How to buy Aviva (AV) shares

By   |   Verified by Andrew Boyd   |   Updated 16 Oct 2023

Aviva (LON: AV) can trace its history back to 1696 when it was established as the Hand in Hand Life Security Society.

Millions of people in the UK, Canada, and Ireland are covered by their life, pension, and general insurance policies. They’ve remained the UK's leading provider of general insurance.

Scroll down for our complete guide to buying shares in Aviva.

Unsure about what share dealer to use?

Where to buy Aviva shares

eToro

On website

eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk

eToro

Highlights

  • Trade and invest in top financial instruments, including a wide selection of stocks.
  • eToro is regulated by CySec, FCA and ASIC
  • Your funds are protected by industry-leading security protocols.
Hargreaves Lansdown

On website

Hargreaves Lansdown

Highlights

  • Offers easy-to-use trading platforms.
  • Invest across 20 international exchanges in shares, funds, bonds and investment trusts.
  • Dealing charges depend on how many trades you make each month.
Lightyear

On website

When you invest, your capital is at risk.

Lightyear

Highlights

  • Invest in over 3,000 international ETFs and stocks in the EU, UK, US, and more.
  • Simple and easy-to-understand pricing. Per order, Lightyear will charge 0.1% (up to $1 max) on US shares, £1 on UK shares, and €1 on EU shares.
  • Earn interest* on uninvested cash, USD (4.50%), EUR (3.25%), GBP (4.5%), and HUF (8.25%)  p.a. gross.
  • No account-keeping fees.


*The interest rates are true as of 12.06.2023
* Finty will be paid a referral fee, including financial promotion if you open an account and deposit funds through some of the links on this page.


Pros

  • No withdrawal fees.
  • US Fractional Shares are available.
  • A low 0.35% foreign exchange fee.

Cons

  • Limited investment products.
Saxo Markets

On website

Saxo Markets

Highlights

  • It only takes five minutes to open your account online.
  • Get ultra-competitive spreads and commissions across all asset classes.
  • Get news, commentary and actionable trade ideas from their team of expert analysts.
Pepperstone

On website

80.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs

Pepperstone

Highlights

  • Trade gold, silver, oil, and more.
  • Enjoy industry-leading low spreads from 0.0 pips.
  • Regulated by ASIC, BaFin, CMA, CySEC, DFSA, FCA, and SCB.
Freetrade

On website

Freetrade

Highlights

  • With fractional shares, you can start investing from only £2.
  • Choose from thousands of stocks from the London Stock Exchange, NYSE and NASDAQ.
  • Access to a wide range of ETFs and Investment trusts.

Compare share dealing platforms with Finty. Research broker fees, commissions, tradable assets, markets, and commodities, etc.

First time buying?

How to buy Aviva shares

Step 1: Choose a broker

Aviva is a publicly-traded company on the London Stock Exchange. You'll need a broker who has access to this exchange if you wish to acquire their shares.

Any broker you choose should have a reasonable commission and be able to provide rapid market quotes and transaction execution, as well as market research, trading platforms and services, and, ideally, the ability to trade fractional shares.

Step 2: Transfer funds to your account

Your trading account can be funded via bank transfer or debit card. Although it is less widely available, certain brokers may accept credit cards and/or PayPal. If you have a time-sensitive trade, keep in mind that funds may take some time to clear before you can buy.

Step 3: Choose how much to invest

Because you risk losing some or all of your money, only invest what you can afford to lose. It is unnecessary to rush into an investment because it can be made over time when your financial position is stronger.

Step 4: Invest in shares or an ETF

ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) are a type of investment that allow you to gain exposure to a group of firms, usually with something in common like exposure to an industry or market.

While ETFs may offer a hedge against some of the volatility of a more active investment such as investing in a single company, they are more likely to post steady growth rather than the rapid growth in the short-term that can be achieved with active trading.

ETFs with exposure to Aviva include iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA), Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Index Fund ETF Shares (VEU), and Schwab International Equity ETF (SCHU).

Step 5: Set up your order

Market orders are the most basic order type, meaning your broker will buy shares in Aviva at the next available price.

You can acquire shares regularly to build up a significant stake in a company. Pound cost averaging is an added benefit of this strategy.

Step 6: Submit your order

With everything configured, it’s time to submit an order to buy.

After you buy

What moves Aviva share price

Any shareholder would benefit from knowing how Aviva is performing. If you are holding Aviva shares, you can do this by signing up to receive copies of their announcements to the market, press releases, and financial results.

It's also a good idea to monitor what other companies in the life insurance, pension, and general insurance sectors are doing.

Tracking the share price of competing companies — for example, Prudential (NYSE: PRU), Aegon (AMS: AGN), AIG (NYSE: AIG), Legal and General Group (LGEN), and Sun Life (TSE: SLF) — can alert you to possible problems in the industry that might have an effect Aviva’s share price.

Disclaimer: We put our customer’s needs first. The views expressed in this article are those of the writer’s alone and do not constitute financial advice. Advertisers cannot influence editorial content. However, Finty and/or the writer may have a financial interest in the companies mentioned. Finty is committed to providing factual, honest, and accurate information that is compliant with governing laws and regulations. Do your own due diligence and seek professional advice before deciding to invest in one of the products mentioned. For more information, see Finty’s editorial guidelines and terms and conditions.