Term deposit interest rates: February 2021

Because your term deposit works on a fixed interest rate, it will remain the same, no matter what the market is doing at the time. This means that while your investment is safe from any drops in interest rates, it also won’t benefit from any rises. That’s why it’s so important to shop around for a good interest rate on your term deposit and choose a term that is best going to help you reach your savings goals!

They each have their advantages and disadvantages, so it really depends on what you need. You can check out our comparison of term deposits vs saving accounts, but here are the main differences as far as interest rates go:
Because term deposits are at a fixed interest rate, they aren’t affected by drops or rises in the market. So if interest rates fall, you will keep collecting interest as if it never happened, but if interest rates rise, term deposits won’t see the benefits like a savings account would. And with long terms, you may come to regret locking in at a certain interest rate in two or three years time.

Usually, term deposits will pay interest either annually for longer investments, or, for shorter time frames, at the end of the term. The interest rate won’t change depending on which you choose, so it doesn’t make a difference to how much interest you earn, but it does give you a choice of when you will see the payments roll into your account.

Usually, your interest will be paid via direct credit into your nominated account, similar to a savings account.
One thing to remember is that if your bank’s interest rate for term deposits isn’t great, you might want to look further afield for a better deal. In this case, make sure that the bank you're opening a term deposit with will pay the interest into your chosen account (some banks won’t!).

When your term deposit matures, you’ll have the option to either withdraw your savings so you can start using them again, or renew your term deposit to keep saving. If you’re renewing, make sure you check that the new interest rate you’ve been offered is the most competitive on the market.

One of the reasons a term deposit is such a great motivation not to dip into your savings is that if you make a withdrawal before the term is up, you will be charged a fee. It also means that banks may reduce the interest paid on your deposit, called an interest rate adjustment. 

Usually, this is calculated depending on how long you left your savings in the term deposit and will vary from bank to bank. The earlier you make the withdrawal, the lower the interest rate. For example, if you withdraw your savings halfway through a 12 month term, you may only earn 40% of the interest you otherwise would have in those six months.

One of the most important things when applying for a term deposit is shopping around to find the best interest rate. It’s well worth taking the time and effort to research the best option for your preferred term, because the interest you’ll earn is what a term deposit is all about. To make it a little easier for you Mozo has developed these great tools:

• Term deposits comparison page - find out what term deposits are currently on offer and compare interest rates for a range of terms, from one month to five years. This is the first stop in finding a great term deposit.
• Term deposits calculator - enter your details into our handy calculator to see how much interest you could be earning with a term deposit. This is really great if you want to compare how much interest you will earn with different terms or interest rates. 
• Term deposits search - use this quick and easy search tool to compare all the term deposit offers on the market by entering in how much you’d like to deposit and how long you’d like to leave it there.

And for more information on what interest rates are and how they work, check out our interest rates guides.