Beaufort Online Share Dealing Account FAQs

What is a Beaufort Online Share Dealing Account or Stocks and Shares ISA?

Beaufort offers an online share dealing service you can use to buy and sell shares online at a flat commission of just £8 per trade. Using your Beaufort online execution-only share dealing account or ISA, you can trade in a range of companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, AIM and ISDX.

 

Who are Beaufort Securities?

Beaufort Securities Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA Register No. 155104), and is a member of the London Stock Exchange. Clearing and Settlement is provided by Beaufort Asset Clearing Services which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA Register No. 485165), and is a member of the London Stock Exchange, ISDX and QCA. Registered in England and Wales No. 06637499

 

Do you charge any fees other than £8 commission?

We don’t charge any management fees or inactivity fees for our Online Execution-only Share Dealing accounts. We charge a small cash Corporate Action or Dividend processing fee, this is 10% of the value of the transaction with a minimum charge of £0.25 and maximum of £1. Our simple and transparent charges can be found in our Rate Card.

 

How do I open a Beaufort Online Share Dealing or Online Stocks and Shares ISA account?

To open your Beaufort Online Share Dealing account or ISA, simply click here. Please ensure you read our Terms of Business and note you must have funds in your account before you can start to buy shares.

Please note that our Online Share Dealing and Online Stocks & Shares ISA accounts are only available to UK residents. If you are a non-UK resident, please click here to find out more about our Telephone and Advisory Stockbroking services.

 

Can I start trading today?

Once you’ve submitted your application it will be processed within 3 business days. We are required by law to confirm your identity and address. By submitting your application, you authorise us to make searches about you at credit reference agencies who will supply us with information, including information from the Electoral Register, for the purpose of verifying your identity. If these searches are successful, you will be issued with your welcome pack by post. If we are unable to verify your identity through the above method, we will contact you to request further information via email. If you want to buy shares simply fund your account and start trading. If you want to sell shares you already hold as certificates, these will need to be transferred to your Beaufort Securities Online Share Dealing account first using a Crest Transfer Form.

 

How do I fund my account?

To fund your account go to the ‘Funding Options’ on the menu at the top of each page and select ‘Fund my Account’. On the Funding page select which account you want to fund, either your stockbroking account or ISA. We accept all major UK debit cards. Funds paid in by debit card are credited to your account and available to trade with straight away. Please note that under UK law you cannot buy shares with funds from a credit card.

Alternatively you can send us a BACS payment directly in to our bank account; however this method takes longer as the funds have to clear before they will appear on your account.

 

Is there a minimum/maximum amount of funds I have to keep in my account?

No is the simple answer.

For a Beaufort Online account there is no minimum or maximum cash balance which must be maintained. You can fund it by debit card with any value from £20 to £20,000 per payment. If you wish to put in more than £20,000 by debit card you have to make more than one payment.

No limits apply to bank transfers. For a Beaufort Stocks and Shares ISA the amount you can put in is limited by current UK tax law.

 

How do I place an order?

Placing an order is simple. Once you have decided which stock you wish to trade, go to the ‘Place Order’ section in the account you want to trade within. Enter the company details, quantity or amount to invest or raise and click ‘Next’. You will be given a firm quote with a 15 second countdown. If you decide to accept the quote you will see a trade confirmation screen showing you all the details of the trade. A contract note will also be sent to your secure mailbox within your account which you can then save or print for your records. Please be aware, occasionally when executing a trade through your account you may be prompted to call our online support desk in the event of us not being able to obtain a quote online.

 

What is a contract note?

This is a confirmation of your transaction and is sent out to your secure mailbox immediately after you have traded. You can also find all your historic contract notes within the ‘Online Statement’ section of your account. You can print or save contract notes for your records.

 

What is a limit order?

A limit order is a method of setting the price at which you are prepared to buy or sell shares. Should this price ever be reached, your order will be dealt automatically. Your limit order will be held for the time period that you specified. Please note that you are responsible for cancelling these orders and ensuring that you have sufficent stock or cash (including Stamp Duty & Commission) to cover the order. If you don’t have sufficent stock or cash the limit will fail when the price is reached. You can learn more about limits in our Understanding Limit Orders page.

 

Is there a minimum/maximum size of order?

No. Provided you have funds on your account you can deal up to the value of those funds. Due to ‘market size’ restrictions set by market makers some orders may not go through online automatically but you can telephone our dealers and they will help you fulfil orders over market size.

 

How long does a trade take to settle?

Normal settlement is 2 working days (T+2).

 

Can I trade on unsettled funds?

Yes, we give you value to trade on unsettled funds immediately.

 

Will I get a share certificate?

No. This is a nominee service which means that the shares are held electronically in a pooled nominee account. You remain the beneficial owner of the shares. If you decide you would like to have the shares re-registered in to your own name and receive a certificate, this can be done very easily and is subject to the re-registration charge. Click here to see our Rate Card including all our administration fees.

 

How can I see what investments I hold?

Once you have logged in you will have access to your portfolio either from the menu or by clicking on the securities value on the ‘Summary’ screen. In your portfolio you will be able to see what stocks you hold, current price, book cost and notional profit/loss.

 

How can I access my statement?

Once you have logged in you will have access to your portfolio either from the menu or by clicking on the securities value on the ‘Summary’ screen. In your portfolio you will be able to see what stocks you hold, current price, book cost and notional profit/loss.

 

What markets can I deal in?

You can buy and sell shares in all companies that are listed on the main UK securities markets – the London Stock Exchange, AIM and ISDX. Our platform doesn’t currently support international dealing. However we do offer access to international markets via our Telephone Broking Service.

 

During what hours can I trade?

You can trade during normal London Stock Exchange market hours – from 8.00am until 4.30pm, Monday to Friday (but not on Bank Holidays). Outside these hours you can choose to place a limit order which will be monitored during market hours. You can learn more about limits in our Understanding Limit Orders page.

 

How do I transfer share certificates into my Beaufort Account?

A Beaufort Online account is a nominee based account. If you have share certificates, you can transfer them to your account by downloading a Crest Transfer Form. You need to complete a transfer form for each holding and then return to us at Beaufort Securities, 131 Finsbury Pavement, London, EC2A 1NT together with your valid share certificates (these must be in your name).

 

How long does it take for my certificates to be transferred into my Account?

Once we receive your certificates and completed CREST Transfer Form is takes around 2-4 days for your holding to be registered and appear in your account.

 

How do I transfer my holdings from another broker?

When you open an online share dealing or ISA account we will send you a broker transfer form automatically with your Welcome Pack. You can also download one by clicking here. Complete, sign and return the form to us and we will then contact your broker and make arrangements for the transfer of your stock.

 

How long does a transfer from another broker take?

We will contact your existing broker on the day we receive your form, so the actual transfer should only take a few days. However, be aware that the speed of transfer is dependent on the efficiency of the other broker. Shares held in an ISA are normally transferred within 28 days.

 

How secure is the account?

All the information sent between you and our offices is encrypted giving you total peace of mind. We hold a valid security certificate for our website and in your web browser this can normally be evidenced by a closed padlock symbol next to the web address on any of the client pages while you are making an application for an account and once you are logged in.

 

When will my tax voucher be sent to me?

A consolidated tax voucher is issued annually for dividends which are paid within the previous tax year. This will be delivered to your secure mailbox in your account shortly after the end of the tax year.

 

When will I receive my dividends?

Dividends are normally credited to your account on the day we receive cleared funds from the company registrar. The money can be re-invested at our normal commission rates or withdrawn to your bank account.

 

How do I withdraw funds from my account?

As you supply your bank details as part of your application you can simply go to the ‘Withdraw Funds’ section of the website and specify the amount you wish to withdraw. These are then paid by BACS to your bank account. Please allow 3-5 working days for funds to arrive.

 

How do I change my nominated bank details

To request your bank details to be changed send us a message through the secure mailbox in your account. For security reasons we will need to see copies of your old and new bank statements before changing your registered details.

 

How do I change my registered address?

If you are changing address please send us a secure message though the secure mailbox in your account. We will then advise you what documentation we may need to make the change for you.

 

How do I transfer my stock to another broker?

You will first need to contact the broker to open an account with them and complete their transfer form. They will then send this to us and we will transfer the account on your behalf.

 

How will you notify me of corporate actions?

We will notify you in writing of any corporate actions through the secure mailbox in your account. You will need to respond to the message stating the option you wish to take up. If you do not respond we will take the default action as detailed in our Terms of Business.

 

How can I find out about companies to invest in?

In our Market News and Research sections you can search for company profiles, historic prices, company reports and much more.

 

Are you authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority?

Yes, Beaufort Securities Ltd is an FCA authorised firm (FCA Number 155104). You can look up our current status on the FCA website.

 

Who do I contact if I have any questions?

As a client the most secure way to contact us is through the secure mailbox in your account. Alternatively you can email our customer service team at [email protected] or telephone 020 7382 8300 . We are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5:00pm.