Best PayPal Brokers 2024
PayPal is a safe and reliable method of transferring money to brokers. In this article, we discuss the pros and cons of trading with PayPal brokers, the fees involved, plus additional facts to help you sign up and log in. We also list the best forex brokers accepting PayPal deposits.
PayPal Brokers
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Founded in 1974, IG is part of IG Group Holdings Plc, a publicly traded (LSE: IGG) brokerage. The brand offers spread betting, CFD and forex trading across an almost unrivalled selection of 17,000+ markets, with a range of user-friendly platforms and investing apps. For 50 years, IG has maintained its position as an industry leader, excelling in all key areas for traders.
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Founded in 2002 in Poland, XTB now serves more than 1 million clients. The forex and CFD broker combines a heavily regulated trading environment with an extensive selection of 6400+ assets and a commitment to trader satisfaction, featuring an intuitive in-house platform with superb tools to support aspiring traders.
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Established in 1989, CMC Markets is a respected broker listed on the London Stock Exchange and authorized by several tier-one regulators, including the FCA, ASIC and CIRO. More than 1 million traders from around the world have signed up with the multi-award winning brokerage.
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IC Markets is a globally recognized forex and CFD broker known for its excellent pricing, comprehensive range of trading instruments, and premium trading technology. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Australia, the brokerage is regulated by the ASIC, CySEC and FSA, and has attracted more than 180,000 clients from over 200 countries.
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Established in Australia in 2010, Pepperstone is a top-rated forex and CFD broker with over 400,000 clients worldwide. It offers access to 1,300+ instruments on leading platforms MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView, maintaining low, transparent fees. Pepperstone is also regulated by trusted authorities like the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC, ensuring a secure environment for traders at all levels.
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Eightcap is an award-winning, FCA-regulated broker offering industry-low trading fees. They are also the highest-rated brand by TradingView’s 50 million-strong users, who can trade directly on the platform. UK traders can sign up for a live account with an accessible £100 minimum deposit.
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Trade Nation is a top FX and CFD broker regulated in multiple jurisdictions including the UK and Australia. The firm offers low-cost fixed and variable spreads on 1000+ assets with robust trading platforms and training materials. The Signal Centre can also be used for trade ideas.
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Founded in 2006, FxPro is an established forex, CFD and spread betting broker offering 2100+ assets to over 2 million clients worldwide. The broker is regulated in 4 jurisdictions and offers reliable 24/5 customer support, earning it a high trust and safety score. FxPro has also picked up more than 100 industry accolades for its competitive trading conditions, including fast execution and deep liquidity.
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Established in 2008 and headquartered in Israel, Plus500 is a prominent brokerage that boasts over 25 million registered traders in over 50 countries. Specializing in CFD trading, the company offers an intuitive, proprietary platform and mobile app. It maintains competitive spreads and does not charge commissions or deposit or withdrawal fees. Plus500 also continues to shine as one of the most trusted brokers with licenses from reputable regulators, including the FCA, ASIC and CySEC.
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City Index is an established and award-winning forex, CFD and spread betting broker with top-tier global regulation, including in the UK (FCA) and Australia (ASIC). With 30+ years in the industry, 13,500+ instruments and 24/5 customer support, City Index is a solid pick for aspiring traders.
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Fusion Markets is an online broker established in 2017 and regulated by the ASIC, VFSC and FSA. It is best known for its low-cost forex and CFD trading, although its multiple account types and copy trading solutions cater to a range of traders. New clients can sign up and start trading in 3 easy steps.
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Markets.com is a respected broker, offering multi-asset trading opportunities through CFDs or spread betting (UK only). Established in 2008, the brand has an impressive 4.3 million registered customers and is overseen by trusted regulators, including the FCA, ASIC and CySEC. 79.1% of retail accounts lose money.
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FXCM is a respected forex and CFD broker, established since 1999. The British-headquartered broker has won multiple awards and operates in various jurisdictions, including the UK and Australia. With zero commissions, over 400 assets, and a range of analysis tools, FXCM remains a popular choice for traders. The broker is also regulated by top-tier authorities including the FCA, ASIC, CySEC, FSCA, BaFin.
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OKX is a respected cryptocurrency firm, established in 2017, that offers a large suite of products, from mining pools to NFTs. Traders can access over 400 crypto tokens via OTC trading and derivatives. With an excellent web platform, developer tools and dynamic charts, OKX is a popular choice for technical traders.
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FXTrading.com is global broker offering highly leveraged CFDs on 10,000+ assets, including forex, stocks, indices, commodities and cryptocurrencies. Competitive prices with raw spreads and low to zero commissions are available. Traders can use the popular MetaTrader 4 platform and will have access to a suite of additional analytical tools and other resources. The multi-regulated brokerage is authorized by the ASIC and VFSC.
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Trade.com is a trustworthy online broker with a global presence. The broker offers 2,100+ CFDs in major markets, as well as futures, options and more. The broker offers best-in-class platforms and superior analysis tools for experienced traders. The broker is also regulated by top-tier authorities including the FCA and CySEC.
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CloseOption is a Georgia-headquartered broker with over a decade in the trading industry. The brand offers high/low binary options trading on forex and crypto markets, with decent payouts, welcome bonuses, 24/7 customer support and intuitive trading software.
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Ingot Brokers is a multi-regulated brokerage established in 2006. The broker offers CFD trading opportunities on 1000+ instruments including forex, stocks, indices, commodities and cryptocurrencies. The broker supports the MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platforms and offers both raw spreads and commission-free account options.
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Kucoin is a crypto exchange that offers trading on 1000+ tokens as well as leveraged trading opportunities via futures and perpetual swaps. This exchange has a slick trading platform that supports robots, allowing traders to implement automated strategies. Other attractive features include a demo account, flexible funding methods and DeFi features like staking and mining.
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RoboMarkets is a Cyprus-based forex, CFD and stock broker aimed at traders from Europe. The broker offers thousands of instruments across six asset classes and provides access to four leading platforms, including MetaTrader 4. With ECN pricing, Cent accounts and algorithmic trading tools, RoboMarkets caters to a range of trading strategies and investing styles.
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Established in 2012, Hong Kong-based Bitfinex is a formidable player in the crypto industry. It boasts a powerful proprietary platform, 180 cryptocurrencies and more than 430 market pairs available for spot or perpetual swaps derivatives trading. With new payment methods, lower entry barriers and fresh products like crypto futures, Bitfinex is attracting a wider range of active crypto traders.
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Gemini is a cryptocurrency exchange set up in 2014 by the Winklevoss brothers, known for their early involvement in Facebook. The exchange is among the world’s 20 largest and most popular. Gemini clients can trade and stake 110+ cryptocurrencies, with derivatives trading available in some jurisdictions, an advanced proprietary platform and additional features including an NFT marketplace.
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Global Prime is a multi-regulated trading broker offering 150+ markets. Traders can get started with a $200 minimum deposit and trade with leverage up to 1:100. The firm also has a high trust score and a good reputation with a license from the ASIC.
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ActivTrades is a UK-headquartered CFD and forex broker established in 2001. The award-winning brokerage has secured licenses from trusted bodies, notably the UK’s FCA, and facilitates trading on over 1000 instruments spanning 7 asset classes, with over 93.60% of orders are executed at the requested price.
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Fortrade is a multi-asset, multi-regulated broker with branches regulated by the FCA, CySEC and ASIC among others. The brand offers trading opportunities on a wide range of instruments including stocks, bonds, commodities, forex, indices, cryptocurrencies and ETFs, with competitive fees and support for MetaTrader 4 and a proprietary platform.
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Admirals is a multi-regulated broker with an excellent range of leveraged instruments, including forex, stocks, indices, ETFs, commodities, cryptos and more. The broker supports the MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and TradingCentral platforms. With both spread betting and CFDs available and thousands of instruments, this broker provides more flexibility than most rivals.
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Just2Trade is a reliable multi-regulated broker registered with FINRA, NFA and CySEC. The company has 155,000 clients from 130 countries and stands out for its huge suite of instruments and additional features, including a social network, robo advisors and a funded trader programme.
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Capital.com offer CFDs on a range of markets with competitive spreads and zero commissions. The broker also offers the Investmate app, negative balance protection and leveraged trading.
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Trading 212 is a European and UK-regulated CFD broker that also offers stock investing and ISAs. It’s best known for its commission-free trading model and beginner-friendly app, which has helped it attract 2.5 million users and £3.5 billion in client assets.
What Is PayPal?
PayPal is an online payments system initially designed to replace manual cheques and money orders. Nowadays, its primary purpose is to enable secure payment for goods and services via the internet. As a result, many online brokers accept PayPal deposits and withdrawals.
The PayPal website was formally founded in 2001 when the owner, Elon Musk, renamed the partnership between his two companies X.com and Confinity. The firm went public in 2002 and shortly after, was bought by the online auction site eBay for $1.5 billion. The relationship between eBay and PayPal was fruitful for both parties. It gave security and legitimacy to online payments for goods for the first time in internet history.
Nowadays, PayPal offers much more than secure payment for secondhand goods. Services such as PayPal credit and money pool make it popular for individuals. Plus, PayPal business accounts, loans service (AKA Working Capital) and a point of sale function named ‘Here’ make it perfect for start-up businesses.
Increasingly, the world’s largest e-commerce platforms allow PayPal, including Amazon. In the UK and worldwide, there are 280 million active PayPal users. PayPal trading stock recently rocketed upon the announcement that it will facilitate Bitcoin payments from 2021 in the US.
In forex trading, PayPal is a way of depositing or withdrawing funds with a broker. It is a popular method because of its wide use and consumer trust rating. Traders just need an account linked to a bank account. Accounts not linked to PayPal Credit or bank accounts are classed as unverified and have yearly withdrawal limits.
Fees
PayPal is free to sign up. Plus, there is no fee for purchasing goods and services using the e-wallet, meaning that depositing through a trading broker is usually free. However, there are fees on transfers abroad to international accounts. This may impact you if the PayPal brokers you are considering are not UK-based. There is more detail about international charges in the PayPal user agreement.
When withdrawing funds from a trading broker to a PayPal account, it would likely be regarded as a commercial transaction and therefore incur a £0.30 charge. This is a flat fee per transaction – no calculator required.
As of 2020, there is a new inactivity fee placed on dormant PayPal accounts. This can be avoided by logging into the service yearly.
Most forex, stocks and binary options brokers and trading platforms in the UK do not charge fees for depositing with PayPal. This includes XTB, Eightcap, CMC Markets and Admiral Markets.
Speed
Using PayPal to transfer money is fast. At most currency trading PayPal brokers, the deposit process is instantaneous. Refund and withdrawal times are broker dependant. But once approved, the process is quick. On average, withdrawal via PayPal takes 1-2 working days.
Security
PayPal is known for its security measures, which makes it a trusted payment method. The service encrypts all its customer data, keeping your bank details safe. Plus, it goes beyond that offered by other payment providers by storing data on servers that are unconnected to its front-end. This means that even if PayPal is hacked, your details are secure.
If you’ve deposited money with a broker and are struggling to process a withdrawal, you can request a refund with PayPal within 180 days of the original transaction.
Alternatively, if you believe you have not received the service you are paying for, you can open a dispute at the resolution centre.
Support
For any queries related to PayPal payments, you can reach their UK support team using the 24-hour number available on their ‘Contact Us’ page.
PayPal may need to verify your identity, but will then be able to help you with your questions and issues including scams, pending payments/refunds, money that is on hold, or if PayPal is just not working.
Alternatively, visit their online Help Centre to use the live chat function (known as the message centre). Customer service at PayPal is generally strong. This is one of their selling points as a business.
Forex brokers that accept PayPal typically have their own customer support teams that can also advise on payment issues.
How To Make PayPal Deposits & Withdrawals
To make a deposit and start trading using PayPal UK, you’ll first need to open an account. If you’re new to PayPal, visit the sign-up page and select open a ‘Personal Account’. You can do this on both desktop and mobile apps. You’ll then go through a verification process.
This involves entering your telephone number to enable a text message security code. If you have a My PayPal account already, login using your email address and password. You can increase security by enabling 2-step verification.
You can either deposit funds into your PayPal account or create a direct link with your credit/debit card so that money will draw down automatically.
To make a deposit using PayPal on your broker’s website, follow the usual steps to fund your account and select PayPal as your payment method. The funds will be taken from your deposit balance or from your bank if you have linked one.
Pros Of Trading With PayPal Brokers
PayPal brokers offer all the benefits of conventional payment methods, for example, vs credit cards, plus some you’ll not find elsewhere:
- Easy-to-use – PayPal is an extremely intuitive and easy-to-use method for global trade. The website is designed with the user in mind and simplicity is a key factor in its offering.
- Security – PayPal places the utmost importance on security and support for purchases. At the touch of a button you can access your My PayPal transactions. This will show your payment history, enabling you to act if you spot anything suspicious.
- Mobile app – The PayPal app makes it easy to track transactions at the touch of a button. You can even pay using their One Touch fingerprint feature. Also, push notifications make you immediately aware of any payments from your account. You can download the app from the relevant app store.
- Credit card protections still apply – Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act protects consumers from any breach of contract by your broker. For example, if your broker went bust or did not allow you to trade with your deposited funds, as long as your deposit amount is between £100 and £30,000, you’ll be covered. This rule still applies if you purchase with your credit card through PayPal as long as they have a ‘Commercial Entity Agreement’ with your credit provider.
- Bitcoin payments – PayPal has a better trust rating than other e-wallets that allow crypto payments. In 2021, in the US, PayPal began allowing payments using Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash. It is likely they’ll continue to expand this functionality across the world, including the UK, in the next few years.
Cons Of Trading With PayPal Brokers
- Charges for withdrawals – If PayPal considers your transaction commercial, you may incur a fee for receiving funds. Some PayPal brokers also charge for withdrawals.
- PayPal holding money – Sometimes PayPal might enforce a ‘received pending’ or ‘payment cannot be completed’ notice on your account. The latter usually happens if there is not enough money to complete the transaction. This is one of the downsides of opening a third-party account to process transactions, rather than completing a payment directly with your bank.
- A target for scams – Many scammers target PayPal users via emails or text messages. They’ll often ask you to reveal your login details with the intention of accessing your funds. Often, the proceeds go on to finance crime. This doesn’t impact the security of the payment method, but customers should be aware that phishing communications are out there.
Final Word On Trading With PayPal Brokers
Overall, PayPal is a fast, secure and cheap option. There are usually no fees for depositing using PayPal, making it low-cost for traders. However, charges may vary if you need to send money internationally or if you’re withdrawing.
On the downsides, withdrawal to a PayPal account may incur a charge. Plus, PayPal is known for freezing accounts or holding money if there is an issue. Despite this, issues are usually resolved quickly and efficiently. Above all, PayPal is know for its smooth customer service ensuring it’s offered by a long list of regulated online forex brokers.
FAQ
Are PayPal Brokers Safe?
PayPal is widely deemed one of the safest e-wallet systems available. This also means that PayPal Brokers are safe to trade with, as PayPal will avoid working with bad operators. Its 2-factor authentication, data encryption and excellent customer service makes it a reliable payment method. With that said, it’s always worth observing your broker’s trading guidelines when making deposits with PayPal.
What Are The PayPal Transaction Fees?
PayPal does not charge for purchasing goods or services. Therefore, depositing funds with your broker is usually free. However, sending money international usually incurs a small charge which varies by location. Receiving money can also cost too. If PayPal deems the withdrawal a commercial transaction, there may be a charge.
Why Has PayPal Limited My Account?
If PayPal has limited your account, this usually means they suspect someone is using it fraudulently. You can remove these limitations by going to the resolution centre. It will tell you the reason your account has been frozen and how to resolve it. You can also call the PayPal UK helpline where their staff will assist you. Alternatively, most brokers that accept PayPal deposits have their own customer support team that may be able to advise if there is an issue on their end.
Is PayPal Good For Traders?
PayPal is a good choice for depositing funds with a broker. It’s fast, reliable and secure. However, PayPal may charge for receiving funds. Also, some brokers only allow you to withdraw via the same method you deposited, so make sure you check the T&Cs before you transfer or you could face charges. Note brokers with PayPal functionality are listed in our review.
Is PayPal Going To Start Charging?
In 2020, PayPal started to charge for inactive accounts. Whilst the fee is only £12 per year, this is an unnecessary cost. To avoid this, just log into your account yearly. If you’re using your account to deposit with a broker, this also counts as an activity that would negate the fee. See our article for a PayPal supported forex brokers list, many of which also offer MT4.