This online investment brokerage is owned and run by CIBC, and is targeted towards people who are interested in managing their own investments, learning about how to manage their own investments, and people who do investment management for a living. With relatively low fees for trades, and discounts for students and active traders, this is a service worth looking into.
In fact, these are some of the lowest commission fees you'll see from an online broker owned by a Big 5 Bank. So while you may be able to get even cheaper fees by going with a discount broker, if you prefer sticking with a well-known name like CIBC – this is one of your best bets.
CIBC Investor’s Edge features
As an online broker owned by a big bank, CIBC Investor's Edge offers some impressively low commission fees. Here’s an overview of what this investment platform can get you.
Why You Want It
Lowest commission rate from a Big 5 Bank online broker + Free trading under 25.
Special Features
- Ages 18 - 24 trade for free
- Free investment research tools
- Extended trading hours
Provinces
ALL
Features
Types Of Accounts
- TFSA
- RRSP
- RESP
- RRIF
- LRSP
- PRIF
- LIRA
- LRIF
- Cash
- Margin
- Corporate
- Partnership
- Formal trust
- Investment club
- Estate
- FHSA
Types Of Investments
- Stocks
- ETFs
- Options
- Mutual Funds
- GICs
- Fixed Income
- Precious Metals
- Structured Notes
- IPOs
- CDRs
Minimum Investment
$0
Email Support
Live Chat Support
Phone Support
Minimum Stock Fee
$6.95
Maximum Stock Fee
$6.95
Minimum ETF Fee
$6.95
Maximum ETF Fee
$6.95
Active Trader Stock Fee Per Trade
$4.95
Cover Transfer Fees?
See Issuer for Details
Minimum Deposit To Cover Transfer Fee
N/A
Maximum Covered Transfer Fee
N/A
Withdrawal Fees?
Account Maintence Fees
$100
Inactivity Fee Amount
$0
Promotion Description
N/A
Promotion Max Value
N/A
Promotion Requirements For Max Value
N/A
Promotion End Dates
See Issuer for Details
CIBC Investor’s Edge rating: 2.7 stars
CIBC’s Investor’s Edge gets a 2.7rating for a few reasons. Compared to some other traditional bank offerings, they do have relatively low fees for trades, particularly when you factor in the discounts they offer for students and active traders. They also have a wide range of account types and investment products, allowing you to customize your investment portfolio exactly how you like.
On the other hand, the fees will add up if you make a lot of transactions, plus there's a $100 annual fee if the total market balance of your account is less than $10,000.
Rating methodology
To calculate our Genius Ratings, we compare the features of the account or product in question with other similar products in Canada. We give each feature a score out of 5 based on that comparison. Once we’ve rated all the features, we run them through our proprietary algorithm to produce a final rating out of 5.
Learn more about our rating methodology.
The pros of CIBC Investor’s Edge
So, first let’s look at the good.
Pros
Get 100 free online equity trades with code EDGE100
If you don't have a CIBC Investor's Edge account yet, you can get your first 100 online equity trades for free. All you have to do is use the code EDGE100 when opening your account and you’ll receive 100 commission-free stock and ETF trades. The offer ends September 30, 2025, and any unused free trades will expire in September of 2026.
No minimum investment required
This isn’t really that unusual of a feature, but requiring no minimum investment means that you can transfer in however much you want and get started. This is particularly valuable if you’re just learning about trading and investments.
Lower than average fees per trade
$6.95 per equity and ETF trade is lower than most offered by the Big 5 Banks. The savings here can be significant.
Discount on trade fees for students and young adults
If you have a CIBC Smart™ Account for students, you get a full $1 off every trade, making it a little easier to dive in and start learning. Even if you're not a student, investors under the age of 25 can trade stocks and ETFs for free, plus they don't have to worry about an annual fee.
Discount on trade fees for active traders
If you make more than 150 trades per quarter, you can enroll as an “active trader,” which gives you a further discount on fees, down to $4.95 per trade. This is still high compared to some alternative options, but can save you huge amounts on fees over the course of a year.
Free investment research, tools, and advice
CIBC Investor’s Edge hosts a wide array of research, tools, and educational resources. They even walk you clearly through the process of setting up an account, transferring in some money, and making your first trade. They also have advisors available by phone, chat, and email if you need support.
Seems to be designed for regular people, not just the ultra rich
With the lower per transaction fees, student discounts, support tools, and no minimum investment requirement, CIBC Investor’s Edge feels more like it’s designed for regular people, and not just the ultra rich.
The cons of CIBC Investor’s Edge
And now, some of the drawbacks to this platform.
Cons
Per transaction fees can add up quickly
Even relatively low fees of $4.95 – $6.95 per transaction can add up quickly. As an example, an “active trader” doing 150 ETF trades per quarter will be paying almost $3,000 in fees over the course of a year. That’s money coming right out of your pocket.
Possible annual fee
If you don't keep the total market balance of all your accounts at least $10,000 – excluding FHSAs – then you'll be charged a $100 annual fee. The fee is divided equally and applied to each active account every September.
CIBC Investor’s Edge alternatives
Here we see how CIBC Investor’s Edge measures up against another of the Big Banks, and a couple of less traditional offerings.
 |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account | CIBC Investor's Edge | Scotia iTRADE | Qtrade | RBC Direct Investing |
| Genius Rating | ||||
| Why You Want It | Lowest commission rate from a Big 5 Bank online broker + Free trading under 25. | Get a free practice account + commission free ETFs. |  $80 GeniusCash + Ditch the fees, and trade unlimited Stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds and more for $0 | No minimum investment required to start trading |
| Types Of Accounts |
|
|
|
|
| Types Of Investments |
|
|
|
|
| Minimum Investment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Email Support | | | | |
| Live Chat Support | |  | | |
Show More | ||||
| Open an account See more CIBC products Compare | Open an account See more Scotiabank products Compare | I Want This Deal See more Qtrade products Compare | Learn More See more RBC products Compare |
FAQ
Does CIBC Investor’s Edge offer any discounts on trading fees?
If you have a CIBC Smart™ Account for students, you’ll pay $5.95 per transaction instead of the regular $6.95 per trade. Young adults underr 25 can trade for free, and active traders get a $1 discount, paying only $4.95 per trade.
I’m new to investing, is CIBC Investor’s Edge a good choice for me?
While this service does offer quite a lot of support, information, advice, and instructional material for new traders, it doesn’t offer practice accounts. This means there’s no way to dive in and learn the platform and what trading is all about without actually risking any money. There are other online investment brokerages that do offer practice accounts (such as RBC Direct Investing), which are a great way to learn the ropes.
Is there a minimum investment required to get started on CIBC Investor’s Edge?
There isn’t. You can get started with as much or as little money as you like.
Why are the CIBC Investor's Edge user reviews so low?
Unfortunately, it seems that many people have had problems with the customer service aspect of CIBC Investor's Edge. This is kind of a tricky area for us to track, so we haven't yet been able to add it to our own rating methodology, but we have definitely taken note of these user reviews.
Editorial Disclaimer: The content here reflects the author's opinion alone, and is not endorsed or sponsored by a bank, credit card issuer, rewards program or other entity. For complete and updated product information please visit the product issuer's website.
Hot Money Deals This Month
- Get even more cash back with exclusive offers only available on the GeniusCash app
- Explore bigger GeniusCash offers that you won't find anywhere else.
- Connect your credit cards and unlock bonus cash.
- Explore customized recommendations to level up your rewards.
- Refer your friends and family to earn bonus levels and extra cash back.
- Take control of your money with a full-featured chequing account + $100 GeniusCash
- Get up to $500 in cash when you open a new account, complete specified actions, and open 2 registered investment accounts.
- Unlimited free transactions – including debit and Interac e-Transfers®.
- Earn Scene+ points on every debit transaction.
- $100 GeniusCash on approval – ends Dec 31, 2025.*.
- Unlimited transactions + Free identity theft protection + $125 GeniusCash
- Unlimited transactions and Interac e-Transfers.
- Free identity theft protection and access to Coursera online learning.
- $125 GeniusCash on approval – ends Dec 31, 2025.*.
- A low cost online broker with a $2,000 bonus + $80 GeniusCash
- Get $150 when you open and fund your new accounts with at least $1,000.
- No minimum investment requirement.
- Plenty of trade-free ETFs to choose from.
- $80 GeniusCash on approval – ends Dec 31, 2025.*.
- Bonus: Get one of the lowest brokerage rates from an online broker from a Big 5 Bank →
