Hargreaves Lansdown foreign exchange fees - UK guide

Disclaimer: When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you put in. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may be subject to future change. The content of this article is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of personal advice.

Investments in a currency other than GBP are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing, which may affect the value of the investment in GBP terms. You could lose money in GBP even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.

Considering investing in global stock markets? One of the most important things you’ll need to know about is foreign exchange fees. These are charged when you buy or sell investments, or withdraw funds from a platform, in another currency.

Here, we’ll be taking a look at foreign exchange fees with Hargreaves Lansdown, a popular online platform for UK investors.

We’ll also show you how to minimise or avoid them altogether, using multi-currency solutions such as Wise.

➡️ Learn more about the Wise account

What are Hargreaves Lansdown’s foreign exchange fees?

Alongside its annual management fees and share dealing charges, Hargreaves Lansdown also charges foreign exchange fees when you buy or sell US shares - as well as other international shares.

These vary depending on the value of the trade, with better rates for larger amounts.

Let’s take a look:¹

Does Hargreaves Lansdown have any other fees?

Yes, alongside foreign exchange fees, Hargreaves Lansdown also charges flat annual management fees and dealing fees.

The annual fee is 0.45% for Stocks and Shares ISAs (capped at £45 a year) and Self-Invested Personal Pension (capped at £200 per year) - and 0.25% for a Lifetime ISA (capped at £45 a year).¹

Trading fees range from £5.95 to £11.95 per trade, depending how many deals you made in the previous month¹ The more you trade, the cheaper the fees become.

To find out more, read our full Hargreaves Lansdown review below.

📚Hargreaves Lansdown review: fees and features

When would I be charged a foreign exchange fee when investing?

In most cases, investment platforms in the UK offer accounts denominated in British pounds (GBP). If you want to buy shares or sell investments in other countries, a currency exchange will be required.

This will usually mean having to pay a foreign exchange fee, as your GBP will be converted to USD (for example) or vice versa.

It may also apply if you hold funds in a multi-currency account with your chosen investment platform and want to convert or withdraw them, or if you receive dividends from an investment in another currency.

It’s really important to check foreign exchange fees before joining a platform and starting to trade. This fee may only seem small, but alongside other fees it can make a big difference to the overall cost of investing.

How to avoid Hargreaves Lansdown foreign exchange fees

You don’t have too many options with Hargreaves Lansdown itself when it comes to avoiding or minimising foreign exchange fees.

There is a simple option though, and that is to avoid investing in overseas products. If you only buy FTSE 100 shares for example, these should already be in GBP so no currency conversion will be needed.

If this is too limiting, you can invest in global products and build out a global portfolio - but you’ll need to make sure you’re paying for your transaction in the same currency as the product.

Unlike some other platforms, Hargreaves Lansdown doesn’t offer multi-currency wallets. These allow you to hold a number of major currencies, and use these balances to buy and sell investments directly in the same currency as the investment product.

However, there is another solution - and that is to use a multi-currency account such as Wise.

Learn more about how you can avoid fees and get the most from your global investments below.

📚How to avoid fees on a global portfolio

Don’t let currency conversion trip you up when trading - use Wise

If you’re planning to invest in overseas stocks - whether via NASDAQ, the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) or Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) - you’ll need to watch out for extra costs for currency conversion.

Wise offers a handy way to avoid or minimise foreign exchange fees when investing.

Open a Wise account and you can access local account details in USD, EUR, GBP, AUD and more. This means you can hold funds in your chosen currency until you’re ready to invest, then use your Wise account to fund your transaction on Hargreaves Lansdown or your chosen investment platform.

You can even set up exchange rate alerts so that you can wait for the time and the rate that suits you.

💹 Set up rate alerts

You can also use your local account details with Wise to withdraw money from Hargreaves Lansdown - directly in that currency.

To convert currencies within Wise, you’re guaranteed the mid-market exchange rate and low, transparent fees starting from just 0.33%*. This along with rate alerts, gives you full control over FX, and could end up saving you money.

➡️ Open your Wise account today

Sources used:

1. Hargreaves Lansdown - Hargreaves Lansdown FX fees

Sources last checked 09-Dec-2025