Ally Bank is the online subisdary of Ally financial services. Ally has always had competitive interest rates on all their deposit products, along with no minimum balances, 24/7 customer support, and no monthly fees. I’ve found Ally’s interface to be intuitive and easy to use, and their customer service has also been excellent when I have needed help.

Ally Bank offers many online deposit accounts, did, including savings and money market accounts, and certificate of deposits.

Current Ally Bank Rates

Ally Savings Account

The AllyBank savings account features:

• APY yield
• No minimum balance
• No monthly fees
• Daily compounded interest
• Six withdrawals or transfers per billing cycle

Ally Certificate of Deposits

Ally CDs have no  minimum balance requirements; apparently you can open a CD with $0. It seems to be more of a gimmick as it doesn’t really make sense. Aside from regular CDs, Ally also has a 11 month No-Penalty CD, which states:

“You can withdraw your money 6 days after funding – and anytime thereafter – and you won’t be charged a fee. Just remember, if you do make an early withdrawal it must be for the full balance plus all interest earned.”

This is a good bonus for those who want to earn a decent return on their CD but don’t want an easy out in case better rates are available. The no penalty CD currently has a yield of
.

Ally also has a new CD product called the Raise Your Rate CD that allows you to lock in a rate now, and have a one rate increase option within the 2 year term if rates go up.

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The Chase Freedom card already gives you 5% cash back in popular categories that change every quarter, and 1% cashback on everything else. You can also get up to 10% cash back when you shop at select merchants through the Chase website.

The current active categories for 5% cashback include grocery stores, department stores, and movies. The 5% cashback on these categories is active through December 31, 2010. After Dec 31 the the categories will rotate to a new set of categories.

I have been using the Chase freedom card for over 2 years now and have received over $750 in the form of rewards checks. It also has excellent fraud protection and no annual fee. I’ve had my card stolen once and they refunded me the fraudulent amounts within a week. Customer service was was very helpful and prompt.

Visit their website today for more information.

If you already have a Chase Freedom card, you can enroll in 5% cashback here.

If you prefer mastercard, you can find the application for that card here.

Washington Savings Bank is giving away a an Android ePad for opening a checking account. This offer ends on March 31, 2011, or as long as supplies last.

The checking accounts feature:

• No minimum balance requirement
• No monthly maintenance fee
• Unlimited check writing
• Free online banking and bill pay
• Bank-to-bank transfers
• Mobile banking
• MasterCard debit card

You will receive the ePad within 30 days after redeeming a “Free Gift Certificate” and implementing a recurring monthly deposit of at least $1000. Here are some of the checking accounts available:

Interest Rewards: Minimum to open an Interest Rewards Checking account is $10. Interest Rewards Checking rate tiers are as follows: 3.01% APYapplies to balances of $0-$10,000 and 0.65% APY applies to the portion of balances over $10,000 as long as qualifications are met each statementcycle. 0.05% APY applies to all checking balances if qualifications are not met. All checking balances will earn 0.65% APY to 3.01% APY as long asqualifications are met. ATM fee refunds up to $25 per statement cycle when qualifications are met. If you do not meet the qualifications per cycle,your account will still function as a free checking account; however, it will not receive ATM refunds or the higher interest for that time period.

Saver Rewards: Minimum to open a Saver Rewards account is $10. Saver Rewards rate tiers are as follows: 1.51% APY applies to balances of $0-$15,000 and 0.65% APY applies to portion of balances over $15,000 as long as qualifications are met each statement cycle on Interest RewardsChecking account. 0.05% APY applies to all savings balances if qualifications are not met on Interest Rewards Checking. All savings balances willearn 0.65% APY to 1.51% APY as long as qualifications are met.

Tune Rewards: Earn iTunes and Amazon.com download refunds up to $15 with initial account opening regardless of qualifications. Earn up to$5 in iTunes® and Amazon.com® download refunds each cycle the minimum qualifications are met. ATM fee refunds up to $25 per statement cyclewhen qualifications are met. If you do not meet the qualifications per cycle, your account will still function as a free checking account; however,it will not receive ATM refunds or iTunes and Amazon refunds for that time period. iTunes® and Amazon® downloads must be purchased withyour debit card associated with your Tune Rewards account.

Visit their promotional page for more information.

Visa and Southwest currently have a promotion for %15 off Southwest Flights.

The 15% discount applies to the total amount of a round trip Wanna Get Away fare purchase before taxes and fees, once your card has been verified as Visa Signature. Does not apply to Business Select, Anytime, and Senior fares.

Purchase of ticket must be made between January 20, 2011 and April 30, 2011 for travel from now til June 1, 2011.

Purchase of the ticket must be made with a Visa Signature credit card.

Here is the fine print:

• 15% discount valid for use at southwest.com or swabiz.com off the total amount of a roundtrip Wanna Get Away fare purchase before taxes and fees, once Visa Signature® consumer credit card has been verified on visa.com/signaturesouthwest.
• In order to receive the 15% discount and its corresponding fare saver code for Southwest’s Wanna Get Away fare, payment on southwest.com or SWABIZ.com must be made with a Visa Signature® consumer credit card.
• Purchase must be made between January 20, 2011 and April 30, 2011 for travel January 20, 2011 through June 1, 2011.
• Blackout dates apply February 17, 2011 through February 28, 2011, April 21, 2011 through April 25, 2011, and May 20, 2011 through May 24, 2011. If any portion of travel falls on a blackout date the discount will not apply.
• One discount applied per itinerary (maximum of eight tickets/itinerary) and one fare saver code per Visa Signature consumer card.
• The discount is only valid with the provided Promotion Code and is not combinable with other Promotion Codes or fares available exclusively through the web tool “DING!”.
• This promotion does not include Business Select, Anytime, and Senior fares.
• This promotion includes all Wanna Get Away fares.
• Discount does not include taxes and fees.
• 7-day or more advance purchase may be required.
• Roundtrip purchase required.
• Changes made to the itinerary after purchase may eliminate qualifications for this promotion.
• Youth, Child, Infant, Military Fares are not available for purchase at southwest.com or swabiz.com.
• Reservations made through southwestvacations.com are not eligible for this promotion.
• Visa is not responsible or liable for any error or problem that may occur in connection with the processing or use of the codes or the execution of the offer, whether mechanical, human, electronic, or otherwise, relating to or in connection with the offer.
• Subject to change without notice.
• Visa will collect your cardholder number to determine whether your card is eligible for the Visa Signature/Southwest Airlines Wanna Get Away Promotion. If your card is eligible for the promotion, Visa will monitor the activity of all eligible cards to conduct post-promotion analytics for internal reporting purposes. Any reports will contain aggregated information and will not include cardholder numbers. Visa will not share any cardholder numbers obtained in this promotion with a third party. Visa will not use the information for any other purposes.

Flushing Bank is offering a bank bonus of up to $150 for opening a Totally Free Checking or Best Rate Checking Account. New checking customers with new money only. The offer is limited to one checking account per household. Minimum deposit to open a new checking account is $100. In order to get the full $150 bonus you must complete the following:

• Get $75 after 5 debit card purchases of $25 or more.
• Get $75 for completing 5 online banking bill payments of $25 or more OR signing up and receiving a recurring direct deposit of $250 or more.
• These must be completed prior to 60 days after the end of the promotion.
• Maximum amount a customer can receive for this bank promotion is $150.

The bank bonus will be deposited into the checking account 75 days after promotion ends.

The BestRate Checking account can be opened with $100, but requires a minimum balance $5,000 to earn the best interest rate. Customers also pay a $10 monthly fee for balances below $5,000. Totally Free Checking can be opened with $100 has no monthly maintenance, per check, or deposit fees. Flushing Bank is based in Lake Success, N.Y., and operates in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Nassau County.

This bank promotion ends on March 31, 2011.

Open a high-yield checking account at IncredibleBank and you could earn an interest rate of 1.35% annual percentage yield (APY). This checking account features:

• Balances up to $250,001 earn 1.35% APY
• Balances above $250,001 earn 0.8% APY
• Minimum opening deposit of $1,000
• Electronic statements
• Free ATM transactions
• Free mobile banking and bill pay can be added

Fees may reduce earnings on account. Among the fees you may have to pay are $5 to replace a lost check card, $5 for deposited checks that are returned unpaid, $29 for stop payments, $15 for paper statements, and $34 per returned item.

The bank also offers a 12-month certificate of deposit (CD) with a 1.3% APY. The CD requires a minimum opening deposit of $10,000 and there must be a minimum balance of $10,000 to earn the stated CD rate.

IncredibleBank is an online bank. It is a division of River Valley Bank, based in Wausau, Wis., which has been in business since 1967. Accounts at IncredibleBank are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) for up to $250,000 per depositor.

Salem Five’s special CDs are amongst the top CD rates available nationwide.

The CDs feature a $10,000 minimum deposit.

• 14 month special CD – 1.35% APY
• 24 month special CD – 1.75% APY
• 60 month special CD – 2.72% APY

Salem Five also has IRA special CDs with the same rates.

Salem Five also offers many other products, including money market, savings, and checking, but the rates on these are pretty average.

Salem Five is based in Boston, MA and is FDIC insured.

First Bank is giving away Free Flip Ultra HD‘s with the opening of a new First Bank Checking account. This is only available in CA, AZ, and CO.

First Bank Checking features:

• No service charge
• No direct deposit requirement
• Internet banking
• Mobile banking
• Billpay

Limit one gift per household, per 24 month period. Minimum opening deposit of $50 required to receive the gift. Limited time offer. The account must be open for 6 months or the gift may be revoked.

The gift is redeemable online and a redemption code will be given within one week of account opening.

Note: Just contacted a representative, this offer is only available in Colorado, Arizona, and Riverside County California.

Aurora Bank currently has competitive certificate of deposit rates available. Checking and savings account are also available, but the rates are not as high.

Aurora bank CDs have different yields based on term to maturity and deposit amount. CD rates range from 1.10% APY for a 6 month CD with 1000 minimum deposit to 2.32% APY for a 5 year CD. Jumbo CDs are also available with slightly higher yields. Aurora Bank CDs include:

• Competitive interest rates, compounded daily and posted monthly
• Flexible terms, ranging from 6 months to 5 years
• Low minimum deposit requirement of $1,000
• Automatic renewal at maturity

The checking account has a .10% APY across all balances and features:

• Competitive interest rates, compounded daily and posted monthly
• Unlimited check writing and withdrawals
• No monthly fee (with average balance of $1,000 or more)
• May be linked to certain accounts for Overdraft Protection
• Check Card

The Aurora bank savings account has a .10% APY for balances up to 7500 and .25% for balances above 7500. Features include:

• Competitive interest rates, compounded daily and posted monthly
• Flexible access: ATM card
• No monthly fee (with average balance of $500 or more)
• Direct deposit, mail-in deposit, electronic transfer
• May be linked to certain accounts for Overdraft Protection

Ascencia has competitive CD rates, including 1.4% annual percentage yield (APY) for a 1-year term. The CD rate is current as of Dec. 26, 2010. The quoted CD rate is guaranteed for 20 days from the date of the application. Other CD rates at the bank include:

• 1.11% APY for 6 months
• 1.45% APY for 2 years
• 1.5% APY for 3 years
• 1.7% APY for 5 years

The minimum deposit for CDs at Ascencia is $500, and the maximum deposit is $97,000. Interest compounds monthly and starts to accrue when the account is process and funds are transferred.

The penalty for early withdrawal is 91 days interest on the amount with drawn for CD tersm of 1 year or less, and 182 interest for any terms greater than 1 year.

Liberty National bank currently has one of the best interest rewards checking accounts with a APY of 4.11% APY.

Unfortunately, the 4.11% APY only applies to the first $10,000 invested. Anything over $10,000 earns .50% APY.

To qualify for the 4.11% APY, you must meet the following restrictions:

• Make 12 debit card transactions
• Make one direct deposit or automatic payment from the account

Failure to do so drops the APY to 0.10% APY.

Liberty National also reimburses all ATM fees with this account.

Wells Fargo is another large brick and mortar bank offering below average CD rates.

• 6 month CD yielding 0.10% APY with a minimum deposit of $2,500 required.
• 12 month CD yielding 0.15% APY with a minimum deposit of $2,500 required.

Wells Fargo CD Rate Promotions:

• 11 month CD yielding .20% APY
• 39 month CD yielding  0.90% APY
• 58 month CD’s yielding 1.65% APY.

All promotional CDs require a minimum deposit of at least $5,000.

Rates are accurate as of 11/29/2010.

Chase Bank is offering CD rates that are overall better than Bank of America, compared to the best online CD rates, these rates are still quite low. Rates are accurate as of 11/28/2010.

• 6 month CD yielding 0.25% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000 required.
• 12 month CD yielding 0.25% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000 required.
• 24 month CD yielding 0.50% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000 required.
• 36 month CD yielding 1.01% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000 required.
• 60 month CD yielding 1.75% APY with a minimum deposit of $10,000 required.

Chase Bank Promotional CD Rates:

• 9 month yielding 0.50% APY
• 13 month CD yielding 0.60% APY

Minimum deposit requirements of $10,000 required for Chase Bank promotional CDs.

Bank of America, as with most other larger banks, offer fairly low CD rates. CD rates are consistently below the national average. They typically will have promotional offers but for the most part these promotional offers are also much lower than average. If you’re trying to get the best CD rates, online banks will usually have the top rates available. CD Rates are accurate as of 11/27/2010.

• 6 month CD yielding 0.05% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000 required.
• 12 month CD yielding 0.20% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000 required.
• 24 month CD yielding 0.40% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000 required.
• 36 month CD yielding 0.75% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000 required.
• 60 month CD yielding 0.95% APY with a minimum deposit of $1,000 required.

Bank of America’s Promotional CD:

• 9 month “risk free” CD (available online only) yielding 0.35% APY with a minimum deposit of $5,000 required.

Compare this to 1.51% for the top yielding 12 month CD at United Central Bank.