Why E-Trade Charges Commission Fees, Explained (2024)

Some investors wonder why E-Trade is still charging commission fees on stock trades when it appeared to have dropped them.

Why E-Trade Charges Commission Fees, Explained (1)

By Ruchi Gupta

Mar. 4 2021, Published 2:09 p.m. ET

Why E-Trade Charges Commission Fees, Explained (2)

E-Trade is one of the popular brokers among retail investors. In 2019, it joined TD Ameritrade, Charles Schwab, and Interactive Brokers and introduced commission-free trades to keep up with Robinhood and other disruptive online brokers. Is E-Trade still charging a commission fee? Some investors have wondered after reviewing their account records.

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Charging a commission fee has long been a major revenue source for traditional brokerages. Therefore, while competition is forcing them to adjust their commissions, they aren’t completely eliminating them. Perhaps understanding this could help put to rest the debate about whether or not E-Trade charges a commission.

Why E-Trade Charges Commission Fees, Explained (3)

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Parts of E-Trade are commission free

E-Trade offers a broad menu of investment products from stocks to futures. People can set up retirement savings accounts with the broker. Trading in the investment products that E-Trade offers might carry both broker and regulatory fees. What E-Trade did in 2019 was remove broker commission on U.S. stock, ETF, and options trades executed online.

Why E-Trade charges commission fees

Although E-Trade removed commission fees on stock, ETF, and options trades, there are some transactions that still attract fees. First, the broker only dropped commission fees on online stock, ETF, and options trades. Broker-assisted trades on these securities are still subject to commissions.

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Also, E-Trade charges a fee for OTC trades on stocks, ETFs, and options. There's a cost to access penny stocks outside the NYSE and Nasdaq through an E-Trade account.

E-Trade charges a fee for writing options and futures contracts. There's also a fee associated with bonds trading. E-Trade still has fees for those using its personalized investment service.

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Users also have to pay fees for transactions in retirement accounts. For example, E-Trade charges a fee for withdrawing funds early from a retirement account. The company charges a fee for changing contributions from Roth IRA to traditional IRA. However, the retirement account fees can be dropped if your E-Trade account is worth more than $100,000 or if you executed more than 30 trades in the past three months.

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Why E-Trade Charges Commission Fees, Explained (4)

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How much are E-Trade's commission fees?

E-Trade charges a $25 commission fee per transaction on broker-assisted stock trades. It charges a $6.95 commission per transaction on the OTC markets for investors executing less than 30 trades per quarter. The OTC commission drops to $4.95 for investors executing more than 30 trades.

E-Trade charges a $0.65 fee for option contracts for those executing less than 30 trades in a quarter. The fee drops to $0.50 for those executing more than 30 trades. The broker charges a $1 commission per transaction on bond trades. Meanwhile, E-Trade’s personalized investments fee is charged annually and ranges from 0.30 percent to 1.25 percent.

How to avoid E-Trade's commission fees

Investors can avoid E-Trade commissions or keep the cost of investing with the broker low with a few adjustments. For example, you can escape E-Trade stock trading fees by strictly conducting your trades online. You can avoid E-Trade fees by staying away from bonds and options contracts trading. Also, you can minimize your E-Trade account costs by staying away from margin trades. E-Trade’s margin rate can be as high as 9 percent.

Why E-Trade Charges Commission Fees, Explained (2024)

FAQs

Why is ETrade charging me a commission? ›

Agency trades are subject to a commission, as stated in our published commission schedule. Includes agency bonds, corporate bonds, municipal bonds, brokered CDs, pass-throughs, CMOs, asset-backed securities. Secondary market trades executed through a Fixed Income Specialist may be subject to a commission.

How do I avoid fees on ETrade? ›

To avoid the monthly fee, the account holder must 1) maintain an average monthly balance of $1,000 or more on or after the end of the second statement cycle, or 2) maintain an average monthly balance of at least $1,000 in linked Morgan Stanley Private Bank accounts on or after the end of the second statement cycle, or ...

Does ETrade charge fees? ›

E*TRADE charges $1.50 per contract per side plus additional fees for futures, and $2.50 per contract per side plus additional fees for cryptocurrency futures. Robinhood's margin rate is 11.75% (7.75% for Gold members) as of May 23 2023. 15 E*TRADE's margin rates are based on stocks, ETFs, and options balance tiers.

Why do brokerage accounts charge commission? ›

A brokerage fee is a fee or commission a broker charges to execute transactions or provide specialized services on behalf of clients. Brokers charge brokerage fees for services such as purchases, sales, consultations, negotiations, and delivery.

When did Etrade stop charging commission? ›

Beginning Oct. 7, E*Trade will offer zero commissions on stocks, exchange-traded funds and options listed on U.S. exchanges. The decision comes after Charles Schwab Corp. —the biggest publicly traded electronic broker—said Tuesday that it was nixing trading commissions.

What is the difference between a brokerage fee and a commission? ›

Brokerage fees are typically calculated as a flat rate per trade. A mutual fund commission, for example, is typically the same whether you're investing $5,000 or $500,000. However, some commissions are percentage-based, such as robo-advisor management fees.

How much money do day traders with $10000 accounts make per day on average? ›

With a $10,000 account, a good day might bring in a five percent gain, which is $500. However, day traders also need to consider fixed costs such as commissions charged by brokers. These commissions can eat into profits, and day traders need to earn enough to overcome these fees [2].

Is Fidelity better than Etrade? ›

Overall, we found E*TRADE is a good choice for active traders and investors—especially those who want access to a suite of excellent options tools. At the same time, Fidelity is better for casual investors and traders looking for low costs and access to international trading.

What is better Robinhood or Etrade? ›

The suitability of Robinhood vs. E*TRADE depends in large part on the investments you want to hold. For crypto, options, and fractional share traders, Robinhood may be a good bet. For investors seeking mutual funds, CDs, bonds, and futures, E*TRADE may be the clear choice.

Which is better Etrade or Charles Schwab? ›

However, Charles Schwab has been around longer and ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power 2023 Full-Service Investor Satisfaction Study. That said, with its robust trading platform, E*TRADE is a great option for active traders. Both platforms provide an impressive array of educational and research materials.

Is my money safe in Etrade? ›

Cash in brokerage accounts are swept into one or more FDIC-insured depository institutions as part of the Bank Deposit Program and are FDIC insured up to $500,000 for individual and $1,000,000 for joint accounts.

Does Etrade charge fees for IRA? ›

No annual IRA fees and no account minimums

Transaction fees, fund expenses, brokerage commissions, and service fees may apply.

Which brokerage has the lowest fees? ›

Examples of brokers with Lowest brokerage charges in India include Zerodha, Angel One & Kotak Securities . These platforms often appeal to traders and investors seeking cost-effective options with transparent fee structures, providing a variety of financial instruments at competitive rates.

What is the normal brokerage fee? ›

Percentage-based brokerage fees can range between 0.01% to 0.05% of the total value involved in a transaction, the lowest brokerage charges being 0.01%. On the other hand, flat fees range from Rs. 10 to Rs. 20 for every trade.

What is an example of a commission fee? ›

In the simplest definition, the commission is money paid out to a selling agent. For example, if you were selling cars and your selling agent was paid 5%, you would get 95% of the sales price. If you make a sale, you get some portion of the money from the purchaser.

What does charging a commission mean? ›

A commission, or referral fee, is a percentage of the value of an order that you receive. Commission rates vary based on the type of sale you make and the product you sell. In the simplest definition, the commission is money paid out to a selling agent.

What is a commission on a trading account? ›

A commission is a service charge assessed by a broker or investment advisor for providing investment advice or handling purchases and sales of securities for a client.

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