Free Canadian bank accounts for seniors | General comparisons | Discussion forum

Try PNG format.

Someone was able to upload and attach a .PNG file last month.

Worked this time. Had to go to pdf and then to png file which is lossless. It is ok but wish there was a better way for better quality.

My spouse who will most likely out-live me, is truly adverse to banking with a bank without a nearby branch she can walk into. She hasn't been in a BMO or any bank branch for at least 20 years but that's beside the point, apparently.

So we keep a float of $6k plus a bit in a BMO premium checking account to cover all auto-pay/debit monthly expenses. (That $6k has qualified us with free checking for the last 20+ years.) Any surplus flows out to HISA's elsewhere.

Lodown said
Worked this time. Had to go to pdf and then to png file which is lossless. It is ok but wish there was a better way for better quality.

  

Just to update.
BMO, based on our age, forced us into a free plan, called Seniors Plan.

Brick and Mortar free plans.
Vancity Credit Union
Coast Capital Credit Union

Virtual Banks with an office or a few offices with free plans
Oaken
People’s Trust
People’s Bank

Bill said
For old people I agree a local branch is a must. When I go to my branch I often see the tellers assisting old people (who the tellers all seem to know) who need help with paying their bills, etc.  

Yes, but these are from the silent generation, mostly before computers and definitely before the Internet. The vast majority of Boomers grew up with workplace computers and/or had to use technology in some form. That particular problem will self-resolve in another 10 years or so, 15 at the outside.

No, I did not say or mean that. What I said, or at least meant, was that much of the Silent Generation remained competent enough for brick and mortar transactions well into their 80s but had no skills to learn and navigate internet transactions. Hence they still go to brick and mortar branches anyway.

The younger generations will not likely use brick and mortar institutions at all. They will continue with online transactions until no longer competent and hand their affairs over to a POA. Brick and mortar will most likely be bypassed altogether in that case. It will be the case for me. I will continue with online until I lose confidence and turn it over to my POA at that time.

Brick and mortar will mostly handle business accounts AND POA/Executor activities.

As GIC-Junkie noted, VanCity has a very good Seniors' plan, and Coast Capital too - through some of the benefits are only grandfathered for those who joined a few years ago. Like free printed statements.

I'm a well-seasoned mathematician and High Geek, who first programmed one of the dang things in 1968 and never stopped. I build my first computer in 1976, and used programmable calculators from about then. But I still won't use on-line banking. It's not a tech issue, but a safety one.

NOTE: If the branch of anything you use knows your name, they probably have a good, stable staff.

RetirEd, you won't use online banking due to safety.

I've been using it since day one, thousands of transactions and not one glitch, not even a tiny one, using my desktop or a laptop. So what is your safety concern, specifically? What is it that one morning I might wake up to find that went wrong with my online accounts?

Bill: There are a great many people who have used on-line banking and mobile banking for quite a while and have not had problems.

On the other hand, among my friends and neighbours, as well as in the media, there are ample horror stories, many of them never resolved. I've never had such problems with in-branch or telephone banking, and I always have paper documents to back me up.

I won't attempt to categorize or list all the types of hassles and/or losses.