What is the minimum deposit at the main UK CFD brokers?
Verdict
- Pepperstone's minimum deposit for UK clients is £10, paid by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, with no deposit fee.
- Capital.com asks 20 GBP (50 EUR by bank wire), Spreadex £5 and FOREX.com £100; Saxo and StoneX Trading publish no minimum deposit.
- IG's own pages disagree: its help centre lists no minimum by bank transfer and £1 by card, while an older table still shows £250.
- The minimum only opens the account; the margin on your first position decides what you really need.
Minimum deposits at FCA-regulated CFD firms run from nothing to £100, so the figure rarely decides the choice on its own. Pepperstone sits at the low end with £10 and pairs it with low published costs, which is why it is our pick.
Pepperstone: £10 to open a UK account
Pepperstone Limited sets a £10 minimum for card, Apple Pay and Google Pay deposits, which arrive immediately and carry no fee; bank transfers take from the same day to seven working days. You can hold the account in GBP, USD, EUR or CHF, which avoids conversion if you fund in pounds. One rule to know: Pepperstone does not accept payments from third parties, so the card or bank account must be in your name.
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Minimum deposits compared
| Broker | Minimum deposit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Pepperstone | £10 | Cards and wallets; GBP base currency available |
| Capital.com | 20 GBP | 50 EUR by bank wire |
| Spreadex | £5 | Spread bets and CFDs |
| FOREX.com | £100 | Or currency equivalent |
| StoneX Trading | None | £100 per card transaction; no minimum by bank wire |
| IG | None by bank transfer, £1 by card | An older IG table still says £250 |
| Saxo | None | No minimum funding requirement |
What is the minimum deposit to open a UK trading account?
Anything from £0 to £100 at the main FCA-regulated CFD and spread betting firms: Pepperstone £10, Capital.com 20 GBP, Spreadex £5, FOREX.com £100, and no fixed minimum at Saxo or StoneX Trading. Check how you plan to pay, because some firms set the limit per method: StoneX asks £100 per card payment even though it has no account minimum, and IG's limits differ between card and bank transfer.
Why £10 is not what you trade with
UK retail leverage caps decide how much cash a position ties up. At 1:30 on a major pair, a 0.1-lot EUR/USD trade (€10,000) needs about €333 of margin. At 1:20 on a major index, a £1-per-point spread bet on the UK 100 at an illustrative level of 9,000 points controls £9,000 and needs about £450. A £10 balance cannot open either. Use the minimum to check that deposits and withdrawals work, then fund what your plan requires.
- Leave a buffer above margin so a normal price swing does not close your position.
- Pepperstone lists card withdrawals as same day to one working day, back to the card you paid with.
- There is no inactivity fee at Pepperstone if the account sits unused, although balances under 10 currency units left for three months may be archived.
Sources
Figures from each firm's own funding pages.
Does Pepperstone charge a deposit fee in the UK?
No. Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and bank transfer deposits are listed as free.
Which UK CFD broker has the lowest minimum deposit?
Of the firms above, Saxo and StoneX Trading publish no account minimum, Spreadex asks £5 and Pepperstone £10. Pepperstone is our overall pick because its low entry comes with low published trading costs.
Can I deposit for a spread betting account with the same £10?
Yes. The £10 card minimum applies to Pepperstone's UK accounts, including spread betting.
A low deposit does not make CFD trading low risk: these are complex, leveraged products and you can lose money fast. Not investment advice. Deposit limits change, so confirm them on each broker's site.