How to find and ask about bank fees in Canada
Canadian bank accounts are often sold as a package. You pay a monthly fee, a set number of payments are included, and you pay extra after that. The statement shows the charges that actually went through.
Where to look
Read the account package name on the statement, then the fee lines. A monthly plan fee is the charge for the package itself. Extra transaction fees, Interac e-Transfer fees, and ATM fees show up when you go past what the package includes. The included count is in the account agreement, not in your memory of the ad.
An NSF fee means there was not enough money for a payment. It appears when the bank returns the payment, or covers it, and then charges you. Overdraft protection, if you have it, can be a monthly fee, interest, or both. Those charges are separate from the purchase that caused the shortfall.
On a card, look for annual fees, cash advance fees, and interest. A US dollar card keeps those amounts in USD even if you used it in Canada. A Canadian dollar account stays in C$.
What to compare
Low fee and no fee accounts exist, and the right one depends on how you pay, not on a national average. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada publishes an account comparison tool that uses the packages banks disclose. Use that, plus your own statement, rather than a headline rate.
If a line does not match the package you thought you had, ask the bank which package is on the account. Asking to change the package is different from asking them to remove one fee.
How to ask
Use the phone number on the statement. Name the date, the description, and the amount. Ask the bank to review the fee. The bank can say no. Asking them to remove one fee does not mean they have to.
If you are not satisfied, use the bank's own complaint steps first. The bank has to tell you who handles the next step outside the bank. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada explains that path for banks it regulates, and it takes complaints about how those rules are followed. Provincial credit unions follow their own regulator. Expenvo can show the fee lines it recognizes. It does not file the complaint for you.