Plus500 Review

4.5/5

Plus500 is a Contracts for Difference (CFD) trading broker providing users from around the world with a broad variety of asset classes to trade along with a user-friendly experience on mobile and desktop applications alike. Known for its zero-commission model, Plus500 traders have the tools available to rapidly capitalize on changing global market trends.

Investors from over 50 countries can trade confidently knowing that Plus500 is regulated and licensed in all jurisdictions it operates with service available in 32 different languages. Moreover, individual risk and safety can be optimized with a comprehensive series of order types and margin trading tools, plus segregated account measures to secure all trader funds.

Plus500’s platform is aimed at more experienced traders who are able to research and analyze markets on their own, so its steep learning curve may prove detrimental to beginner traders.

Plus500 Pros & Cons

Pros

Intuitive, responsive platform compatible across operations systems
Leverage available for large array of tradable assets
Multiple avenues for reaching customer support

Cons

CFD traders do not own actual assets or gain shareholder rights
Corporate or company trading accounts unavailable
No news, analysis, or educational resources
Absence of social trading features

Who Is Plus500 Recommended For?

Plus500 incorporates a wide selection of trading utilities that might be intimidating and difficult for beginner traders to comprehend, especially because they should only use tools like leverage with the utmost caution. The platform is better suited for veteran market participants who are more accustomed to applying advanced order types and margin, and also those who are familiar with markets such as cryptocurrency and options.

Beginners can still familiarize themselves with the application thanks to a demo account that does not expire, and they can also hide the more complex and advanced features.

Regulated By

FMA in New Zealand
Authorised Financial Services Provider in South Africa
Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Australia)
Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (Cyprus)
The Financial Conduct Authority (United Kingdom)
Monetary Authority of Singapore (Singapore)

Account Options

Broker Type: Market Maker
Minimum Deposit: 100
Maximum Forex Leverage: 30:1
Scalping: No
Hedging: No
Free Demo Account: Yes
Traders From USA: No

Top Plus500 Features

Variety of Assets:
All financial instruments represented and tradeable on Plus500 are CFDs. The platform hosts a large array of indices, currencies, (Availability subject to regulation.), commodities, shares, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies in a single accessible format. Plus500 also regularly adds new assets, catering to traders of all preferences and strategies. The number of assets available on Plus500’s platform has surpassed 2,200.

Flexible Order Types:
Plus500 offers a variety of order types, including market, limit and stop orders along with risk-management measures like take profit, trailing stop, and stop loss functionality. Though slippage may occur, you can pay a fee to open a Guaranteed Stop to ensure more precise execution.

Economic Calendar:
Plus500 offers an economic calendar which uses official Dow Jones data and lists upcoming market events and their results, easily filterable by the countries and reports most relevant to your trading tactics.

Accessible Support Team:
Traders who need help using Plus500 or those with other questions and inquiries can get ahold of customer support in the language they prefer, and via email or live chat.

Plus500 Overview

Type of Broker Execution-Only, Non-Advisory
Regulation and Licensing Plus500UK Ltd. by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Plus500CY Ltd. by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), Plus500AU Pty Ltd. by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the New Zealand Financial Markets Authority (FMA) and the South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), Plus500SG Pte Ltd. by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
Accepted Jurisdictions 50+ countries including Europe, UK, Singapore, Italy, Spain, Russia, Israel and more
Assets Offered 2,200+ including commodities, currencies, ETFs, options, cryptocurrencies, shares, and indices
Platforms Available Web, Mobile, Windows 10, Apple Watch
Mobile Compatibility Yes (iOS and Android)
Payment Types Credit and debit cards, bank transfers, PayPal, Skrill

Plus500 Account Types

Plus500 only offers individual trader accounts, excluding the company or corporate accounts that can often be opened with some other CFD trading platforms. The most important metrics like your maximum deposit limit varies by country of origin and payment method, in order to be compliant in relevant jurisdictions. However, Plus500 offers daily deposit limits of up to $300,000 at once which close the gap between its individual accounts and the higher-value corporate accounts offered by peers.

Apart from the standard account, the Plus500 Professional trading account offers higher leverage of up to 1:300 on some instrument categories. However, individuals need to meet two of three criteria set out by Plus500 to obtain the Professional account. Eligibility hinges on qualifiers like trading activity, the value of one’s asset portfolio, and their current or previous employment in the financial sector.

Trading and Investment Tools

24hr Trading: Yes
Charting Package: Yes
Streaming News Feed: No

Plus500 Compliance & Regulation

Plus500 is regulated and licensed to operate by the appropriate securities authorities wherever necessary. At present, this list is comprised of entities like the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), and many more. Apart from its large presence in the markets, Plus500 Ltd is listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange and has a spot in the FTSE 250 index. Part of its compliant status requires Plus500 traders to thoroughly verify themselves before depositing with a bank account or credit card, which includes uploading ID images, bank statements, and other personal details.

Fees & Commissions

Rollover Fee: NO
Margin Interest: NO

Plus500 Pricing

Opening a Plus500 account is free and gives users access to a zero-commission trading environment. The only costs you must account for are the spreads between bid and ask prices, which are clearly displayed in the trading platform when clicking on the information bubble next to the alert bill on a row listing an instrument. The window that appears after clicking the information bubble displays “Dynamic Spread” along with overnight swap costs for buy or sell positions. The spread we observed during our tests for EURUSD was 0.6 pips. There may be some fees for Guaranteed Stop positions, account inactivity fees, overnight funding and currency conversion but otherwise the absence of commissions is a net positive for prospective clients.

Service Details

Supported Languages: Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Farsi, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Malay, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Taiwanese, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese
Customer Service Hours: Email support within 24/7
Email Response Time: Up to 48 Hours
Telephone Orders: No
Personal Account Manager: No

Plus500 Reliability & Security

Plus500 scores high on the reliability front, with constant uptime and a dependable experience on both mobile and web. If you do have issues, the company’s support team offers assistance through various channels and in 32 different languages. Credit payments protected by Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology keep everything safe and anonymous.

User funds are safeguarded in segregated bank accounts that are separate from Plus500 operational funds. Moreover, accounts can be secured with two-factor authentication (2FA) to ensure accounts remain secure. In addition, Plus500 has obtained regulatory approval in all the regions it operates.

Plus500 User Experience

Plus500’s clean design makes it easy to locate the right tools and a dashboard keeps users’ data accessible. However, Plus500 sacrifices some of the fundamental news and analysis features that can be found elsewhere. The Trade window lets you toggle between assets and pairs, and trades are opened directly from here, with all the extras such as leverage and stop loss or take profit tools in the same place.

Most tools are accessible on a basic sidebar menu, including account details, trading (charts and orders), funds (deposits and withdrawals), and open and closed positions. Indicators, charting types, and drawing tools are available directly from the chart window, although these features may take some time to discover. Other tools that benefit the user experience include a free demo account, which stays open in the same window and can be swapped with the live trading screen in a single click.

Final Thoughts on Plus500

With a utilitarian interface that hides deep capabilities, Plus500 manages to provide a visually appealing trading experience that is matched by a zero-commission model. Platform clients will appreciate access to foreign exchange trading along with CFDs for instruments like cryptocurrencies, (Availability subject to regulation.) commodities, shares, and indices. Furthermore, users can put their strategies to the test with a demo account that won’t expire and is easily deployed side-by-side with the live trading dashboard. While Plus500 rejects the multi-account model in favor of individual accounts and has room for improvement in terms of access to educational resources and fundamental analysis, it’s deserving of its reputation as a powerful and accessible platform.

Contact Info

Website: www.plus500.com

Company Address:
Tenter House 45 Moorfields London, EC2Y 9A United Kingdom

Plus500 FAQs

Q: Which documents do I need to verify my account?
A: Verification requirements vary depending on your country of origin and your payment method. To link a bank account, for example, you’ll need to upload images of your statement and government-issued ID. Credit card verification is similar, while PayPal and Skrill offer an accelerated way to fund your account.

Q: What happens to my funds in the case of bankruptcy or insolvency?
A: Plus500 keeps all user funds secure in segregated bank accounts, which reinforces their safety and precludes the ability of Plus500 to access these funds in either case.

Q: My demo account is running out of money, what should I do?
A: Let the account balance drop below 200 EUR or the equivalent amount. It will be automatically replenished to the original balance.

Q: How do I avoid a margin call?
A: This service is free of charge and sent through public telecommunications, therefore Plus500 cannot guarantee that you will receive these notifications.

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