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Uphold Trading Fees Explained | Invest in Crypto and Metals

Uphold Trading Fees Explained | Invest in Crypto and Metals
Jordan Major
GUIDES

In this guide, we will focus on Uphold fees, examining the costs incurred when using Uphold’s unique digital money platform to provide you with an idea of what to expect in terms of pricing from the exchange.


About Uphold

What is Uphold?

Uphold was established in 2013 and launched its platform in 2015 with the New York-based firm, offering financial services to the global market across multiple assets. 

The exchange provides its customers with a variety of cryptocurrencies, precious metals, and fiat currencies, which through ‘Anything-to-Anything’ trading, they can trade directly across asset classes using embedded payments.

In addition to a secure platform, investors have access to a variety of useful trading tools, as well as a “Transparency” page that displays their current reserve status.

Note

For further information about the platform and its core products, read our comprehensive Uphold review.

Disclaimer: Terms Apply. Crypto assets are highly volatile. Your capital is at risk.



Introduction to Uphold fees

For investors and traders, it is critical to carefully consider the costs connected with each transaction before deciding on one platform over another since costs connected with each trade can quickly add up.

Since high deposit and trading fees on platforms may limit your earning potential, Uphold customers can rest assured that their fees will be minimized when using the exchange. Firstly, Uphold does not charge trading fees; however, it does charge a spread for each transaction you and a $1 transaction fee on all transactions between assets where the amount transacted is under $100 in value.

Nevertheless, the spread is clear and transparent, it is essentially the cost charged based on the difference in price between the buy and sell offer, which may change during periods of high volatility. Specifically, it’s a small percentage added to your transaction, and it varies a bit depending on market circumstance

There are no unnecessary third parties involved, meaning the exchange doesn’t sell your order flow to third-party broker-dealers, a practice that virtually guarantees you get uncompetitive pricing.

Important

There are no hidden mark-ups on Uphold; the price you see for a stock at Preview is the price you pay when you trade it. Likewise, on Uphold, there are no account fees. Unlike other platforms, it does not impose fees for things like dormancy, custody, minimum balance infractions, and so on.

Additionally, the low interest rates on foreign currencies mean Uphold only charges a 0.2% fee for currency conversion, which eliminates the need for a middleman.

Finally, there are two different types of accounts on the exchange; one is an Uphold Personal account, and the other is an Uphold Business account. In this guide, we will explore both of the accounts as well as the pricing and fee structure for each in-depth.

Watch the video: Uphold: Anything to Anything Instantly

Uphold fees explained

Personal Account Service Fees 

Personal account service fees differ from asset to asset; therefore, we’ll break down the costs for each one separately. 

Before we proceed, it is important to underline that the pricing approach of Upholds is all-inclusive, so the price you see before you trade matches the price you’ll pay after you trade with them.

Since Uphold’s prices are set before trading, unlike many other platforms, it does not impose any additional fees between the Preview and Transact phases.

Therefore, verify again before confirming your order to ensure you’re satisfied with the deal you’re getting, and only complete your order if you’re okay with the trade.

Cryptocurrency Fees

All 250+ digital currencies are available for real-time price tracking on Uphold, including majors, alt-coins, and emerging tokens, among others. 

  • USA and Europe: The fees per trade between Bitcoin and Ethereum in the United States, United Kingdom and Europe run up to 1.5%;
  • Rest of the World: In other regions of the world, Upholds cryptocurrency majors have a cost per trade of approximately 1.8%;
  • Cryptos with limited liquidity: When it comes to cryptocurrencies and tokens with limited liquidity, such as Dogecoin and others, spreads may be much higher;
  • Withdrawing crypto: Withdrawing to a wallet will incur a $2.99 fee, although if you withdraw to an external crypto wallet, you’ll be charged network fees. Fees are passed on to the recipient at cost, and the amount you pay will fluctuate based on the current degree of congestion on the network.

Buy and sell spread fees in the United Kingdom:

  • Bitcoin: Buy spread – 0.2%  Sell spread – 0.2%
  • Dogecoin: Buy spread – 0.2%  Sell spread – 0.2%
  • Ethereum: Buy spread – 0.05%  Sell spread – 0.05%

It’s worth mentioning that coordinated market activity may distort markets; as a result, during periods of severe market stress, all spreads are likely to widen. Thus, always check the rates at Preview before making a purchase or investment decision.

From – To trade transaction. Source: Uphold.com

Nonetheless, Uphold, like other trading platforms, shows the current mid-market price on its charts. If you trade, you’ll get the current bid or ask price, depending on whether you’re buying or selling. As a result of how order books on exchanges operate, there is always a slight discrepancy between the mid-market and the bid and ask execution prices.

Furthermore, consumers should be aware that the pricing for bank transfers for the United Kingdom and Europe is not fixed pre-trade. Due to the fact that the price of the relevant crypto asset may fluctuate between the time you place your order and the time Uphold receives the money and executes the transaction. Consequently, it would help if you placed caution before making a trade in this manner.

Lastly, customers should be informed that the order will be executed at the existing market price at the time of execution, which may result in substantial price changes. Given the high degree of market volatility that crypto-assets suffer, traders should be wary of the significant risk this poses.

Watch the video: Withdraw funds to an external crypto wallet with Uphold

Fiat Currency Fees

Also of note, Uphold’s fiat currency spread is typically 0.2% – 0.05% across key national currencies such as the euro, the US dollar, and the British pound, among others. For instance:

  • EUR: Buy spread – 0.2%  Sell spread – 0.2% (both in USD)
  • GBP: Buy spread – 0.2%  Sell spread – 0.2% (both in USD)
  • USD: Buy spread – 0.05%  Sell spread – 0.05%

Precious Metals 

When you invest in precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, or palladium via Uphold, it holds the precious metal in its reserve to back the value of your investment. Whatsmore, Uphold clients may monitor the price movement of their precious metals in real-time; typically, the exchange charges a 3% premium above the bid-ask price gap of its supplier.

Silver price. Source: Uphold.com

Business account service fees

Fees for business accounts in the United Kingdom and Europe are determined on a volume basis; consequently, Uphold recommends that you converse with its Business Development Team.

Web Wallet

  • A free active account: Uphold offers a totally free account opening and asset storage service, which means that customers who have an active account are also eligible for a free Uphold subscription service.
  • Fund your account: If you finance your account using a bank account, cryptocurrency, or an existing Uphold account, you will not be charged a fee. Funding your account using a debit/credit card or China Union Pay will result in a fee of 3.99% being applied.
  • Free money transfer between Uphold clients: Money transfers between Uphold customers are completely free. Sending money from one customer to another costs you nothing, regardless of the amount of money you send or receive or the currency in which it is sent and received.

Convert & Buy

Uphold charges an exchange fee when a customer buys or sells currencies. This is computed as a percentage of the entire transaction value, which varies according to the size of the transaction. Since a Price Protection Fee is included, there may be a little difference between Uphold’s buy and sell price quotations for the same currency pair. 

For example, the firm is able to offer you a quick and guaranteed quote in the case of market volatility or other conditions impacting the platform’s capacity to complete your transaction because of this small difference (usually less than 0.75 percent).

Withdraw

Transferring money off-platform through bank transfer costs $3.99 while doing it via cryptocurrency costs $2.99. Additionally, third-party costs may be incurred, such as bank transfer fees in certain countries or blockchain network fees in others.

Currencies and Commodities

The expenses of trading fiat currencies, cryptocurrencies, and precious metals are all very different from one another. Below is an up-to-date list of costs that you may consult.

Currencies and commodities fee rates. Source: Uphold.com

Business account API fees

A separate set of fees applies to a business account that makes use of Upholds API services.

There are two API transaction plans offered by Uphold, the Standard Plan and the Enterprise Plan, both of which charge a modest per-transaction fee to businesses using their API to conduct financial transactions:

  • Standard Plan: $0.99 + 3% per transaction ($500 monthly minimum).
  • Enterprise Plan: Typically, businesses have specific needs and economics, necessitating the use of customized pricing. As a result, businesses may contact the Uphold business partners team to explore the best way to meet their requirements.

Account depositing & withdrawal fees and limits (Mobile App & New Web Wallet)

  • Debit & Credit Card***: Deposit/Withdrawal – There is a 2.49% fee on debit/credit card transactions on deposits and withdrawals;
  • ACH/Bank transfers and Google Pay deposits – Free of charge although this applies to US users only;
  • Bank Transfer US (ACH) (USD): Deposit – Free, with a minimum of $10 and a maximum of $2,500/day. Withdrawal is free and a minimum of $5 and maximum of $10,000 daily;
  • Bank Transfer US (Wire)(USD): Deposit – less than $5,000 is $20 and more than $5000 is free; unlimited limit;
  • Bank Transfer SEPA (EURO): Deposit – Free and unlimited. Withdrawal is free and a minimum of €10 and maximum of €50,000 daily;
  • Bank Transfer FPS British Pound: Deposit – Free and unlimited. Withdrawal is free and a minimum of £10 and a maximum of £25,000 daily;
  • Bitcoin, Litecoin, BCH, BTG: Deposit – Free and unlimited. Withdrawal fee: 0.0003 BTC, 0.003 LTC, 0.0003 BCH, 0.0003 BTG. A minimum withdrawal of 0.00001 BTC, 0.25 LTC, 0.00001 BCH, 0.0001 BTG;
  • ETH & ERC-20: Deposit – Free and unlimited. Withdrawal fee is a Dynamic Network Fee** and a minimum withdrawal of 0.001 ETH.
  1. *It is possible that your bank may charge you overseas/international fees.
  2. **To help you make an educated choice, all fees associated with a withdrawal to crypto networks, regardless of the asset, will be shown before completing the transaction on the Preview screen beforehand.
  3. *** In the United Kingdom and Europe, credit cards are not accepted.

General deposit and withdrawal fees

You do not have to wait 65 days before withdrawing U.S. Dollar deposits; only ACH Network deposits made from a U.S. bank account are subject to the 65-day hold. Bear in mind that you may always request a deposit withdrawal to your U.S. bank account within 4-5 business days.

If you make a deposit using a debit or credit card, there is no cooling-off period. And if you send Uphold a wire transfer for an amount of more than $5,000, it will forgo its wire transfer charge of $20.

Furthermore, to withdraw money, you may transfer funds straight to your bank account, which will arrive in 24 hours, or to private wallets on seven different crypto networks.

Watch the video: Withdraw funds to your U.S. bank account with Uphold

Uphold debit card fee

The pricing of the Uphold Card includes a one-time issuance fee of $9.95.

Uphold card fees:

  • Withdrawals: $2.50 (per transaction)
  • International Withdrawals: $3.50 (per transaction)
  • Domestic purchase: Free
  • Foreign exchange: Free 

Uphold card limits:

  • Maximum per transaction: $5,000
  • Maximum spend: $10,000 (per day)
  • Cash withdrawal: $1,500 (per day)
  • Cash withdrawal per transaction: $500

With the exception of money transferred through ACH (these take up to 3 business days to settle), you’ll be able to use your cash as soon as they become accessible in your Uphold wallet.

Transaction fee

There is a $1 transaction fee on all transactions between assets where the amount transacted is under $100 in value. Excluding:

  • Transactions made using the Uphold Debit Card. This a direct purchase of an asset using a debit/credit card. 
  • The exchange of BAT from a Brave Browser-linked account to a fiat currency. This excludes users who want to convert and withdraw their BAT tokens.
  • Automated transactions (recurring / limit orders). Users who have set up automated/DCA transactions are also excluded. 

The $1 transaction fee applies to EU, UK & US users only and the above fees are calculated within the price, when users make a trade on the platform 

ACH 65 day cooling-off period

As soon as you make a deposit from your US bank account via the Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network, the money will be credited to your Uphold account, so you may begin trading right away. 

Therefore, as soon as an ACH deposit is made, you may begin buying, holding, and eventually selling assets. Nevertheless, you should be aware that you will have to wait 65 days before you can withdraw your ACH payments. 

Those who don’t want to wait the full 65 days may request a withdrawal back to their original bank account within 4-5 business days after making the first deposit (once the funds have settled). 

The 65-day cooling-off period applies solely to deposits made through the ACH Network from a US bank account. Alternate financing methods are an option if you want to avoid the holdup.

Uphold security

Uphold maintains compliance with and adheres to stringent U.S. and foreign regulations, including know your client (KYC) and account verification requirements. 

Furthermore, the company’s website provides complete disclosures regarding the security procedures in place at their facilities. Uphold points out particular security aspects, such as 90% of assets kept in cold storage and an insurance policy against security breaches involving currencies traded on the exchange. 

Additionally, the platform has a spotless hacking record on top of providing a “Transparency” page that displays the current state of their reserves. For these reasons and more, Uphold is considered to be one of the most secure trading platforms available on the market today. 

Note

For further information regarding security on Uphold, read our in-depth ‘is Uphold safe?”‘ guide.

Final thoughts

To conclude, the high-performance unique multi-asset trading platform Uphold makes it possible for individuals and businesses alike to safely and securely trade crypto, and metals all in one place.

The platform stands out from the crowd not just with its multi-asset purchasing options but also a straightforward and transparent pricing structure that does not charge withdrawal, deposit, or trading fees. Although the company does charge a spread for each trade, there are no hidden fees or added costs; everything can be seen before execution which is clear and honest.

Ultimately, individual traders, investors, and businesses can ultimately take advantage of the competitive spreads across multiple assets safely and securely. As the company aims is dedicated to making financial services accessible to all people; and it makes every effort to keep all costs as low as possible in order to do this. 

Disclaimer: Terms Apply. Crypto assets are highly volatile. Your capital is at risk.



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