Questrade Inc. is one of Canada’s best-known independent online brokerages, and it can be a practical option if you want to add gold exposure inside an RRSP or TFSA, whether that’s “paper gold” (ETFs, miners) or eligible physical bullion. Questrade is regulated by CIRO (formerly IIROC) and is a CIPF member, and it has previously been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies (2011).

What Holding Gold at Questrade Actually Costs

Questrade is one of the few Canadian brokers that will hold real bullion inside a registered account, which is genuinely useful. What gets glossed over is the annual storage fee, and how it compares with simply buying a gold fund in the same account. Fees below are Questrade's published rates as of August 2026.

Illustration on a $50,000 position held flat for ten years, ignoring growth in the metal, which would raise the percentage based fees further. Questrade also charges $19.95 USD per bullion order, and taking delivery costs $75 USD plus shipping and insurance.

How the bullion service actually works

• You cannot buy it online. Bullion orders go through the trade desk by phone, at 1.866.980.9590, during market hours. This surprises people expecting a self serve experience.
• Storage is with the Royal Canadian Mint, IDS Canada or Brinks. Pooled means your metal sits with everyone else's under Questrade's name. Segregated means it is identified as yours, at 1.5% a year.
• Commission is $19.95 USD per order, flat, regardless of size. That makes small repeat purchases expensive and large single purchases efficient.
• Taking delivery is not cheap. A $75 USD service fee, shipping at $35 USD per 500 oz or per $100,000 of value, and insurance at $6.50 USD per $1,000. Budget for it before you assume you can simply take the metal home.
• You buy through an affiliated dealer. Silver Gold Bull, Sprott Money, Border Gold and Atlantic Gold and Silver all feed into the Questrade bullion service. Our comparison of Questrade affiliate bullion dealers covers who does what.

Bullion or a Fund Inside Your Questrade Account?

Both are qualified investments, so the choice is about what you actually want.

Choose bullion if you want metal that is unambiguously yours, with no fund sponsor between you and the gold, and you are willing to pay 0.6% to 1.5% a year for that certainty. It is the whole reason the service exists.

Choose a fund if you want the lowest ongoing cost, instant online execution, and the ability to sell part of a position in seconds. Our breakdown of the best gold ETFs in Canada compares the options on fee and structure, including the hedged versus unhedged decision that mattered far more than any fee over the past five years.

Questrade accounts that can hold gold-related investments

Questrade supports most self-directed registered account types Canadians use for retirement and savings, including RRSPs and TFSAs. In those accounts you can hold:

• Gold ETFs, commodity funds, and other “paper gold” instruments
• Gold mining stocks and royalty/streaming companies
• Eligible physical bullion (more on this below)

If you’re new to holding bullion in a registered plan, start here: Getting Started: a step-by-step guide to setting up your Gold RRSP.

Questrade pricing update (2026)

One big change since the original version of this post: Questrade now promotes commission-free online trading for stocks and ETFs on Canadian and U.S. exchanges (other fees can still apply depending on the trade and account). You can always confirm the latest pricing directly on Questrade’s pricing pages:

• Transaction fees and commissions
• Trading commissions overview

Quick reality check: third-party ratings are mixed

Broker reviews can be all over the place depending on whether someone is rating fees and platform vs support and admin. Here are a few public snapshots (always click through and read the context):

• Trustpilot: ★☆☆☆☆ (low overall score) – view source
• BBB: ★☆☆☆☆ (BBB letter rating varies by profile and complaint handling) – view source
• iOS app rating (Edge Mobile): ★★★★☆ – view source
• Android app rating (Edge Mobile): ★★★★☆ – view source

Physical gold and silver bullion in your RRSP or TFSA (Questrade “precious metals”)

Questrade is one of the few Canadian brokerages that lets you buy and hold physical precious metals inside registered accounts. The key details (updated):

👍 Pros and 👎 Cons (for physical bullion specifically)

• 👍 You can hold eligible physical bullion inside an RRSP/TFSA (not just ETFs).
• 👍 Storage options are within Canada and the process is fairly standardized.
• 👍 Questrade can be convenient if you already manage your registered accounts there.
• 👎 Physical metals trades are not done online; you must call the Trade Desk.
• 👎 Metals are priced in USD, and storage/withdrawal costs can add up.
• 👎 Taking delivery from a registered plan triggers a deregistration (taxable event for RRSPs).

How buying and selling bullion works (updated)

According to Questrade’s current “Precious Metals” documentation, you buy or sell physical gold and silver by calling the Trade Desk. Questrade lists the Trade Desk line as 1-866-980-9590, and notes bullion trading by phone during market hours (currently shown as 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM EST for placing precious metals trades). Trades are priced in U.S. dollars, and Questrade notes that account values for precious metals may update overnight based on closing prices. See: Precious Metals at Questrade.

If you prefer a more guided “done-with-you” approach (account setup, funding, and ongoing support), compare options here: Questrade affiliate bullion dealers comparison.

Current bullion fees and storage (updated)

• Precious metals trade commission: $19.95 USD per order (Questrade notes this can vary by metal type/product) – source
• Pooled storage fee: 0.60% (gold) and 0.90% (silver) of market value per year, charged monthly (CAD, taxes may apply) – source
• Segregated storage fee: 1.50% of market value per year (gold and silver), charged monthly (often shown in USD, taxes may apply) – source

Storage providers shown in Questrade’s documentation include the Royal Canadian Mint, Brinks, and IDS, depending on the storage type and product availability. Questrade also notes that you can hold both CAD and USD cash in the same account, which can reduce unnecessary FX conversions when buying USD-priced metals.

Tip: product availability and quotes can change. Use the Trade Desk for a real-time bid/ask quote and the exact products currently available.

Withdrawing (taking delivery) and taxes

You can generally request delivery of metals, but Questrade notes that withdrawing metals from a registered account is a deregistration, treated similarly to a cash withdrawal. That means withholding tax can apply for RRSP withdrawals, and you can’t “keep it registered” once it leaves the plan. For official CRA info, see:

• CRA: Making withdrawals from an RRSP
• CRA: Tax rates on withdrawals (withholding tax)

Questrade also lists a precious metals withdrawal service fee and separate shipping and mandatory insurance costs (which vary by storage type, value, and destination). Always confirm the exact total before requesting delivery.

Is Questrade the best way to invest in gold inside an RRSP/TFSA?

It depends on what you mean by “gold”:

• If you want paper gold (ETFs, miners), Questrade can be a low-cost place to manage a diversified portfolio inside registered accounts.
• If you want physical bullion, Questrade is one of the rare brokerages that supports it, but the process is more “specialized” (phone trades, USD pricing, storage fees). Many Canadians prefer working with a specialist that helps coordinate everything end-to-end. See our physical-bullion overview: Buying physical gold in an RRSP.

If you’re unsure how much gold belongs in your portfolio, this may help: What percentage of your investments should be in gold? If you want to diversify beyond gold, see: Options for including other precious metals in your RRSP.

Video: Questrade RRSP overview

FAQ (Questrade Gold RRSP and TFSA)

Disclosure: Some links on this page may be from partners. This content is for educational purposes only and is not tax or investment advice.