Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA review: Is it worth it?

Disclaimer: The information in this article is for reference purposes only. Wise does not offer to buy or sell stocks, and all information on this page should not be considered financial advice. All investment decisions should be made after thorough research and consultation with a qualified financial advisor. Remember that investments, even in low-risk funds, are never guaranteed and your capital is at risk.

Considering investing with a stocks and shares ISA? Or perhaps you already have one, but are thinking of switching providers.

Whether you’re a newbie investor or a seasoned trader, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to the number of stocks and shares ISAs currently available in the UK.

Here, we’ll be taking a look at the S&S ISA offered by US-based investment company Vanguard.

In our comprehensive Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA review, we’ll run through features, trading and commission fees, eligibility and everything else you need to know. This should help you decide if it’s the right option for you.

Table of contents

Who the Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA is best for? Who can open an account? What currencies are supported? Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA features Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA fees Does the Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA have an account fee? Trading fees with Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA How much does Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA charge for UK stocks? Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA withdrawal fees Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA commission fees How to buy stock with Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA Buying stock in another currency? How is the Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA mobile app? Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA customer service Alternatives to the Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA FAQs about investing with Vanguard S&S ISA Can you withdraw cash from Vanguard ISA? What you can invest in with a Vanguard S&S ISA? Is Vanguard good for beginners? Grow your international money with Wise

Who the Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA is best for?

The Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA can be used by any kind of UK investor, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced investor.

This is because it has two main options - a DIY Self-managed ISA, or a fully Managed ISA.

The Self-managed ISA lets you choose from a wide range of individual funds, or you can start by choosing one of 5 LifeStrategy funds which align with your goals and attitudes to risk.

With the Managed ISA, all you need to do is let Vanguard know about your attitude to risk, and investments will be chosen and managed for you.

Read more about how stocks and shares ISAs work below.

📚How stocks and shares ISAs work

Who can open an account?

To be eligible for the Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:¹

• You’re a UK resident (and don’t live in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man)
• You’re at least 18 years old
• You’re not a US citizen or tax resident.

To apply, you’ll need to have your National Insurance (NI) number to hand - this is required to open all ISAs in the UK, including cash ISAs. You’ll also need your bank account and debit card details.¹

What currencies are supported?

Vanguard doesn’t say whether any currencies other than GBP are supported with its Stocks and Shares ISA.

It’s likely that your account will be denominated in British pounds (GBP), and all trades will be carried out in GBP.

However, this doesn’t mean you can’t buy and sell stocks on international stock exchanges with your Vanguard S&S ISA. It is likely though that a currency conversion will be required.

Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA features

Now, let’s take a look at the key features of the Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA:²

• Choose from either a Self-Managed ISA or Managed ISA
• A Self-Managed ISA offers a choice from over 85 funds
• A Managed ISA is personalised based on your attitude to risk, and offers expert investment guidance
• Manage investments online or via the Vanguard mobile app
• UK-based customer service
• 24/7 access to your investments.

It’s also useful to know that this is a flexible ISA,² which means that any money you withdraw and then put back in won’t affect your annual ISA allowance. [Find out more about how ISAs work below.

📚How ISAs work

Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA fees

Before you open any kind of ISA or investment account, you’ll need to know exactly how much it’s going to cost you.

Here are the main fees and charges you need to know about for both self-managed and managed Stocks and Shares ISAs with Vanguard:²

Fee	Self-managed ISA	Managed ISA
Account fee	- £48/year for investments under £32,000 - 0.15%/year for investments of £32,000+ (max. £375)	0.15%/year
Fund management cost	0.06% to 0.79%/year depending on the funds you choose	0.17%/year on average
Management fee	None	0.20%/year
Withdrawal fees	None	None

Does the Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA have an account fee?

Vanguard charges different account fees depending which kind of S&S ISA you have and how much you invest.

For the Self-managed ISA, the account fee is £4 a month (£48 a year) for investments under £32,000. Invest more than this and you’ll pay 0.15% a year instead, up to a maximum of £375 a year.²

For the Managed ISA, the fee is 0.15% - this is also capped at £375 a year for investments over £32,000.²

There are also fund management costs, which vary depending on your portfolio. And for the Managed ISA, you’ll also pay a management fee of 0.20% a year.²

Trading fees with Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA

The good news is that there aren’t any trading fees with Vanguard investment ISAs.

All transaction costs (also known as dealing fees) are covered under the fund management fees.³

How much does Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA charge for UK stocks?

Vanguard S&S ISAs mainly focus on funds, so it may not be possible to buy individual UK stocks with your account.

For more info, it’s best to contact the provider.

Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA withdrawal fees

Vanguard doesn’t charge for cash withdrawals from its Stocks and Shares ISA, so you should be able to withdraw freely.³ Read our guide on how to do it below.

📚Withdraw from Vanguard

You’ll just need to make sure that the funds you want to withdraw aren’t tied up with an investment. If so, you’ll need to sell the investment before you can cash out.

Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA commission fees

Vanguard doesn’t charge commission fees, as it's all covered under the platform, account and fund management costs.

How to buy stock with Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA

As we’ve mentioned above, Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISAs mainly focus on funds rather than trading individual shares.

If you have a Managed ISA, all you need to do is answer a few questions about your attitude to risk when signing up for the account.

For Self-Managed ISAs, all you need to do to buy funds is follow these steps:⁴

1. Open the Vanguard app or go to the Vanguard website and login to your account
2. Go to ‘Investments’ and then ‘Invest’
3. Browse or search the available funds
4. Follow the on-screen steps to buy funds - you’ll need to make sure you have sufficient funds in your account first.
5. Check all the details carefully, then confirm.

It should take around 2-4 working days for your order to complete.⁴

Take a look below for more info on buying shares in the UK.

📚How to buy shares

Buying stock in another currency?

Buying or selling a stock or shares that aren’t traded in your local currency? Don’t let the currency conversion trip you up. Convert your stocks or shares into any currency with our handy tool, and you’ll always know what you’re getting.

Check out our international stock ticker tool.

Explore international stocks 🌍

Disclaimer: Wise's international stock ticker provides information for reference purposes only. This tool and platform does not offer to buy or sell stocks, and the data displayed here should not be considered financial advice. All investment decisions should be made after thorough research and consultation with a qualified financial advisor. We make no guarantees regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, and users should exercise caution and seek professional guidance when making investment choices.

How is the Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA mobile app?

You can use the Vanguard mobile app for managing your Stocks and Shares ISA.

It’s available for both Android and iOS devices, and lets you check and manage your portfolio at any time. You can manage your investments, buy stock and withdraw funds.

Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA customer service

If you need help with your Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA, there are a few ways to contact customer services:⁵

• Log in to your account and send a secure message
• Use the 24/7 chatbot
• Call 0800 587 0460 - available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Alternatives to the Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISA

Vanguard is far from the only provider of stocks and shares ISAs in the UK. There are plenty of alternatives you can choose from, such as:

• Barclays Investment ISA
• NatWest Stocks and Shares ISA
• Halifax Stocks and Shares ISA
• HSBC Stocks and Shares ISA
• Lloyds Stocks and Shares ISA
• Trading 212 Stocks ISA
• Moneybox Stocks and Shares ISA.

FAQs about investing with Vanguard S&S ISA

Can you withdraw cash from Vanguard ISA?

Yes, you can withdraw cash from your Vanguard ISA whenever you want, free of charge.

What you can invest in with a Vanguard S&S ISA?

Vanguard Stocks and Shares ISAs are mainly focused on funds. You can use them to buy index funds, active funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).⁶

Is Vanguard good for beginners?

Yes, Vanguard is a great option for beginners as it has a fully Managed ISA where all you need to do is provide info on your attitude to risk. Everything is managed for you by investment experts. However, there is an extra management fee to pay,

Grow your international money with Wise

Not sure about using a stocks and shares ISA to help you save?

With a Wise account, you can earn a return by investing your GBP, EUR and USD, and choose how your money is used. Simply select your chosen currency then under ‘Options’, select ‘Earn’ and choose ‘Stocks’ or ‘Interest’.

All your money is held as ‘cash’ by default, so you can’t earn a return on what you spend, but it isn’t at risk in the market.

If you select the ‘Stocks’ option, we’ll invest some or all of your money (you can choose to allocate all or part of your chosen currency) in the index tracking fund we’ve chosen.

And if you opt for Wise Interest you can choose to give us permission to invest all or some of your money in the interest-earning fund we’ve chosen, this will depend on the currency.

Wise Interest can help grow your international money and start earning a return on the pounds, euros and dollars in your account. When you use Wise Interest, you can send and spend your money whenever you want, including your gains and you can transfer up to 10,000 GBP (or equivalent) each day from Interest currencies. Anything above will add a processing time of up to 2 working days.

To protect your account, we may occasionally need to temporarily limit the amount of money you can withdraw, send, or spend daily. In this case you’d still get full access to your money within 2 working days.

We invest your money in government-backed asset funds. This means that when the central bank rates change, your return does too. You can check the 7 day past performance on the Wise Interest page. Past performance doesn't guarantee future growth. Capital at risk.

Consider turning on Wise Interest, which could help grow your money.

Learn more about Wise Interest

Capital at risk. Growth not guaranteed. Wise Assets UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with registration number 839689. When facilitating access to Wise investment products, Wise Payments Ltd acts as an Introducer Appointed Representative of Wise Assets UK Ltd. Please be aware that we do not offer investment advice, and you may be liable for taxes on any earnings. If you’re uncertain, we urge you to seek professional advice. To find out more about the Funds, visit our website.

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Sources used for this article:

1. Vanguard - Managed ISA
2. Vanguard - Stocks and Shares ISA
3. Vanguard - fees
4. Vanguard - how to buy funds
5. Vanguard - help page
6. Vanguard - investment fund types

Sources last checked on 22-May-2025