Overview of Charles Schwab fees and charges
It's safe to say that Charles Schwab's fees are low in general. They either don't charge a brokerage fee for things other brokers do charge for, or they only charge a small amount. This means that you can use Charles Schwab even in case you trade frequently like multiple times a week or daily.
Here's a high level overview of Charles Schwab's fees
| Assets | Fee level | Fee terms |
|---|---|---|
| US stock fee | Low | Free stock and ETF trading |
| EURUSD fee | - | Not available |
| US tech fund fee | High | Up to $49.5 or 74.95 for buying while selling is free; there are also around 4,000 free mutual funds |
| Inactivity fee | Low | No inactivity fee |
Charles Schwab fees
Charles Schwab fees explained
We compare Charles Schwab fees with its closest competitors, E*TRADE and Fidelity.
Charles Schwab fees
Charles Schwab trading fees
Charles Schwab's trading fees are low which makes it suitable for you even if you trade often (i.e. multiple times a week).
Let's break down the trading fees into the different asset classes available at Charles Schwab.
Trading fees
Charles Schwab's trading fees are low.
Stock fees and ETF fees
Charles Schwab has low stock trading fees.
| Charles Schwab | E*TRADE | Fidelity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock | $0.0 | $0.0 | $0.0 |
| UK stock | - | - | $10.2 |
| German stock | - | - | $18.8 |
Fund fees
Charles Schwab fund fees are high.
| Charles Schwab | E*TRADE | Fidelity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual fund | $24.8 | $20.0 | $37.5 |
| EU mutual fund | - | - | - |
Bond fees
Charles Schwab has low bond fees.
| Charles Schwab | E*TRADE | Fidelity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Treasury bond | $0.0 | $0.0 | $0.0 |
| EU government bond | - | - | - |
Options fees
Charles Schwab's options fees are low.
| Charles Schwab | E*TRADE | Fidelity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock index options | $6.5 | $6.5 | $6.5 |
| UK stock index options | - | - | - |
| German stock index options | - | - | - |
Futures fees
Charles Schwab's futures fees are high.
| Charles Schwab | E*TRADE | Fidelity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US micro e-mini stock index futures | $22.5 | $15.0 | - |
| UK stock index futures | - | - | - |
| German e-mini stock index futures | - | - | - |
Financing rates
Charles Schwab financing rates are .
If you want to trade on margin and prefer to hold your positions long, financing costs can be significant.
| Charles Schwab | E*TRADE | Fidelity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple CFD financing rate | - | - | - |
| Vodafone CFD financing rate | - | - | - |
| EURUSD financing rate | - | - | - |
| EURGBP financing rate | - | - | - |
Leverage is a double-edged sword and can dramatically amplify your profits. It can also just as dramatically amplify your losses. Trading foreign exchange/CFDs with any level of leverage may not be suitable for all investors.
Charles Schwab fees
Charles Schwab non-trading fees
When it comes to looking at all the non-trading fees Charles Schwab is a cheap broker. This means that they don't charge you a lot for non-trading related activities on your trading account, like withdrawal fee.
Non-trading fees include various brokerage fees and charges at Charles Schwab that you pay not related to buying and selling assets. Among some others, typical non trading fees are withdrawal fee, deposit fee, inactivity fee and account fee.
| Charles Schwab | E*TRADE | Fidelity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No | No | No |
| Account fee | No | No | No |
Charles Schwab fees
Charles Schwab deposit fee
Deposit fees are applied when you send money to your trading account from your bank account. Usually brokers don't charge money for that and Charles Schwab is not different: you will see the exact same amount on your brokerage account that you sent by any of the deposit methods Charles Schwab offers.
| Charles Schwab | E*TRADE | Fidelity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | No | No |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | Yes |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Charles Schwab fees
Charles Schwab withdrawal fee
Unlike some online brokers we have reviewed Charles Schwab does not charge a withdrawal fee. This means that you'll see the same amount of money on your bank account that you transferred from your brokerage account.
| Charles Schwab | E*TRADE | Fidelity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | No | No |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | Yes |
| Withdrawal fee with bank transfer | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Charles Schwab fees
Charles Schwab inactivity fee
Charles Schwab does not apply an inactivity fee which is great because your account will not be charged even if you do not trade for a longer time period (months or years).
