California Coast Credit Union is currently offering a 5-month CD with a rate of 9.50% annual percentage yield (APY). However, it’s a limited-time offer and only available to people living in certain Southern California counties. That said, there are still plenty of other high-yield CDs available even if you don’t qualify for this particular one — read on to find out more.
California Coast Credit Union CD offering
For a limited time, the California Coast Credit Union is offering 9.50% APY on its 5-month “Celebration Certificate” CD in honor of its 95th anniversary. Not only is this a rare high-interest offering compared to other CDs on the market, but it only requires a minimum deposit of $500.
While some credit unions offer membership to anyone in the nation, California Coast Credit Union isn’t one of them. You’ll need to be a resident (or work in) one of the following Southern California counties to qualify for membership:
- San Diego
- Riverside
- Orange
- Los Angeles
- Ventura
- Imperial
- San Bernardino
How to earn 9.50% APY
California Coast Credit Union members can earn the Celebration Certificate’s 9.50% APY by funding the certificate with new money that hasn’t been deposited with the credit union before (in other words, you can’t transfer money from another account you have with the credit union).
You also can’t have previously opened a Celebration Certificate CD, as it’s limited to one per social security number.
Finally, you must either have an active checking account (one qualifying transaction per month) with eStatements or one of the following:
- New money market account with a minimum balance of $5,000
- New regular certificate (CD) with a minimum balance of $5,000
- New IRA Certificate with a minimum balance of $5,000
- New (funded) consumer loan excluding share secured loans and Mastercard credit card account (loans not eligible include: credit cards, Share Secured loans, Certificate Secured loans)
All of these qualifications must be met 30 days after opening your Celebration Certificate account. Otherwise, you may get a reduced APY for the remainder of the CD’s term.
Rates and fees
Along with the one-time $5 membership fee, you’ll also need to deposit at least $500 into the CD and a maximum of $3,000, but there are no monthly maintenance fee requirements.
You can’t withdraw your money early or add any additional money to the CD after you’ve funded it.
Alternatives to the California Coast Credit Union CD
If you’re ineligible to take advantage of this offer or if the credit union doesn’t appeal to you, there are other CDs with relatively high APYs. While these CDs might not be as high as what California Coast Credit Union offers, they’re available to anyone and still boast some of the highest APYs on the market.
For example, CIBC Bank USA’s one-year CD offers 5.25% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000. Though its APY is lower than California Coast Credit Union’s it’s a longer-term investment, meaning you’ll accrue more interest over time. For no monthly maintenance fees and a minimum deposit requirement of $500, Marcus by Goldman Sachs® also offers CD terms from six months to six years, and you can earn up to 4.90% APY.
Bottom line
The California Coast Credit Union 9.50% APY CD offering is great for anyone looking to earn big on their savings within a short amount of time. Whether you’re looking to save up for vacation or make a down payment on a new car, you’ll earn more than what traditional savings accounts offer within this timeframe.