Charles Stanley Direct fees explained

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Overview of Charles Stanley Direct fees and charges

When trading or investing at an online broker, fees can have a big impact on your results, so it's good to know what kind of charges you'll be facing and how these compare to fees at other brokers.

If fees are your top concern, Charles Stanley Direct is an OK choice, as it has average fees in general. Check our toplist for cheaper brokers.

I found Charles Stanley Direct's trading fees fairly average

Gyula Lencsés, CFA

Forex • Derivatives • Market Analysis

I've personally tested dozens of global brokers, carefully looking at their fees not just on their website but also in the course of live trading. Here's how Charles Stanley Direct fared:

Charles Stanley Direct charges high fees for trading stocks and ETFs.
There is no inactivity fee even if you leave your account idle for a long time.
The basic withdrawal fee is $0, but some transactions may cost more.
Read our full review of Charles Stanley Direct for info on safety, trading platforms and funding.

Charles Stanley Direct fees at a glance
Assets	Fee level	Fee terms
US stock fee	-	Not available
EURUSD fee	-	FX not available
US tech fund fee	Low	Tiered annual fee based on volume held. On first £250k the fee is 0.35%, on the value between £250k-£500k it is 0.20%, on the value between £500k-£1m it is 0.15%, on the value between £1m-£2m it is 0.05%, and there is no charge on the value above £2m.
Inactivity fee	Low	No inactivity fee

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In this review, we calculated the fees of products available for online trading. There are many additional products that are available via phone trading, such as bonds or non-UK equities.

High stock and ETF commission

Charles Stanley Direct stock and ETF fees by market
	Charles Stanley Direct Charles Stanley Direct	Interactive Investor Interactive Investor	Hargreaves Lansdown Hargreaves Lansdown
UK stock fee Estimated commission of a $2,000 trade, assuming a $50 stock price	$14.4 £11.50 per trade, plus a subsequent annual 0.35% of the value of investments held, with a £24 minimum and £240 maximum (may be waived)	$5.0 £3.99 per trade	$14.9 Based on previous month's activity. 0-9 trades: £11.95 per trade; 10-19 trades: £8.95 per trade; 20+ trades: £5.95 per trade

Low mutual fund commission

Fees for a $2,000 fund purchase
	Charles Stanley Direct Charles Stanley Direct	Interactive Investor Interactive Investor	Hargreaves Lansdown Hargreaves Lansdown
Mutual fund Estimated commission of a $2,000 US domiciled fund trade	$0.0 Tiered annual fee based on volume held. On first £250k the fee is 0.35%, on the value between £250k-£500k it is 0.20%, on the value between £500k-£1m it is 0.15%, on the value between £1m-£2m it is 0.05%, and there is no charge on the value above £2m.	$5.0 £3.99 per trade	$0.0 Tiered annual fee based on volume held. On first £250k, the fee is 0.45%, on the value between £250k-£1m it is 0.25%, on the value between £1m-£2m it is 0.10%, and there is no charge on the value above £2m.
EU mutual fund Subscription fee of a $2,000 face value European stock fund	$0.0 Yearly commission of the trade value: 0.35% between £0-£250k; 0.20% between £250k-£500k; 0.15% between £500k-£1m; 0.05% between £1m-£2m; £2m+ it's free	$9.6 Investor fee: £7.99 per trade; funds fan and super investor fees: £3.99 per trade	$0.0 £0 - £250k 0.45% of trade value per year, £250k - £1m 0.25% of trade value per year, £1m - £m 0.10% of trade value per year, £2m+ it's free

Charles Stanley Direct only charges an annual fee, but doesn't charge a commission on opening and closing mutual fund positions. Fees for mutual funds are volume-tiered. The higher the value of your holdings, the lower percentage you pay as an annual fee on those amounts.

Charles Stanley Direct annual fund fees
Value of holdings in the previous month	Annual commission on the amount in this range
£0-£250k	0.35%
£250k - £500k	0.20%
£500k - £1m	0.15%
£1m - £2m	0.05%
£2m+	no charge

No inactivity fee, no withdrawal fee

It doesn't charge inactivity and withdrawal fees. It doesn't charge an account fee for Investment and ISA accounts either, but it does charge a £100 + VAT yearly account fee for SIPP accounts. This SIPP account fee is waived for accounts holding assets exceeding £30,000.

Charles Stanley Direct inactivity, withdrawal and other fees
Broker	Inactivity fee	Withdrawal fee
Charles Stanley Direct		$0
Interactive Investor		$0
Hargreaves Lansdown		$0

Interest earned on uninvested cash

The capital value of your acount will determine the interest rate that the broker pays to you. If the value is over £100,000 (or equivalent), you will receive the maximum cash yield, but below that, you will be paid a lower rate.

Charles Stanley Direct pays interest on cash held in GBP and USD.

As of the time of the review, Charles Stanley Direct provides the following interest rates on uninvested cash:

3.1% for USD
2.7% for GBP

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Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology.