The Royal Mint Review 2026: DigiGold, Fees & Vault Storage Tested

Who is The Royal Mint?

The Royal Mint is the world’s oldest company, with origins dating to AD 886 when coins were first struck in London under Alfred the Great. The current legal entity, The Royal Mint Limited (Companies House No. 06964873), was incorporated on 16 July 2009 and is wholly owned by HM Treasury - making it, in effect, a branch of the UK government.

The Mint operates from a 38-acre site in Llantrisant, Pontyclun, CF72 8YT in South Wales, where it produces the UK’s circulating coinage, commemorative coins, medals, and - increasingly - investment-grade bullion products. It is an LBMA attester, meaning it has authority to assay and hallmark precious metals to London Bullion Market Association standards.

In recent years, The Royal Mint has pivoted aggressively into the investment market with DigiGold (fractional digital gold ownership), The Vault (on-site storage), and the Invest Academy (educational content). This is no longer just a coin maker - it is positioning itself as a full-service precious metals investment platform.

Our website walkthrough

The Royal Mint’s investment site at royalmint.com/invest is polished and modern. The first thing you notice is a live price ticker across the top of the page showing gold, silver, and platinum prices with percentage changes - a useful feature for anyone monitoring the market.

Below the ticker, we found a hero carousel rotating between CGT Exempt Bullion Coins, Gold for Pensions, and Diversify with Silver. The navigation is well-structured: SHOP, COLLECT, INVEST, JEWELLERY, GIFTS, and DISCOVER, with the Invest dropdown breaking out into Bullion, Wealth, By Alloy, Learn, Information, and Services sub-sections. You can reach any investment product within two or three clicks.

A security banner prompts visitors to enable 2-step verification on their account, and a regulatory disclaimer states clearly: “Investments in bullion products are not FCA regulated.” This transparency is welcome - some dealers bury this information.

Product pages are well-executed. High-resolution images show coins and bars from multiple angles, with quantity pricing tables showing per-unit discounts. Badges clearly mark products as CGT FREE, VAT FREE, or CAN BE VAULTED, removing any ambiguity about tax status. Payment options include Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

Feefo review badges (showing 5/5 from 5,296 reviews) are displayed on product pages rather than Trustpilot - a deliberate choice we will address in the reviews section below.

We did not observe a live chat feature during our visit. Contact appears to be via phone and email, supplemented by the Invest Academy’s self-service educational content.

DigiGold

DigiGold is The Royal Mint’s headline innovation and the feature that distinguishes it most clearly from traditional bullion dealers. It allows you to buy fractional ownership of gold, silver, or platinum from as little as £25.

Here is how it works: when you purchase DigiGold, you are buying a share of a physical bar stored in The Royal Mint’s vault at Llantrisant. Your holding is fully allocated and backed by physical metal. You can trade 24/7 through the website or mobile app, and you can convert your DigiGold holding into physical coins or bars for delivery at any time (subject to minimum quantities).

DigiGold fees:

Fee type	Rate
Buy	0.5%
Storage	0.5% + VAT per year (billed quarterly)
Sell	1.00%
Total spread (buy + sell)	~2%

The buy and sell fees are straightforward. The storage fee of 0.5% + VAT per year works out to 0.6% including VAT - billed quarterly. For a £1,000 holding, that is £6 per year in storage, which is reasonable for small holdings but adds up on larger positions.

For comparison, BullionVault charges 0.5% commission to buy, 0.5% to sell, and 0.12% per year for storage (with a $4/month minimum). On larger holdings, BullionVault is meaningfully cheaper. On very small holdings (under a few hundred pounds), DigiGold’s simplicity and lower minimum make it the better choice.

DigiGold is genuinely innovative for the UK market. It removes the two biggest barriers to gold investment - high minimum cost and storage logistics - while keeping the backing of a government-owned institution.

Gold range and pricing

Beyond DigiGold, The Royal Mint sells physical gold coins and bars for delivery or vault storage. The range focuses on their own-brand products:

• Gold coins - Britannias (1oz, 1/2oz, 1/4oz, 1/10oz), Sovereigns (full, half, quarter), commemorative and proof issues
• Gold bars - From 1g to 1kg, minted at Llantrisant with The Royal Mint’s own hallmark
• Collector coins - Limited editions, proof sets, and special releases (these carry significantly higher premiums)

Pricing is displayed live. At the time of our review, typical premiums over spot were:

Product	Typical premium
1oz Britannia	4–6%
Sovereign	5–8%
Gold bar (1oz)	3–5%
Fractional coins (1/4oz, 1/10oz)	7–12%
Collector / proof coins	15–40%+

These premiums are noticeably higher than BullionByPost (3–5% on Britannias) and Atkinsons (2–4% on pre-owned coins). You are paying a premium for buying direct from the source, but the metal itself is identical - a Britannia from The Royal Mint has the same gold content and CGT status as one from any other LBMA dealer.

The Royal Mint’s buy-back rates sit at roughly 1–2% below spot, which is comparable to other major dealers.

Silver and platinum

The Royal Mint offers a focused silver and platinum range:

• Silver - Silver Britannias (1oz and fractional), silver bars, commemorative silver coins. Silver Britannias are CGT-free as UK legal tender
• Platinum - Platinum Britannias and platinum bars. These carry higher premiums than gold products

The silver and platinum ranges are more limited than what you will find at BullionByPost, which stocks international coins from multiple mints. If you specifically want Canadian Maple Leafs, Austrian Philharmonics, or silver from PAMP or Heraeus, you will need to look elsewhere.

For silver and platinum DigiGold, the same fractional ownership model applies - buy from £25, stored in The Vault, tradeable 24/7.

The Vault

The Vault is The Royal Mint’s on-site storage facility at their Llantrisant complex. It is one of the most secure bullion storage options available to UK retail investors.

Key features:

• On-site at The Royal Mint - your metal is stored at the same facility where it is minted
• Government-owned facility - The Royal Mint is owned by HM Treasury, adding an extra layer of institutional security
• Fully allocated storage - your specific holdings are segregated and identified
• Available for physical coins, bars, and DigiGold - you can vault anything you buy through The Royal Mint
• Delivery on request - convert vaulted holdings to physical delivery at any time
• Insurance included - all vaulted metal is fully insured

Storage fees for The Vault are included in the DigiGold fee structure (0.5% + VAT per year). For physical coins and bars held in The Vault, fees are similar - check the current schedule on their website as these may vary by product and holding size.

The Vault is particularly compelling for investors who want to own physical gold but do not want the security concerns of home storage. The fact that it sits within a government-owned, military-grade facility in Wales - rather than a third-party vault - is a genuine differentiator that no other UK dealer can match.

Delivery

For investors who prefer physical delivery:

• Free delivery on orders over £500
• Standard delivery is typically 3–5 working days
• Fully insured from The Mint to your door
• Signature required on receipt
• Discreet packaging with no external indication of contents

Delivery times are slightly slower than BullionByPost, which typically delivers next-day via Royal Mail Special Delivery. The Royal Mint’s 3–5 day window is adequate but not exceptional.

The £500 free delivery threshold is worth noting. Smaller orders will incur a delivery charge, whereas BullionByPost offers free delivery on all orders above a low threshold.

What other customers say

The Royal Mint’s review profile tells an interesting and nuanced story:

• Feefo: 5/5 from 5,296 reviews - the rating The Royal Mint prominently displays on its website
• Reviews.io: 4.2/5 from ~330 reviews
• Trustpilot: 4.1/5 from ~2,450 reviews

The Feefo score is exceptional - 5/5 from over 5,000 reviews is genuinely difficult to achieve. It is worth understanding, however, that Feefo is an invitation-only review platform: only customers who complete a purchase receive a review invitation. This tends to produce higher scores than open platforms where anyone can leave a review.

The Trustpilot score of 4.1/5 is good but not outstanding by bullion dealer standards. BullionByPost holds 4.8/5 from 17,900+ reviews, and Atkinsons holds 4.9/5 from 22,800+ reviews on Trustpilot. The gap is worth acknowledging honestly.

Common themes in lower Trustpilot reviews include slower-than-expected delivery times, difficulty reaching customer service during busy periods, and occasional confusion around DigiGold fees. Positive reviews consistently praise the quality of the products, the prestige of buying direct from The Royal Mint, and the security of The Vault.

The overall picture is of a trustworthy institution with excellent product quality, but one that occasionally falls short on the customer service speed that specialist online dealers have perfected.

Is The Royal Mint safe?

The Royal Mint is arguably the safest place to buy gold in the UK:

• Companies House: The Royal Mint Limited, Company No. 06964873, incorporated 16 July 2009, status Active
• Ownership: 100% owned by HM Treasury - the UK government
• LBMA: Attester status - authorised to assay and hallmark precious metals
• Address: Llantrisant, Pontyclun, CF72 8YT, Wales
• Heritage: Origins AD 886 - the world’s oldest company
• Facility: 38-acre secure site producing the UK’s circulating coinage

Government ownership is the critical differentiator. While private bullion dealers can (and very rarely do) fail, The Royal Mint is backed by the same entity that issues UK currency. The counterparty risk is as close to zero as it gets in the precious metals market.

The regulatory disclaimer on their website - “Investments in bullion products are not FCA regulated” - is standard across the bullion industry. Physical gold and silver are not financial instruments and therefore fall outside FCA oversight. This applies equally to all UK bullion dealers.

Who is The Royal Mint best for?

The Royal Mint is the best choice if you:

• Want the safest possible counterparty - government backing eliminates counterparty risk
• Are a first-time buyer who values education and a trusted brand
• Want to start with as little as £25 via DigiGold
• Prefer vault storage at a government facility rather than home delivery
• Want CGT-free coins bought directly from the mint that produces them
• Value a modern app for managing your portfolio on the go

It may not be the best fit if you:

• Want the lowest premiums on physical coins and bars - try BullionByPost or Atkinsons instead
• Want the lowest ongoing fees for vaulted gold - try BullionVault instead
• Want international coins (Maple Leafs, Krugerrands, Philharmonics) - try BullionByPost instead
• Need next-day delivery - BullionByPost is faster
• Want pre-owned gold at lower premiums - try Atkinsons

How The Royal Mint compares

Feature	The Royal Mint	BullionVault	BullionByPost
Coin premium (1oz Britannia)	4–6%	N/A (no coins)	3–5%
Bar premium (1oz)	3–5%	0.5% commission	2–3%
Min. investment	£25 (DigiGold)	~1g gold	£40
Free delivery	Over £500	N/A (vaulted)	All orders
Storage	The Vault (0.5%+VAT/yr)	Included (0.12%/yr)	Optional (£10/mo)
Fractional gold	DigiGold	Yes (by weight)	No
Trustpilot	4.1/5 (2,450)	4.7/5 (3,200)	4.8/5 (17,900)
CGT-free options	Yes	No	Yes
Government-owned	Yes	No	No
Best for	Trust, beginners, DigiGold	Lowest fees, vaulted	Widest range, delivery

For a full ranking of UK gold dealers, see our Best UK Gold Dealers 2026 comparison.

Final verdict

The Royal Mint occupies a unique position in the UK gold market. No other dealer can match its combination of government ownership, 1,100+ years of heritage, innovative products like DigiGold, and on-site vault storage at a secure Welsh facility. For first-time investors especially, buying from The Royal Mint provides a level of reassurance that no private company can replicate.

The trade-off is price. Premiums on physical coins and bars are higher than specialist online dealers like BullionByPost and Atkinsons, and DigiGold’s ongoing fees are steeper than BullionVault for larger holdings. The Trustpilot score of 4.1/5, while respectable, sits below the 4.7–4.9 range achieved by competitors - though the Feefo score of 5/5 from 5,296 reviews tells a more positive story.

If you value safety, trust, and accessibility above all else, The Royal Mint is hard to beat. If you are a more experienced buyer optimising for price, you will likely find better value elsewhere - but you may still choose The Vault for long-term storage.