Plus500 Review: Beginner-friendly CFDs Trading Platform

Not sure how Plus500 works? Here's an honest review about it and how it may help you reach your financial goals.

The potential to amplify gains and the ability to trade voluminously with low capital are among the top reasons why some investors like leveraged trading.

Yet, leveraged trades can also accelerate your losses; inexperienced traders may find it difficult to jump in. Or, they may struggle to grasp the basics and build their skills.

Aiming to solve this problem is London-based Plus500, an online brokerage specialising in CFDs for stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, Forex and more. 

Here’s what you’ll learn about Plus500 in this article.  

• Pros & cons of Plus500
• Reasons to invest using Plus500
• Who should use Plus500?
• Pricing, charges and fees
• How to set up an account
• Comparison: Plus500 vs other brokerages

Overview of Plus500 

Product summary:

• What you can invest in: CFDs (Shares, ETFs, options, Forex, crypto, indices)
• Deposit fees: $0
• Withdrawal fees: $0 
• Withdrawal limits: None
• Commission: According to market spreads
• Inactivity fee: US$10 per month after 3 consecutive months of inactivity 
• Licence: Authorised by Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC) plus four more.

Pros of trading with Plus500

#1: Designed for user-friendliness

What sets Plus500 apart is their emphasis on making trading easy to understand even for beginners. This is highly important considering that the brokerage deals in CFDs, which are leveraged products that can rack up profits and losses at an accelerated rate.

But this emphasis on newbie traders comes with a corresponding lack of advanced capabilities, which may turn off more experienced investors.

#2: Competitive spreads, few fees

Like any CFDs brokerage, Plus500 mainly derives its revenues from margin spreads, which are, for the most part, on par with average market rates. 

This marks Plus500 as a competitively priced brokerage, a reputation further bolstered by the relatively few fees you’ll encounter as long as you keep your account active.

#3: Offers bonuses and rebates  

Plus500 traders can take advantage of bonuses and rebates to offset trading costs and amplify their results. Bonuses are subject to qualifying criteria (such as reaching trading thresholds), while rebates are automatically earned as trades are performed. 

#4: Well-trusted brokerage listed on the London Stock Exchange

Plus500 is a well-trusted brokerage, licensed in seven jurisdictions around the world, including Singapore (MAS), UK (FCA) and Australia (ASIC). It is also listed on the London Stock Exchange, and reported record active customers in the first three months of the year.

For whom is Plus500 best suited?

Plus500 is a user-friendly and easy-to-understand platform that offers a wide range of financial tools. It also provides unlimited opportunity to practise with a free demo account. 

Its beginner-friendliness is further increased by its relative lack of service charges and fees, such that cost of trading is mostly concentrated on actual trades. 

What charges or fees should you look out for?

When trading with Plus500, you will encounter relatively few fees and charges. This is because Plus500’s revenue model is mostly based on the margin spreads it charges on certain trades. Still, there’s little cause for concern, as Plus500 spreads are competitively priced.

Having said that, you should watch out for currency conversion fees if you’re trading in a different currency than the Singapore Dollar.

If your account remains inactive for three consecutive months, you will incur an inactivity fee of up to US$10 per month on your account.   

How do you open and fund your Plus500 account?

Opening your Plus500 account

1. Go to plus500.com.sg and click on the Start Trading button in the upper right corner
2. Choose the account type you want (real money, or demo)
3. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete your account registration

Note that the demo account is freely available for an unlimited time period. The system will also automatically reinstate your practice funds once it falls below a certain threshold.

Funding your Plus500 account

You may fund your Plus500 account using any of the following methods. 

At-a-glance comparison: Plus500 vs other popular brokers

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