RBC to Launch Remote Cheque Deposit in the US

Last week Bank Guru asked a great question on Twitter, which was “What makes your banking experience memorable or not so memorable?”. I find that the level of service you receive from bank employees is what makes the experience memorable. For the most part, you expect a certain level, if you were to receive anything above or below it, you will remember it.

One response was from Orlando Savannah, which said that ease of use is what makes the experience memorable. That being said, Orlando also revealed in the tweet that RBC is bringing an iPhone/ Scanner deposit on February 2nd or 20th for RBC Bank (Georgia) NA accounts.

Bank Guru and I did not waste any time in finding out more information on this news.

What information was found on this new feature?

We contacted RBC and found that according to the Transition Guide that was mailed to US clients last week, this new feature will be made available as of 8:00 a.m. ET Monday, Februrary 20th, 2012.

This new feature will allow you to deposit U.S. cheques into your U.S. RBC Bank account through a smartphone or personal computer/ scanner; in other words it is a remote cheque deposit feature.

How would I use this new feature?

Well outside of the fact that you have to be a U.S. Client, and have a U.S. account, you will first need to download a special app, which is the RBC Bank U.S. Remote Deposit for your smartphone.

You will then need to access the Internet through your smartphone and follow the instructions to deposit the cheque.

The other option to remotely deposit your cheques is to use a scanner that is linked to a personal computer that has access to Internet.

Ultimately, you will be able to deposit cheques without having to step into a bank.

When will this feature come to Canada?

As it stands, there are no plans to transition this new feature into Canada, which is a disappointing thing to hear, however in my opinion I can see it coming over if it is well received in the U.S.

I for one would love to see this feature brought over to Canada, for one it would prompt other Canadian banks to produce the same feature for their clients (if they haven’t done so already).

The convenience that is added by having this remote deposit feature is incredible; although I am sure there will be certain limits as to the amount of the cheque deposited, or the hold period.

I am happy to see RBC introduce this feature, and hopefully in the future we see it in Canada.

What do you think of the new feature of depositing cheques through your smartphone/ scanner?