposits of $95,000 or more and Super Jumbo CDs with deposits of $175,000 or more. All of their CDs currently come with the same APY (annual percentage yield) per the time of this writing.
CD Rates
| Term | Standard APY | Jumbo APY |
| 30 days | na | 0.01% |
| 91 days | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| 120 days | na | 0.01% |
| 150 days | na | 0.01% |
| 182 days | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| 7 months | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| 270 days | 3.56% | 3.56% |
| 1 year | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| 15 months | 1.41% | 1.41% |
| 18 months | 3.61% | 3.61% |
| 2 years | 3.66% | 3.66% |
| 30 months | 2.02% | 2.02% |
| 3 years | 3.71% | 3.71% |
| 4 years | 2.02% | 2.02% |
| 5 years | 2.02% | 2.02% |
| 7 years | 2.02% | 2.02% |
To put these offers in perspective, the current national average for a 12 month CD and a 60 month CD sit at 1.07% APY and 1.09% APY, respectively, according to FDIC data.
That said, some online banks and credit unions with nationwide acceptance are starting to offer yields above 4.50% and 4.75% APY for the same respective terms.
Variable Rate CDs
USAA’s variable rate CDs are not competitive at this time. As their name indicates, these rates are variable and can change at any time even after opening and funding them.
| Term | APY |
| 1 year | 0.01% |
| 182 days | 0.01% |
Adjustable Rate CDs
USAA’s adjustable rate CDs are also not competitive at this time. They give you the option to request a rate change one time during the term to whatever the newly listed rate is by USAA at that time.
| Term | APY |
| 3 years | 0.01% |
| 4 years | 0.01% |
| 5 years | 0.01% |
| 7 years | 0.01% |
Minimum Deposit Requirements
| CD type | Minimum Deposit Required |
| Standard | $1,000 |
| Jumbo | $95,000 |
| Super Jumbo | $175,000 |
Interest on USAA Bank CDs is compounded daily and credited monthly either back into the CD (for further compounding) or into another connected account. This is a nice feature for those using interest payments as income.
If you need any or all of your funds prior to your CD maturing you will have to pay an early withdrawal fee.
Early Withdrawal Fees
| CD Term | Fee |
| 30 days or less | 30 days’ interest |
| 30 to 364 days | 90 days’ interest |
| 365 days to 5 years | 180 days’ interest |
| 5 years + | 365 days’ interest |
How to Open a USAA CD Account
You can open a CD account with USAA in one of the following 3 ways:
- Online, through their website. This is the quickest way. Steps outlined below.
- By downloading their app for either IOS or Android.
- Stopping by one of their local branches. Locate them here.
If you choose to open the CD online. Here are the steps to open and fund your account:
- Navigate to the USAA CD landing page here. Click “Open a CD.”
- From here you’ll have an option on the left to login if you’re already a member. On the right, you can click the green “Join Online” button to become a member.
- Fill out the required personal information. They may ask about employment and citizenship information. Have your drivers’ license or state issued ID handy.
- Follow the next prompts to fund your account. For this you’ll need the bank account number you’re funding the CD with as well as the routing number for the bank.
Final Thoughts
While we appreciate the range of terms and products within USAA Bank’s certificate of deposit suite, better yields can be found through online banks and nationally available credit unions for the vast majority of USAA’s term CDs.
That said, as of January 2023, USAA is finally starting to offer a handful of competitive CDs – namely their 270 day (9 month CD).
Leave a Reply