Revolut trading: An analysis of the app, fees & more

How we rated Revolut's investment features

Popular digital banking brand and general fintech disruptor Revolut lets you invest in over 2,000 US stocks, all at your fingertips. You can even buy fractional shares to make investing more affordable. However, Revolut has 5 tiers, and these can impact how many free trades you can make each month.

To give you some clarity, we’ve done an in-depth dive into the app with our Revolut trading review. We’ll explain the main features, fees and key things you should know when using Revolut to trade stocks.

Is Revolut stock trading legit?

Yes, and you can invest in over 2,000 US stocks. You can also invest in commodities like gold or silver, along with the ability to trade some currencies (and cryptos).

Revolut’s trading platform is an extension of its existing mobile banking app – so you need to have a Revolut account open to start trading on the app. The good news is it can take less than 5 minutes to open a Revolut account and start investing (we tried it).

Hands-on test: I tried out Revolut's investing app

"The Revolut share trading feature is a cool addition to what’s already a pretty epic app. Unlike most other trading platforms, Revolut has bigger goals to become the one finance app to rule them all.

So, the investing part of its app is great, but it’s not Revolut’s only priority. If you’re already using Revolut, it’s a huge bonus that you can also use it to invest, and the platform benefits from all the experience and tools Revolut has developed over recent years. It’s an investing platform that also gets regular updates and improvements."

George Sweeney, DipFA

Deputy editor

Revolut fees

Revolut is pretty cheap but it does have quite a unique (and slightly confusing) pricing structure.

With each 5 tiers of the Revolut plans, you get different perks, and commission-free trades is one of them. Here’s how many free trades you get based on your plan:

Outside of your commission-free trades, there’s a fee to pay when buying or selling investments. For Standard, Plus, Premium or Metal members it’s 0.25% (£1 minimum). And for Ultra members, it’s 0.12% (£1 minimum).

The FX fee structure is also pretty weird. So, on weekdays (between 6pm Sunday and 5pm Friday, New York time), there’s no FX fee. On weekends (between 5pm Friday and 6pm Sunday, New York time), there’s a 1% FX fee.

There also might be additional FX fees depending on your plan and whether you’ve exceeded your fair usage limit.

Buying cryptocurrencies or commodities come with additional fees.

Thankfully, apart from these quite bizarrely-arranged fees, there’s not much else to worry about in the way of charges.

Revolut investment choice and stocks

Revolut has a solid choice of US stocks, but other than that it’s pretty limited. You can invest in commodities and cryptocurrencies, but these aren’t useful assets for beginners (or most investors).

There are over 2,000 US stocks and you can buy fractional shares with just $1. We think Revolut can be useful for investing, but the limited options mean it’s probably not going to be your one-stop-shop for investments.

Is Revolut safe?

Revolut is an appointed representative (AR) of Resolution Compliance Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Unfortunately, you are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme protection. So your deposits of up to £85,000 aren’t covered in the event that Revolut goes bust.

Like any other type of investment, your capital is at risk when you invest using Revolut and you may end up with less than what you originally invested. The performance of investments will vary, and there is no guarantee of return.

Revolut account types and products

Revolut is pretty limited in terms of accounts with only a GIA for investing. It does also offer business accounts and you can earn interest on cash, but it’s a bare bones approach for UK investors.

Revolut general investment account

The Revolut GIA is best suited to you if you’ve already made use of your ISA allowance in the current tax year.

This does mean that you might be liable to pay capital gains tax on any profits you make over £3,000 or dividends over £500 (in the 2024/2025 tax year).

Revolut ease of use

Revolut scored well in our ease of use assessment. There’s a few ways to contact the customer service team and the Revolut app is popular with customers.

On the App Store, Revolut scores a near-perfect 4.9 out of 5 from over 650,000 reviews, and on Google Play it has a slightly lower 4.7 out of 5 from over 2 million reviews (as of January 2024).

It’s worth keeping in mind these are for Revolut’s whole app and not specifically just the investing part. Also, there’s no desktop platform and you can invest only with the Revolut app.

Revolut customer reviews

Revolut Trading came fourth in the 2024 Finder customer satisfaction survey, with 96% of customers saying they’d recommend the service Many customers described Revolut as “easy to use”.

One customer commented:”Really easy experience with Revolut and there’s accessible help on hand whenever you may need.”

Another said: “Easy to trade, extremely easy and thorough info about companies and shares.”

On Trustpilot, users seem to agree and Revolut (overall) has a 4.2 out of 5 – classed as “Great” – from over 148,000 reviews (last updated: February 2024).

Revolut tools, resources and features

Revolut offers some tools for researching and analysing investments, but not a lot. The main reason for this is that it’s not a pure investing platform.

Although Revolut lets customers invest, it’s not its bread and butter. So you’ll find some basic charting tools along with learning resources like a stock course, but don’t expect in-depth features on this front.

Some of the key features of Revolut’s trading account are:

• Open an account from your app. You can start trading directly from the Revolut app. You’ll need to be at least 18 and already have a Revolut account.
• Buy shares in more than 2,000 companies. The list includes the likes of Alphabet, Amazon, Tesla, Apple and many more. For now, you can only invest in US stocks.
• Fractional shares. Revolut allows you to buy fractional shares, so you can start with as little as $1.
• Order types. You can use trading order types to automate investments.
• Dividends. If you buy shares in a company that pays dividends, they’ll show up directly in your app.
• Set a watchlist and price alerts. Keep track of stocks that you’re interested in.

How to fund your Revolut account

To fund your trading account, you need to transfer money from your standard Revolut account within the app. You can put money onto Revolut using a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.

You can only hold funds in USD in your trading account, so you might have to convert some pounds first. One bonus is that there’s no minimum deposit required.

Trading crypto on Revolut

When it comes to cryptocurrencies, Revolut stands out from its competitors. In 2017, it became the first challenger banking brand to let customers buy crypto in its app.

Revolut’s aim is to make crypto accessible, so you don’t have to be a tech whizz to get your hands on them. Below, we list what Revolut offers.

• Cryptocurrencies. Customers have access to over 120 cryptocurrencies, including popular ones such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash and XRP.
• Exchange currencies for crypto. Exchange one of the base currencies in the app for one of the crypto options. So, change pounds into Ethereum, or change euros into Bitcoin.
• Real-time rates. Real-time cryptocurrency graphs show you current rates. Plus set up price alerts to hear when your cryptocurrency hits a certain value.
• Crypto card spending. Spend cryptocurrencies using your Revolut debit card. Link your crypto pocket to your card and make payments with instantly converted tokens.
• Fees. Revolut charges a markup on cryptocurrency transactions for Standard and Plus users (less for Premium, Metal and Ultra users). Revolut says it gives the best possible exchange rates, but it could still be worth taking a look at other options if you’re seeking to delve into cryptocurrencies.
• Learn and Earn. Earn yourself some free crypto by completing educational courses and receiving DOT tokens as a reward.
• Send to friends. Transfer cryptocurrencies to other Revolut users if you want to.
• Staking. Stake your Ethereum (ETH), Cardano (ADA), Polkadot (DOT) and Tezos (XTZ) to earn crypto rewards.
• Risks. Revolut does warn that the value of cryptocurrencies can rapidly increase or decrease at any time. So you could make some serious losses. Its cryptocurrency platform is not regulated by the FCA – crypto isn’t regulated in the UK. But UK-based companies are required to register with the watchdog, and Revolut is on the FCA’s registry of cryptoasset firms.

Is my money protected by the FSCS with Revolut?

No. Money held in Revolut’s “Savings Vaults” are covered, but funds in your trading account don’t come with Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection. Client money has to be kept separate from the company’s finances. So if Revolut were to go bust, if it held any money of yours, you’d likely get at least some of it back.

Of course, this does not mean you’re not at risk of losing your money. Investments can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you invested.

How to open a trading account with Revolut

To open a Revolut trading account, you need:

• To already be a Revolut account holder
• Be at least 18 years old
• Be a legal resident of the United Kingdom

Setting up a Revolut trading account is easy:

1. Download the Revolut app. You can get it on the App Store or Google Play Store.
2. Provide your phone number. You’ll need to verify it with a code.
3. Provide some personal details. These include your name, email address, home address and date of birth.
4. Verify your identity. You can do this through the app with a passport or ID.
5. Wait for verification. This took under 5 minutes for us.
6. Select the “Stocks” tab. Find this tab at the top of your home screen.
7. Provide a few extra details. You might need to give your national insurance (NI) number explain your knowledge about investing and sign a W-8BEN.
8. Start investing. It’s as simple as that.

Who might Revolut suit?

This platform is going to be best-suited for those who are already Revolut customers and want to do some app-based investing. Depending on your plan, it can be cheap and there’s a fairly decent selection of investments to choose from, but it’s not a complete investing solution.

If you don’t think that suits you, why not compare share trading platforms to find the right fit to match your style.

Frequently asked questions

• Do I need to pay taxes on the gains I make when I invest with Revolut?

  Yes, you do. Since you’re trading in foreign shares, things are a bit complicated. You’ll need to pay tax on your dividends and deal with withholding tax. If you sell the shares, you’ll also need to pay taxes on your gains.

• Do I need Revolut Premium or Metal to buy shares with Revolut?

  Not necessarily. With a Standard account, which is free, you get up to 1 free trade per month, and it’s £1 each after that. If you trade a lot and the other features are also appealing, it may be worth paying the monthly fees to get Revolut Premium or Revolut Metal – but it isn’t mandatory.

• Can I transfer my existing investment account to Revolut?

  For now, you can’t. Revolut says it’s working on it.

• How do I track my shares' performance?

  The Revolut app tracks your portfolio’s value based on current prices and provides monthly statements.

• Why does Revolut need my NI number?

  It’s a legal requirement for Revolut to ask you to provide your National Insurance number. This is because stocks and shares are usually taxed by HMRC. The tax is called stamp duty reserve tax (or just “stamp duty”).

• Who is Revolut trading good for?

  Revolut trading is good for anyone with a bit of knowledge about investing and who is happy to manage a portfolio themselves. You only get one free trade per month with its free account. So, if you want to do more than this, you must upgrade your account.

• Who owns Revolut?

  Revolut was founded by Nikolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko.

• Can I buy non-US stocks through Revolut?

  Yes. You can invest in some international companies registered in the US using American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). ADRs are negotiable certificates issued by a US depositary bank, representing shares of foreign companies listed on US stock markets.

  Through the power of ADRs, Revolut can offer a wide range of global companies, including Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, UK-listed mining company Rio Tinto and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing.

• Does Revolut offer ETFs?

  No. You can’t buy exchange-traded funds (ETFs) through Revolut.

  This is a big drawback. When buying an ETF, you get exposure to a basket of stocks instead of owning shares in just a single company. This is a way to build a diversified portfolio with a single click of a button. In fact, legendary investor Warren Buffett recommends the average person invest their money in an ETF that follows the S&P500 – a list of the 500 biggest companies in the US – rather than stock picking.

  After all, even professional money managers find it difficult to outperform the S&P500 over the long term. Revolut says it is working on adding ETFs to its platform.

• Can I sell my stocks and withdraw instantly?

  You can sell your stocks instantly during trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq.

  However, you can’t withdraw your funds until the transaction has settled, which normally takes 2 trading days. On the other hand, you can instantly re-invest your cash proceeds into another stock without waiting for the trade to settle.