AMP Futures Review 2021

AMP Futures has low trading fees, and charges no inactivity or deposit fees. However, withdrawal via wire transfer is quite expensive.

How we ranked fees

We ranked AMP Futures's fee levels as low, average or high based on how they compare to those of all reviewed brokers.

First, let's go over some basic terms related to broker fees. What you need to keep an eye on are trading fees and non-trading fees.

• Trading fees occur when you trade. These can be commissions, spreads, financing rates and conversion fees.
• Non-trading fees include charges not directly related to trading, like withdrawal fees or inactivity fees.

In the sections below, you will find the most relevant fees of AMP Futures for each asset class. For example, in the case of stock investing the most important fees are commissions.

We also compared AMP Futures's fees with those of two similar brokers we selected, NinjaTrader and Optimus Futures. This selection is based on objective factors such as products offered, client profile, fee structure, etc. See a more detailed rundown of AMP Futures alternatives.

To have a clear overview of AMP Futures, let's start with the trading fees.

AMP Futures trading fees

AMP Futures has low trading fees. There are two fee structures: one is volume-tiered and the other involves a flat rate. The latter requires a higher minimum deposit amount.

By default, all new accounts use the volume-tiered pricing structure. To switch to the flat-rate structure, you will need to email the company, quoting your account number and your requested price structure.

We really liked that AMP Futures provides a great fee calculator, which takes all applicable costs and distills them into just one number.

Our calculations below are based on the volume-tiered pricing structure.

Futures fees

AMP Futures has low futures fees, beating its closest competitors in most product categories.

The fees above include only the commission and clearing fee charged by AMP Futures, but do not include exchange, NFA or order routing fees. This ensured a fair "apples-to-apples" comparison among all brokers.

To see a detailed rundown of fees charged by AMP Futures, check the table below.

AMP Futures charges the same commissions for options on futures.

Non-trading fees

AMP Futures has average non-trading fees. There is no inactivity, deposit or ACH withdrawal fee. On the other hand, wire withdrawals come with a high $30 fee per transaction.

You can use more than 60 trading platforms at AMP Futures. However, some of these are not free. For example, Sierra Chart (Package 5) charges a $25 monthly fee.

Account opening at AMP Futures is fully digital and there is no minimum deposit. However, the account opening process is a bit complicated.

Can you open an account?

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In this review, we tested AMP Futures Individual accounts. AMP accepts clients from all over the world.

What is the minimum deposit at AMP Futures?

The required AMP Futures minimum deposit is $100.

Account types

AMP Futures provides different account types based on ownership:

• Individual - account is owned by an individual
• Joint - account is owned by two or more individuals
• Corporate / LLC / Partnership - account is owned by a legal entity

US customers can also select IRA accounts, which is a tax-advantaged account. If you want to learn more about these accounts, read our in-depth guide to IRAs.

How to open your account

The account opening process at AMP is fully digital. However, the process is a bit complicated, as it takes quite a few steps to open your account with AMP Futures.

AMP Futures account application consists of the following steps:

1. Select the account type and accept the risk disclosure statement.
2. Enter personal information including your name, country of residence and email; also select a username and password.
3. Add more personal information, e.g. your phone number, date of birth, address, etc.
4. Answer a few questions about your financial status, such as net income or net worth.
5. Fill out a survey about your investment experience.
6. Accept disclosure statements.
7. Upload proof of identity and proof of residency:
   • Verification of identity: passport / national ID / driver's license
   • Verification of residency: bank statement / utility bill / driver's license / credit card statement

Once you have completed all these steps, you will receive a confirmation email with your credentials.

AMP Futures has a free deposit option and you can choose from several account base currencies. However, you can't use credit/debit cards and the wire withdrawal fee is high.

Account base currencies

At AMP Futures, you can choose from 10 base currencies.

This is a great selection compared with some competing brokers.

Why does this matter? For two reasons. If you fund your trading account in the same currency as your bank account or you trade assets in the same currency as your trading account base currency, you don't have to pay a conversion fee.

A convenient way to save on currency conversion fees is by opening a multi-currency bank account at a digital bank. These usually offer bank accounts in several currencies with great currency exchange rates, as well as free or cheap international bank transfers. Opening an account only takes a few minutes on your phone.

Compare digital banks

Deposit fees and options

AMP Futures doesn't charge any deposit fees. However, your intermediary bank might charge a fee if you make an international bank transfer.

US residents can use checks and ACH to deposit.

A bank transfer can take several business days, while payment with a credit/debit card would be instant.

You can only deposit money from accounts that are in your name.

AMP Futures withdrawal fees and options

The AMP Futures wire withdrawal fee is $30. As with deposits, US customers can also use ACH and checks. ACH withdrawals are free of charge.

How long does it take to withdraw money from AMP Futures? We tested bank transfer withdrawal and it took 1 business day.

You can only withdraw money to accounts that are in your name.

How do you withdraw money from AMP Futures?

• Log in to your AMP account
• Click 'Banking' and select 'Withdraw Request'
• Add your location and the withdrawal method
• Enter the withdrawal amount and the details of your bank

Compare to other brokers

At the time of our review, AMP Futures offered only a desktop app version of its MultiCharts .NET platform. Please note though that AMP Futures has a wide selection (60+) of futures trading platforms with mobile and web/cloud-based versions.

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At the time of our review, AMP Futures offered only a desktop app version of its MultiCharts .NET platform. Please note though that AMP Futures has a wide selection (60+) of futures trading platforms with mobile and web/cloud-based versions.

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The AMP Futures desktop platform is highly customizable and has many advanced features to assit futures trading, but it might feel complicated at first and also lacks two-step login.

In this review, we tested MultiCharts .NET, the company's own in-house developed platform. A great advantage of this platform is that there is no monthly fee charged.

If you feel that this platform doesn't suit your needs, you can choose from more than 60 other trading platforms, including NinjaTrader's platform. Many of these platforms charge a monthly fee, though.

The MultiCharts .NET platform is available only in English.

Look and feel

The AMP Futures desktop trading platform is great for advanced traders, but may be difficult to navigate for beginners. The platform has a multitude of features and tools, from advanced charting tools to backtesting.

We also liked that the platform is highly customizable, allowing you to set up your own workspace. However, the design of the platform is outdated, and its high complexity means it is not very user-friendly.

Login and security

AMP Futures provides only one-step login. Two-step authentication would be more secure.

When you log in to the platform, the first step is to connect your platform to your data provider, like CQG or Rithmic. You can do it by clicking on 'Broker profiles' under the 'Files' menu.

Search functions

The search functions are OK.

If you want to find an asset (for trading, viewing on a chart or for depth-of-market analysis), you will be presented a list of instruments to select the asset from. You can start typing its name or simply scroll down the list.

We found it a bit inconvenient that many of the default assets are expired and the system doesn't automatically roll the contracts over. To do a rollover, you have to click 'Add symbol'.

Placing orders

You can use many order types:

• Market
• Limit
• Stop
• Stop Limit
• Trailing Stop
• OCO (one cancels the other)
• Market if touched

There are also order time limits you can use:

• GTC (good 'til canceled)
• GTD (good 'til date)
• IOC (instant or cancel)
• FOK (fill or kill)

Alerts and notifications

You can set alerts and notifications on the desktop trading platform. You can use many types of alerts, including price alerts and alerts based on technical indicators.

To set an alert, you should open a chart, click on 'Format Indicators', and select the indicator you would like to use for the alert.

Portfolio and fee reports

AMP Futures has clear and detailed portfolio reports. We also liked that you can easily export the reports into excel.

The only thing we missed in the reports was a summary of fees paid to the broker.

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At AMP Futures you can trade only futures and options on futures. Other popular asset classes such as real stocks or ETFs are not available.

This selection is not very impressive on its own, but it is roughly similar to that of competing brokers.

The following exchanges are available for futures trading:

• CME - Chicago Mercantile Exchange
• COMEX - Commodity Exchange Inc.
• The Intercontinental Exchange ICE Futures Europe (IPE)
• New York Mercantile Exchange
• Eurex
• Singapore Exchange
• Sydney Futures Exchange (ASX SFE)
• Hong Kong Futures Exchange (HKEX)
• Mini-Nikkei 225 – Osaka-Japan (JPX)
• CBOE Volatility Index (VX) – “VIX”

The CME, NYMEX and COMEX exchanges are part of the CME group. Eurex is part of the Eurex Group and is owned by Deutsche Börse AG.

Futures

You can trade futures on an impressive number of futures and options markets.

Options

AMP Futures also gives access to several options markets. In these markets, you can trade only options on futures.

AMP Futures has a great charting tool with many indicators, and other advanced analytical and technical tools such as backtesting.

You can find research tools on the trading platform and on the AMP Futures website. Just as in the case of the desktop trading platform, we tested the research tools on MultiCharts .NET.

Charting

AMP Futures has great and advanced charting tools. You can use an almost endless selection of technical indicators and settings options.

There are a lot of chart types you can use, including minutes, tick, point, etc.

Other technical tools you may enjoy

You can find many other technical tools, including a great backtesting tool. You can set the timeframe, instrument, and position management paremeters, among others.

Additionally, you have the option to code your own trading algorithm using a program called PoweLanguage.NET.

Trading ideas

AMP Futures offers trading ideas as well. You can access a good variety of futures-related materials, such as trading recommendations or an economic calendar.

Fundamental data

As the main focus of AMP Futures is technical trading, it doesn't provide any fundamental data.

Compare research pros and cons

Customer service at AMP Futures is good across multiple channels, and includes unique features such as a support forum. However, phone support is slow and not 24/7.

You can contact AMP Futures via:

• live chat
• phone
• email
• support forum

AMP Futures has a speedy live chat. It's a great plus that the first questions and answers are automated, navigating you to the relevant person who will then answer your actual questions. We were satisfied with the quality of the answers we got.

AMP Futures phone support was slow, but the answers were relevant.

Via email, we likewise received helpful answers, while turnaround was quick.

In addition, there is an active support forum, where you can interact with other users and the support team of AMP Futures.

The only thing we missed was 24/7 availability.

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AMP Futures has great education tools. There is a well-structured video library on its YouTube channel, and you can also read great articles.

At AMP Futures, you can learn in the following ways:

• Demo account
• Platform tutorial videos
• General educational videos
• Webinars
• Quality educational articles

We were impressed by the wide range of platform tutorial and educational videos available. There are high-quality articles about futures trading as well.

We also liked the demo account option however, it would be better if paper trading was possible without having to open a live account first.

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AMP Futures is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a top-tier financial authority, and it also transparently publishes financial information.

Is AMP Futures regulated?

Yes, it is regulated by the National Futures Association (NFA) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

AMP Futures is based in the US and was founded in 2009.

Is AMP Futures safe?

To be certain if a brokerage is safe, we highly advise that you check two facts:

• how you are protected if something goes wrong
• what the background of the broker is

How you are protected

AMP Futures is regulated by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the National Futures Association (NFA). We recommend the services of AMP Futures mainly for experienced traders because futures trading is not covered by investor protection schemes. In addition, there's no negative balance protection. If the balance on your account goes negative, you will be responsible for replenishing those losses.

Background

AMP Futures was established in 2009. The longer track record a broker has, the more proof we have that it has successfully survived previous financial crises.

Publishing financial statements and being overseen by a top-tier financial authority are all great signs for the safety of AMP Futures.

Find your safe broker

AMP Futures is a great broker for futures trading.

On the plus side, its futures trading fees are one of the lowest on the market. The desktop trading platform, including its research section, has a great selection of tools for heavy traders. We also liked the quality and variety of educational materials.

There are some drawbacks though. The wire withdrawal fee is really high. We missed the mobile and web versions of the main MultiCharts .NET platform. Lastly, the product portfolio lacks popular asset classes like real stocks or ETFs.

If you're a futures trader on the hunt for a broker with low fees, feel free to give AMP Futures a try.

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Below you can find links to all aspects of AMP Futures in this comprehensive collection.

Lower fees, lower costs?

We detailed this in our AMP Futures fees article.

What about the minimum deposit?

Our ultimate guide to the AMP Futures minimum deposit is updated regularly.

How to start your AMP Futures account?

Look no further than our evaluation of the AMP Futures account opening.

How's their trading app?

Here's our expert view after checking the AMP Futures trading app.

Is the quality of customer service satisfactory?

All you need to know about the AMP Futures customer service.

Legit or scam?

Is AMP Futures legit features all the key aspects you need to look at to see if a broker is safe and legit.

Free or premium? Or both?

A glance at actual costs and whether AMP Futures is really free.

Is this broker good for beginners?

We checked it in Is AMP Futures good for beginners.

Should you buy your silver bullets on AMP Futures?

Research for silver bugs in the Silver buy on AMP Futures guide

I want to trade options, are they available at AMP Futures?

We explored the topic in Can you trade options on AMP Futures?