IG offers optional guaranteed stop losses (GSLs) across most spread betting and CFD markets. They ensure exit price even through gaps, but come with premiums and distance requirements. This guide details the mechanics and the latest fee schedule so you can decide when the protection is worth paying for. For IG’s broader platform overview, see the full review: https://entrylab.io/broker/ig-group.
How IG’s Guaranteed Stops Work
A guaranteed stop is an attachment to a position that closes it at a specified level regardless of volatility. Unlike a traditional stop, it cannot slip. On IG’s web and mobile platforms, you toggle “Guaranteed” when placing or editing an order. Once active, the platform displays a padlock icon next to the stop price. The workflow is straightforward: set your size, tick the guaranteed box, enter the distance, and IG will immediately display the premium and new margin requirement so you can confirm before sending the order.
IG enforces minimum distances based on instrument volatility. For example, UK 100 cash requires at least 30 points, while EUR/USD requires 10 pips. Guaranteed stops can be added only when the market is open and cannot be placed within the last 5 minutes of daily trading on limited-hours markets. If you remove the GSL before it triggers, IG refunds the premium.
The feature works on both spread betting and CFD accounts, though the minimum distances differ slightly. Trailing GSLs are not supported; any adjustment requires manually moving the level, which recalculates the minimum distance. If the market gaps beyond your level, IG’s systems still fill you at the guaranteed price and absorb the difference, which is why premiums exist.
Partial closes interact with GSLs in a specific way: if you reduce position size, the entire guaranteed stop is removed and must be re-added, otherwise the remainder reverts to a standard stop. Keep this in mind when scaling out. GSLs also cannot be attached to working orders such as limit entries; you need to open the trade first and then apply the guarantee.
Pricing and Margin Impact (March 2026)
IG charges a premium when the guaranteed stop is hit. As of March 2026, FX premiums range from 0.4 to 0.7 pips, indices from 0.5 to 1.5 points, and equities from 0.3% of notional. These premiums appear in the deal ticket before you confirm. If the stop never triggers, there is no cost.
Examples: a £10/point position on the UK 100 with a guaranteed stop 40 points away carries a £6 premium (0.6 points x £10). A €20-per-point DAX CFD with a guaranteed stop 60 points away costs €18. On individual shares, IG quotes the fee as a percentage; a £5,000 long position in a FTSE stock with a GSL incurs roughly £15 if triggered.
Suppose you hold a $50-per-point Wall Street position ahead of nonfarm payrolls. Without a GSL, a 200-point gap could cost $10,000. Adding a guaranteed stop 120 points away shows a premium of $35. If payrolls miss and the market gaps 220 points lower, IG closes you exactly 120 points down and charges $35—a defined risk of $6,035 instead of a potential $10,000. If the market rallies instead, the $35 never leaves your account.
Adding a GSL also affects margin. IG lets you reduce margin to the minimum for that market, because the maximum loss is capped. For example, EUR/USD margin may drop from 3.33% to 0.5% when a guaranteed stop is within the allowed distance. This frees capital but also forces you to honour the distance rules; moving the stop further away can raise margin again.
Remember that margin relief applies only while the GSL meets IG’s distance criteria. If you widen the stop beyond the “reduced margin” range, the platform recalculates and may request additional margin instantly. Similarly, if you remove the guaranteed flag, margin requirements revert to standard levels, so ensure spare funds are available before making changes. Premium tables also change on weekends, with Wall Street, Germany 40, and FX majors carrying slightly higher fees from Friday close until Sunday open to reflect gap risk.
When to Deploy Guaranteed Stops
Guaranteed stops help during major news events or when holding positions overnight on volatile indices. UK spread bettors frequently use them to lock in tax-free profits while sleeping. Day traders might apply them on small size to prevent one gap from erasing a week of gains. Australian CFD clients also lean on GSLs for out-of-hours US equity earnings, since local trading hours make monitoring difficult.
They also shine when trading around weekend risk. IG allows GSLs on weekend Wall Street and FX markets, so you can carry positions from Friday to Monday knowing the maximum loss. Swing traders hedging equities with indices often add GSLs during earnings season to safeguard against surprise downgrades.
However, GSLs don’t suit every strategy. Scalpers who place stops very near entry may find the minimum distance too wide. Premiums can also eat into tight risk-reward setups. Before applying a GSL, weigh the premium against the protection offered and consider whether reducing position size could provide similar safety without extra cost. If you run multi-leg strategies, note that GSLs cannot be attached to each leg independently on some platforms; you may need to hedge manually instead. Algorithmic strategies that rely on partial fills or bracket orders might struggle because guaranteed stops cannot sit on pending orders.
Conclusion
IG’s guaranteed stop losses are a straightforward way to eliminate slippage risk in return for a transparent premium. Understand the minimum distances, check the displayed cost before confirming, and remember margin relief can offset part of the fee. Use them selectively for positions exposed to gaps or when you can’t monitor the market, and keep a log of when the premium was triggered to judge value over time. Periodically review IG’s minimum-distance table because requirements shift when volatility regimes change, especially during earnings season. For the rest of IG’s pricing and tools, visit the full review linked above.