What is Robinhood Gold, and Is It Worth the $5/Month?

Robinhood Gold is a premium suite of tools, features and resources that enhance your trading experience by offering advanced data, higher interest rates on cash and more.

For investors looking to up their game, Robinhood Gold provides a range of features to give you an edge, from higher interest on your uninvested cash to professional research and even commission-free margin trading on your first $1,000. It’s a subscription service, so you’ll need to weigh whether the benefits justify the $5 per month or $50 per year price tag. Let’s take a closer look at how Robinhood Gold works and if it’s worth the upgrade.

How Does Robinhood Gold Work?

Robinhood Gold offers a subscription-based service that delivers premium features to make investing more efficient and profitable. Once you sign up for Robinhood Gold, you can access bigger instant deposits, interest on uninvested cash, margin benefits, advanced data and professional research.

5% Interest on Uninvested Brokerage Cash

One of the most attractive features of Robinhood Gold is the ability to earn 5% APY on uninvested cash in your brokerage account. Let’s say you have $10,000 sitting in your account. With Robinhood Gold, that money would generate $500 in interest over the year, compared to just $1 with a standard account’s 0.01% rate. Remember that you won't earn interest on any uninvested cash if you're using margin since margin balances take priority.

1% Boost on Eligible New Deposits 

Gold members can also benefit from a 1% boost on new deposits. If you deposit $5,000 into your Robinhood account, you'll receive an extra $50 over two years on top of your regular returns. The deposit boost is distributed over 24 months, encouraging long-term investing habits.

Increased Instant Deposit Limits

With Robinhood Gold, your instant deposit limit jumps significantly. Instead of waiting for your funds to clear, you can access them immediately to execute trades. For example, while a regular account might have a $1,000 limit, Gold users could see limits as high as $50,000, depending on the account type and status.

3% Match on IRA Contributions

For those looking to grow their retirement savings, Robinhood Gold offers a 3% match on IRA contributions. If you contribute $6,000 to your IRA, Robinhood will match $180. To fully benefit from this match, you must remain a Gold subscriber for at least one year and hold the contribution in the account for five years.

Interest-Free Margin of $1,000

Another perk for active traders is that the first $1,000 margin trading is interest-free. You borrow $2,000 on margin – only above $1,000 will incur interest. This can save traders significant interest fees, especially if they frequently trade on margin. For example, borrowing $5,000 would mean paying interest on only $4,000 rather than the full amount.

Professional Research from Morningstar

Gold users gain access to Morningstar’s professional research, which offers detailed stock and market analysis. Whether you're evaluating a new stock or digging into market trends, Morningstar’s insights can help inform smarter decisions.

Level II Market Data from Nasdaq

Gold members also have access to Level II Market Data, providing a more detailed view of the market’s order book directly from Nasdaq. This data allows you to see bid and ask prices in real-time, helping you make more informed trades by understanding market depth and price action.

Robinhood Gold Card

While not yet launched, the Robinhood Gold Card is expected to offer premium benefits like cash back, fee-free international transactions and more. Stay tuned for its official release, which is another exciting benefit for Gold subscribers.

How Much Does Robinhood Gold Cost? 

Robinhood Gold costs $5 per month or $50 per year, making it an affordable option for most investors. The benefits can easily outweigh the cost if you frequently take advantage of the interest-free margin or use Morningstar research. Robinhood Gold is competitively priced compared to similar services, like Charles Schwab or E*TRADE, especially for newer or intermediate investors.

Is Robinhood Gold Worth It?

Whether Robinhood Gold is worth it depends on how you plan to use the features. For example, if you take advantage of the 5% APY on uninvested cash or the interest-free margin trading, you could cover the monthly fee with just a few trades or a moderate cash balance. For example, earning $50 in interest from $1,000 of margin or $10,000 of uninvested cash would pay for an entire year’s subscription. The standard Robinhood account might be enough if you don't intend to use features like margin or advanced data.

How to Upgrade to Robinhood Gold

If you’re ready to unlock Robinhood Gold, upgrading is easy. Simply navigate to Account > Menu (3 bars) > Investing > Robinhood Gold in your app or online account. Once you subscribe, your benefits will be activated immediately.

How to Cancel Robinhood Gold

If you decide Robinhood Gold isn’t for you, canceling your subscription is as easy as upgrading. Navigate to Account > Menu > Investing > Robinhood Gold > Cancel Membership. You’ll still have access to all the Gold features until your current billing cycle ends, but your benefits – like the higher interest rate – will revert once the cycle is over.

Final Thoughts on Robinhood Gold

Robinhood Gold offers robust tools for investors looking to elevate their trading game. From higher interest rates on uninvested cash to advanced market data and professional research, the benefits can easily cover the subscription cost for active traders. Whether you're taking advantage of margin trading or parking extra cash, Robinhood Gold could be a valuable addition to your portfolio.

Frequently Asked Questions