Overview of RBC Direct Investing fees and charges
When it comes to brokerage fees RBC Direct Investing 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 RBC Direct Investing fees are an advantage for you. Continue reading about RBC Direct Investing fees and charges to see if this is the right brokerage for you or a similar broker like Qtrade Direct Investing or Questrade is better for you.
Here's a high level overview of RBC Direct Investing's fees
| Assets | Fee level | Fee terms |
|---|---|---|
| US stock fee | Low | CAD 9.95 per trade; CAD 6.95 if you make more than 150 trades per quarter |
| EURUSD fee | - | Not available |
| US tech fund fee | Low | No fee |
| Inactivity fee | Low | No inactivity fee |
RBC Direct Investing fees
RBC Direct Investing fees explained
We compare RBC Direct Investing fees with its closest competitors, Qtrade Direct Investing and Questrade.
RBC Direct Investing fees
RBC Direct Investing trading fees
RBC Direct Investing'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 RBC Direct Investing.
Trading fees
RBC Direct Investing's trading fees are average.
Stock fees and ETF fees
RBC Direct Investing has low stock trading fees.
| RBC Direct Investing | Qtrade Direct Investing | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock | $7.4 | $8.8 | $5.0 |
| UK stock | - | - | - |
| German stock | - | - | - |
Fund fees
RBC Direct Investing fund fees are low.
| RBC Direct Investing | Qtrade Direct Investing | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual fund | $0.0 | $0.0 | $10.0 |
| EU mutual fund | - | - | - |
Bond fees
RBC Direct Investing has low bond fees.
| RBC Direct Investing | Qtrade Direct Investing | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Treasury bond | $18.5 | $25.0 | $0.0 |
| EU government bond | - | - | - |
Options fees
RBC Direct Investing's options fees are average.
| RBC Direct Investing | Qtrade Direct Investing | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock index options | $16.6 | $21.3 | $20.0 |
| UK stock index options | - | - | - |
| German stock index options | - | - | - |
Financing rates
RBC Direct Investing financing rates are .
If you want to trade on margin and prefer to hold your positions long, financing costs can be significant.
| RBC Direct Investing | Qtrade Direct Investing | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
RBC Direct Investing 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: 2% mark-up.
RBC Direct Investing fees
RBC Direct Investing non-trading fees
When it comes to looking at all the non-trading fees RBC Direct Investing 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 RBC Direct Investing 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.
| RBC Direct Investing | Qtrade Direct Investing | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No | Yes | No |
| Account fee | Yes | Yes | No |
RBC Direct Investing fees
RBC Direct Investing 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 RBC Direct Investing is not different: you will see the exact same amount on your brokerage account that you sent by any of the deposit methods RBC Direct Investing offers.
| RBC Direct Investing | Qtrade Direct Investing | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | No | Yes |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | Yes |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
RBC Direct Investing fees
RBC Direct Investing withdrawal fee
Unlike some online brokers we have reviewed RBC Direct Investing 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.
| RBC Direct Investing | Qtrade Direct Investing | Questrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | No | Yes |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | Yes |
| Withdrawal fee with bank transfer | $0 | $0 | $0 |
RBC Direct Investing fees
RBC Direct Investing inactivity fee
RBC Direct Investing 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).
