Robinhood UK Options Fees, and the Professional Surcharge From 15 October 2026
Robinhood UK charges $0.50 per options contract, on buys and on sells, for both stock options and index options. From 15 October 2026 it adds a further $0.50 per contract for "professional" options orders, so a customer classed as professional pays $1.00 a contract. The professional label has a precise definition under US exchange rules, and almost no retail investor meets it. Small US regulatory and clearing fees apply on top for everyone. In the US, Robinhood options carry no commission.
Reviewed by Yaniv Barshaf, CPA · Fees verified 6 October 2026 · Our methodology
Disclosure: FeesWizard may earn a commission if you open an account through links on this page. This never affects our fee data or rankings — how we make money.
What a UK options trade costs
The contract fee is $0.50 per contract, charged on both the opening and the closing trade. Buying 10 contracts and later selling them is 20 contract sides, so $10 in Robinhood fees. US regulators and the clearing house add their own charges, which Robinhood passes through: an options regulatory and OCC clearing fee of $0.04 per contract on buys and sells, a FINRA trading activity fee of $0.00329 per contract on sells, and a Consolidated Audit Trail fee of $0.0003 per contract. On the same 10-contract round trip these add roughly $0.85, so the total is about $10.85. Index options are also subject to exchange fees, which vary by product. Your account holds US dollars, so converting pounds to fund it costs 0.10% on weekdays and 0.30% from Friday 17:00 ET to Sunday 17:00 ET and on US public holidays.
What changes on 15 October 2026
Robinhood's UK fee schedule dated 23 September 2026 adds an extra $0.50 per options contract, on buys and on sells, for professional options orders, effective 15 October 2026. For a customer it applies to, the contract fee doubles from $0.50 to $1.00, and the 10-contract round trip above rises from about $10.85 to about $20.85. Nothing else on the schedule moves: the standard $0.50 contract fee, the 0.10% weekday currency conversion fee, free bank deposits and withdrawals, and the $100 charge for transferring shares out to another broker all stay the same.
Who counts as a professional
The definition comes from US options exchange rules, not from Robinhood. A professional is any customer who placed an average of more than 390 orders in listed options per day during the previous calendar month. That is more than one order a minute through the whole 6.5-hour US trading session, every trading day of the month. An investor who trades options a few times a week, or even a few dozen times a day, is nowhere near the threshold. Because the test runs on the previous calendar month, a customer can move in or out of the professional category from month to month.
How it compares
At $0.50 a contract, Robinhood is one of the cheapest ways for a UK investor to trade US-listed options, but not the only cheap one. Interactive Brokers also charges per contract and gives access to options on far more exchanges, including European markets, where Robinhood offers US-listed options only. Most UK investment platforms, including Trading 212, Freetrade and Hargreaves Lansdown, do not offer exchange-traded options at all. Robinhood UK also lists futures, at $0.75 per contract per side plus exchange fees and a $0.02 NFA fee per contract per side.
The bottom line
For a UK investor who wants US-listed options, Robinhood's $0.50 a contract is hard to beat, and the October 2026 surcharge does not change that for anyone trading at a normal retail pace. Only customers who average more than 390 options orders a day will pay the new $1.00 rate.
Robinhood
Best for commission-free US-stock investing in the US and UK
Capital at risk. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk of loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Robinhood charge for options in the UK?
$0.50 per contract on buys and on sells, for stock options and index options, plus small US regulatory and clearing fees. From 15 October 2026 professional options customers pay an extra $0.50 per contract, $1.00 in total.
What is a professional options customer at Robinhood?
Under US exchange rules, any customer who placed an average of more than 390 listed-options orders per day during the previous calendar month. Ordinary retail investors are far below this level and keep paying $0.50 per contract.
When does the Robinhood professional options fee start?
15 October 2026, according to Robinhood UK's fee schedule dated 23 September 2026.
Are Robinhood options free in the US?
Yes. US customers pay no commission on options. Regulatory and clearing fees still apply. The $0.50 contract fee applies to Robinhood UK customers.