Amex CD Rates 2026: Every Term and APY (as of October 7, 2026)

Amex CD rates as of October 7, 2026 top out at 4.40% APY, on two odd terms: 10 months and 22 months. Most other terms from 11 to 24 months pay 3.65%, the 36- and 48-month CDs pay 2.25%, and the 60-month CD pays 3.00%. There is no minimum deposit, your APY is fixed for the term, and American Express locks in the higher of the rate when you apply or the rate when you fund.

Rates as of October 7, 2026. We loaded American Express’s own CD page on October 7, 2026, which states that the advertised APY is accurate as of 10/7/2026, and recorded every term and APY along with the CD rules in its FAQs. We checked the bank’s insurance status in FDIC BankFind and the national averages in the FDIC’s national rates. Rates can change at any time; confirm the APY on americanexpress.com before you apply. This page is general information and is not financial advice. Some links on Money 8020 are affiliate or partner links; see our advertiser and affiliate disclosure.

What are Amex CD rates today?

Source: American Express, CD Savings, term list and savings calculator, October 7, 2026. Interest estimates are our arithmetic: $10,000 compounded at the APY for the term, with interest left in the CD. Actual interest depends on your funding date and the rate in your account-opening documents.

Two terms stand out. The 10-month CD pays 4.40%, so it earns about the same interest as the 12-month CD at 3.65%, two months sooner. The 22-month CD pays 4.40% too, and earns more than the 24-month CD. If either of those terms fits your timeline, there is little reason to pick the round-number term next to it.

The long end is weaker. At 2.25%, the 36- and 48-month CDs pay well below the shorter terms, and the 60-month CD at 3.00% still trails the 22-month rate. Locking up money for three or four years at 2.25% means giving up yield you can get on a shorter term today.

How Amex CD rates compare with the national average

The FDIC publishes a national rate for each CD term, a deposit-weighted average across banks and credit unions. Here is how Amex compares on the terms the FDIC tracks.

Sources: American Express CD page, October 7, 2026; FDIC National Rates and Rate Caps, September 2026 (rates based on data as of the end of the prior month). Differences are our arithmetic.

Amex beats the national average on every term, but the average includes many big banks that pay little on CDs. For a fairer test, compare Amex with other online banks. Our Marcus CD rates guide and best CDs of 2026 list show other options, each checked on the bank’s own page.

How your Amex CD rate is set

Source: American Express, CD Savings, terms and FAQs, October 7, 2026.

Because you get the higher of two rates, a rate increase between application and funding works in your favor, and a cut doesn’t hurt you, as long as you fund within 60 days. For how daily compounding turns an interest rate into an APY, see our guide to how APY works.

What is the Amex CD early withdrawal penalty?

The Amex CD early withdrawal penalty ranges from 90 days of interest on terms under 12 months to 540 days of interest on terms of 60 months or more, per American Express’s CD FAQ. The penalty uses the interest rate disclosed in your account-opening documents. If it is more than the interest you’ve earned, American Express deducts the difference from your principal.

Penalty terms: American Express CD FAQ, October 7, 2026. Dollar examples are our simple-interest estimates using the APY as a stand-in for the interest rate, not Amex figures.

The 540-day penalty on the 60-month CD is steep: cash out in the first year and a half and you could lose principal. The 12-month CD carries a 270-day penalty, much heavier than the 90 days on the 10- and 11-month terms. That is another reason the 10-month CD looks good if you might need the money early. American Express says it may agree to waive the penalty in certain circumstances, such as the death or incompetence of an account holder. You can compare this schedule with the Marcus CD early withdrawal penalty.

How do you open and fund an Amex CD?

You open an Amex CD online in three steps, per American Express: apply and verify your identity, register your online account after the confirmation email arrives, then sign in and fund the CD by linking your current bank or mailing a check. Linking an external account can take up to two days, and the CD must be funded within 60 calendar days of approval.

Plan the deposit before you apply. You can’t add money after the CD is opened, so the opening deposit is the whole balance for the term.

What happens when an Amex CD matures?

An Amex CD renews automatically on its maturity date unless American Express no longer offers a CD with the same term or you have asked it not to renew. After an automatic renewal you get a 10 calendar-day grace period to add or withdraw money without penalty. If you give instructions before the maturity date to add or withdraw funds at maturity, the CD renews on the maturity date with no grace period.

To stop a renewal, change your maturity option online, call before the maturity date, or send written notice that American Express receives before maturity. You can also have interest paid out monthly to your Amex savings account or a linked external account, or by check monthly, quarterly or annually. Amex notes that paying interest out affects what you actually earn, because the APY assumes interest stays in the account.

Amex CD vs Amex High Yield Savings: which fits?

An Amex CD fits money you won’t need for the full term, since the rate is fixed and early withdrawals cost 90 to 540 days of interest. The Amex High Yield Savings account fits money you may need, because American Express says funds can be withdrawn with no penalty, but its rate can go up or down with the market. Both have no minimum balance.

Source: American Express, CD Savings, “Compare Savings products,” October 7, 2026.

A ladder of CDs with staggered maturities, for example 10-month, 22-month and 60-month Amex CDs, keeps some money coming due regularly. See our Amex High Yield Savings review, the CD category and best CDs of 2026 for other options. If the money will sit in a brokerage account instead, our best money market funds list compares current fund yields.

Are Amex CDs safe?

Amex CDs are deposits at American Express National Bank, which FDIC BankFind lists as an active, FDIC-insured bank (certificate 27471, Sandy, Utah). American Express says each depositor is insured to at least $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, per ownership category. Balances above that limit at the same bank and ownership category aren’t covered.

How we verified this page

• Rates and terms: American Express’s CD page, term list, savings calculator and FAQs, loaded October 7, 2026. The page states its advertised APY is accurate as of 10/7/2026. The term list and the calculator showed the same APY for every term.
• National averages: FDIC National Rates and Rate Caps for September 2026.
• FDIC status: FDIC BankFind Suite API record for certificate 27471 (index refreshed October 2, 2026).
• Estimates: interest and penalty dollar amounts are our arithmetic and are labeled as estimates.
• Not included: we did not use any third-party rate tables.

Key takeaways

• Amex CD rates on October 7, 2026: 4.40% APY on 10- and 22-month terms, 3.65% on 11, 12, 14, 18 and 24 months, 2.25% on 36 and 48 months, 3.00% on 60 months.
• Rates are fixed for the term, at the higher of the rate when you apply or when you fund.
• There’s no minimum deposit and no monthly fee, but you must fund within 60 days and can’t add money later.
• Early withdrawal penalties are 90, 270, 365 or 540 days of interest depending on term, and partial withdrawals aren’t allowed.
• CDs renew automatically, with a 10-day grace period after renewal. American Express National Bank is FDIC-insured (cert 27471).

Sources

1. American Express, “CD Savings” (term APYs, savings calculator, FAQs; APY stated as accurate as of 10/7/2026). https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/banking/online-savings/cd/ (accessed October 7, 2026)
2. American Express, “Online Savings FAQ” (FDIC coverage statement). https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/banking/online-savings/faq/ (accessed October 7, 2026)
3. FDIC BankFind Suite API, American Express National Bank, certificate 27471. https://api.fdic.gov/banks/institutions?filters=CERT:27471 (accessed October 7, 2026)
4. FDIC, National Rates and Rate Caps, September 2026. https://www.fdic.gov/national-rates-and-rate-caps (accessed October 7, 2026)

Rates and terms can change at any time. Rates shown were published by American Express on October 7, 2026, and may differ when you apply. Money 8020 is not a bank and doesn’t hold deposits. This content is for general information only and is not financial advice. Money 8020 may earn a commission from some links on this site; see our disclosures.