Personal Advantage Account Interest Offer – Spring 2026 | Page 3 | Manulife Bank | Discussion forum

Jim Sherat said
After speaking with a CSR about adding the new Advantage account to our existing profile, it seems you must start from scratch, like a new client. online only, and have to provide photo id all over again, new id, new pw, etc etc... so I assume this means NEW Profiles for myself and my wife [to make it a joint account] ?

If so, this promo is definitely not for us, as I want to be able to transfer seamlessly to our existing, Advantage Acct., and use the existing link to home bank, and be able to use existing cheques, for moving out large amounts quickly later on.

I don't think any of this is possible, but if anyone knows different, I'd appreciate your input. thanks.  

I opened a new account earlier this wk and didn't have to do much. I had an existing account that I had not used for several yrs (that had gone dormant), but I didn't have to complete or supply any documentation. When I log in now, both accounts are there, so I assume it's all the original profile.

Might be worthwhile to call for more clarification? The balance of the new promo account doesn't have to remain static, so it would seem logical to be able to get a new account for the 3% and still use your other one as you're used to, moving $ between the two as needed.

As GR described, one can open a new Advantage account under one's existing profile.

In Step 1 of the account opening journey, you are asked if you have a Manulife ID already. If you answer yes, then you will be asked to sign in and the new Advantage account will be added to your existing Manulife Bank profile.

When moving funds in, don't deposit into an older account first. Transfers from another Manulife Bank account to the new Advantage account won't count as new money.

You'll need to call in if you wish to add the new account to your client card to do ATM deposits directly into the new account.

AlainJF said
I had a previous Advantage Account @ 1.5% with a low balance and I opened an additional Advantage Account online to get the 1.5% 730 days special bonus (Current total of 3%).

Everything online went smoothly; received a confirmation email, was able to access the new account online and with the App., renamed it to distinguish it from the old account and was able to transfer new money in.

The only thing that does not work is the displayed interest rate. Neither the App, nor the website is showing the 1.5% 730 days special bonus (Current total of 3%).

Question: Does anyone here on this Forum see the special bonus rate somewhere in their new account?
  

Does it show the promotional offer end date 2 years from now?

AlainJF said

No.
In my case, the only differences between the old account and the new one are the "Opened date", the "Account number" and the "Nickname Account"/"Account name" (I gave it a nickname). Everything else seems to be exactly the same.  

Interesting, under the previous method you would see your promotional interest rate as well as the end date. Perhaps Manulife hopes people with get forgetful after a couple of years and leave large deposits in their accounts. I'll be sure to add it to my Google calendar and set a reminder. Apparently, they have a new CEO; must be their ingenious idea to replace the way previous promos were offered.

ponyFlower said
I called customer service, but unfortunately it wasn’t very helpful. At first, the representative told me I wasn’t eligible, even though I followed all the required steps, including opening a new account and depositing new funds from an external source. Then she said I might be eligible, but instead of giving me a clear answer, she started reading the entire terms and conditions to me. I mentioned that I could read the terms myself and just wanted a simple yes or no on whether I qualify, but she wasn’t able to provide a clear answer. Overall, the call was quite frustrating.  

If you believe that you are eligible, then that should be enough if you went through the T&C's and understood them. Your mistake was calling in as the person answering the phone did not know the answer, but that's what happens when you take customer service occupations and treat the role as an unnecessary cost of doing business.

Start on their Advantage Account page that has the 3% offer advertised. Click on the big

button there. Eventually, there will be page asking whether one wishes to open an indivitual or joint Advantage account and whether one has an existing Manulife ID or not.

Looks like Manulife Bank is running this long term offer in their back office differently than their previous short term offers. The bank is not tagging the new Advantage accounts with a special offer. No indication in the account's details, as they had before, of the promo rate and promo end date.

I suspect their back office is just going to run something monthly that looks at the account opening date to recognize the Eligible Accounts for the offer and pay the 1½% top up interest.

Jim Sherat said

It's nice to know that for the next 2yrs. the Minimum interest rate for totally accessible cash will be 3%; more, if especially attractive short term promos convince me to move it, then return it after such a promo ends.

  

Not to forget the keywords "new deposits". Regular rate 1.5%. An additional 1.5% on new deposits only.

Norman1 said

Jim Sherat said

Wondering how others feel about exceeding the $100K CDIC insured limit, by a little, or a lot, for established Banks, like Manulife ? Personally, I've done it, sometimes by a lot, but have never been 100% comfortable.

I look at the bank's debt ratings from the ratings agencies, like DBRS and S&P Global, for estimates of the risk of default. That's what depositors do for large deposits that cannot be insured under CDIC limits.

CDIC deposit insurance doesn't really add much if the risk of default of the deposit is about the risk of default of provincial government bonds.  

In the case of Manulife Bank, at least they're owned by an insurance company that's been around for over a hundred years. That in itself offers some reassurance.

bali said
I am an existing Manulife client with a few Advantage accounts, and tried to open the new 3% Advantage account. I was declined and received the following e-mail ...
"Thank you for your interest in a Manulife Bank Advantage Account. We are not able to complete your purchase at this time. If you have questions, you can reach out to our contact centre. Reach us conveniently through Live Chat, available in the Manulife Bank mobile app Send us an email at manulife_bank@manulife.ca Call us at 1-877-765-2265 Thank you for choosing to bank with us. Manulife Bank"
When I spoke to Customer Service all they could tell me was that it must be a problem with my credit rating. I have a sterling credit rating and have no problems opening accounts at other financial institutions, getting credit cards, etc.
Has anyone else experienced this issue?  

Might be worthwhile checking your credit file, most major banks have free reports from TransUnion. Maybe Manulife did a soft check on you when you tried open a new account and what they have on file is not jiving with what's on the report.

Jim Sherat said

Exactly, and Mother-In-Law's advisor was confident enought in their stability, that had her entire holdings in Manulife Financial GIA's once she reached her 90s. High six figures but covered by Assuris up to 90%.
…

One can't rely on that.

Manulife Financial, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, and Manulife Bank of Canada are three separate companies in the Manulife corporate family.

The GIA's are from Manufacturers Life. The Advantage accounts are from Manulife Bank.

For the Advantage account, one needs to be comfortable with the risk of Manulife Bank. Its parent, Manufacturers Life, does not guarantee the liabilities of the bank.