Best UK Trading Accounts for 2021
Are you still undecided about which UK trading account you should get?
If yes, then you are in the right place. We have compiled below a list of the best UK trading account providers for both pros and amateur traders.
Read on to find out the top 5 UK trading account providers, their specific features, fees they charge as well as their pros and cons.
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Top UK Trading Account Providers
Below are our most recommended trading account providers for UK residents. If you don’t have a trading account yet or if you’re looking to get a new trading account, make sure to check out one of these trading platforms.
IG Markets – Best for CFD Trading
IG Markets is one of the biggest and safest CFD brokers in the world. It is listed on London’s Stock Exchange and is regulated by various top-tier regulators around the globe, including the FCA, ASIC, JFSA and BaFin.
It also has a trust score of 99, making it one of the safest trading platforms for novice and adept traders. Its wide range of financial instruments is spread across forex, CFDs, indices, commodities, shares and cryptocurrencies.
Additionally, IG Markets supports various platforms such as MT4, L2 Dealer and ProRealTime. It also offers asocial space wherein peer-to-peer interactions and trade discussions are allowed.
Other great features you will enjoy on this platform are its highly intuitive mobile app, knock out trading option, automated trading option and the Direct Market Access platform that can be used for day/scalp trading.
IG Markets charges 2.5% broker fees, 1% deposit fee for Visa while 0.5% deposit fee MasterCard and $12 fee per month after 2 years of inactivity. There are no charges for withdrawing funds.
- Huge selection of investment instruments
- Supports mobile trading
- Compatible with MT4, L2 Dealer and ProRealTime platforms
- High inactivity fees
- High stock CFD fees
Robinhood – Best for Commission-free Trading
Robinhood offers 100% commission-free investment instruments, which keeps traders’ costs low.
It does not have a minimum balance and also features the fractional shares system, where a trader can purchase a portion of a share with as little as $1, even if one share costs more. This makes it easier to build a diversified portfolio even if you are squeezed for cash. Recently, it introduced a cash management account that allows you to earn 0.03% of uninvested cash annually.
Robinhood also offers instant transfers of up to $1,000. It can be deposited to any of many major UK banks it has partnered with. You can program it to make automatic deposits from your bank account on a weekly, monthly or quarterly schedule.
Its trading platform was primarily designed for smartphone trading, which means that it has one of the most user-friendly mobile platforms on the market. Its financial instruments include stocks, funds, options, gold, ETFs and cryptocurrencies.
It has no minimum deposit and only accepts bank transfers. The only drawback of the Robinhood trading account is that it has no demo account and is also not compatible with MetaTrader platforms.
Our Rating
- No account minimum, commissions and fees
- Fractional share system allows you to diversify your portfolio
- You can earn interest on your uninvested funds
- No demo account
- No bonds and mutual funds
- No auto-trading
CMC Markets – Most Customizable Trading Platform
CMC Markets is one of the most popular platforms in the UK. It has an easy to customize trading platform as well some great features that can improve your trading experience. It is also compatible with the MT4 trading platform for more advanced forex trading.
Its platform has a wide selection of investment instruments that include forex pairs, indices, cryptocurrencies, commodities, ETFs, shares and treasuries.
Aside from its web-based trading platform, its users also get to enjoy a mobile app that works on both Android and iOS devices. Users can also access the free demo account using its mobile app. Other amazing features that CMC Markets trading account holders enjoy are the Guaranteed Stop Loss Order (GSLO) function and its platform’s MT4 compatibility.
It doesn’t require a minimum deposit and does not charge deposit and withdrawal fees. However, it charges a 1% annual brokerage fee.
Like other trading companies listed above, it is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is also regulated by FCA in the UK, making it one of the safest brokerage firms in the world.
Our Rating
- Customizable trading platform
- Lots of educational and research resources
- Has lower spreads than average and high leverage of up to 30:1
- High stock CFD fess
- High brokerage fees
DEGIRO – Best for Offering the Lowest Fees
DEGIRO was only founded in 2013, but it has already quickly risen to be one of the leading trading accounts in the UK.
It currently operates in 18 countries with more than 400,000 active clients trading on its platform. DEGIRO is famous for its low commissions and fees, which makes it an ideal trading platform for beginners with limited funds. It has no minimum deposit amount and only charges a flat rate of £1.75 for trading individual shares plus 0.014% per trade.
For purposes of accountability and transparency, the DEGIRO trading account has the fee schedule feature that allows you to make fee calculations before the trades.
On its platform, you can buy, sell and trade stocks, shares, ETFs, futures, bonds, trusts and gilts. It is regulated by FCA, AFM and Dutch Central Bank, so you can be assured that it is a credible and reliable platform.
Unfortunately, the DEGIRO trading account only supports bank transfers as its payment method and does not support MetaTrader platforms.
- Very low fees and commissions
- No inactivity and withdrawal fees
- Allows you to calculate fees upfront
- Limited educational resources
- Utilizes only bank transfers for payments and deposits
How to Choose a UK Trading Account Provider
Below are the factors you need to consider when choosing a UK trading account provider.
Your Personal Needs
Ask yourself some questions. What do you want to achieve with your chosen trading platform? Do you want to trade in stocks, shares, commodities or treasuries or all of them?
After answering these questions, the next step is to find a trading platform that can address all of your trading needs.
Educational and Research Resources
This is very important, especially if you are new to trading or just starting out on a new platform. You will want all the information you can get to make your trading process as stress-free as possible.
Look at all the educational and research resources offered by top trading platforms. Choose the one that offers educational resources for both beginners and expert traders. Make sure as well that these resources are available in several formats such as videos, articles, ebooks, etc.
Available Assets or Financial Instruments
Compare all the available assets or financial instruments that the trading platforms you’re interested in have.
A good trading platform should provide you with a wide selection of investment instruments so that you can have a diversified portfolio.
Also, a wide pool of investment options is a good indicator that the trading platform has been in operation for a long time and is therefore reliable.
Commissions and Fees
Although many UK trading account providers claim that they do not charge commissions and fees, the reality is that they charge you indirectly on a ‘per trade’ basis.
So you should be careful not to sign up with a brokerage firm with a lot of hidden fees and commissions. The last thing you want is for the broker to take up a huge chunk of your profits.
Account Minimum and Trade Minimum
You should choose a trading platform with no account minimum requirements. This will allow you to open an account with a small amount of money.
Also, pay attention to the trade minimum. Even if the trading account has zero account minimum, it does not mean that you can trade with any amount at your disposal. Some accounts have higher trade minimum amounts that can make it hard for you to trade, especially if your account has a low balance. A lower trade minimum account is thus very convenient and flexible to work with.
Regulation
The credibility of the trading platform should be one of your priorities to avoid a potential leak of your personal information. Secure and reliable brokerage firms should be regulated by reputable regulatory bodies around the world. The most common regulatory bodies include the FSB, CySEC, FCA, SCB, DFSA and ASIC.
Tips When Trading
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Do not let your emotions control you.
One of the surest ways of losing money is letting emotions control your trading decisions. Exercise a bit of control or restraint when trading. Choose a strategy and stick to it.
For instance, if you decide to trade once a day or a week, then do not compromise on your chosen strategy even if the market’s condition looks promising. Overactivity is one of the factors that can lead to heavy losses. Do not be swayed by what other traders are doing and stick to your chosen trading strategy.
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Start small and work your way up.
You probably know the saying ‘A thousand miles begins with a single step.’ This is also true when trading.
Start small with a small amount of capital. You can also take advantage of a free demo account to hone your skills before you trade. When you’re trading, always try to keep risks and losses to a minimum. Over time, you will become a pro trader who handles large portfolios.
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Look at companies’ performance.
A common problem with many traders is that they trade without any prior knowledge about the stocks on offer. As a result, they are easily seduced by stock quotes that continually pop up on their trading accounts.
Experts investors like Warren Buffet and Charles T. Munge talk about the importance of doing background checks on companies to know their financial positions before you invest in them.
Remember, each share bought represents partial ownership of a company. The last thing you want to do as an investor is to acquire shares from a worthless company.
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Do not put all your eggs in one basket.
Holding on to one investment instrument comes with extremely high risks.
It is thus prudent to invest in a diversified portfolio to allow the profit-yielding investments to accommodate the losses from your risky investments. Diversification is the best way of shielding yourself from excessive losses.
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Trade only a small fraction of your savings.
Do not put all your savings into a trading account. It is recommended to only use savings that you would not use in five or more years.
The forex and stock markets are very volatile. A simple mistake can easily wipe out all your savings.
You should plan for all your future needs which include your emergency funds and pension plans. After this, set aside a small portion of the money that you can use for trading. Do not approach trading with a gambler’s mindset hoping that trading will make you an overnight millionaire.
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Learn from the best.
It is also important to look for a mentor or a professional trader who can teach you all that needs to be known.
You should also always be open to new ideas and trading trends. Read books, watch tutorials, go to seminars or even enroll on a trading course. There is a wide range of investment resources that you can take advantage of to become an expert trader.
If you think that you already have all the knowledge you need to start trading, why not start trading now? There are a lot of opportunities for you in the stock market, forex market, etc. Remember, there is no perfect time when it comes to trading and investing. The sooner you begin, the more opportunities you will be able to enjoy along the way.
Conclusion
Trading requires a lot of patience and diligence. Before you decide to trade, one of the first things you need to put a lot of effort into is when you’re choosing your trading account provider.
Discussed above are the best UK trading accounts; they can provide you easy account creation process as well as quick deposit and withdrawal processes.
Start trading now and remember to always have fun at what you are doing.
FAQs
What is online trading?
Online trading refers to electronic methods of buying and selling investment instruments such as securities, shares, stocks, currency pairs and commodities. Online trading can be done through the help of trading account providers.What is day trading?
Day trading refers to buying and selling of financial instruments in a short span of time. It usually happens on the same day to profit from good market conditions.How do I open an online trading account?
Opening a trading account is easy. Simply visit a brokerage firm’s website and sign up on its trading platform. The signup process is simple and fast and will only require you to provide your basic personal information and upload documents such as your passport or driver’s license to verify your identity.What is a margin account?
A margin account is a special trading account that allows traders to borrow from the brokerage firm to increase their purchasing power. Unlike in a cash account where the trader takes the full cost of investment, in a marginal account the trader utilizes loans from the broker to take advantage of market opportunities.Nica
Nica
View all posts by NicaNica specializes in financial technology and cryptocurrency. At her young age, she was already able to work with a Y Combinator-backed startup and another startup founded by Harvard graduates.
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