TRANSFER YOUR GENERAL INVESTMENT ACCOUNT
Other charges may apply. See our full pricing table.

Reasons to transfer your General Investment Account to Freetrade
How to transfer to Freetrade
Transfer investments
Transfer cash
How we compare to other brokers
Comparison disclosure
Costs are based on those published costs on the other providers’ websites as of 24 March 2026. They are shown for illustrative purposes only. For confirmation of their up-to-date charges and product information, you should visit their websites.
Calculations exclude interest on customer cash and do not include investment growth or tax relief. Annual percentage based charges and monthly fixed account fees are applied after UK and US trading fees and FX fees.
Freetrade: There are no commission charges per trade and no subscription fee on the Basic plan, which gives you access to a Stocks and Shares ISA, Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), and General Investment Account (GIA). FX fees are 0.99% on Basic, reduced to 0.59% on Standard and 0.39% on Plus.
Hargreaves Lansdown: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.35% charge on the value of shares held in the share dealing account, which is the equivalent of a general investment account (GIA). This is capped at £12.50/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £6.95 for up to 19 trades to £3.95 for 20 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.99% for the first £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£24,999.99, and 0.20% for £25,000 or more.
Interactive Investor: Subscription fee is based on the Core plan at £5.99/mo, which allows for a maximum portfolio size of £100,000. For portfolios above this, customers are switched to the Plus plan, which costs £14.99/mo. The FX rate varies by plan: 0.75% on Core, 0.75% on the first £50,000 and 0.25% for over £50,000 on the Plus plan, 0.25% on the Premium plan.
AJ Bell: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.25% charge on the value of shares held in the dealing account, which is the equivalent of a general investment account (GIA). This is capped at £3.50/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £5.00 for up to 9 trades to £3.50 for 10 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.75% for up to £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£20,000, and 0.25% for above £20,000.
Comparison disclosure
Costs are based on those published costs on the other providers’ websites as of 24 March 2026. They are shown for illustrative purposes only. For confirmation of their up-to-date charges and product information, you should visit their websites. Calculations exclude interest on customer cash and do not include investment growth or tax relief. Annual percentage based charges and monthly fixed account fees are applied after UK and US trading fees and FX fees.
Calculations exclude interest on customer cash and do not include investment growth or tax relief. Annual percentage based charges and monthly fixed account fees are applied after UK and US trading fees and FX fees.
Freetrade: There are no commission charges per trade and no subscription fee on the Basic plan, which gives you access to a Stocks and Shares ISA, Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), and General Investment Account (GIA). FX fees are 0.99% on Basic, reduced to 0.59% on Standard and 0.39% on Plus.
Hargreaves Lansdown: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.35% charge on the value of shares held in an ISA account. This is capped at £12.50/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £6.95 for up to 19 trades to £3.95 for 20 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.99% for the first £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£24,999.99, and 0.20% for £25,000 or more.
Interactive Investor: Subscription fee is based on the Core plan at £5.99/mo, which allows for a maximum portfolio size of £100,000. For portfolios above this, customers are switched to the Plus plan, which costs £14.99/mo. The FX rate varies by plan: 0.75% on Core, 0.75% on the first £50,000 and 0.25% for over £50,000 on the Plus plan, 0.25% on the Premium plan.
AJ Bell: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.25% charge on the value of shares held in an ISA account. This is capped at £3.50/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £5.00 for up to 9 trades to £3.50 for 10 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.75% for up to £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£20,000, and 0.25% for above £20,000.
Comparison disclosure
Costs are based on those published costs on the other providers’ websites as of 24 March 2026. They are shown for illustrative purposes only. For confirmation of their up-to-date charges and product information, you should visit their websites.
Calculations exclude interest on customer cash and do not include investment growth or tax relief. Annual percentage based charges and monthly fixed account fees are applied after UK and US trading fees and FX fees.
Freetrade: There are no commission charges per trade and no subscription fee on the Basic plan, which gives you access to a Stocks and Shares ISA, Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), and General Investment Account (GIA). FX fees are 0.99% on Basic, reduced to 0.59% on Standard and 0.39% on Plus.
Hargreaves Lansdown: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.35% charge on the value of shares held in the share dealing account, which is the equivalent of a general investment account (GIA). This is capped at £12.50/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £6.95 for up to 19 trades to £3.95 for 20 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.99% for the first £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£24,999.99, and 0.20% for £25,000 or more.
Interactive Investor: Subscription fee is based on the Plus plan at £14.99 per month, as the portfolio exceeds £100,000 after the first monthly contribution. The Plus plan includes one free trade credit per month, worth £3.99, which has been applied to UK trading in this calculation. Standard trading fees are £3.99 per trade on Core and Plus plans for UK and US shares and ETFs, reduced to £2.99 on the Premium plan. FX fees vary by plan, with 0.75% on Core, 0.75% on the first £50,000 and 0.25% above £50,000 on Plus, and 0.25% on Premium.
AJ Bell: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.25% charge on the value of shares held in the dealing account, which is the equivalent of a general investment account (GIA). This is capped at £3.50/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £5.00 for up to 9 trades to £3.50 for 10 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.75% for up to £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£20,000, and 0.25% for above £20,000.
Comparison disclosure
Costs are based on those published costs on the other providers’ websites as of 24 March 2026. They are shown for illustrative purposes only. For confirmation of their up-to-date charges and product information, you should visit their websites.
Calculations exclude interest on customer cash and do not include investment growth or tax relief. Annual percentage based charges and monthly fixed account fees are applied after UK and US trading fees and FX fees.
Freetrade: There are no commission charges per trade and no subscription fee on the Basic plan, which gives you access to a Stocks and Shares ISA, Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), and General Investment Account (GIA). FX fees are 0.99% on Basic, reduced to 0.59% on Standard and 0.39% on Plus.
Hargreaves Lansdown: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.35% charge on the value of shares held in the share dealing account, which is the equivalent of a general investment account (GIA). This is capped at £12.50/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £6.95 for up to 19 trades to £3.95 for 20 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.99% for the first £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£24,999.99, and 0.20% for £25,000 or more.
Interactive Investor: Subscription fee is based on the Plus plan at £14.99 per month, as the portfolio exceeds £100,000. The Plus plan includes one free trade credit per month, worth £3.99, which has been applied to UK trading in this calculation. Standard trading fees are £3.99 per trade on Core and Plus plans for UK and US shares and ETFs, reduced to £2.99 on the Premium plan. FX fees vary by plan, with 0.75% on Core, 0.75% on the first £50,000 and 0.25% above £50,000 on Plus, and 0.25% on Premium.
AJ Bell: Subscription fee is based on the annual 0.25% charge on the value of shares held in the dealing account, which is the equivalent of a general investment account (GIA). This is capped at £3.50/mo. Fee per trade reduces, depending on the number of trades executed in the previous month, from £5.00 for up to 9 trades to £3.50 for 10 or more trades. The FX rate is tiered by transaction value: 0.75% for up to £10,000, 0.50% for £10,001–£20,000, and 0.25% for above £20,000.
Choose from thousands of investments
Stocks
Funds
ETFs
Investment trusts
UK Treasury bills
Ready-made portfolios
Transferring to another provider
Stocks can only be transferred as whole shares. If you wish to transfer a fraction of a share, you will have to sell it first and transfer the amount as cash.
There is no fee to transfer out UK securities or cash. Transferring out US securities will incur a cost of £17 per holding. We charge this amount to cover the fee our service provider charges us.
Your new provider may not be able to accept transfers of all securities you hold with Freetrade. It’s worth checking if they can support your stocks before you start your transfer.
Your future broker can send an electronic transfer request to us at: transfers@freetrade.io.
GIA transfer FAQs
Here you'll find answers to the most frequently asked questions. If you have a question that's not listed, please contact support.
What is a General Investment Account?
A General Investment Account (GIA) is for investing outside tax-efficient wrappers like ISAs or SIPPs. You may want to use one if you’ve reached your annual allowance.
A GIA sometimes goes by other names. You might see it called a share dealing account, shares account, or simply an investment account. They all mean the same thing.
The main advantage of a GIA is that there’s no limit to how much you can invest. None whatsoever.
It’s a flexible account, with thousands of investments to choose from. That makes it ideal for investing outside of your ISA and SIPP.
What can I transfer?
You can transfer any UK or UK stock to Freetrade as long as we offer it. If a stock can’t be transferred for any reason, we will get in touch to discuss your options. If you have questions about a particular stock, ask our team.
How long will the transfer take?
Cash transfers can take two to four weeks to complete. Stock transfers take a little longer, usually around four to six weeks. There’s no need to contact us during this window, we’ll let you know as soon as your transfer is complete.
Can I transfer my existing stocks or do I have to sell them first?
If we offer the stocks you’re looking to transfer, you can transfer them directly. If a share you own isn’t currently on Freetrade or is European-listed, you may need to transfer it as cash. Alternatively, you can leave them with your current provider, assuming your current provider allows this. We will reach out to discuss your options if one of your stocks cannot be transferred.
Are there any fees for transferring away from Freetrade?
If you decide to leave Freetrade, you can transfer out UK or US securities as cash or stock. At the moment, to transfer any non-UK or non-US securities away from Freetrade, you will have to sell them first and transfer the amount as cash. When you transfer as cash you’ll be out of the market, so you may miss out on the ups and downs during your transfer.
Stocks can only be transferred as whole shares. If you wish to transfer a fraction of a share, you will have to sell it first and transfer the amount as cash.
There is no fee to transfer out UK securities or cash. Transferring out US securities will incur a cost of £17 per holding. We charge this amount to cover the fee our service provider charges us.
Your new provider may not be able to accept transfers of all securities you hold with Freetrade. It’s worth checking if they can support your stocks before you start your transfer.
Your future broker can send an electronic transfer request to us at: transfers@freetrade.io.
Are there fees for transferring to Freetrade?
No! Transferring your GIA to Freetrade is free, quick, and simple.
Pick the plan that suits you best
Stocks and shares ISA
NewJunior stocks and shares ISA
NewPension (SIPP)
NewGeneral investment account
Commission-free investing in Freetrade’s full universe of stocks, ETFs, and investment trusts
FX fee of 0.99% on non-GBP trades
1% AER on up to £1k uninvested cash
Mutual funds and gilts
New
Stocks and shares ISA
Junior stocks and shares ISA
NewPension (SIPP)
NewGeneral investment account
Commission-free investing in Freetrade’s full universe of stocks, ETFs, and investment trusts
FX fee of 0.59% on non-GBP trades
2.5% AER on up to £2k uninvested cash
Mutual funds and gilts
New
Stocks and shares ISA
Junior stocks and shares ISA
NewPension (SIPP)
General investment account
Commission-free investing in Freetrade’s full universe of stocks, ETFs, and investment trusts
FX fee of 0.39% on non-GBP trades
3.5% AER on up to £3k uninvested cash
Mutual funds and gilts
New
Stocks and shares ISA
NewJunior stocks and shares ISA
NewPension (SIPP)
NewGeneral investment account
Commission-free investing in Freetrade’s full universe of stocks, ETFs, and investment trusts
FX fee of 0.99% on non-GBP trades
1% AER on up to £1k uninvested cash
Mutual funds and gilts
New
Stocks and shares ISA
Junior stocks and shares ISA
NewPension (SIPP)
NewGeneral investment account
Commission-free investing in Freetrade’s full universe of stocks, ETFs, and investment trusts
FX fee of 0.59% on non-GBP trades
2.5% AER on up to £2k uninvested cash
Mutual funds and gilts
New
Stocks and shares ISA
Junior stocks and shares ISA
NewPension (SIPP)
General investment account
Commission-free investing in Freetrade’s full universe of stocks, ETFs, and investment trusts
FX fee of 0.39% on non-GBP trades
3.5% AER on up to £3k uninvested cash
Mutual funds and gilts
New











