Overview of Questrade fees and charges
When it comes to brokerage fees Questrade shows a mixed picture: some fees are high but some are low. First you need to figure out your approach or you should use our questionnaire to be able to tell whether Questrade fees are an advantage for you. Continue reading about Questrade fees and charges to see if this is the right brokerage for you or a similar broker like Qtrade Direct Investing or RBC Direct Investing is better for you.
Here's a high level overview of Questrade's fees
| Assets | Fee level | Fee terms |
|---|---|---|
| US stock fee | Low | $0.01 per share, min $4.95, max $9.95; buying ETFs is free, selling costs $0.01 per share |
| EURUSD fee | Average | The fees are built into the spread, 2 pips is the average spread cost during peak trading hours. |
| US tech fund fee | Low | $9.95 per trade |
| Inactivity fee | Low | No inactivity fee |
Questrade fees
Questrade fees explained
We compare Questrade fees with its closest competitors, Qtrade Direct Investing and RBC Direct Investing.
Questrade fees
Questrade trading fees
Questrade's trading fees are mid-tier which means you need to pay special attention to asset classes with high trading fees.
Let's break down the trading fees into the different asset classes available at Questrade.
Trading fees
Questrade's trading fees are average.
Stock fees and ETF fees
Questrade has low stock trading fees.
| Questrade | Qtrade Direct Investing | RBC Direct Investing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock | $5.0 | $8.8 | $7.4 |
| UK stock | - | - | - |
| German stock | - | - | - |
Forex fees
Questrade's forex fees are average.
| Questrade | Qtrade Direct Investing | RBC Direct Investing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EURUSD benchmark fee | $17.2 | - | - |
| EURGBP benchmark fee | $15.4 | - | - |
Fund fees
Questrade fund fees are low.
| Questrade | Qtrade Direct Investing | RBC Direct Investing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual fund | $10.0 | $0.0 | $0.0 |
| EU mutual fund | - | - | - |
Bond fees
Questrade has low bond fees.
| Questrade | Qtrade Direct Investing | RBC Direct Investing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Treasury bond | $0.0 | $25.0 | $18.5 |
| EU government bond | - | - | - |
Options fees
Questrade's options fees are high.
| Questrade | Qtrade Direct Investing | RBC Direct Investing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock index options | $20.0 | $21.3 | $16.6 |
| UK stock index options | - | - | - |
| German stock index options | - | - | - |
CFD fees
Questrade has average CFD trading fees.
| Questrade | Qtrade Direct Investing | RBC Direct Investing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple CFD | $10.1 | - | - |
| Vodafone CFD | $13.9 | - | - |
| Germany | $14.1 | - | - |
Financing rates
Questrade financing rates are average.
If you want to trade on margin and prefer to hold your positions long, financing costs can be significant.
| Questrade | Qtrade Direct Investing | RBC Direct Investing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple CFD financing rate | 7.3% | - | - |
| Vodafone CFD financing rate | 5.7% | - | - |
| EURUSD financing rate | 3.4% | - | - |
| EURGBP financing rate | 2.4% | - | - |
Leverage is a double-edged sword and can dramatically amplify your profits. It can also just as dramatically amplify your losses. Trading foreign exchange/CFDs with any level of leverage may not be suitable for all investors.
Currency conversion fee
Questrade will charge a Currency Conversion Fee for all trades on instruments denominated in a currency different to the currency of your account. The fee is charged as the following: 1.99% mark-up.
Questrade fees
Questrade non-trading fees
When it comes to looking at all the non-trading fees Questrade is a cheap broker. This means that they don't charge you a lot for non-trading related activities on your trading account, like withdrawal fee.
Non-trading fees include various brokerage fees and charges at Questrade that you pay not related to buying and selling assets. Among some others, typical non trading fees are withdrawal fee, deposit fee, inactivity fee and account fee.
| Questrade | Qtrade Direct Investing | RBC Direct Investing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No | Yes | No |
| Account fee | No | Yes | Yes |
Questrade fees
Questrade deposit fee
Deposit fees are applied when you send money to your trading account from your bank account. Usually brokers don't charge money for that and Questrade is not different: you will see the exact same amount on your brokerage account that you sent by any of the deposit methods Questrade offers.
| Questrade | Qtrade Direct Investing | RBC Direct Investing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | Yes | No | No |
| Electronic wallets | Yes | No | No |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Questrade fees
Questrade withdrawal fee
Unlike some online brokers we have reviewed Questrade does not charge a withdrawal fee. This means that you'll see the same amount of money on your bank account that you transferred from your brokerage account.
| Questrade | Qtrade Direct Investing | RBC Direct Investing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | Yes | No | No |
| Electronic wallets | Yes | No | No |
| Withdrawal fee with bank transfer | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Questrade fees
Questrade inactivity fee
Questrade does not apply an inactivity fee which is great because your account will not be charged even if you do not trade for a longer time period (months or years).
