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Independent, no-nonsense ratings and reviews
The website is notably improving all the time and the wealth of supporting information is valuable. It is easy to move from research to account to trading – the journeys are all quite clear. Performance reporting remains a bugbear for me -I'm never quite convinced I get a meaningful picture of what I put in. And what it's worth today. The app has improved and it's easier enough to trade, see balances and read up on markets from it.
We score each provider on about 20 different criteria including cost, service, website, functionality, customer feedback and our experience of the service. All overseen by our PhD gonk!
Beginner Investor
Big, secure company
Good phone support
Recently improved website
Don’t want to take our word for it? We ask existing customers and investors to rate their experience with the company – based on value for money, overall service and the website. We need at least 20 customer reviews before we add anyone to our Best Buys list.
Based on 235 reviews
Website is awfully complicated. Although the app is better. I have telephoned the company several times. But they are not very good at ringing back, so I gave up.
12/02/2021
Like the tools for comparing funds. Etc. Always been helpful if need to call. Like the dashboard on my funds for seeing info.
12/02/2021
I had a Pension and ISA with Fidelity and moved ISAs of my wife, father, mother and son to them. I found that they made so many errors and I received such poor customer service, I moved them all away to either II or HL, where service has been much better. Weeks after moving my pension away, my workplace pension was moved to Fidelity and the first contact I had from them about a small fund switch that I made was so incomprehensible, that I had to contact them to explain. I will give it time, but fear that I may transfer the bulk of the holdings to my HL SIPP.
11/02/2021
Share purchase process is straightforward. Fees are tolerable. ISA transfers can be lengthy. Website and app generally good and improving over time. Marketing and info comms usually helpful and relevant. The Reviewer is pre-retirement age.
11/02/2021
Seamless management of my portfolio. Very good app - intuitive and easy to navigate. The Reviewer is pre-retirement age.
11/02/2021
Much improved service. The Reviewer is pre-retirement age.
05/02/2021
I use Fidelity for my Sipp, great for research material and good weekly market overview. Cost of trading could be more competitive, the app and website are a bit clunky when making a trade.
29/01/2021
So far so good. Don't like their app as much as the others that I use but helpful advice on the website. Has a good name so invested based on research of their funds which so far has been reasonably positive
29/01/2021
Great tools to help with investment decision making
29/01/2021
Website much improved and easy to use; good telephone back up. Great fund choice. Transparent, easy to us fund filters if you want wide choice to select yourself. Pricing esp good value if you have others in household eg spouse, children accounts at same address
29/01/2021
16/12/2020
Had to wait 3 days from the sale of a fund to be able to use the cash to re-invest (this should be instant). Had to call to cancel a limit order (should be able to do this yourself online if the markets are open). It's just a bit baby.. IG is FAR superior and acts in a better real-time world.
23/11/2020
If I could find an alternative with the price and fund choices I would. Income drawdown is still clunky with paper forms required. The tax free cash element can take 15 days to clear from the date Fidelity receive form. The Reviewer is Post-retirement age.
19/11/2020
Excellent easy payment and customer support The Reviewer is Post-retirement age.
13/11/2020
No issues The Reviewer is Post-retirement age.
13/11/2020
Easy to set up, great phone back up when there was a complication during a transfer from another provider. No extra fees for withdrawals etc, ll as smooth as clockwork The Reviewer is Post-retirement age.
13/11/2020
Excellent The Reviewer is Post-retirement age.
13/11/2020
I have consolidated several pensions and the process was smooth and I was kept informed at all stages- nice to get cash back for transfers too. My husband has put his SIPP into drawdown and it was very professionally executed by their specialist team with detailed information provided in print & a compulsory phone call to ensure he understood what he was doing. Advice could be taken at a reasonable price although he didn't as he just took the tax free cash and is not yet drawing income. We pay just 0.2% service fee for top notch service (from their wealth manager team) on our SIPPs and ISAs which is very good value compared to what the likes of SJP charge! Only reduced score a bit for website as it can be a bit clunky but good comms and decent product range now they have expanded into ETFs and shares. If a particular fund is not available they will consider a request for it. The Reviewer is Post-retirement age.
13/11/2020
Very good but you must pay attention to detail. Drawdown was quite a long process consisting mainly of getting the funds across. Once funds in place it is a question of do it yourself investing with lots of information from Fidelity on own funds and all other funds. The Reviewer is Post-retirement age.
13/11/2020
Generally fine.
26/10/2020
If I am looking at a fund I always use their tools page before investing.
24/10/2020
Excellent all round service
23/10/2020
Was with Cavendish who have been bought by Fidelity....Fidelity have emailed that their charges will be twice those of Fidelity so I will now look elsewhere
23/10/2020
Easy to use. Lots of info available at your fingertips
23/10/2020
Fidelity are trying to improve their offering but are probably still well behind the best. For example, they recently introduced a "Cash Management Account" (CMA) which enables clients to pay fees without depleting ISA and SIPP accounts. Unfortunately it still does not give enough flexibility. Whatever cash is credited to the CMA is used to, firstly, pay ISA fees, then SIPP fees. There is no ability for clients to choose or prevent the prescribed priority, and both ISA and SIPP service fees are now charged on the same day (1st of month) with no advance notice of the amount being charged. It just seems that the introduction of this improvement was poorly conceived and needs further enhancement to allow better options for clients. Text confirmation of transactions was irregular and confusing. It was alarming when you were advised of a recent transaction by text months after the settlement date. Had to opt out of that service for a while as it caused too much distress, having to verify that no recent account transactions had actually occurred. It does seems to be more reliable now though. Positives are that fees are reasonable if you have more than £250k invested and dealing charges are also competitive.
23/10/2020
Easy to use and understand
23/10/2020
The on-line app allows you to trade as you want. Most trades happen very quickly and efficiently.
23/10/2020
Easy to use website, lots of extra guides and help if you need them. Pension and ISA transfers were quick. Additional telephone support very impressive. All for 20bps (£250k plus portfolio), extended to family members at same address too. Great value and choice!
23/10/2020
Some good features, but I am increasingly finding that they don’t offer particular funds that I want to invest in so I had to open a secondary account with HL... Additionally when I transferred a cash isa to Fidelity a couple of years ago the promised £25 never materialised. People there keep telling me they will ‘look in to it’....
23/10/2020
Great service on transferring my SIPP to them especially when one of my previous pension providers was a total shambles. Fidelity's website has improved vastly over the last few months
23/10/2020
Trying to improve both service and website with variable success. Better than this time last year, but remains overly convoluted and response to secure messages slow. Will remain but mainly because moving such a Hassle!
23/10/2020
No 5 stars because only an IFA can buy or sell funds in my SIPP. ISAs and Investment Account are as perfect as I need or want.
19/10/2020
Much improved website and now an App that works just as well. Good range of funds and the ability to buy individual stocks/ ETFs. Very responsive communication to queries and reassuring text messages to confirm any orders placed via the App or website. I struggle to make heads or tails of fees of all providers however transparent they attempt to be, but my sense is that Fidelity is about par for the course (if I haven't mixed my metaphors to much). DM
18/10/2020
Charging structure is better if within a family account and new cash management account can be used to pay fees rather than investments being sold to pay fees
18/10/2020
Plenty of content, sometimes difficult to find on website
17/10/2020
Every interaction I have had with them has been prompt and accurate
17/10/2020
Generally, pretty sound. Website is good with plenty of info for the DIY investor. App is sound and offers good functionality. Purchase process is slick and re-assuring. On the downside, ISA transfers seem to disappear into a black hole at times, with a lack of news on progress.
17/10/2020
Website lacking
17/10/2020
Putting a lot of effort in and getting better over time, in terms of things like the functionality of the website, being able to buy stocks not just funds, overseas stocks not just UK. Its base fees are lower than Hargreaves Lansdown but it doesn’t have the per-fund discounts that HL has, and its research is nowhere near as good as HL (though HL is now backtracking on much of its research in light of the Woodford issues). Overall pretty good.
17/10/2020
If you are accumulating and not requiring income then everything works OK. For pension income and or tax free cash then the system is cumbersome. I have just withdrawn some tax free cash and it took nearly four weeks to receive the money from my first call to them.
16/10/2020
Call centre is excellent and website probably one of the better ones
16/10/2020
Well presented and easy to use website
16/10/2020
Fees are reasonable, updates are fairly frequent, e.g. web refresh or new cash account to save paying fees out of ISA allowance.
16/10/2020
Get a report occasionally, they make more recently than I do on my money!
16/10/2020
I had my workplace pension with them for 10 years, and I was quite happy with them until I wanted to transfer out. Their inaction was astounding, and although I'm aware it's not always a straightforward process and various pieces of information need to be gathered, I was constantly having to call and email them to coax them into the next stage. 2-3 weeks estimate, 2 months in reality.
16/10/2020
Good reliable service, website, app and trading fees need improvement. The website is a bit clunky when buying and selling, also still waiting for USA stocks to be available on the site. Trading fees need to be more competitive in a world where you can trade stocks for free now. The Reviewer is Post-retirement age.
16/10/2020
So far I have using Fidelity via Cavendish online (So at 0.25% platform charge per year for less than £250k). Now Cavendish is now acquired by Fidelity and have received a letter that atleast for another 12 month it would be in the same free structure. Lets see...
16/10/2020
First class - website and the App have improved significantly in recent months. Quick & Easy to navigate
16/10/2020
Value for money, helpful & transparent.
16/10/2020
Not had any experience with other providers, not sure my opinion is worth much. I access Fidelity via Cavendish On-line which is (was) a cheap no-frills way-in; they have just written to me saying they have sold out to Fidelity. Fees are frozen for 12 months at what I am curently paying but I'm sure there will be a big hike after that. The site has a watchlist where you can add up to 50 funds, but with no time frame for reference % rises & falls are a bit meaningless. I think the site and information provsion is a bit clunky and it's not always easy to get to what you want. Other than that seems okay.
16/10/2020
Lots of options and I was very pleased with the return on my investment The app could be a bit easier for a beginner but it had the basic information I was able to understand
16/10/2020
It's fine, does the job. Is it bit pricey though ...
16/10/2020
Like the website. Improved over the last 12 months. App not so great. Good phone service.
16/10/2020
Fidelity has a good website, the information is clear and helpful .The fund analysis is comprehensive and the costs , provided that you invest over a certain leva seem to be competitive .The added bonus for me is that you can have for free a named client adviser who will help and guide you through the maze of issues , short of recommending specific investments .The analytical information of investments on offer is comprehensive and - relatively ! - easy to use.
16/10/2020
Easy to use and helpful on the rare occasion there was a problem
16/10/2020
Clunky app and fairly basic portfolio analysis tools
16/10/2020
Pretty old school. All these logins and sites are a bit difficult to deal with. Different logins for different products.
12/10/2020
Don't use Fidelity to consolidate or transfer in your pension. My experience with their customer service and back office over the past 4 months has been appalling and like pulling teeth. Despite calling & emailing repeatedly transfer I've received little response. Each time the agent apologised, said they would escalate and send an email to the back office, and each time I had no difference. I raised a complaint a month ago but again no reply. I think their internal systems and processes are broken, there is also no single point of contact, real ownership nor interest from Senior Management.
30/09/2020
My biggest bug is their website. It's slow. The reports and transaction layouts are chaotic and confusing. Why they can't use standard accounting practice? You have to calculate your own net return. The figures on their dashboard don't agree to the underlying reports and you have to request a breakdown. 😠 The general reports are basic. Vanguard in comparison gives you full analysis of your portfolio by: asset type, geographical spread, major companies etc. There is no Portfolio Analysis in Fidelity. Very limited assets and no international shares. £10 dealing fee sucks. Vanguard wins.
25/07/2020
The problem is the appalling mess of a website. Slow, freezes, crashes. Far too risky to be investing your savings with people who can't get basic technology right. Unacceptable if you are trading or wanting to buy a security or fund at a given price. The FCA need to get much tougher to demand a minimum standard of online performance from these people.
16/06/2020
I have used Fidelity for about two years, having also used several others over many years. Fidelity lacks functionality compared with others, and I only stick with it because I don’t like to keep all my eggs in one basket with one provider. For example, you cannot transfer cash from an invest account to an ISA or SIPP online: you have to fill out a form and then post it to them. Service is slow: they respond to messages 2-3 days later and sometimes fail to call back completely. Main good point is access to a wide range of funds, but most others offer the same.
25/05/2020
Used them for 20yrs. Good website, comprehensive functions. OK annual fees for P/F over £7.5K charged @ 0.35% p.a charged monthly, but watch out for them selling off your units if you don't have enough cash balance each month. Very Expensive for JISAs if you hold < £7.5k, flat annual charge of £25 which if in early years the investment is £1k this charge equates to 2.5% p.a.! Very good help team for answering phone calls. Only major complaint is that their automated dealing system reneged on a quote firm market price after I accepted price to buy an Investment Trust, whatever happened to 'My Word is My Bond'??
03/04/2020
Cheap. No stop loss orders. Not able to use proceeds from sale until cleared (unlike A J Bell which allows immediate reinvestment). Cheap. Ok, if you don't want to use stops.
23/03/2020
I have used the Fidelity platform for nearly 20 years and am very happy with it. Transactions are completed very efficiently; I have never experienced any untoward issues; and I feel completely confident my money is being safely managed. I also value the various portfolio reports that are provided, or that can be generated on-demand. I have several times also explored Hargreaves Lansdown, and also Interactive Investor, but Fidelity seems the best platform best to me.
02/03/2020
Their website needs to be improved, but overall good service. I would recommend them without hesitation.
22/02/2020
I trust Fidelity to manage my account as I don't have sufficient knowledge to deal with finance matters on my own. They've never let me down.
17/02/2020
Fidelity provides exceptional value with its charges being clear and competitive. The website is getting much better but their response to IT issues can be as slow as the dial up interface of old. There are workarounds which show they have good product depth and value. They for instance have great UK share availability, PROVIDED you use the ‘watchlist’ to search. We do have an allocated Wealth Manager but sadly the one we have been given never keeps in touch and never responds to requests. We find we only hear from him when this is highlighted.
17/02/2020
No comment.
15/02/2020
Excellent service and having been involved in the Woodford saga, they have been very helpful and I really feel I have had someone holding my hand every step of the way metaphorically speaking.
15/02/2020
Good range of investment products. Very helpful staff. Not expensive to run. I like the regular reports that summarise the performance and diversity of my investments. When looking for which funds to choose, I prefer to use Trustnet who have better tools and search facilities. My equity ISAs are split between 2 accounts, which apparently can't be merged into 1 account.
15/02/2020
As others have noted, despite many requests there is still no provision for paying fees by cash. Why keep sending ISA fee reminders when I cannot pay cash? The latest unfriendly change to the transactions tables is completely counter-intuitive. It requires me to already know (somehow) the status of a transaction before I can select which table to look in. The previous arrangement was much easier and did the job well, so why change it? (If it ain't broke, why try to fix it?) I do like the data presentation in general and ease of transaction implementation.
15/02/2020
No comment.
14/02/2020
It has improved a lot over 2 years. Their most serious shortcoming is their non-standard implementation of my SIPP which is divided across 2 accounts which are not properly integrated and confuse their own staff. The process for ordering drawdowns is archaic. They lack a simple translation for switching share class without affecting CGT or performance. It lacks flexibility on charges such as paying everything from one account. There should be more transparency about the costs of adding a financial advisor or LPA to the account.
13/02/2020
Really like the service and the website. Easy to navigate and find what you want. If you need help then messages are responded to promptly or you can ring. Every time I've wanted a question answered it's been done politely and promptly. Lots of info on different investments so good for you regardless of your level of knowledge.
13/02/2020
Whilst some access to information is very good, this does not apply universally. One particularly irritating feature is where when "comparing funds", where the site allows up to 7 funds to be listed, should one wish to click on any individual fund for more detail, the remaining (up to six) funds are instantly lost. The old software allowed one to return to the comparison page with the remaining funds under examination intact.
13/02/2020
Exploring funds and their rating is not as easy as Hargreaves Lansdown, Trustnet, or Morningstar. I use portfolio feature on Trustnet for alerts and price changes, plus a daily update on profit or losses.
13/02/2020
My main use is to check my funds and investigate alternate investments in case I want to switch. I have learnt how to navigate through the different screens and find the Watchlist very useful. I am concerned about Value for Money and I am investigating other providers at this time. Very pleased with the Personal Service helping me to understand points of detail. I would benefit with some training on the website's use, maybe there could be a set of training videos, that would help.
13/02/2020
I have experienced difficulties in amending my monthly drawdown from my SIPP accounts, not for the first time. Whilst this was eventually sorted out it took a while and was quite frustrating. Fidelity really need to sort out their admin where a human being is involved. The website works fine, but if a task touched by human hand my experience is that it is quite likely to go wrong. However, I will say that I was fairly and promptly compensated.
13/02/2020
The fund choices are OK and fees are competitive but I find the website navigation pretty clunky and the process for withdrawing funds from a SIPP lengthy and unnecessary. Hopefully, website updates and if Fidelity listen, an easier to use platform must come soon. I actually use Hargreaves Lansdown for fund research, as their website is much easier to use but their fees are far in excess of Fidelity.
13/02/2020
A solid company with good products, but in today's internet world they are on the expensive side.
13/02/2020
Website improving with recent enhancements, now much easier to find which fund is paying income and how much.
13/02/2020
I have invested in Fidelity Stocks and Shares ISAs since 2002. I find the website easy to navigate and a wealth of information available from experienced fund managers which enable me to make informed decisions regarding my investment choices. Its very easy to add into or switch investments. Also easy to keep track of performance and ISA allowance. My long term ISAs over the years have consistently outperformed any cash ISA. I will continue to invest with Fidelity into my retirement and encourage my family to invest also. Thank you Fidelity for making a real difference to my finances.
13/02/2020
Very good range of investment choices. Low entrance levels. Comprehensive set of help and guidance features. Easy management online. Website design uncluttered and easy to find your way around. The only point of misery are too many photos of dogs. How about other pets, and even wildlife?!
13/02/2020
Good, prompt service from very helpful and knowledgeable staff. Excellent range of funds with good performance.
12/02/2020
Easy operation. At a reasonable price.
12/02/2020
Very easy to manage investments and has good tools for gathering information to enable the easy purchase of funds. Website is easy to monitor prices and switch as and when needed.
12/02/2020
Provides all the data I need to monitor my investments including the annual percentage gain on each investment which is a unique and important feature.
12/02/2020
Good product, very good website.
12/02/2020
I am a returnee from the US. On my return, I began to invest mandatory withdrawals from a US IRA into a UK ISA. When I disclosed my dual citizenship, you disallowed additional investments. Pity for your company, I think, because I shall invest regularly. I have found an alternative company which does not disallow an ISA on these grounds, so future investments will go there. I understand the FATCA (or FATMA) requirements, though I suggest you consider what you are losing by making this stipulation.
12/02/2020
Having transferred two small pensions into Fidelity I should have received some 'cashback. This has never been received dispute my chasing! I have made 10 calls all to NO effect !!! The staff are either unhelpful or just unable to provide customer service. I am going to raise a formal complaint and look to move my investments elsewhere.
12/02/2020
Good service overall, although the website is not as user friendly in my mind as other major companies.
12/02/2020
Very easy to use and very empowering.
12/02/2020
I have found Fidelity to deliver the service they promised, the app is easy to use, although could still be improved, with additional tools and a more intuitive way of working. Fees are reasonable but now we live in the world of Vanguard. I would like to see Fidelity pass on more savings to their clients as they grow. I find the quarterly market updates particularly interesting.
12/02/2020
Ok.
12/02/2020
No comment.
12/02/2020
Website generally OK. However, very restricted in which fund class is available for transferring (invariably the one I don't hold) and so the transfer facility is essentially worthless for me. YMMV, of course
12/02/2020
I have been requesting for some time now for a separate cash fund to be set up to enable you to put money in to cover for charges/service fees, this is annoying as at the moment any money you add to your investment to cover the charges has to come out of the current ISA allowance. Other companies have set up a specific fund to deal with this so come on Fidelity, please can you implement SOON.
12/02/2020
I have an ISA which has performed very well. My problem is that my wife wants to sign up for an ISA but it is taking weeks to make things happen. Why? We speak on the phone, all very good, we are told what we need to do and what information is required. We do our bit, but still we wait!
12/02/2020
Expensive for larger portfolios as not capped. Research and dealing clunky. Advice v expensive. Charges mostly simple % . Await Vanguard SIPP for comparison since I only have their funds.
12/02/2020
No comment.
12/02/2020
I wanted to make some transfers and switches of old ISAs. Those processes were very straightforward, a matter of 3 clicks and it was done. But I am not so happy with the cash account element. I had a notification saying some fees were due. Fine, but the only way was to agree that all interest is to be transferred into the cash account. I would be far happier to set up a direct debit for fees and have all proceeds continue to fatten my ISAs.
12/02/2020
I am very happy and satisfied with my investments in Fidelity.
12/02/2020
Overly complicated to use, no ability to invest directly in foreign markets, poor comparison tools but the real irritation is the website which is riddled with bits that don't work, hang, log you out, etc. Adding funds rarely sends to work either.
12/02/2020
As a personal investor, I find the information on my Fidelity online account confusing and misleading. When I raised this with Customer Services, they either didn't listen to, or understand, what I was referring to. They took 31 days to respond, and had no customer relation skills when I actually got to speak to someone, (after chasing them, as they didn't care to call me back). We have used Fidelity's products for years, and have no hesitation to recommend them. However, their online account is simply not fit for purpose, and their Customer Service advisors are very poor.
12/02/2020
Service fee is too high and eats into returns like nothing else. I'll be using Vanguard ISA from next year. Might come back if service fees are lowered. Service is ok, but WISH THEY WOULD KEEP THEIR CALL CENTRE IN UK. First India, now Ireland...! Where next... Concerned about their commitment to move core parts of their business to Ireland and elsewhere outside the UK, in particular key areas of their Fidelity Equity and Fixed Income teams which are currently being moved to Ireland. I like Fidelity's range of funds but not if they move their business away from UK. Website getting better, slowly.
12/02/2020
Good selection of funds. Admin pricing reasonable. Decent analysis tools. Website a bit clunky and sometimes slow.
12/02/2020
Best thing I have put money in for my Grandchildren.
12/02/2020
The website is slow, the app and the website need to be improved.
12/02/2020
Attracted to their SIPP on account of the fee structure and the cashback offer for transfers. The transfer took a lot longer than it should, the cashback did not arrive until prompted, emails take days to answer and not all exchange traded shares and trusts are available (I was bemused I could not by 3i). The website is clunky and purchases are long winded. Account transactions are not as detailed as I was accustomed to with Charles Stanley.
12/02/2020
Reasonable value platform, but the website is an ongoing nightmare which barely allows you to get the information you need to make investing decisions and is frequently suffering technical glitches. As a lower cost alternative to Hargreaves and if you want more choice than Vanguard it still seems the best place to be, but Fidelity UX team need to do an extensive exercise in understanding what their customers need from the platform and whoever does the back end needs to sort out issues like data not pulling through into chart and compare or investment info on the fact pages for example.
12/02/2020
I have been a Fidelity customer for many years. I find the website easy to use and very good for research. I can easily switch funds or move my investments in just a few clicks. Fidelity also manage my SIPP and for the past 4 years has performed very well. Overall I am very satisfied with the service and would recommend it to others.
12/02/2020
I have been using the company for a few years. Cost is pretty low and the website is efficient. Happy customer.
12/02/2020
Excellent service and confidence in products.
12/02/2020
No comment.
12/02/2020
The website is massively over complicated, slow to update and confusing. If you have more than one account you can't always see which you’re in. It shows misleading info on your standing orders, to give just one example. I have also twice called the helpdesk and on both occasions I was told someone would ring me back, but they didn’t. Really rather poor service. On the plus side, it is very cheap, the offer is extremely comprehensive, and you can buy into just about any fund or share you want. Am not a great fan, but concede they have their good points.
06/01/2020
The website is improving each quarter, with additional useful functionality. The recent release of an app (for both Android and iOS) is very welcome. Transfers are irritatingly slow (perhaps not all the fault of Fidelity here) and communication while in-flight leaves something to be desired. Trades take a while to be confirmed, but the buy/sell/switch process is easy to complete. The service desk is very good: quality of service and responsiveness are both better than I have experienced elsewhere.
22/11/2019
Website is much improved over the last year - increased functionality, better lay out. SIPP is good and does not have lots of fees once you want to retire / get drawdown, unlike others! Fees are good value if you have over £250k (and others in your household can benefit form lower rate too in that case - good for kids accounts), but still good value for money if you have less. Telephone support is excellent if you ever need it!
22/11/2019
I have been a Fidelity customer for 5+ years and would be happy to recommend them. Their customer services are extremely good with great staff who are professional and very knowledgeable. I find the website very easy to navigate for the puproses of administrating my portfolio. Buying, selling and switching funds is simple and free to do. I find Fidelity charges to be reasonable and will not be changing platform. I would say however that I do not find their platform at all easy to use for the purposes of fund research, which is a shame and lets down an otherwise fautless platform and service.
05/07/2019
No comment.
23/06/2019
No comment.
04/03/2019
I would not recommend starting a Stocks & Shares Junior ISA at Fidelity. Its too expensive, their charges for small beginnings are painful. They charge an annual service fee of £25 for portfolios under £7500. If you subscribe say £1000, then a £25 charge equates to 2.5% p.a., which is seven times worse than the 0.35% they charge for portfolios over £7500. This seriously retards the potential investment growth. What's more, it is charged monthly at £2.08, and if you don't lodge cash to cover these fees, they SELL the investment units/shares to pay the fees. Most irritating!
01/03/2019
I chose Fidelity for its low cost on regular payments into two of their world index trackers. The site works but I found it incredibly clunky compared with other offerings. The transactions record is a particularly opaque layout and difficult to make any sense of. And changing a monthly direct debit payment requires going through the whole direct debit setup process from scratch instead of just changing the monthly figure. OK for buying and holding investments but I wouldn't want to be too active in there.
15/02/2019
Web site has a lot of information if you have the time to look around and research funds. Analysis of fund holdings could be simplified
19/12/2018
No comment
19/12/2018
Just seems really simple for me to understand my options, easy to research costs etc and then manage either a new investment or my existing portfolio, website was recently redesigned and is pretty intuitive. Speed that any investment activity gets updated into your account seems slow in my mind
19/12/2018
19/12/2018
Website functionality and clarity much improved over the earlier version of the online product. Fund choice is wide, easy filters if you need help finding the fund that suits you (performance, ratings, fess, asset mix, etc etc). Charges are OK - much better than Hargreaves Lansdown, St James's Place and the life assurers. Even better if you have a larger portfolio and you can add your pension into a SIPP as well.
10/08/2018
Quite expensive, Can't access messages or documents on my tablet since the website changed.
25/05/2018
I have used Fidelity for many years since my first shares were purchased through Abbey National Building Society. Excellent service received, have no wish to change.
02/05/2018
A pretty good fund as far as I can judge, but the website is very poor. For some reason, despite numerous phone calls, they are unable to share the documents for my daughter's Junior ISA with me.
21/03/2018
Good all-round. Solid service.
04/03/2018
No exit fees and dislike high charges.
30/01/2018
Website has been recently re-designed but still a bit 'clunky', it's very difficult to see the actual charges for the service, you have to look at a number of screens and work it out for yourself. Its also difficult to see 'actual' performance of funds due to the way performance is calculated by Fidelity. Its easy to buy/sell/ switch investments, have wide range of funds and easy to access research notes etc.
30/01/2018
Costs could be better, wider range of funds and the new website is harder to use.
30/01/2018
Easy to use website.
30/01/2018
Prompt service, they could be clearer with their communications.
30/01/2018
It's nothing special.
30/01/2018
Good fund supermarket.
30/01/2018
Good service. Just wish they could develop their website a bit more, it's difficult to get an overall performance figure.
30/01/2018
Responsive and clear website.
30/01/2018
Staff are well informed.
30/01/2018
Poor unresponsive customer service and confusing website.
30/01/2018
Website has recently improved, but it's still much less user-friendly than Hargreaves Lansdown. Unlike Hargreaves Lansdown, you can't pay ISA fees through transfer from a non-ISA account, so every month they sell some of my shares to meet their charges, which I intensely dislike.
30/01/2018
Ok, but it's nothing special.
30/01/2018
Good articles on finance topics and helpful with queries.
30/01/2018
Default funds are expensive (0.7% OCF) and self-select funds are cheaper but misleading (e.g. the Global Tracker is 66% UK shares).
30/01/2018
No problems.
30/01/2018
Good service and more choices.
30/01/2018
Good investment returns on its own key funds, plus plenty of others to choose from.
30/01/2018
I hate the website. When you need to sell, the only reference given is their code for the fund so you have no idea what you have selected until you click through. Really annoying! Good telephone service though.
30/01/2018
It needs an iPad app
30/01/2018
Display % increase or decrease.
30/01/2018
Striving to make improvements, investing in the website, transactions getting quicker, costs competitive and a range of funds / ETFs etc.
30/01/2018
Simple good choices, lots of back up info if you need it and pricing reflects the assets I have with them (discount for larger portfolio). Improvements: website is still a bit clunky but the phone service is excellent though!
30/01/2018
Website and costs.
30/01/2018
It's a new platform and still a work in progress, it still takes you back to old platform for some items. The service team is generally well informed and switching funds is easy.
30/01/2018
The original website/account was easy to navigate and all the account information available. The recent upgrade and redesign is more challenging but familiarity will probably help. However, there is always a reliable telephone service and a named "wealth client consultant" available. Platform costs are competitive and online investing and account management is straightforward.
30/01/2018
Good for funds, but shares not supported and investment trusts are limited. Charges are reasonable for smaller amounts, but middle-of-the-road for larger amounts. The website can be very confusing - it tries to dumb things down and just makes it harder to find what you need if you know what you're doing.
30/01/2018
Fairly easy to use their website, even for an investment novice. Had a few problems when the site was 'modernised' but find the telephone advisers knowledgeable, polite and easy to understand.
30/01/2018
Better investment options.
30/01/2018
Trusted, yet cheap.
30/01/2018
Cheap, easy to use and includes active and passive funds and a fund filter. I do not like the excess post received from them, even when you opt out.
30/01/2018
I used to like their investment offering and thought they were a high integrity company. However the website is now terrible, service even worse, and marketing talks to you in a way which treats you like an idiot. Company has lost its way and will be losing my large accounts, which I will move to Hargreaves Lansdown.
30/01/2018
Reasonable value for a small investment.
30/01/2018
Previously I would have recommended, but the new website is a huge step backwards.
30/01/2018
No comment
30/01/2018
Range of funds is good. The website makes it really hard to drill down on linked accounts, e.g. a spouse.
30/01/2018
Been almost impossible to transfer family ISAs (given up with 2 of our 4 and used Vanguard instead which was much simpler). Website poor and difficult to work out exactly where money going. Customer service polite but incompetent - have to repeat all details of problem each time I phone. Frustrating ++
25/11/2017
Annual charge is 0.20% on funds of £250k. This includes all individual family members.
03/11/2017
Some excellent funds, but so many in total that it can be difficult to choose.
26/09/2017
Unlike Hargreaves Lansdown, you can't pay ISA fees from a parallel non-ISA fund so every month they sell some of my shares to fund the ISA. That's annoying and they should change it.
26/09/2017
Good scale and scope of investments, cost and reliability. Costs could always be lower of course!
26/09/2017
Reliable and familiar.
26/09/2017
I like the fact that they offer a JISA.
26/09/2017
They have good service.
26/09/2017
It's cost effective, the website is easy to use and there is good fund choice.
26/09/2017
I get a good platform fee through Cavendish Online.
26/09/2017
Good access.
26/09/2017
Fidelity was recommended to me a couple of years ago and I am so pleased that it was. The website is clear and easy to navigate, great for a newbie like me. The charges seem reasonable but it is the customer service that is exemplary. It feels like I am calling a small company that knows me and cares about me. Very happy.
11/07/2017
Works well enough. Switching or purchasing is okay but transactions aren't as visible and transparent as one might like and there can be several days delay in pricing, positioning and executing. They take fees monthly from the largest holding, I would prefer monthly debit to bank account so that fees are clear to see.
07/07/2017
Its efficient.
04/07/2017
Readily available guidance and a huge choice of funds. Low cost 0.2% charge if your household invests more then 250k across all accounts. Need better IT integration. I suspect that they have stitched systems together into a whole website as they've grown. For example, the ISA and SIPP sites behave differently in the detail.
04/07/2017
Excellent research facilities.
04/07/2017
Like the clear and effective website tools.
S
04/07/2017
I like the ease of use and the breadth of funds for my ISA and my SIPP. I would like to be able to trade shares directly from the same platform.
04/07/2017
Needs better analysis and comparison of funds.
T
04/07/2017
Not clear on costs.
04/07/2017
I like the low cost of their fund platform.
04/07/2017
Website login process used to be terrible, but is now improved.
04/07/2017
They answer phones quickly.
04/07/2017
It has an easy to understand web page, and all investment information is grouped together for ease of use.
04/07/2017
Big name so gives confidence. Being able to deal through mobile app would be useful.
04/07/2017
Generally easy to use.
04/07/2017
Front end needs updating. Needs competitive direct stocks and shares.
04/07/2017
I like the scale of the offering, and the online options.
04/07/2017
Gives the impression of a comprehensive service backed up by massive resources, but without a high cost. Account management (separation of holdings into different accounts) is clunky and non-intuitive.
04/07/2017
Website easy to use and not clunky. But charges could be simpler.
04/07/2017
Online access can be troubling when I've not used the account for a little while.
04/07/2017
Low cost investing.
04/07/2017
Good reputation.
04/07/2017
Most of it is nice but trying to do things online is harder than it should be - trying to buy and sell funds and tweak a portfolio is just a nightmare.
04/07/2017
Easy to access and organise my portfolio. Please make advice and information more accessible.
04/07/2017
No exit fees, some unit trust fee discounts. They frequently got trades wrong when I first joined them, but excellent customer service in sorting it out. You need to page through too much to get to what you want to look at and the website is slow.
04/07/2017
Big organisation providing regular updates but please reduce costs.
04/07/2017
Efficient service at a reasonable cost and excellent telephone access with well trained support. Needs more ETFs and investment trusts.
04/07/2017
Many funds but could be improved with a better website and lower fees.
04/07/2017
Good customer service via a dedicated individual, needs an improved mobile app.
04/07/2017
I like the precision, website and communication. Its good for me.
S
04/07/2017
Its functional but that is all. The website is unwieldy.
04/07/2017
Good service but needs more choices.
04/07/2017
Good fees, helpful staff and adequate website. It would be helpful if a written guide could be provided for new customers to see them through the first transactions and to find other useful information needed to run the account.
04/07/2017
I like its simplicity. Historical presentation by graphics of the performance of your investments would be an improvement.
04/07/2017
Keeps me well informed, informative daily emails, guidance, model portfolios, allows me to monitor my investments when and where I want. Needs more transparency around platform and provider fees.
04/07/2017
Everything is in one place and well organised.
04/07/2017
I like the availability of own funds.
04/07/2017
Prompt service and swiftly resolve any problems. More fund portfolio information would be good.
04/07/2017
Returns have been good but they need to be more proactive.
04/07/2017
Quick, accessible, polite and efficient.
P
04/07/2017
Low transaction fees for purchases of investment trusts and low platform fee. Really needs a much clearer format for portfolio so that one can clearly see how much profit (� and %) one has made, with charts etc.
04/07/2017
They are good.
04/07/2017
Hate the web site and the way it works although seemingly the IFA version is very good. For me it is confusing, particularly if you want to sell a holding. You have no idea what you are selling unless you know the specific account number linked to each holding. Also they have no good way of holding cash on a temporary basis whilst you consider your next investment.
04/07/2017
Easily accessible website to view account and make transactions but would benefit from a reduction in costs.
04/07/2017
Easy access and simple to understand.
04/07/2017
Poor overall, they are well behind the league.
04/07/2017
Return has been ok. Needs to reduce charges.
04/07/2017
Lower costs than Hargreaves. Website is not easy to navigate, poor access to research or charts.
04/07/2017
Expensive
04/07/2017
Easy to use and good charges. Mass fund switches could be easier.
04/07/2017
Good investment options, website not bad to use plenty of info but needs an overhaul in design and also needs modernising and simplifying.
04/07/2017
Good website, fund range and communications but the mobile app could be improved.
04/07/2017
Good reputation but could be more simple.
04/07/2017
I don't think Fidelity will go bust. It could execute trades faster.
E
04/07/2017
Good accessibility but needs easier web navigation. Comparable to other services.
04/07/2017
Good brand but needs a better web app.
04/07/2017
Cheap and offer a junior ISA but everything else could be improved. The website is pretty shocking. Tries to push you towards high cost managed funds but does have good value trackers if you can find them.
04/07/2017
What's good about it?
The website is mostly good to use. Helpful information is boxed up, signposting is clear and there are some ready-made options. The content is rich and does a good support job although we’d like to see more content, tools and quizzes to help consumers.
Trading has improved and nice green ticks make it a fool-proof journey. We find it maddening that they have an unwieldy 10-digit customer reference number and usernames and various security passwords.
Fidelity's app allows you to both view your portfolio and trade. It doesn't hang together quite as intuitively as others, however it is functional and allows you to conduct basic tasks with relative ease. The app is available on both iOS & Android.
Fidelity has done a lot of work behind the scenes and the website is improved. Trading and switching is easier than before and share trading has been improved. Charges are made very clear when it comes to dealing and the impact of fees is spelt out in cash terms. Customer service remains strong. It’s still not the service for enthusiastic day traders or share aficionados – but it’s clear and simple to find stuff and trade it.
Stocks and Shares ISA
Junior ISA
Investment Account
Pension
Own brand funds
Funds from other groups
Stocks and shares
Robo advice / ready-made portfolios
Help building a portfolio
Includes a shortlist of investments
Pick your own funds
Pick your own shares
A safe, solid global player which has recently improved its website for investors. Recent changes include improved share dealing services and performance reporting. If you have more than £7,500 the admin fee is 0.35% a year, so you’ll probably pay about 1.1% a year all-in (although depends on which investments you pick). If you have less than that you'll pay £45 a year for an ISA, which looks pricey for small portfolios.
Google their PathFinder range if you need help in picking the investments to sit inside your ISA or DIY SIPP. If you really want it drilled down they offer one ‘Greatest Hits’ simple fund – the Select 50 Balanced fund which is their investment ready meal for choice-haters! There are also loads of funds from other groups available.
Their performance tool compares your overall portfolio to a benchmark of your choice. It’s a nice thought – but they do use a proxy benchmark (for me it was UK large cap shares) which is a bit odd when I have a portfolio of lots of global funds too. I overlooked the nuance for now as I’m smashing it against the benchmark (!) but it feels a touch more gimmicky than useful?
Provider Size: | Large firm: administering £bns on behalf of investors and financial advisers |
Minimum amounts: | £50 minimum monthly amount £25 minimum initial amount |
"I currently have my children's Stocks & Shares ISA's with H&L however I am not that savvy with investing so I am thinking of moving it over to Wealth Simple and allowing them to do it for me. Would you recommend this or are there other roboadvisors you would suggest? I am happy to leave the money in long term until they are about 18 so looking at an 'ambitious' risk. I also have the same account with H&L and will potentially swap also."
Funmi, LDN
12/10/2020
Read our replyI currently have my children's Stocks & Shares ISA's with H&L however I am not that savvy with investing so I am thinking of moving it over to Wealth Simple and allowing them to do it for me. Would you recommend this or are there other roboadvisors you would suggest? I am happy to leave the money in long term until they are about 18 so looking at an 'ambitious' risk. I also have the same account with H&L and will potentially swap also.
Funmi, LDN
12/10/2020
Fidelity has recently announed no fees on Junior ISAs - they also have ready-made investment options. If you want to keep it super simple I would look at Nutmeg, Wealthify or Wealthsimple - you can read more about them on our Best Buys pages.
"What are your views on Fidelity Multi Asset Income Fund, please? I noticed it got an award from yourselves but that may have been a few years ago. To me it seems to be a stable, low risk fund, paying a good dividend in today's climate but it won't shoot the lights out. Only negative for me is that it seems to invest in a lot of other Fidelity funds investing in UK stuff, and therefore I suspect there may be considerable overlap. Cheers, Nigel"
Nigel, Bedfordshire
06/08/2020
Read our replyWhat are your views on Fidelity Multi Asset Income Fund, please? I noticed it got an award from yourselves but that may have been a few years ago. To me it seems to be a stable, low risk fund, paying a good dividend in today's climate but it won't shoot the lights out. Only negative for me is that it seems to invest in a lot of other Fidelity funds investing in UK stuff, and therefore I suspect there may be considerable overlap. Cheers, Nigel
Nigel, Bedfordshire
06/08/2020
Hi Nigel,
Thanks for your question. We're not allowed to give personalised financial recommendations so I can't comment on specific funds, but here are some general pointers and things to consider.
The award I think you're talking about was an award we gave to Fidelity for their platform business - this is the administration business which allows people to buy and sell funds, as well as hold ISAs and pensions.
This is very different to the Fidelity fund business, which makes the investment products themselves. So the award in question was for the Fidelity platform business and not the Fidelity fund business.
If I want a quick overview of any individual funds I tend to go to a site like Morningstar or Trustnet, and typically look at how a fund has performed compared to its benchmark.
The benchmark for this fund is called the “The Investment Management Association (IMA) Mixed Investment 0-35% Shares Sector”, and over the last five years the Fidelity fund has generally outperformed its benchmark, so there's nothing to raise any immediate red flags. This is a low risk fund as you say, and its purpose in life is indeed not to shoot any lights out.
As for the concentration risk you highlight, to my mind the most important thing is that you get diversification of geographies, of sectors, and of underlying investments. Fidelity is such a large global organisation, but I wouldn't worry unduly about the fact that they use in-house products to get you the exposure to various markets.
Have a look at Morningstar or Trustnet, but if you're broadly happy with how the fund is performing, the income it pays you, and the underlying investments that it holds, then I don't think you need to worry too much.
Hope this helps,
Holly
We are not regulated to give personal financial advice - This isn’t full-fat regulated financial advice. Boring Money is a publisher and not regulated by the FCA.
This means we can't help with specific personal circumstances or recommend specific investment products. It also basically means that if we say something daft, you have no recourse to come back and complain.
We’re only allowed to give you a steer or share an opinion or tell you the facts - That said, we promise that our answer to you is an independent unbiased perspective with no commercial gain to make. If you need regulated financial advice, you can find a good adviser via sites such as Unbiased & Vouchedfor.
"I have about £100,000 invested in an ISA with Investec Click and Invest. They are closing their Click and Invest accounts and I have to find somewhere else to invest the money. Which are some providers of a similar nature, i.e. a managed ISA fund, preferably ones which can be set up and monitored online? I am considering either medium risk or high risk accounts."
Michael, Surrey
10/06/2019
Read our replyI have about £100,000 invested in an ISA with Investec Click and Invest. They are closing their Click and Invest accounts and I have to find somewhere else to invest the money. Which are some providers of a similar nature, i.e. a managed ISA fund, preferably ones which can be set up and monitored online? I am considering either medium risk or high risk accounts.
Michael, Surrey
10/06/2019
Hi,
I was surprised to see Investec Click and Invest shut down. And I'm sorry you find yourself in this position, looking for a platform of a 'similar nature'.
If you'd like to make you own comparisons between the options out there, take a look our Best Buys page to get all the details on different providers.
Hope this is helpful.
We are not regulated to give personal financial advice - This isn’t full-fat regulated financial advice. Boring Money is a publisher and not regulated by the FCA.
This means we can't help with specific personal circumstances or recommend specific investment products. It also basically means that if we say something daft, you have no recourse to come back and complain.
We’re only allowed to give you a steer or share an opinion or tell you the facts - That said, we promise that our answer to you is an independent unbiased perspective with no commercial gain to make. If you need regulated financial advice, you can find a good adviser via sites such as Unbiased & Vouchedfor.
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