Tickmill
Category Scores
Available Regions
Trading Costs
Asset Coverage
Tickmill provides good coverage for mainstream U.S. and European futures trading through CME, CBOT, NYMEX, COMEX and Eurex, spanning equity indices, energy, metals, interest rates, currencies and agriculture, with micro index contracts and options on supported listed products. These are standardized exchange-traded contracts rather than CFDs. Coverage is limited to five exchange groups and is not as broad as that of major global brokers supporting substantially more exchanges.
Focus: Exchange-traded futures and options on five major exchange groups, covering equity indices, interest rates, currencies, energy, metals and agricultural products, separate from Tickmill's Forex and CFD business
Market categories
- U.S. equity indices
- E-mini S&P 500 and other supported index futures
- Micro index futures
- Selected micro equity-index contracts
- Energy
- Crude oil and other supported energy products
- Metals
- Gold, silver, copper and selected metals futures
- Interest rates
- U.S. Treasury Note futures and other supported rate products
- Currency futures
- Australian dollar, British pound, Canadian dollar and other listed currency contracts
- Agriculture
- Supported agricultural futures on the applicable exchanges
- European futures
- Selected Eurex index and interest-rate contracts
US exchanges
- CME
- CBOT
- NYMEX
- COMEX
International exchanges
- Eurex
Product support
- Options on futuresYes
- Micro contractsYes
Highlights
- Access to CME, CBOT, NYMEX, COMEX, and Eurex
- Index futures and micro contracts on selected markets
- Energy, metals, currency, interest-rate, and agricultural futures
- Options on supported listed products
- Standardized exchange-traded contracts rather than only futures-related CFDs
- Limited to five major exchange groups
Five exchange groups are supported, which is fewer than the exchange networks of some large global futures brokers, and traders needing Asian, regional or niche contracts should compare the live instrument list with their requirements.
Actual instrument availability and margin requirements should be checked in Tickmill's live contract specifications, and a listed futures contract should not be treated as equivalent to a CFD on the same underlying market.
Trading Conditions & Tools
Trading conditions
- Score
- 8
- Minimum Deposit Usd
- 1000
- Minimum Deposit Note
- The official futures-account minimum is $1,000, or the equivalent in EUR or GBP, and the amount needed to trade a particular contract depends on the applicable margin requirement.
- Margin Note
- Intraday and overnight margin figures are indicative and may be changed by the exchange, and an apparently low initial margin should not be confused with the maximum possible loss.
- Maintenance Margin Requirement
- Futures require an initial margin to open a position and sufficient equity to maintain it, and requirements are affected by market volatility and can change.
- Minimum Equity For Live Data Usd
- 1000
- Summary
- Tickmill provides standardized futures with exchange-defined contract sizes, trading sessions, tick values and margin requirements, a minimum trade size of one contract and position rollover into later contract months, including through spread functionality where supported. Physical delivery is not offered, so affected positions must be closed or rolled before the applicable deadlines, which makes the service better suited to speculation, hedging and rolling than to taking delivery. Traders must monitor expiration dates and changing exchange margins, and CQG supports advanced order types subject to exchange availability.
- Highlights
- Exchange-defined contract sizes and sessionsInitial and maintenance margins can change with market conditionsOne-contract minimum trade sizePosition rollover functionalityPhysical delivery not supportedAdvanced order types available on eligible contractsTraders must monitor expiration and margin requirements
Support & Account Opening
Customer support
- Score
- 7.8
- Channels
- PhoneEmail
- Availability
- Monday to Friday, 07:00 to 16:00 UK time
- Technical Support
- Dedicated futures team covering exchange subscriptions, CQG connectivity, contract specifications, rollover procedures and margin questions
- Educational Support Resources
- Help centreFutures and options education pages
- Public Feedback
- Positive
- Some users praise support responsiveness and fast withdrawals across the broader Tickmill business
- Negative
- Some users report delays or standardised replies, described as anecdotal and not a verified measurement of the futures team's performance
- Summary
- Tickmill provides a dedicated futures support team, separate from its Forex and CFD service, reachable by telephone and email from Monday to Friday, 07:00 to 16:00 UK time. The team is useful for exchange subscriptions, CQG connectivity, contract specifications, rollover procedures and margin questions, but the published hours do not cover all trading sessions, and U.S. futures trade beyond the UK business day. Public feedback is mixed across the broader Tickmill business and should be treated as anecdotal.
- Highlights
- Dedicated futures support teamPublished telephone and email contact detailsSupport available five days a week during UK business hoursPlatform and exchange-subscription assistanceSupport window does not cover every futures trading sessionGeneral public feedback includes both praise and complaints
Account opening
- Score
- 7.8
- Minimum Deposit Usd
- 1000
- Minimum Deposit Note
- The minimum futures-account deposit is $1,000, or the equivalent in EUR or GBP, which is significantly higher than the $100 minimum advertised for Tickmill's regular Forex and CFD accounts, and applicable margin requirements must also be funded.
- Account Base Currencies
- USDEURGBP
- Fully Digital
- Yes
- Verification Required
- Yes
- Simulated Trading Available
- Yes
- Additional Steps Before Trading
- Complete registrationComplete identity verificationFund the account with at least $1,000 or the equivalent in EUR or GBPSelect the CQG platform package and market-data subscriptions
- Eligibility Note
- Not available to residents of the United States and Canada.
- Accessibility
- Moderate
- Summary
- Tickmill's futures onboarding is digital but has different entry requirements from its general Forex and CFD offering, with registration, identity verification, funding of at least $1,000 or the EUR or GBP equivalent and selection of a CQG platform and market-data options. A 28-day demo account is available only through the browser-based CQG Desktop platform. The process is workable for serious futures traders, but the $1,000 minimum makes the service less accessible to beginners and small-account traders, and clients should confirm country availability, the holding legal entity, all-in costs, margin requirements, subscription charges and applicable customer-protection arrangements.
- Highlights
- Digital registration and verification$1,000 minimum futures deposit, or EUR/GBP equivalentBank-transfer fundingPlatform and market data selected after account approval and fundingDemo account available for 28 days through CQG DesktopAvailability depends on residence and applicable regulations
User Experience
Tickmill's futures service follows a straightforward structure of registering, verifying the account, funding it, choosing a CQG platform package and market-data subscriptions and then trading. The main learning curve comes from futures-specific concepts such as contract expirations, exchange-defined margin, tick values, order-book information and the difference between micro and standard contracts, particularly for users coming from MetaTrader. Tickmill does not pass on CQG's separate $0.25 per filled contract execution charge, but the chosen CQG package and any market-data package can increase the monthly expense.
Defined onboarding with a professional CQG-based futures environment, requiring platform package and market-data selection
Things to manage separately
- CQG platform package
- Market-data subscriptions
- Exchange and NFA fees
- Margin requirements
- Contract expirations and rollovers
Highlights
- Defined onboarding and platform-selection process
- Professional futures tools through CQG
- Platform and market-data subscriptions need to be configured
- Traders must understand standardized contracts and exchange-specific rules
- The $1,000 funding threshold is higher than Tickmill's ordinary FX/CFD minimum
- Users familiar with MetaTrader may need to adapt to CQG
Trader Compatibility
Who It's For
Best for
- Active futures day traders: Competitive commissions and the absence of a monthly minimum trading commission suit traders who make regular transactions
- Micro-contract traders: The $0.85 starting commission for micro contracts is attractive, especially for traders who prefer smaller contract exposure
- CQG users: Traders who want market depth, advanced charting, and several order-management tools can benefit from the dedicated futures platform
- U.S. and European market participants: Tickmill's coverage of CME, CBOT, NYMEX, COMEX, and Eurex supports a range of index, energy, metal, currency, and interest-rate strategies, subject to regional eligibility
Not recommended for
- Very small futures accounts: The $1,000 minimum is a meaningful barrier for beginners and traders who want to start with a small amount of capital
- Traders requiring physical delivery: Tickmill does not offer physical delivery of futures contracts
- Traders who require the widest possible exchange selection: Five exchange groups provide important markets but are fewer than some major multi-exchange brokers
- Traders wanting free professional software: CQG subscription and market-data fees can increase the total cost of maintaining an active futures setup
Final Review
Tickmill is a strong value proposition for experienced, active futures traders who want low commissions, established exchange access and professional CQG tools without a monthly trading-volume commitment. Its pricing, technology and dedicated futures support are the main attractions, while the $1,000 starting deposit, five-exchange coverage, potential subscription costs and lack of physical delivery are the main compromises.
Tickmill earns a high TraderZone rating for its listed-futures offering because of its low commissions, access to major U.S. and European derivatives exchanges and capable CQG-based trading environment. The compromises include the $1,000 starting deposit, five-exchange coverage, potential platform and data subscription costs, the lack of physical delivery and a support window limited to UK business hours, and Tickmill's public pages conflict on the current FSCS compensation amount. Before opening an account, traders should confirm all-in fees, platform subscriptions, margin requirements, the legal entity holding the account and the applicable compensation arrangements.
Trading carries risk. Review the broker’s current terms directly before opening an account. This page is informational and not financial advice.