RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) has a new investment offer for existing clients: move qualifying new money into designated RBC accounts within the promotion window, keep it there for the required period, and you can receive a new 13-inch MacBook Air (M5 chip, valued at $1,799) or 11-inch iPad Pro (256GB, valued at $1,699) at no extra charge.

If you already have cash sitting ready for a GIC, or you were planning to consolidate registered accounts such as a TFSA or RRSP from another institution into RBC, this is worth a close look. Below are the current rules and the traps that can cost you the gift.

⚠️ Note: this offer may be a targeted promotion.

📌 Eligibility and timeline

You need to clear three stages to receive the reward:

  • Step 1: Confirm you qualify and deposit the funds (July 16, 2026 – November 30, 2026)
    • Who qualifies: you must already be an existing RBC client, and you must have received the promotion email from RBC, or a targeted invite when you sign in to RBC Online Banking or the app.
    • The deposit: complete at least $75,000 CAD in Qualifying Net Contributions to eligible accounts by 9:00 p.m. ET on November 30, 2026. That amount can be split across more than one eligible account and product.
  • Step 2: Confirmation and gift selection (December 2026 – April 2027)
    • December 2026: RBC will email you if you have qualified.
    • February 2027: you receive a dedicated, secure gift-selection link.
    • April 30, 2027 (hard deadline): you must use the link in that email to choose the gift and enter a shipping address before this date. Miss it and you forfeit the reward.
  • Step 3: Keep the money in place (hold through November 30, 2028)
    • Your qualifying net contributions must stay in the designated accounts for a two-year holding period, through November 30, 2028.

🎯 What actually counts? (watch-outs)

The rules are tight. Get these details wrong and you can lose the gift:

1. Eligible accounts and products

  • Eligible accounts: RBC High Interest eSavings, other designated savings accounts, and investment accounts such as a TFSA, RRSP, RESP, RDSP, RRIF, LIRA, or Non-Registered Investment Account.
  • Requirement: you must have been the Primary Account Owner of that eligible account before July 15, 2026.
  • Eligible products: RBC registered and non-registered Savings Deposits, and GICs.
  • ⚠️ Explicitly excluded: Mutual Funds, NOMI Find & Save accounts, and Leo’s Young Savers accounts do not qualify. Money placed in those products will not count toward the reward.

Some of RBC’s current GIC rates are not bad. GIC rates on the official site 🔗. The two-year GIC is listed at 2.8% annual.

2. What counts as “new money”

  • Eligible sources: money transferred in from a non-RBC institution (cash or in-kind), or from an RBC personal bank account where you are the primary owner (for example a VIP or chequing account).
  • ⚠️ No internal affiliate transfers: money from related RBC investment businesses such as RMFI, RBC Direct Investing, RBC InvestEase, or RBC Dominion Securities does not count as new money. Example: selling mutual funds in an RMFI account and buying an RBC GIC records $0 in qualifying contributions.
  • Net contribution math: withdrawals or transfers out during the offer window come off your total. After any withdrawal, the net amount deposited must still be $75,000 CAD or more.

3. Penalty for taking money out early

  • If a withdrawal or account closure before November 30, 2028 takes your net deposits below $75,000 CAD, RBC can debit the cash equivalent of the hardware you chose ($1,799 or $1,699 plus tax) from your account.

🎁 Gift specs

  • MacBook Air: 13-inch, M5 chip (10-core CPU / 8-core GPU, 16GB memory, 512GB SSD), valued at $1,799.
  • iPad Pro: 11-inch Wi-Fi, 256GB (standard glass), valued at $1,699.

Each qualifying client can receive only one reward (even if you deposit $150,000, or hold several joint accounts, you still get only one).

💡 Takeaway

If you have received the RBC invite email or an in-app banner, and you have idle cash at another bank or in an RBC chequing account that you were going to lock into a GIC or put into a TFSA/RRSP, complete the transfer by November 30, 2026. Before you move the money, confirm you are the primary account owner, and stay away from ineligible products such as mutual funds.

For more detail, read the RBC official terms and conditions page, or ask an RBC advisor to help with the transfer.