International investing

Overview

This offer has ended.

For a limited time between 30 October and 1 November 2024, we’re dropping our trading fees for buying and selling US shares. Standard charges for foreign exchange (FX) and terms apply.

No fees on US trades

Please remember, investment value can go up or down and you could get back less than you invest. The value of international investments may be affected by currency fluctuations which might reduce their value in sterling. We may receive two elements of commission in relation to international dealing - Trading Commission and our FX Charge. Please see our rates and charges for full details of the relevant costs. Foreign markets will involve different risks from the UK markets. In some cases the risks will be greater.

From Wednesday 30 October to Friday 1 November 2024, you can buy and sell US shares with no trading fees, online and via our mobile app. That’s a saving of £3.99 per trade.

During this time, well-known global companies are expected to announce their quarterly results in the latest US earnings season. This includes Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Amazon and Apple

Please note, charges for foreign exchange to convert currency and telephone dealing, as shown in Our Charges will still apply.

As clocks “fall back” one hour in the UK on Sunday 27 October, but not for another week in North America, US markets will open and close at 1.30pm and 8pm (GMT) respectively when the offer is running.

For more information, please read the full offer terms and conditions.

US earnings company logos

How to get set up

one

New to ii? Open an account

You can trade US shares in our Trading Account, Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), Stocks and Shares ISA and Junior ISA.

Two

Set up your account for US trading

There are two things you need to do before you can add US shares to your account.

Sign the online Exchange Agreements. This allows us to make live international share prices available to you. You will be prompted to sign the exchange agreements when you log in to your account and search for a non-UK stock using Find & Invest or Quote.

Complete a W-8BEN form. This can reduce the amount of tax you pay on US dividends and interest payments and is valid for three years. You can do this online by logging in and visiting our Useful Forms page. You don't need to do this if you are only investing in the ii SIPP.

Three

Do your research

You can find ideas by visiting our International investing page, or head over to our international shares news.

— Jump to: What shares can I buy?

Four

You’re ready to go

A few useful things to remember about trading US shares:

— US markets are usually open from 2.30pm to 9pm UK time (that's 9.30am to 4pm Eastern time) - so you can trade later than UK shares.

— You will see prices in dollars and cents – not pounds and pence.

— When you trade US shares, you will not see the 15-second countdown with a fixed price as you do with UK shares. Your order will be sent directly to the US exchange, and the actual traded price will be confirmed when the trade completes.

— With our Trading Account and SIPP, you can convert pounds into dollars and hold it in your account until you’re ready to trade. This saves you having to pay currency conversion fees on every trade. Find out more

What does it cost?

  • We offer different plans, each with a fixed monthly subscription starting from as little as £4.99 a month.
  • Our standard rate to buy and sell US shares is £3.99. During the offer period you'll pay £0.
  • You can hold US dollars in your ii SIPP and Trading Account and use them to buy US shares.
  • When you convert in and out of US dollars, there's a currency exchange fee of up to 1.5%. Find out more
US Dollar to Pound

What US shares can I buy?

We offer the widest choice of international investments on the market, including access to all the big household names such as Apple, Microsoft and Tesla

However, lesser-known names can also provide a good opportunity. See below for more ideas on building your portfolio.

Most popular

Most popular US shares

See what other ii customers are investing in.

Find out more
Key dates

US earnings season

Our US earnings calendar highlights the key dates to look out for.

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News and insights

Our experts give their views on the international markets.

Multi-award-winning service

We’ve won ‘Best International Share Dealing Service’ at the Shares Awards every year since 2017, and ADVFN’s ‘Best Stockbroker for International Dealing’ every year since 2018.

Best Stockbroker for International Dealing 2023

News and insights

Revealed: how high the S&P 500 could go in 2025

about 2 hours agoGraeme Evans

US share trading offer terms and conditions

  1. A trading fee of £0 is applicable to all buy and sell orders of US shares placed via the ii website and using the interactive investor mobile apps executed between 1.30pm (GMT) on 30 October 2024 and 8pm (GMT) on 1 November 2024 (the "Offer Period")(the "Offer"). For the avoidance of any doubt, any orders placed within the Offer Period but not executed until after the Offer Period has ended will not be eligible for this Offer.
  2. The Offer is open to new and existing customers.
  3. Before you can buy US-listed shares, you need to complete the relevant IRS W-8 form. If you are a UK resident and your account is in your individual name you can complete the form online. We cannot guarantee that the process of either opening a new account and/or enabling the account for international share dealing will be completed before the Offer closes.
  4. These terms and conditions should be read in conjunction with the Interactive Investor Services Limited ("IISL", "ii", "we" or "our") Terms of Service and the ii SIPP Terms (together, the "Terms of Service"). In the event of a conflict between these terms and conditions and the Terms of Service, these terms shall prevail.
  5. After the Offer Period, the trading fee you will be required to pay will be as set out in our Rates and Charges. 

  6. Orders placed via telephone dealing are not included in this Offer and will be subject to the charge set out in our Rates and Charges. 

  7. All other fees set out in our Rates and Charges, (eg foreign exchange rates for currency conversion and Government charges), are not subject to this Offer and shall continue to apply during the Offer Period. 

  8. Anyone who is (in our reasonable opinion) seen to be abusing the offer may be excluded at our sole discretion. 

  9. By participating in the Offer, you agree that ii will not be liable for any costs, expenses, loss, or damage sustained or incurred with regards to the Offer. 

  10. We reserve the right to alter, withdraw or amend this Offer and/or these terms and conditions at any time without prior notice. 

  11. All participants to this Offer agree to be bound by these terms and conditions. 

  12. These terms are governed by English law. 

  13. IISL is the promoter of this Offer. IISL’s registered office is at 201 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3NW. 

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