Long-term investing

Swissquote Inactivity Fees guide

Inactivity fees matter more to long-term investors than to frequent traders, because a buy-and-hold approach can mean months without a trade. This guide does not state what Swissquote currently charges. Fee schedules are updated by brokers and can differ by country entity and account type, so the only dependable source is Swissquote's current official fee documentation. Use the checklist below to find, read and interpret those terms before you commit to an account.

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Where to find the current fee terms

Start with Swissquote's official fee schedule and the account agreement for the entity that serves your country. Look for terms such as inactivity fee, dormancy fee, account maintenance fee and custody fee, since brokers use different labels for charges that apply when you are not trading. A broker may charge no fee labelled inactivity but still apply a periodic custody or administration charge that has a similar effect on a passive portfolio. Read the definitions carefully rather than scanning headline pricing tables only.

Read the full fee schedule for your country entity, not a summary page.
Search for inactivity, dormancy, maintenance and custody fee terms.
Check whether any periodic charge applies regardless of trading activity.
Note the effective date of the fee schedule you are reading.

How to interpret inactivity terms for a buy-and-hold plan

If a fee applies, work out the exact trigger: how many months without a trade, whether deposits or dividend reinvestments count as activity, and whether the fee is flat or a percentage of assets. Also check whether the fee is capped, waived above a balance threshold, or offset against trading commissions. For a long-term investor who contributes monthly, a fee triggered by twelve months of no trades may never apply, while a quarterly custody charge would apply constantly. Model your realistic activity pattern using the Brokerage fee calculator at /tools/brokerage-fee-calculator.

Identify the exact inactivity period and what actions reset it.
Check whether the charge is flat, tiered or asset-based.
Look for waivers linked to balance levels or account types.
Estimate the annual cost under your actual contribution pattern.

Comparing brokers on standing charges

Once you know the standing charges that would apply to your account, compare them the same way across brokers. A low trading commission can be outweighed by recurring account charges for a passive investor, and the reverse is also true. Build a simple annual cost estimate for each broker using identical assumptions about balance, contributions and trade count. The Long-term investing hub at /invest-long-term has related cost guides, and Find my broker at /find-my-broker helps you apply this checklist to a shortlist of brokers.

Compare total annual standing charges, not single fee lines.
Use identical assumptions for balance, contributions and trade frequency.
Recheck fee schedules periodically, since brokers revise pricing.
Keep a copy or note of the fee schedule version you relied on.

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FAQ

Does Swissquote charge an inactivity fee?

This guide does not confirm current charges. Check Swissquote's current fee schedule and account agreement for the entity serving your country. Look for inactivity, dormancy, maintenance and custody terms, since charges that affect inactive accounts can appear under different labels.

What usually counts as activity for avoiding an inactivity fee?

It varies by broker. Some count only executed trades, while others count deposits or logins. The account agreement defines the trigger, the measurement period and what resets it, so read that definition rather than assuming a standard rule.

Why do inactivity or custody fees matter for long-term investors?

Buy-and-hold investors may trade rarely, so charges linked to low activity or applied periodically to holdings can accumulate over years. A small recurring fee compounds against returns over long horizons, which makes standing charges worth estimating before opening an account.