CD, Savings & Money Market Rates & Fees

Market: Sacramento

Every rate below was read from the institution's own published rate sheet, with the date it was confirmed and the conditions that earn it. Credit union share certificates and bank CDs are the same product class — fixed-term deposits, NCUA-insured at credit unions and FDIC-insured at banks, both to $250,000.

Best 12-month certificate (CD) rates in Sacramento

Standard, openable certificates at published rates — no new-money requirements, no introductory teasers. Openable promotional specials are included where any depositor can open them for the full term, and labeled as specials. Where an institution publishes a higher relationship rate, it appears in its own column with what earns it.

CD rates by term in Sacramento

Standard openable certificates at each institution's published rate for the term shown (SAFE's grid is the $500-minimum column of its published sheet; $25,000+ deposits earn slightly more at most terms). A dash means no published standard rate at that term.

Highlighted cells are the best published standard rate at that term in this comparison. The local story changed with the August data: Heritage Community CU leads every standard local term with a flat 3.75% from 1 to 5 years (3.80% at 6 months, and a 9-month special at 4.10%), displacing Golden 1. Online, Capital One pays 4.00% at 12 months and Marcus 3.95% at 6. Openable specials still shape the short end — SAFE's 6-month special pays 3.45% (3.70% for Capitol Club members). First U.S.'s rates rise with deposit size (base column shown; about +0.10% at $100,000+), and its 3-to-12-month special pays 3.60%. First U.S. also publishes a 3-month certificate at 2.80%, and its 6-month pays 2.90% at $10,000+.

IRA & jumbo certificates in Sacramento

Liquid (no-penalty) certificates. No local institution in this comparison publishes one. Online, Marcus's 11-month No-Penalty CD pays 4.00% APY and Ally's No-Penalty CD pays 2.70%.

IRA certificates and savings.SAFE Credit Union publishes the most complete IRA deposit menu in this comparison: IRA versions of its certificate specials (6-month at 3.45%, 12-month at 3.04%), IRA certificates on the standard grid above, an IRA Add-On certificate at 2.43% ($25 minimum, deposits accepted any time), and IRA savings paying 0.25%–0.35% by balance. Golden 1 and Travis offer IRA certificates; their rates typically match the standard grids above.

Jumbo certificates. No institution in this comparison publishes a distinct jumbo certificate sheet. The closest published equivalent: SAFE's certificate grid pays a higher tier at $25,000+ (for example 3.25% vs 3.20% at 60 months), and large-deposit pricing beyond that is negotiated rather than published — worth asking any institution directly at $100,000+.

Interest & rewards checking in Sacramento

The highest published deposit yield in this market is a checking account — Heritage Community CU's Kasasa Cash at 5.00% on up to $25,000 — but only with monthly qualification requirements. Qualified rewards checking, not savings, is where Sacramento's best yields live.

Golden 1 and Travis's checking products are fee and feature accounts rather than rate accounts.

Checking & everyday fees in Sacramento

From each institution's published fee schedule: monthly service fee on the primary consumer checking account, overdraft, returned-item (NSF), and out-of-network ATM. "$0" means no published fee for that item on that account.

Savings rates for Sacramento savers

No local institution in this comparison pays a high whole-balance savings rate. The strongest savings offers are capped bonus tiers, checking-linked premiums, or online accounts with conditions.

Money market rates in Sacramento

Full tier tables, as published

For tiered accounts, the summary above shows the headline; these are the complete published ladders. In a whole-balance account every dollar earns the rate of the tier the total balance lands in.

SAFE Credit Union — Level Up Money Market (whole-balance tiers)

Golden 1 Credit Union — Money Market (whole-balance tiers)

Travis Credit Union — Money Market, standard (whole-balance tiers)

Travis's new-member money market (3.50%–3.85%, $100 minimum) uses separate tiers and is available to new members only.

Which account does what

Every product on this page is a place to keep money. They differ on three things: whether you can take the money out whenever you want, whether it pays you interest, and whether you can spend from it directly. The pattern is consistent — the less access you need, the more you earn, with one exception. The last column states what an institution typically asks of you before it pays the higher rate.

All of the above are federally insured to $250,000 per depositor — by the FDIC at banks, by the NCUA at credit unions. The protection is equivalent.

How to read a rate

The same headline number can mean very different things depending on how the institution applies it. Four structures appear on this page.

APY (annual percentage yield) is the number to compare, not the dividend or interest rate. APY already includes the effect of compounding, so it reflects what a balance actually earns over a year.

Banks, credit unions, and the rest

The tables above mix several kinds of institution. They differ on who may open an account, whether there are branches, which federal agency insures the deposits, and who ultimately owns the place — and that last one is usually what explains the rate.

Common questions

What is the best 12-month CD rate in Sacramento?

As of the verification dates above, Heritage Community Credit Union leads locally at 3.75% APY (the same rate from 1 to 5 years, with a 9-month special at 4.10%); Capital One's 360 CD pays 4.00% online. Golden 1's standard 12-month pays 3.20% and SAFE's 12-month special 3.04%.

What is the best money market rate in Sacramento?

It depends on your balance and status. New Travis Credit Union members can earn 3.50%–3.85% on the whole balance; without conditions, Ally pays 3.00% online at any balance; Golden 1's tiers are strongest locally at large balances. Local balances under $10,000 earn little in any standard money market here — the qualified checking accounts above out-pay them.

How current are these numbers?

Each row carries the date its rate was read from the institution's published rate sheet. SAFE Credit Union's sheet was re-verified on August 3, 2026 and carries a published effective date of August 1, 2026. Rates change without notice.

What is the difference between a CD and a share certificate?

Nothing meaningful in how the product works. A share certificate is what a credit union calls a certificate of deposit: a fixed rate for a fixed term, with a penalty for early withdrawal. The two differences are who may open one — a credit union requires membership eligibility, often just living or working in the area — and which agency insures it, the NCUA at credit unions and the FDIC at banks, both to $250,000.

Should I use a savings account or a CD?

It depends on when you need the money. A savings account pays less but lets you withdraw any time. A CD pays more but locks the money for the full term, with a penalty for taking it out early. A high-yield savings account or a liquid (no-penalty) CD pays most of the CD rate without the lock.

Why is a checking account paying more than a savings account?

Rewards checking accounts pay high rates to encourage everyday use, but they cap the balance that earns and require monthly activity — typically a set number of debit card purchases plus online banking. The high rate applies only up to the cap, and only in months you meet every requirement.

Why is the highest advertised rate not always the highest return?

Because the conditions attached to it change what it pays. The highest advertised numbers in this market are introductory or capped offers — real, but earned only on small amounts or short windows. For most balances, the best effective return comes from the best whole-balance or standard-term rate, not the biggest headline.

Is my money as safe at a credit union as at a bank?

Yes. Bank deposits are insured by the FDIC and credit union deposits by the NCUA, both to $250,000 per depositor, per institution, per ownership category, and both backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. The agency differs; the protection does not.

Can anyone join a credit union?

Not automatically — each one defines a field of membership. Most commonly it covers anyone living or working in a set of counties, which makes joining straightforward for local residents. Others are tied to an employer, a school or an association, and nearly all extend membership to family members of existing members. Joining usually means keeping a small balance, often $5 to $25, in a share savings account.

Are online-only banks and banking apps safe?

An online-only bank with its own charter is FDIC-insured exactly as a branch bank is. Banking apps differ: many are technology companies rather than banks, and the deposits sit at a partner bank that provides the insurance. That partner bank is named in the account agreement.

What is the difference between a bank and a credit union?

A bank is owned by shareholders and operates for profit. A credit union is owned by its members and is not-for-profit, so earnings return to members as higher deposit rates, lower loan rates and lower fees. Credit unions require eligibility to join, called a field of membership, and their deposits are insured by the NCUA rather than the FDIC, at the same $250,000 level.

What is a money market account?

A deposit account that pays more than standard savings and usually raises the rate as your balance grows. You can withdraw, often with some monthly limits, and some money market accounts include limited check or card access. It suits larger balances you want to earn on while keeping access.

What is a liquid or no-penalty CD?

A certificate that still runs for a fixed term, but which you may close early without the usual early-withdrawal penalty once an initial lock of roughly a week has passed. The rate is usually a little below a standard CD of the same term, and withdrawals are normally all-or-nothing rather than partial.

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from the issuing institution's own published rate sheet, rate page, or fee schedule — never from third-party aggregators. Standard openable products at base rates are compared like-for-like; promotional, new-money, new-member, and relationship rates are shown with the conditions that earn them. The date beside each row is the date that figure was confirmed against the institution's published source.