Elev8 Fees: Spreads, Zero Swaps, Inactivity and Share Commissions

Elev8's pricing is simple to describe. On Elev8Trader, MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, its commissions are included in the spread as a mark-up, so no separate commission appears. Spreads are floating and start from 0.6 pips on forex. No swaps are charged on any account.

Away from trading, deposits, withdrawals and internal transfers are free. Two charges exist. If you don't trade for a full year, a monthly fee of 5 USD applies. On the separate shares trading account, each transaction costs 15 USD or 0.1%, whichever is higher. Copy trading adds a 0.2-pip mark-up and the Master Trader's own commission.

Every fee in one table

How the spread works

Elev8 offers floating spreads only. It says it passes on the best bid and ask price from its liquidity pool and that the spread reflects what is available in the market. A floating spread is often lower than a fixed one, the FAQ argues, but it widens at certain times.

• At the market open on Monday.
• During rollover.
• When high-impact news is released.
• At other times of high volatility or thin liquidity.

The spreads page has a live table that you can switch between Elev8Trader, MT4 and MT5, showing the bid, ask, spread in pips and the pip price for each symbol. Use it at the hour you trade. A headline of 0.6 pips is the floor on the best instruments, not the figure for every pair at every moment.

What a trade costs

With no commission and no swap, the spread is the cost. One standard lot of EUR/USD has a pip value of $10, as Elev8's own table shows. Multiply the spread in pips by $10 and by your lot size.

At the 0.6-pip floor, Elev8's cost on one lot equals a raw-spread account charging $6 round turn with a zero spread. In normal conditions the spread sits above the floor, so compare typical spreads, not minimums, when you weigh Elev8 against a commission-based broker.

What zero swaps is worth

A swap is charged at most brokers each night a position stays open. Elev8 charges none. The saving depends entirely on how long you hold.

A swing trader holding gold for three weeks at a swap-charging broker pays the entry cost plus twenty-one nights of financing. At Elev8 the entry cost is the whole bill. For day traders the feature is irrelevant, and the spread comparison decides. The Elev8 Islamic account guide looks at the swap-free terms more closely.

The inactivity fee

Elev8's FAQ states that if you don't trade for a full year, a monthly fee of 5 USD applies. A year is a generous allowance next to brokers that start charging after three months. The fee is small, yet on a forgotten balance of $40 it would empty the account in eight months.

That fee is easy to avoid. Place a trade at least once a year, or withdraw the balance if you are stopping. Don't leave small amounts sitting in accounts you no longer use.

Deposits, withdrawals and conversion

Elev8 says it charges no fees on deposits or withdrawals and covers the fees that payment systems such as Skrill and Neteller may apply. It warns that some payment systems may add fees on their own platforms, which it doesn't control.

Conversion is the cost to watch. All accounts are in US dollars. When you pay by card or e-wallet in another currency, the payment provider converts at its own rate and may charge a transaction fee. That margin doesn't appear on any Elev8 fee list, and for traders outside dollar economies it is often the largest non-trading cost.

Shares and copy trading

The shares trading account has a commission where the CFD accounts have none: 15 USD or 0.1% per transaction, whichever is higher, with no custody fees. On a $1,000 purchase the minimum applies and takes 1.5%. At $20,000 the 0.1% rate gives $20. Our Elev8 shares trading guide works through it.

Copy trading costs a service fee built into the spread as a mark-up of 0.2 pips, plus the Master Trader's commission, which each Master sets and displays. The Elev8 copy trading guide explains both.

The bonus isn't a fee, but it has a cost

Elev8's 50% deposit bonus adds to your margin. It becomes withdrawable only after you trade a set volume: the bonus amount divided by two, in standard lots. A $50 bonus needs 25 lots. At a 0.9-pip spread, 25 lots cost about $225 in spread, more than four times the bonus. See the Elev8 bonus guide before treating it as free money.

How to keep costs low

• Trade liquid pairs in the London and New York sessions, when spreads are tightest.
• Stay out of the first minutes after the Monday open and around major news.
• Check the live spread table for your platform before a session.
• Use a payment method in dollars if you have one, to avoid conversion.
• Place at least one trade a year, or withdraw unused balances.
• Hold positions longer if your method allows; zero swaps reward patience.

Costs that don't appear on any list

Slippage comes first. Elev8 uses market execution and says it can't guarantee a fill at the requested rate. In calm markets the difference is negligible. Around news, your order can fill several tenths of a pip away, which on a commission-free account is effectively a wider spread.

Excess trading is the second. A commission-free, swap-free account feels as if trades cost nothing. Each one still pays the spread. A hundred unnecessary round turns at 0.10 lots with a 0.9-pip spread cost $90.

The third is the bonus. Volume targets encourage more trades and bigger sizes than a plan would call for. The spread paid while chasing a requirement is a real cost, even though it never appears as a fee.

Add those to the visible charges and the lesson is plain. Elev8's price list is short and friendly, and your behaviour decides most of what the account costs.

Frequently asked

Related reading

• Elev8 Islamic account
• Elev8 bonus
• Elev8 shares trading
• Elev8 withdrawal
• Our full Elev8 review