*Fund is waiving all or a portion of its expenses. †Internet only. #Money market deposit account.
‡Memory Bank and UFB Direct off er a similar yield. ,Live Oak Bank and Rising Bank off er a similar
yield. §Must be a member; to become a member, see website. &Affi nity Plus FCU, Colorado
Federal Savings, Main St. Bank, Presidential Bank, Sun East FCU and Tampa Bay FCU off er a
similar yield. SOURCES: Bankrate, DepositAccounts, Money Fund Report (iMoneyNet).48 KIPLINGER’S PERSONAL FINANCE^ 05/2019more problematic for debit
card users, who lose access
to real money in their bank
accounts. Holds often last
the length of the reserva-
tion, plus any extra time
the bank takes to post the
funds back to your account.
Holds are common be-
cause the total charge may
change between the begin-
ning and end of the transac-
tion, says Raquel Cardenas,
executive vice president
for Frost Bank. A hotel
customer, for example, may
rack up charges for Wi-Fi
or room service; a rental-car
customer may return a car
late or without filling the
gas tank. The amount of
a hold can add up quickly,
says Ted Rossman, of
CreditCards.com. Some
hotels, for example, hold
a certain amount each day
for incidentals, plus charges
for the room and taxes.
Credit cards are more
likely than debit cards to
offer perks such as insur-
ance coverage if you decline
a car-rental agency’s colli-
sion-damage waiver, or
travel insurance to cover
nonrefundable expenses
if your trip is canceled or
interrupted. If you use a
travel rewards credit card,
you may get extra points
or cash back, or you may be
reimbursed up to a certain
amount yearly for travel
purchases. LISA GERSTNER
[email protected]MONEY
YIELD BENCHMARKS*To earn the maximum rate, you must meet requirements such as using your debit card several
times monthly and receiving electronic statements. †Portion of the balance higher than the listed
range earns a lower rate or no interest. §Must be a member; to become a member, see website.
‡Requires spending $1,000 or more in CCU Visa credit card purchases. SOURCE: DepositAccounts.Consumers Credit Union (Ill.)§ 5.09%‡ $0–$10,000 myconsumers.org
America’s Credit Union (Wash.)§ 5.00 0–1,000 youracu.org
La Capital FCU (La.)§ 4.25 0–3,000 lacapfcu.org
Orion FCU (Tenn.)§ 4.00 0–30,000 orionfcu.comHigh-Yield CheckingAnnual
yield as of
March 20
Balance
range†
Website
(www.)TOP CHECKING ACCOUNTS
Must meet activity requirements*Annual
yield as of
March 20Minimum
amountWebsite
(www.)Savings and Money Market
Deposit Accounts
All America Bank (O k l a .)†# 2.50% none allamerica.bank
Western State Bank (N.D.)†# 2.50 none westernbanks.com
CIT Bank (C ali f.)†‡ 2.45 $25,000 cit.com
Rising Bank (Mo.)†‡ 2.45 1,000 risingbank.com
Annual
yield as of
March 20Minimum
amountWebsite
(www.)Certifi cates of Deposit
1-Year
Colorado Federal Savings (Co lo.)† 2.86% $5,000 coloradofederalbank.com
Banesco USA (Fla.)†, 2.85 1,500 banescousa.com
Citizens Access (R.I.)†, 2.85 5,000 citizensaccess.com
Limelight Bank (Utah)†, 2.85 1,000 limelightbank.com
Annual
yield as of
March 20Minimum
amountWebsite
(www.)Certifi cates of Deposit
5-Year
Utah First FCU (Utah)§ 3.50% $500 utahfirst.com
Alabama Credit Union (Ala.)§ 3.29 500 alabamacu.com
State Department FCU (D.C.)§ 3.29 500 sdfcu.org
First Internet Bank of Indiana (Ind.)†& 3.25 1,000 firstib.com30-day
yield as
of March 5Taxable Money Market
Mutual FundsWebsite
(www.)Minimum
investment
Vanguard Prime Inv (VMMXX) 2.49% $3,000 vanguard.com
Gabelli US Treas AAA (GA BX X) 2.39 10,000 gabelli.com
Northern MMF (NORXX)* 2.37 2,500 northerntrust.com
Vanguard Federal (VMFXX) 2.36 3,000 vanguard.comTOP-YIELDING SAVINGSAs of March 20, 2019.● (^) EE savings bonds purchased
after May 1, 2005, have a
fi xed rate of interest.
● (^) Bonds bought between
May 1, 1995, and May 1, 2005,
earn a market-based rate
from date of purchase.
● Bonds purchased before
May 1, 1995, earn a minimum
of 4% or a market-based rate
from date of purchase.
Yield
Month-
ago
Ye a r -
ago
U.S. Series EE savings bonds 0.10% 0.10% 0.10%
U.S. Series I savings bonds 2.83 2.83 2.58
Six-month Treasury bills 2.49 2.51 1.97
Five-year Treasury notes 2.34 2.47 2.69
Ten-year Treasury notes 2.54 2.65 2.89
SOURCE FOR TREASURIES: U.S. Treasury
Vanguard Muni Inv (VMSXX) 1.59% 2.09%/2.45% $3,000 vanguard.com
M Stanley T-F Daily Inc (DSTXX) 1.48 1.95/2.28 5,000 morganstanley.com
BNY Mellon Ntl Muni (MOMXX) 1.36 1.79/2.09 10,000 bnymellon.com
Northern Muni MMF (NOMXX) 1.35 1.78/2.08 2,500 northerntrust.com
30-day
yield as
of March 4
Tax eq. yield
24 %/35%
bracket
Tax-Free Money Market
Mutual Funds
Minimum
investment
Website
(www.)
IF YOU TRY TO RENT A CAR
with a debit card rather
than a credit card, you usu-
ally have to jump through
extra hoops—typically a
credit check and a hefty
“hold” placed on funds in
your bank account. Many
car-rental agencies also
require debit card users to
produce extra ID besides
a driver’s license, such as a
passport or utility bill, and
a copy of your travel plans.
Dollar Car Rental and
Thrifty Car Rental—both
subsidiaries of Hertz—re-
cently made the process less
painful. Debit card users
are no longer subject to a
credit check, and to rent
most vehicles, you need only
a driver’s license as proof of
identity if you book at least
24 hours in advance. Dollar
and Thrifty renters ages 20
to 24 can also use a debit
card; previously, you had to
be at least 25. And the hold
on a renter’s bank account
dropped from $350 to $200.
Travelers commonly en-
counter holds for car rentals
and hotel reservations on
credit cards as well as debit
cards. But holds can be
It’s Easier to Rent a
Car With a Debit Card
CREDIT
RATE UPDATES
For the latest savings yields
and loan rates, visit kiplinger
.com/links/rates. For our top
rewards cards, go to kiplinger
.com/links/rewards.