Is Fidelity International free?
Fidelity International does charge a commission for real stock trading on US markets, so in this sense it is not a free-to-trade broker. However, it might still be a reasonable choice for some of you, as there are many other aspects other than commissions that are important when you choose a broker. If you wish to stick with Fidelity International though, then you will find the fees they charge below. Alternatively, you could check our article detailing the best zero commission brokers and how their apps scored in our test.
We should note that the payment-for-order-flow model, which is used by some zero-commission brokers to generate income (rather than relying on commissions), could potentially create a conflict of interest between you and your broker. This could result in trade execution (like routing your orders to specific market makers) that might be unfavorable for you under certain market conditions, especially when using market orders (as opposed to limit orders, which seem to be less affected).
Fidelity International fees
Overview of Fidelity International fees and charges
When it comes to brokerage fees, Fidelity International is a mixed bag. To see how they may affect you, first you need to figure out your approach to trading - i.e. whether you are more of a buy-and-hold investor or if you want to trade frequently; or what type of assets and in what volumes you'll want to trade. Alternatively, use our questionnaire to help you tell whether Fidelity International fees are beneficial for you. Continue reading about Fidelity International fees and charges to see if this is the right broker for you, or if a similar broker like AJ Bell Youinvest or Hargreaves Lansdown might suit you better.
Here's a high-level overview of Fidelity International's fees
| Assets | Fee level | Fee terms |
|---|---|---|
| US stock fee | Average | £10 per trade, or £1.5 per trade for regular saving plans. For tax-advantaged accounts, there is also an annual service fee. |
| EURUSD fee | - | Not available |
| US mutual fund fees | Low | Annual fee based on investments held: £45 flat fee under £7.5k and no monthly regular savings plan (RSP); 0.35% under £7.5k but with RSP, and between £7.5k-£250k; 0.20% between £250k-£1m; no fee on investments over £1m |
| Inactivity fee | Low | No inactivity fee |
Fidelity International fees
Fidelity International fees explained
Online brokerages in general charge much lower brokerage fees than traditional brokerages do - this is largely because online brokerages' businesses can be much better scaled: from a purely technical standpoint, it doesn't make that much of a difference for them if they have 100 or 5,000 clients.
This is not to say, however, that they don't charge any fees at all. They make money by charging you various rates for various actions or events. Usually you need to keep an eye on the following three types of fees:
- Trading fees - these are brokerage fees that you pay when you actually carry out a trade, like buying an Apple share or an ETF. What you pay is either a commission, a spread or a financing rate. Some brokers apply all of these.
- A commission is either fixed or based on the traded volume.
- A spread is the difference between the buy price and the sell price.
- A financing rate or overnight rate is charged when you hold your leveraged positions for more than one day.
- Non-trading fees. These are usually related to some operations you carry out in your account, such as depositing money, withdrawing money, or not trading for an extended period.
We compare Fidelity International fees with its closest competitors, AJ Bell Youinvest and Hargreaves Lansdown.
Fidelity International fees
Fidelity International trading fees
Fidelity International's trading fees are mixed, which means that some asset classes come with high trading fees - be sure to check these carefully.
Let's break down trading fees according to the different asset classes available at Fidelity International.
Trading fees
Fidelity International's trading fees are average.
Stock fees and ETF fees
Fidelity International has average stock trading fees.
| Fidelity International | AJ Bell Youinvest | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock | $11.3 | $11.2 | $13.5 |
| UK stock | $11.3 | $11.2 | $13.5 |
| German stock | - | $11.2 | $13.5 |
Fund fees
Fidelity International fund fees are low.
| Fidelity International | AJ Bell Youinvest | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual fund | $0.0 | $1.7 | $0.0 |
| EU mutual fund | - | $1.8 | $0.0 |
Currency conversion fee
Fidelity International will charge a Currency Conversion Fee for all trades on instruments denominated in a currency different to the currency of your account. The fee is charged as the following: 1% mark-up for investments below £10,000.
Fidelity International fees
Fidelity International non-trading fees
Some of Fidelity International's non-trading fees are average.
Non-trading fees include various brokerage fees and charges at Fidelity International that are not related to buying or selling assets. This can be a withdrawal fee, deposit fee, inactivity fee or account fee.
| Fidelity International | AJ Bell Youinvest | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No | No | No |
| Account fee | No | No | No |
Fidelity International fees
Fidelity International deposit fee
Usually, brokers don't charge anything for deposits, and Fidelity International is no different.
| Fidelity International | AJ Bell Youinvest | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | No |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Fidelity International fees
Fidelity International withdrawal fee
Fidelity International generally doesn't charge a withdrawal fee.
| Fidelity International | AJ Bell Youinvest | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | No |
| Withdrawal fee for bank transfer | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Fidelity International fees
Fidelity International inactivity fee
Fidelity International does not apply an inactivity fee, which is great because your account won't be charged even if you do not trade for an extended period (like several months or years).
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