Is KBC Equitas free?
KBC Equitas 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 KBC Equitas 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).
KBC Equitas fees
Overview of KBC Equitas fees and charges
When it comes to brokerage fees, KBC Equitas 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 KBC Equitas fees are beneficial for you. Continue reading about KBC Equitas fees and charges to see if this is the right broker for you, or if a similar broker like Interactive Brokers or Random Capital might suit you better.
Here's a high-level overview of KBC Equitas's fees
| Assets | Fee level | Fee terms |
|---|---|---|
| US stock fee | Average | 0.35% per transaction, min. $7.99 |
| EURUSD fee | - | Not available |
| US mutual fund fees | Low | K&H funds can be bought for $1-$2 |
| Inactivity fee | Low | No inactivity fee |
KBC Equitas fees
KBC Equitas 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 KBC Equitas fees with its closest competitors, Interactive Brokers and Random Capital.
KBC Equitas fees
KBC Equitas trading fees
KBC Equitas's trading fees are low, which makes it suitable for you even if you trade often (i.e. several times a week).
Let's break down trading fees according to the different asset classes available at KBC Equitas.
Trading fees
KBC Equitas's trading fees are average.
Stock fees and ETF fees
KBC Equitas has average stock trading fees.
| KBC Equitas | Interactive Brokers | Random Capital | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock | $8.0 | $1.0 | $4.0 |
| UK stock | $11.3 | $3.4 | - |
| German stock | $7.0 | $3.0 | $6.4 |
Fund fees
KBC Equitas fund fees are low.
| KBC Equitas | Interactive Brokers | Random Capital | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual fund | $2.0 | $15.0 | - |
| EU mutual fund | - | $4.4 | - |
Bond fees
KBC Equitas has bond fees.
| KBC Equitas | Interactive Brokers | Random Capital | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Treasury bond | - | $5.0 | - |
| EU government bond | - | $10.0 | - |
Futures fees
KBC Equitas's futures fees are .
| KBC Equitas | Interactive Brokers | Random Capital | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US micro e-mini stock index futures | - | $2.5 | - |
| UK stock index futures | - | $19.2 | - |
| German e-mini stock index futures | - | $7.9 | - |
KBC Equitas fees
KBC Equitas non-trading fees
Some of KBC Equitas's non-trading fees are average.
Non-trading fees include various brokerage fees and charges at KBC Equitas that are not related to buying or selling assets. This can be a withdrawal fee, deposit fee, inactivity fee or account fee.
| KBC Equitas | Interactive Brokers | Random Capital | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal fee | $5 | $0 | $2 |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | No | No | No |
| Account fee | Yes | No | No |
KBC Equitas fees
KBC Equitas deposit fee
Usually, brokers don't charge anything for deposits, and KBC Equitas is no different.
| KBC Equitas | Interactive Brokers | Random Capital | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | No | No |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | No |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
KBC Equitas fees
KBC Equitas withdrawal fee
Unfortunately, KBC Equitas does charge a withdrawal fee of $5 for bank transfers. This means that you need to pay this amount when you transfer money from your brokerage account back to your bank account. Sometimes this is a flat fee, but a percentage charge may be applied in some cases. It's up to you to decide whether you can tolerate this, keeping in mind that flat fees can hurt more if you withdraw small amounts only.
| KBC Equitas | Interactive Brokers | Random Capital | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | No | No |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | No |
| Withdrawal fee for bank transfer | $5 | $0 | $2 |
KBC Equitas fees
KBC Equitas inactivity fee
KBC Equitas 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).
