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Q. Can I open an account in a Desjardins caisse prior to my arrival in Canada?
A. You can open an account in a Desjardins caisse prior to your arrival in Canada.
Simply fill out the form online to apply for your account.
A Desjardins advisor will contact you within 48 hours (business days) of receiving your application.
When you arrive in Canada, you'll need to go to the caisse specified by the advisor to finalize the account opening.
Q. How do I report a change of address?
A. You can change the address on file for your accounts, credit cards, insurance and investments by phone, online or at your caisse.
See Change your address for contact information.
Q. Why are service charges reviewed each year?
A. In fact, only some service charges are reviewed on an annual basis to take into account operating cost increases with the aim of ensuring profitability, dependability and your Desjardins cooperative's future.
See Reduce your service charges
Q. Why doesn't a cooperative financial institution like Desjardins offer lower service charges than other financial institutions?
A. Desjardins's operating costs are equivalent to those of its competitors. Expenses related to equipment, office space, labour and financing products are generally the same for all financial institutions, as are available income sources.
Desjardins also has to maintain good profitability in order to have sufficient leeway on the markets, which ultimately benefits members. Surplus earnings earned by the caisses belong to all members and is paid back to them in the form of member dividends once the caisse's development and financial standing is assured. A portion of the member dividends can even be used to cover the service charges. Meanwhile, when banks turn a profit, only shareholders benefit.
See Reduce your service charges
Q. For how long will funds be on hold in my account?
A. Holding funds is a routine precaution taken by all financial institutions in anticipation of returned cheques. At Desjardins, funds are generally held for 5 to 7 business days if you deposit a cheque at the counter or ATM, or if you make an inter-instituion transfer through AccèsD Internet.
This procedure applies to any type of cheque, personal or otherwise, as well as for cash deposited at an ATM.
Authorized transit is an amount determined by the caisse that enables you to cash cheques without having a hold placed on the funds.
This limit can be adjusted by the caisse under certain conditions. Contact your caisse.
Find out more about holding funds.
Q. If Desjardins fees are almost equivalent to those of banks, what makes Desjardins special?
A. Desjardins stands out by its cooperative nature, which is based on the following principles:
- Ownership: The members of a caisse own it together and take part in its capitalization.
- Power: Members can take part in major caisse decisions and projects and elect officers to guide and manage the caisse.
- Sharing: A part of the caisse's surplus earnings stay in the community and the rest is distributed among members in the form of member dividends, which is not the case for banks.
- Commitment: The caisses support the development of the community and commit to many economic, social, educational and cultural endeavors.
- Education: The caisses promote cooperation with programs such as the school caisse, student caisse and the Young Intern Officer program and provide members with financial management advice.
Q. Why are fees at the ATM lower than those at the teller counter?
A. Teller services are more expensive because they involve caisse employees, unlike other access methods like ATMs, direct payments or AccèsD.
Service charges must encourage the divergence of transactions to less costly methods for both our members and our caisses. However, members are fully entitled to choose personalized service.
See Reduce your service charges
Q. How can I avoid paying fees?
A. To avoid paying fees:
- Select the plan that is right for you. Use the Account and Plan Selector or ask a caisse advisor (or call 1-800-CAISSES) to help you determine your transaction profile to find the plan that best suits your needs.
- Maintain the minimum monthly balance allowed by your plan (if needed, transfer money from other accounts).
If you stay within the number of transactions prescribed by your plan, you will pay no service charges (every transaction beyond the limit allotted by the plan will be charged separately).
Also see Reduce your service charges
Q. The minimum balance requirements for the fee exemption are high…
A. In fact, the amount you save with the service charge exemption is equivalent to a net annual return of more than 3% (see table below), which is generally better than what our competitors are offering. To maintain the minimum balance, you just have to transfer money from your other accounts or other financial institutions.
Plan |
Annual fees |
Minimal balance required for fee exemption |
Return |
The Economy Plan |
$35.40 |
$1,000 |
3.54% |
The Economy Plus Plan |
$47.40 |
$1,500 |
3.16% |
The Mid-level Plan |
$78.00 |
$2,000 |
3.90% |
The Autonomous Plan |
$102.00 |
$2,500 |
4.08% |
The Autonomous Plus Plan |
$119.40 |
$3,000 |
3.98% |
The Premier Plan |
$167.40 |
$4,000 |
4.19% |
The Premier Plus Plan |
$251.40 |
$5,000 |
5.03% |
 |
Also see Reduce your service charges
Q. Can I open an account in a Desjardins caisse prior to my arrival in Canada?
A. You can open an account in a Desjardins caisse prior to your arrival in Canada.
Simply fill out the form online to apply for your account.
A Desjardins advisor will contact you within 48 hours (business days) of receiving your application.
When you arrive in Canada, you'll need to go to the caisse specified by the advisor to finalize the account opening.
Q. How do I report a change of address?
A. You can change the address on file for your accounts, credit cards, insurance and investments by phone, online or at your caisse.
See Change your address for contact information.
Q. Why are service charges reviewed each year?
A. In fact, only some service charges are reviewed on an annual basis to take into account operating cost increases with the aim of ensuring profitability, dependability and your Desjardins cooperative's future.
See Reduce your service charges
Q. Why doesn't a cooperative financial institution like Desjardins offer lower service charges than other financial institutions?
A. Desjardins's operating costs are equivalent to those of its competitors. Expenses related to equipment, office space, labour and financing products are generally the same for all financial institutions, as are available income sources.
Desjardins also has to maintain good profitability in order to have sufficient leeway on the markets, which ultimately benefits members. Surplus earnings earned by the caisses belong to all members and is paid back to them in the form of member dividends once the caisse's development and financial standing is assured. A portion of the member dividends can even be used to cover the service charges. Meanwhile, when banks turn a profit, only shareholders benefit.
See Reduce your service charges
Q. For how long will funds be on hold in my account?
A. Holding funds is a routine precaution taken by all financial institutions in anticipation of returned cheques. At Desjardins, funds are generally held for 5 to 7 business days if you deposit a cheque at the counter or ATM, or if you make an inter-instituion transfer through AccèsD Internet.
This procedure applies to any type of cheque, personal or otherwise, as well as for cash deposited at an ATM.
Authorized transit is an amount determined by the caisse that enables you to cash cheques without having a hold placed on the funds.
This limit can be adjusted by the caisse under certain conditions. Contact your caisse.
Find out more about holding funds.
Q. If Desjardins fees are almost equivalent to those of banks, what makes Desjardins special?
A. Desjardins stands out by its cooperative nature, which is based on the following principles:
- Ownership: The members of a caisse own it together and take part in its capitalization.
- Power: Members can take part in major caisse decisions and projects and elect officers to guide and manage the caisse.
- Sharing: A part of the caisse's surplus earnings stay in the community and the rest is distributed among members in the form of member dividends, which is not the case for banks.
- Commitment: The caisses support the development of the community and commit to many economic, social, educational and cultural endeavors.
- Education: The caisses promote cooperation with programs such as the school caisse, student caisse and the Young Intern Officer program and provide members with financial management advice.
Q. Why are fees at the ATM lower than those at the teller counter?
A. Teller services are more expensive because they involve caisse employees, unlike other access methods like ATMs, direct payments or AccèsD.
Service charges must encourage the divergence of transactions to less costly methods for both our members and our caisses. However, members are fully entitled to choose personalized service.
See Reduce your service charges
Q. How can I avoid paying fees?
A. To avoid paying fees:
- Select the plan that is right for you. Use the Account and Plan Selector or ask a caisse advisor (or call 1-800-CAISSES) to help you determine your transaction profile to find the plan that best suits your needs.
- Maintain the minimum monthly balance allowed by your plan (if needed, transfer money from other accounts).
If you stay within the number of transactions prescribed by your plan, you will pay no service charges (every transaction beyond the limit allotted by the plan will be charged separately).
Also see Reduce your service charges
Q. The minimum balance requirements for the fee exemption are high…
A. In fact, the amount you save with the service charge exemption is equivalent to a net annual return of more than 3% (see table below), which is generally better than what our competitors are offering. To maintain the minimum balance, you just have to transfer money from your other accounts or other financial institutions.
Plan |
Annual fees |
Minimal balance required for fee exemption |
Return |
The Economy Plan |
$35.40 |
$1,000 |
3.54% |
The Economy Plus Plan |
$47.40 |
$1,500 |
3.16% |
The Mid-level Plan |
$78.00 |
$2,000 |
3.90% |
The Autonomous Plan |
$102.00 |
$2,500 |
4.08% |
The Autonomous Plus Plan |
$119.40 |
$3,000 |
3.98% |
The Premier Plan |
$167.40 |
$4,000 |
4.19% |
The Premier Plus Plan |
$251.40 |
$5,000 |
5.03% |
|
Also see Reduce your service charges
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