UK online stockbrokers for expats

[AyG]

And for those without a UK address, what is wrong with this:

https://www.expat.hsbc.com/1/2//hsbc-expat/wealth-management/investment-options/sharedealing

• Only US and UK stocks - no Europe, Asia
• No real time prices (15 minutes delay)
• You're required to open an HSBC bank account with a high minimum

[KittenKong]

Only US and UK stocks - no Europe, Asia

Yes, if that bothers you. Personally I dont want to buy individual Euro or Asian stock. ETF trackers suit me fine.

No real time prices (15 minutes delay)

The quoted prices for trades are live:

When entering a buy or sell order in UK shares, you will

see a “fixed price quote” on the preview order screen

where available. A “fixed price quote” is only available on

UK share orders when the market is open, and may not be

available on large orders (see question “Will I get a fixed

price quote on all my deals?”). The “fixed price quote”

system automatically contacts a number of market makers

to get you the best price offered by those market makers

at the time you are trading your shares. The price will be

shown with the label “fixed price quote” together with a

countdown giving you 15 seconds to confirm the order.

My current broker doesnt give live prices outside of the buy-sell screen either, but it's easy enough to get such data elsewhere. I never day trade anyway so it's not important to me.

You're required to open an HSBC bank account with a high minimum

This one would be an inconvenience, but it does seem to get you some other benefits.

Personally I stick with my regular UK broker via a UK address and see no reason to change, but the HSBC expat option is there for those who want it.

[walrus]

Don't bother with TD Direct Investing. They've ditched their customers in Thailand recently too. In my case I had an account with them for over 5 years and suddenly became persona non-grata simply because of my address which hasn't changed for years! I've switched to Interactive Brokers which has cheaper commissions.

[AyG]

Don't bother with TD Direct Investing. They've ditched their customers in Thailand recently too. In my case I had an account with them for over 5 years and suddenly became persona non-grata simply because of my address which hasn't changed for years! I've switched to Interactive Brokers which has cheaper commissions.

TD Direct Investing International (based in Luxembourg) most certainly hasn't ditched their customers in Thailand. I for one have an account.

[liddelljohn]

Don't bother with TD Direct Investing. They've ditched their customers in Thailand recently too. In my case I had an account with them for over 5 years and suddenly became persona non-grata simply because of my address which hasn't changed for years! I've switched to Interactive Brokers which has cheaper commissions.

TD Direct Investing International (based in Luxembourg) most certainly hasn't ditched their customers in Thailand. I for one have an account.

AYG how easy was it to open an account with em are the fees reasonable for stock trading,

Edited February 10, 2014 by liddelljohn

[AyG]

Don't bother with TD Direct Investing. They've ditched their customers in Thailand recently too. In my case I had an account with them for over 5 years and suddenly became persona non-grata simply because of my address which hasn't changed for years! I've switched to Interactive Brokers which has cheaper commissions.

TD Direct Investing International (based in Luxembourg) most certainly hasn't ditched their customers in Thailand. I for one have an account.

AYG how easy was it to open an account with em are the fees reasonable for stock trading,

Opening an account was straightforward - but that was a long time ago. From memory, all I had to do was make sure that the initial transfer came from a UK (not offshore) bank account in my own name. However, rules may have changed since then.

The fees are definitely on the high side, which is why I have now opened a Saxo (Singapore) account, and am moving 50% of my TD holdings there - primarily to save on the custody fees. (The remaining holdings Saxo can't accept.) I'm irked by the EUR 75/holding transfer out fee, which is pretty outrageous. Still, I'll recoup the cost within 18 months by the saving in custody fees.