Synchrony Bank CD Rates: November 2026

Synchrony Bank CD rates are not verified yet · the FDIC figures below are national benchmarks, not Synchrony Bank rates

National CD Rates Today

FDIC national rates and rate caps · October 19, 2026

How Much Does $10,000 Earn in One Year?

The figures in the widgets are FDIC national benchmarks, not verified Synchrony Bank CD rates, so check the Synchrony Bank website for the bank’s current APYs. The benchmarks still let you judge any Synchrony quote: if a Synchrony CD pays well above the FDIC national average for the same term, it beats what a typical insured bank pays.

How Synchrony Bank CDs Are Structured

Synchrony is an online bank, and its CD lineup has four product types:

Synchrony has not required a minimum balance to open its CDs. That matters most for small deposits, because some banks reserve their best CD rates for balances of $1,000, $10,000 or more.

The specialty CDs trade yield for flexibility. Synchrony’s bump-up and no-penalty CDs have historically paid less than its top standard CD rates. A no-penalty CD at a lower rate can still be the right choice when you may need the money before maturity, because a penalty on a standard CD can wipe out the yield advantage.

Synchrony’s disclosures state that APYs can change at any time without notice and that its advertised CD offers apply to personal non-IRA accounts. IRA CDs can carry different rates from standard CDs in the same term.

How to Read the National Benchmarks on This Page

The national table uses three FDIC columns. Each measures something different.

National rate. This is the FDIC’s average of rates paid by insured banks and savings institutions on a product, weighted by each institution’s share of domestic deposits. Large branch banks hold a big share of deposits and often pay low rates on CDs, which keeps the average low. Online banks such as Synchrony compete with rates well above it, so the national rate shows how far a quote sits above the typical deposit, not whether it is the highest rate available.

Rate cap. This is not a ceiling on what Synchrony or any healthy bank can pay. Under FDIC rules, the cap limits rates offered by banks that are less than well capitalized, which keeps a weak bank from bidding up deposit rates to fund itself. For CD terms, the cap is the higher of:

• the national rate plus 0.75 percentage point, or
• 120% of the yield on a Treasury security of similar maturity, plus 0.75 percentage point.

For example, with a comparable Treasury yield of 4.54%, the second formula gives 120% × 4.54% = 5.45%, plus 0.75 = 6.20%. A CD advertised near or above the cap would be unusual, and the offering bank’s capital status would be worth confirming.

Treasury / fed funds yield. This column shows the market yield used to build the cap: comparable Treasury maturities for CD terms, and a short-term rate for savings and checking. It is also a practical comparison. If a Treasury bill or note of similar maturity yields more than a Synchrony CD, the Treasury pays more for comparable safety, and its interest is exempt from state and local income tax.

Turning an APY into Dollars

For a one-year term:

One-year earnings = deposit × APY

APY (annual percentage yield) already includes compounding, so it is the right figure for comparing CDs across banks. The interest rate on the account is usually slightly lower than the APY when interest compounds more often than once a year. For terms other than one year, use:

Ending balance = deposit × (1 + APY) ^ years

Hypothetical example: $10,000 in a 5-year CD at 4.00% APY grows to about $12,167, or $2,167 of interest, assuming the rate holds for the full term and no withdrawals. The same deposit at 1.50% APY ends near $10,773.

Early Withdrawal Penalties

On every Synchrony CD except the no-penalty CD, withdrawing principal before maturity triggers a penalty. Synchrony sets the penalty as a number of days of simple interest at the CD’s APY, ranging from 90 to 365 days depending on the term. Longer terms carry the larger penalties.

To estimate the cost:

Penalty ≈ amount withdrawn × APY × (penalty days ÷ 365)

Hypothetical example: You withdraw $10,000 from a CD paying 4.00% APY with a 180-day penalty. The penalty is about $10,000 × 0.04 × 180/365 = $197. If you withdraw three months after opening, you have earned only about $99 in interest. The penalty is larger than your earnings, so you get back less than you deposited.

A 5-year CD with a 365-day penalty costs a full year of interest if you exit early. That can make a shorter CD, or the no-penalty CD, the better deal even at a lower stated rate.

Maturity, the Grace Period and Automatic Renewal

When a Synchrony CD matures, a 10-day grace period begins. During that window you can:

• add money to the CD
• renew it for the same or a different term
• transfer the funds to another account
• withdraw the money

If you do nothing, Synchrony renews the CD automatically at the end of the grace period and mails a renewal notice. The renewed CD earns the rate in effect at renewal, not your original rate.

Ten days is a short window compared with some banks. If rates have fallen since you opened, the renewal rate may be much lower, and money you planned to use is locked in again with a penalty attached. A reminder before the maturity date gives you time to compare offers.

Synchrony does not let you add funds to a CD except during this grace period. If you expect to save more over the coming months, a savings account or a series of CDs fits better than a single certificate.

What Moves Synchrony’s CD Rates

Banks do not have to change CD rates when the market moves, but several forces push them in the same direction:

• Federal Reserve policy. Changes to the federal funds target shift short-term borrowing costs. Online banks usually adjust savings and short CD rates after Fed moves.
• Treasury yields. CD rates for longer terms tend to track Treasury yields of similar maturity, because investors can choose either.
• The yield curve. When markets expect rate cuts, longer CDs can pay less than shorter ones. A higher rate on a 12-month CD than on a 5-year CD reflects that expectation, not a pricing error.
• The bank’s funding needs. Synchrony uses deposits to fund its lending, which is largely retail credit cards. A bank that wants more deposits for a particular term can raise that rate on its own.
• Competition. Online banks have no branch network to support, and they compete with each other on deposit rates.

A fixed CD rate protects you if rates fall after you open, and costs you if they rise. A bump-up CD splits the difference. Since inflation erodes fixed interest, compare any CD rate with the U.S. inflation rate by year to judge whether you are earning a real return.

FDIC Insurance

Synchrony Bank is a member of the FDIC. Its CDs, including IRA CDs, are insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, per ownership category. Individual, joint and certain retirement accounts are separate ownership categories, so one person can have more than $250,000 insured at Synchrony across different categories. Coverage includes principal and accrued interest up to the limit.

Alternatives to Synchrony CDs

• CDs at other banks. Rates for the same term can differ widely between online banks. Compare best CD rates today, or see how a large branch bank prices its terms in Chase CD rates today.
• High-yield savings accounts. Rates are variable, but there are no withdrawal penalties. See best high-yield savings accounts.
• Money market accounts. Similar to savings accounts, sometimes with check-writing. Rates are variable.
• Treasury bills and notes. Backed by the U.S. government. Marketable Treasuries can be sold before maturity, but the sale price depends on market rates at the time.