Does IG Really Offer 0% Fees on Bitcoin? UK (2026)
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Quick Answer: Does IG Really Offer 0% Fees on Bitcoin?
Almost, and closer than anyone else I have used. IG charges 0% commission to buy and sell Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana, but there is one piece of small print: a 0.07% external exchange fee, passed on from its liquidity partner. So it is not literally free, it is about as close as buying crypto in the UK gets. On £1,000 of Bitcoin that fee is 70 pence. The catch is that the deal only covers those three coins. Every other cryptocurrency on IG costs a flat 1.49%. And this is spot crypto, so you own the coins outright with no leverage. Below I break down exactly what came off when I bought, and who the 0% deal actually suits.
May 2026 Offer
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What “0% Fees” Actually Means on IG
IG announced in June 2026 that it was scrapping commission on its three biggest cryptocurrencies for UK clients. The headline is real, but headlines and final costs are not always the same thing, so here is the honest version.
So is it really free, or not?
The commission is genuinely zero. What remains is a 0.07% external exchange fee, which IG passes straight through from the liquidity partner that sources the crypto. It is not a markup IG keeps, and it is tiny, but it is a cost, so the accurate way to describe IG’s deal is 0% commission rather than 0% fees. If a broker tells you something is free, the 0.07% is exactly the kind of line worth reading.
What I actually paid buying Bitcoin
To put a real number on it, a £1,000 Bitcoin purchase on IG costs £0 in commission and £0.70 in the external exchange fee. That is your lot: 70 pence to buy a thousand pounds of Bitcoin. Buy the same £1,000 of a coin outside the big three and you pay the flat 1.49%, which is £14.90. The gap between 70 pence and nearly £15 is the whole reason the coin you choose matters more than most people realise.
Which Coins Actually Get the 0% Deal?
Three, and only three: Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. They are the most traded coins IG offers, so for most people most of the time, the 0% commission does apply to what they are actually buying. But the moment you step outside that trio, the pricing changes completely.
What about the other coins?
Everything else on IG’s 100-plus coin list costs a flat 1.49% to buy or sell. That is in line with, and often cheaper than, a typical retail exchange, but it is a world away from the near-free deal on the big three. If you mainly buy Bitcoin or Ethereum, IG is now one of the cheapest routes in the UK. If your interest is in smaller altcoins, the 0% headline does not really apply to you, and you should price the 1.49% in.
How Does That Compare to Buying Bitcoin Elsewhere?
This is where the 0.07% stops sounding like a catch and starts looking like a bargain. Most UK retail exchanges charge somewhere around 1% to 1.5% in spread and fees on a Bitcoin purchase, and some considerably more on small orders. Here is the same £1,000 Bitcoin buy, side by side.
| Buying £1,000 of Bitcoin | Headline fee | What you pay |
|---|---|---|
| IG (BTC, ETH, SOL) | 0% commission + 0.07% external fee | £0.70 |
| IG (any other coin) | 1.49% flat | £14.90 |
| Typical UK exchange | around 1% to 1.5% | £10 to £15 |
On Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana specifically, IG is now dramatically cheaper than a typical exchange. I look at how it stacks up against named rivals in my comparisons of whether IG is good for crypto overall, and the exchange-by-exchange detail belongs in those pieces. The point here is narrower: on the three coins that matter most, the 0% claim holds up.
The Part Most People Miss
Cheap dealing is only half the story, and there are two things I would want to know before treating IG as my crypto home.
You own the coins, but it is spot only
IG’s crypto is spot, which means you buy and own the actual coin, with no leverage. For UK retail traders that is the only option, because the regulator banned crypto derivatives for retail clients back in 2021. That is a good thing for most people, no leverage means no liquidation, but if you came expecting to trade Bitcoin with margin, IG does not offer that and nor does any other UK retail broker.
The fee can change, so check before you buy
IG only dropped these commissions in June 2026, as a move to undercut UK crypto rivals. That is great while it lasts, but a promotional-feeling price is exactly the sort of thing that can be revised, so I would always glance at the current fee on the deal screen before a large purchase rather than trust an article, including this one, to still be current.
So Is IG’s 0% Bitcoin Deal Worth It?
For buying and holding Bitcoin, Ethereum or Solana, yes, clearly. A 0.07% external exchange fee and nothing else makes IG one of the cheapest ways to buy those coins in the UK, you own them outright, and it sits inside an FCA cryptoasset-registered firm rather than an offshore exchange. The honest caveats are small: it is 0% commission rather than truly free, the deal covers only three coins, and the 1.49% on everything else is ordinary rather than special.
If those three coins are what you want, it is an easy recommendation. You can see IG’s current crypto pricing here, and for the wider picture on safety, coins and how it works, read my guide to whether IG is good for crypto.
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References
- IG: Buy and sell crypto (UK)
- Good Money Guide: IG launches zero-commission Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana dealing
- The Investors Centre: Is IG good for crypto? Fees and safety for UK buyers
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