Can I Buy Treasury Bonds on E*TRADE?
If you are wondering whether E*TRADE supports Treasury security trading,
the answer is yes. E*TRADE offers Treasury bonds, bills, and notes that can be purchased at auction or traded on the secondary market. Zero-coupon Treasuries are also available through the broker’s ‘Bond Resource Center.’
Finding Treasuries at E*TRADE
To trade Treasury bonds at E*TRADE, the first step is to find the bonds & CDs area.
You can locate it in the dropdown menus near the top of the webpage. Click on ‘Trading’ or ‘Markets & Ideas’ to find the link to the bond trading section.
Keep in mind that if you have not traded Treasuries at E*TRADE before, you will need to review and accept a user agreement before you can access Treasury bonds.
After the agreement is confirmed, you can enter the E*TRADE ‘Bond Resource Center.’
After you accept E*TRADE’s terms for trading Treasuries on its platforms, you are brought to the bond ‘Yield Grid.’ The Yield Grid is a table that shows rates and maturity periods for E*TRADE’s fixed-income offerings.
Under ‘Bonds’ are two links - U.S. Treasuries and U.S. Treasury Zeroes. Both options provide you with nearly 200 Treasuries to choose from.
E*TRADE Treasury Screener
Clicking on either ‘U.S. Treasuries’ or ‘U.S. Treasury Zeroes’ opens the ‘Advanced Screener,’ where you can review all of the securities in the category you selected.
Depending on your investment goal, one type of Treasury security may be a better fit than another.
Near the top of the screener, above the list of Treasury products, several search filter tags can be adjusted right away.
For more control over the list of results, however, it is better to choose ‘Edit Search Criteria.’ This feature lets you narrow Treasuries by price, type, maturity, and other important details.
Based on the criteria you enter, E*TRADE displays a list of Treasuries to consider. The search results are arranged by maturity date. The shortest maturities appear first, while the longest maturities appear last.
Key U.S. Treasury Differences
Here are several points to consider when choosing among Treasuries.
Treasury bills (T-bills) have the shortest maturities, ranging from four to 52 weeks. They are usually issued at a discount to their face value, and investors receive the face value when the bill matures.
Treasury notes (T-notes) are issued with terms of two, three, five, seven, and ten years. They pay interest twice a year, and the principal is returned at maturity.
Treasury bonds (T-bonds) have maturity terms of 20 or 30 years. They also pay interest twice a year, and the principal is paid at maturity.
Researching Treasury Bonds
Once you find a Treasury product that looks interesting, you can click on its name to open more information about the security.
The bond description page displays details tied to the security’s price, coupon rate, maturity dates, and yield information. You can also see whether the security is being offered through the secondary market or at auction.
How to Buy Treasury Bonds at E*TRADE
Buying Treasury bonds and other Treasury products is straightforward at E*TRADE.
You can reach the order ticket through the ‘Bond Offering Detail’ page (the button is located above the table). It is also available in the right column on the screener results.
From the bond order ticket, you can choose the account you want to use, the price, and the quantity you want to buy. After all required fields are completed, you can review the trade before submitting the order.
Buying Treasuries at Auction
To purchase bonds at auction, go to the ‘Bond Resource Center’ and find the ‘Tools and Resources’ tab. The Treasury auctions link is located in the ‘Bond Tools’ menu.
This link opens the Treasury auction order ticket, where you must enter the number of bonds you want to purchase and choose one of the available options.
Better Alternative
For bond investing, we recommend a broker called Charles Schwab: learn about
Charles Schwab Treasury Bonds »
Visit Charles Schwab Website
Open Schwab Account
E*TRADE Review
Updated on 5/6/2026.
Continue Reading