Frequently asked questions

For simplicity we often refer to the Vantage Fund Account and Vantage Share Account as separate accounts however when you apply you will actually hold a single Vantage Fund & Share Account. There is no charge to hold funds or shares within the account however dealing charges apply to shares.

Please read the Key Features and Terms & Conditions then apply in one of two ways:

Online: Complete our online application form using a debit card.

By post: Send an application form and a personal cheque.

Telephone: Contact our Share Account Line on 0117 988 9965 (Mon to Fri 9am - 5pm) with your debit card.

You can invest in UK, American and European shares, investment trusts, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Unit Trust/OEIC funds, covered warrants, gilts and corporate bonds. You can also hold cash on the account pending your investment decision.

Yes it is possible to open an account in joint names. The application form has space for a joint holder's details. To apply for a Vantage Share Account in joint names, you would need to send us an application form via the post. The joint holder must be over 18.

Please read the Key Features and Terms & Conditions before you apply.

Yes. It is possible to designate a Share Account so that the investments are held on the child's behalf until they reach the age of 18. The application form has an account designation box where you would need to give the child's initials. For further information on investing on behalf of a child, please call our Helpdesk on 0117 900 9000 to request our Investing for Children pack. To apply for a Share Account on behalf of a child you would need to send us an application form via the post.

Please read the Key Features and Terms & Conditions before you apply.

Yes it is. We would require a certified copy of the Trust Document with the accompanying Vantage Share Account application form and, if not already in the Trust Document, a list of names and addresses of all authorised trustees and beneficiares.

Yes this is possible. For more information, please call our Helpdesk on 0117 900 9000 to request our Investment Clubs Service pack.

Please read the Key Features then you can top up your account in one of three ways:

Online: If you have online access you can add money to your account using a debit card by selecting the 'Add Money' tab once you have logged in.
Telephone: You can call us on 0117 988 9946 to add money using a debit card.
By post: You can send a covering letter, quoting your client number, and cheque made payable to 'HLAM Client A/C'.  If you are not using a personal cheque (or you are using any cheque that doesn’t have your name printed on it) please ask your Bank or Building Society to verify on the back of the cheque that the money has been drawn from your account. The Bank or Building Society may certify the cheque on the reverse with the wording ‘This cheque has been drawn on the account of (your name)’. This must be dated, signed and accompanied by the company stamp.

This is for clients who trade online frequently. Clients in this service can trade online for a flat rate of £9.95 no matter what size the deal. Telephone or postal dealing is charged at 1%, minimum £15 & maximum £50. There is a small annual management fee for this account of £12.50 a quarter.

The only difference is in the charging structure. View a full summary.

The Active Trader Vantage Share Account has a flat rate fee of £9.95 for online dealing whereas the Vantage Share Account has a tiered rate depending on the size deal. There is no annual management fee on the Vantage Share Account but a quarterly fee of £12.50 is charged on the Active Trader Vantage Share Account. Telephone and postal dealing are charged at the same rate on both accounts.

Yes. You can switch between the two types of account at any time. You would be required to complete a form to change from the Vantage Share Account to the Active Trader Vantage Share Account which can be obtained from our Helpdesk on 0117 900 9000. If you open an Active Trader Vantage Share Account and wish to switch to a Vantage Share Account at a later date, we would simply require you to send us a signed letter of instruction.

Online: If you're registered, simply log in to your account to place a deal. If you're not already registered you can request a PIN here.

Telephone: Provided you have a master password on your account, call our stockbrokers on 0117 980 9800.

Post: Send a signed letter of instruction to: One College Square South, Anchor Road, Bristol, BS1 5HL.

Alternatively, you can download and return a dealing form.

Funds:
There is no dealing charge for switching funds, you would be out of the market overnight and on the repurchase of a new fund you would incur the initial charge for this fund, minus any discount we can offer.

Shares:
If you are trading in shares, you will incur dealing commission. View our current dealing tariff.

When placing a purchase order you need to have cleared funds in your account before making the purchase. You can pay money in online with a debit card, over the telephone with a debit card or you can send a cheque, made payable to 'HLAM Client A/C' via the post.

There is no annual management for the Vantage Share Account but there is a quarterly management fee of £12.50 if you opt for the Active Trader Vantage Share Account.

A Vantage Share Account can be set up to treat income in one of three ways:

1. Reinvestment: Income will be held within your account and accumulated until it exceeds £50 per holding for Unit Trusts/OEICs and £200 per holding for other investments, when it will be automatically reinvested. We will do this within 10 working days of the end of each month.
2. Deposit: Income will be held on your account pending your further investment instructions.
3. Pay out an Income: Income will be paid out directly to a nominated bank/building society account. This payment will be made within 10 working days of the end of each month.

The instruction you give will apply to all income paying holdings within your Vantage Fund & Share account.

Please note that it is not possible to opt for scrip dividends in place of a cash dividend.

You can change the income instruction by logging into your account online (go to the 'Income Account' section), or by sending us a signed letter of instruction. You can also opt for income to be retained on the account or automatically reinvested by calling us on 0117 900 9000 with your master password (you cannot request income to be paid to your bank account over the telephone).

Alternatively, you can complete and return our Change of Income Instruction form.

You can set up a direct debit to invest into a fund on a monthly basis in a Vantage Fund Account. It is possible to set up the instruction online or by sending us an application form. The minimum monthly amount we ask for if setting up the regular savings instruction online is £50. If applying for a regular savings plan into the Fund Account via the post, the monthly minimum is £100. This is subject to a minimum of £50 per fund.

Payment will leave your bank account on the 7th of each month (or the next working day if the 7th is not a working day) and investments are made on the 10th (or the next working day if the 10th is not a working day).

Within each Vantage account cash is held in two separate cash management accounts, the Income account and the Capital account. Any dividends or tax credits you receive are paid into your Income account. Any other payments you make into your Vantage account are held on the Capital account.

A Vantage Fund & Share Income Account can be set up to treat income received in one of three ways:

1. Reinvestment: Income will be held within your Income Account and accumulated until it exceeds £50 per holding for Unit Trusts/OEICs and £200 per holding for other investments, when it will be automatically reinvested. We will do this within 10 working days of the end of each month.
2. Deposit: Income will be held on your Capital Account pending your further investment instructions.
3. Pay out an Income: Income will be held temporarily within your income account and then paid out directly to a nominated bank/building society account. This payment will be made within 10 working days of the end of each month.

The monies held in the Vantage Fund & Share Capital account can be used for investment.

We will pay interest on money held as cash in the Capital account. The rate of interest will depend on the value of the cash you hold. View current rates of interest.

Interest is not payable on money held in the Income account.

The interest on cash held in your Vantage Capital account is calculated on a daily basis and credited to your Vantage account monthly (within the first 10 working days of the month).

You can transfer both shares held in certificated form and shares held in a nominee account with another broker into the Vantage Share Account. If you wish to transfer certificated shares these can only be UK listed shares. We can accept the transfer of foreign stocks if these are held electronically by another broker, but we are only able to accept a transfer from a UK broker. To transfer shares into an existing Share Account you will need to complete our Share Account transfer form and send it to us together with any share certificates.

If you do not already hold a Vantage Share Account you will also need to complete a Share Account application form. Please read the Key Features and Terms & Conditions before you apply.

No. If your account is held in your single name, you are only able to transfer shares held in your single name into this account. If your Vantage Share Account is held in joint names, you can transfer shares held in joint names or in either holder's single name to this joint account.

If you already have access to your Vantage portfolio online, any new accounts you open in your name will be displayed in the same place.

If you apply for an account online, you will set up online access to your account as part of the application process. If you apply by post or over the telephone, we will automatically send you a PIN number via the post which will allow you to register for online access.

If you have an existing account and would like to set up online access, you can register for online access on our homepage.

We send an Investment Report containing a valuation and statement of your account twice a year. These arrive with our clients in mid May and mid November. You can view historic Investment Reports online if you have online access set up to your Vantage account.

We will send you a consolidated tax certificate with your April Investment Report which will detail all the dividends received into this account and the tax deducted. This will be received in mid May.

In order to withdraw cash from a Vantage Share Account we would require you to send us a signed letter of instruction. Or, if you prefer you can complete and return a Cash Withdrawal form. If you provide us with your bank details (account number, sort code and if applicable the building society reference number) we can arrange a payment of this money by BACS. Alternatively, we can send you a cheque.

Any deal placed will need to settle before the cash proceeds are available to be paid out. The settlement period for Unit Trusts/OEICs is four working days. The settlement period for shares and investment trusts is three working days. We can pay out cash on the day of settlement, assuming that we have received a signed written instruction to do so.

We have put together a summary of the key protections that apply to you as a private investor:

How safe is your investment with Hargreaves Lansdown

You can log in to your account online (go to the 'Portfolio Administration' section), or send us a signed letter of instruction. Alternatively, you can complete and return our Change of Address form.

Online: If you have an account with us and you have online access, you can log into your account and amend your e-mail address.
Telephone: Provided that you have a Master Password you can call us on 0117 900 9000.
E-mail: We can accept a change of e-mail address given by e-mail as long as the e-mail is sent from the existing e-mail address that we hold.
Post: You can send us a signed letter of instruction, or you can complete and return our Change of Personal Details form.