‘To create this list, Forbes Advisor Canada analyzed 11 tax-free savings accounts at 39 financial institutions, including a mix of traditional brick-and-mortar banks, online banks and credit unions. We ranked each account on 17 data points within the categories of fees, access, customer experience, digital experience, annual percentage yield, plus the minimums and balance needed to avoid monthly fees.
The following is the weighting assigned to each category:
- Fees: 50%
- Branch and ATM access: 15%
- Customer experience: 10%
- Digital experience: 10%
- Minimums: 10%
- Balance to avoid monthly fee: 5%
Specific characteristics taken into consideration within each category included monthly fee, ability to waive the monthly fee, overdraft fee, NSF fee, other fees, ATM network, branch access, Better Business Bureau rating, Trustpilot rating, live chat availability, mobile app ratings, online bill pay availability, online banking access, minimum deposit requirements and minimum balance requirements.
Chequing accounts offering no or very low fees scored the highest, as did those offering low minimum requirements and high customer service and digital experience scores. To appear on this list, the chequing account must be nationally available.
Banks We Monitor
Our research is based on information from the following financial institutions: RBC, TD, BMO, National Bank, CIBC, Scotiabank, UNI Financial, Canadian Western Bank, Coast Capital Savings, Digital Commerce Bank, EQ Bank, First Nations Bank of Canada, Laurentian Bank, Manulife Bank, Motus Bank, Peoples Bank of Canada, Simplii Financial, Tangerine Bank, VanCity, VersaBank, HSBC, Home Bank, ICICI Bank Canada, SBI Canada Bank, CTBC Bank, Bank of China (Canada), KEB Hana Bank Canada, Shinhan Bank Canada, Meridian Credit Union, Servus Credit Union, Envision Financial, Steinbach Credit Union, Affinity Credit Union, Prospera Credit Union, Conexus Credit Union, ConnectFirst Credit Union, Access Credit Union, Assiniboine Credit Union, Wealthsimple, Innovation Federal Credit Union, Neo Financial.
On EQ Bank’s Website
APY
2.75%
Minimum Deposit Requirement
$0
Monthly Maintenance Fee
$0
2
Neo High- Interest Savings Account
On Neo’s Secure Website
APY
Earn 4% interest everyday, on every dollar.
Minimum Deposit Requirement
No monthly fees and no minimum deposit required.
Other Features
Track your personalized savings goals in real time and watch your money grow.
