Bullion vault storage: dealers and online platforms
14 bullion dealers and online platforms store gold and silver for UK customers in professional vaults, some in the UK and some abroad. You buy online, the metal stays in the vault, and delivery is usually possible for a fee.
Checked: October 2026. Source: providers’ own information.
Bullion vault storage ranked
The six criteria
- Address with postcode: The vault has a published address with postcode.
- Insurance amount stated: An insurance amount or full-value cover is stated.
- Prices published: Actual prices are published on the website.
- Access hours stated: Access or opening hours are stated.
- Contract term stated: The minimum term or notice period is stated.
- No bank account needed: No bank account needed. Banks get no point here because they usually rent boxes to customers only.
- 1
Sharps Pixley
Allocated and segregated- Address with postcode
- Insurance amount stated
- Prices published
- Access hours stated
- Contract term stated
- No bank account needed
6/6 - 2
Atkinsons Bullion & Coins (Vaultor)
- Address with postcode
- Insurance amount stated
- Prices published
- Access hours stated
- Contract term stated
- No bank account needed
5/6 - 3
Chards
Allocated and segregated- Address with postcode
- Insurance amount stated
- Prices published
- Access hours stated
- Contract term stated
- No bank account needed
5/6 - 4
Baird & Co
Allocated and segregated- Address with postcode
- Insurance amount stated
- Prices published
- Access hours stated
- Contract term stated
- No bank account needed
4/6 - 5
BullionByPost
Allocated and segregated- Address with postcode
- Insurance amount stated
- Prices published
- Access hours stated
- Contract term stated
- No bank account needed
4/6 - 6
Gold Investments
- Address with postcode
- Insurance amount stated
- Prices published
- Access hours stated
- Contract term stated
- No bank account needed
4/6 - 7
Hatton Garden Metals
- Address with postcode
- Insurance amount stated
- Prices published
- Access hours stated
- Contract term stated
- No bank account needed
4/6 - 8
The Royal Mint (The Vault)
Allocated and segregated- Address with postcode
- Insurance amount stated
- Prices published
- Access hours stated
- Contract term stated
- No bank account needed
4/6 - 9
BullionVault
- Address with postcode
- Insurance amount stated
- Prices published
- Access hours stated
- Contract term stated
- No bank account needed
3/6 - 10
GoldCore
Allocated and segregated- Address with postcode
- Insurance amount stated
- Prices published
- Access hours stated
- Contract term stated
- No bank account needed
3/6
Places 11 to 14
| # | Provider | Location | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Physical Gold | UK-wide | Bullion dealer storage | 3/6 |
| 12 | The Pure Gold Company | UK-wide | Bullion dealer storage | 3/6 |
| 13 | Glint | UK-wide | Online bullion storage | 2/6 |
| 14 | Goldmoney | UK-wide | Online bullion storage | 2/6 |
How this list works: the order comes only from six facts published by each provider, one point each. Ties are sorted alphabetically. Providers cannot buy a better position. Any paid placement would always be labelled “Advertisement”. The “Details confirmed” badge means the provider has confirmed its details with us.
A note on VAT: investment gold is exempt from VAT in the UK. Silver, platinum and palladium normally carry 20% VAT. Some providers store these metals in bonded or overseas vaults where VAT may not be charged while the metal stays there. VAT can become due if you take delivery in the UK. We do not give tax advice.
Vault locations and fees compared
| Provider | Vault location | Allocated and segregated | Published fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharps Pixley | Sharps Pixley vault facility in Mayfair, London; international vaulting also available | yes | Gold: holdings below £100,000 flat £25 per month (£300 per year); £100,000-£1,000,000 0.30% per annum; £1,000,000-£5,000,000 0.25%; £5,000,000+ on demand. Silver: below £100,000 flat £50 per month (£600 per year); £100,000-£1,000,000 0.60%; £1,000,000-£5,000,000 0.50%; £5,000,000+ on demand. Fees include insurance and VAT, paid annually in advance (as of 9 October 2026) |
| Atkinsons Bullion & Coins (Vaultor) | High-security UK vaults managed by storage partner Brink's | not stated | Gold: £20,000-£100,000 0.60% + VAT per annum; £100,001-£250,000 0.50%; £250,001-£999,999 0.45%; £1,000,000+ 0.40%. Silver: 0.90% + VAT per annum. Minimum £30 + VAT per quarter; invoiced quarterly in arrears; re-vaulting fee £25 + VAT on part sales; delivery up to £30,000 £29.95 + VAT (as of 9 October 2026) |
| Chards | United Kingdom and overseas; bonded storage in Zurich (Switzerland) and Frankfurt (Germany) | yes | Gold: under £500,000 0.5% + VAT per annum; £500,000-£1,000,000 0.4%; over £1,000,000 0.35%. Silver (platinum and palladium follow silver): under £500,000 0.6% + VAT; £500,000-£1,000,000 0.55%; over £1,000,000 0.5%. Minimum fee £10 per month excl. VAT; processing fee £60 + VAT for personally held items (as of 9 October 2026) |
| Baird & Co | Baird & Co own vault on a secure estate monitored 24 hours a day (location not specified) | yes | Gold, platinum, palladium, rhodium: 0.35% annual rate on the value of the holding, minimum £25 per quarter per metal; silver: 0.75% annual rate, minimum £45 per quarter per metal; applied and charged quarterly, VAT payable on storage fees (as of 9 October 2026) |
| BullionByPost | Brink's London; VAT-free silver in a secure vault in Switzerland | yes | 0.65% + VAT per annum of the Insurance Value of the total metal holding; minimum £10.00 per month including VAT; billed monthly in arrears; free for 6 months on a first storage order over £2,500; holdings over £100,000 on request (as of 9 October 2026) |
| Gold Investments | London Silver Vaults | not stated | £4.00 per ounce per year (minimum charge £25 per year); kilo bars £50 and 100g bars £12 (as of 9 October 2026) |
| Hatton Garden Metals | Grade 6 Chubb safe within a Grade 10 vault in the UK | not stated | 0.65% per annum for gold, platinum and palladium, calculated daily and charged monthly; under £20,000 £120.00 per year (£10.00 per month); 3 months free storage on a first gold order over £2,500; £15 administration fee applies (as of 9 October 2026) |
| The Royal Mint (The Vault) | The Vault, The Royal Mint's 35-acre site in South Wales, close to Cardiff Airport | yes | Coin tubes and bars (excluding 1g, 5g and 10g gold bars): 1% + VAT per annum; single coin capsules and 1g, 5g and 10g gold bars: 2% + VAT per annum; digital precious metals: 0.5% + VAT per annum. Charged quarterly in arrears on the average daily market value; no minimum storage charge; no extraction charge for UK customers (as of 9 October 2026) |
| BullionVault | Gold: Zurich, London, New York, Toronto, Singapore; silver: Zurich, London, Toronto, Singapore; platinum and palladium: London. Vault operators: Loomis International, Malca-Amit and Brink's | not stated | Custody (including insurance): gold 0.12% per year, monthly minimum $4; silver 0.48% per year, monthly minimum $8; platinum 0.48% per year, monthly minimum $8; palladium 0.48% per year, monthly minimum $8; reserved bars: gold 0.18% per year, silver/platinum/palladium 0.72% per year; billed monthly (as of 9 October 2026) |
| GoldCore | Loomis vaults in London, Zurich and Dublin; Brink's in Singapore and Utah; International Depository Services (IDS) in Delaware and Texas | yes | Gold: 1.00% below $100,000; 0.79% $100,000-$250,000; 0.69% $250,000-$500,000; 0.59% $500,000-$750,000; 0.49% $750,000+. Silver: 1.00% below $100,000; 0.95% $100,000-$250,000; 0.85% $250,000-$750,000; 0.75% $750,000+ (as of 9 October 2026) |
| Physical Gold | Loomis UK; VAT-free silver at Brinks Switzerland | yes | Standard semi-annual storage charge: gold coins/bars, Gold Monthly Saver and Pension Gold 0.5% + VAT (minimum semi-annual charge £25.00 + VAT); silver coins/bars and Silver Monthly Saver 0.75% + VAT (minimum £32.50 + VAT); VAT-free silver (Brinks Switzerland) 0.75% + VAT (minimum £32.50 + VAT); delivery of stored UK metals £25 + 0.25% of value handling fee (as of 9 October 2026) |
| The Pure Gold Company | LBMA member vault (location not specified) | yes | Gold: 0.65%-0.95% per annum; silver: 1.5% per annum (as of 9 October 2026) |
| Glint | Brink's vaults (location not stated on the pages opened) | not stated | Vault fee (storage and insurance): gold 0.02%, silver 0.04%; the vault fee is £1 or 0.02%, whichever is greater, charged monthly in arrears in GBP (as of 9 October 2026) |
| Goldmoney | Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States; operators include Loomis International, Brink's and the Royal Canadian Mint | not stated | Gold 0.25% per annum (0.020833% monthly), silver 0.50% (0.041666% monthly), platinum 0.25%, palladium 0.25%, all locations; minimum US $10 per month (fee schedule last updated 1 February 2026) (as of 9 October 2026) |
Bullion vault storage questions
What is bullion vault storage?
You buy gold or silver online and it is stored for you in a professional vault. You do not visit the vault yourself. Fees are usually a percentage of the value of your metal, and delivery or collection is possible for a fee.
What do allocated and segregated storage mean?
Allocated storage means specific bars or coins are recorded as yours. Segregated storage means they are also kept apart from other customers’ metal. Unallocated or pooled storage means you own a share of a larger holding.
Which providers offer allocated and segregated storage?
According to their own websites: Sharps Pixley, Chards, Baird & Co, BullionByPost, The Royal Mint (The Vault), GoldCore, Physical Gold, The Pure Gold Company.
Which providers mention VAT-free or bonded storage for silver?
According to their own websites: Chards, BullionByPost, BullionVault, Physical Gold. Check the conditions with the provider. We do not give tax advice.