Customers using the Halifax Share Dealing service will find that Christmas has come early this year, as 19 December will be its commission-free share purchase day. Halifax Share Dealing’s usual fee of £11.95 per trade is being waived for all online purchases of UK securities on that day.

In addition to existing customers, the free trading day is open to new users who do not already have a share dealing account and covers the online purchase of any UK stock, including the smaller companies quoted on AIM. The offer follows the success of a similar free dealing day in June to mark the tenth anniversary of the creation of Halifax Share Dealing.

Sue Concannon, Halifax Share Dealing managing director, explains that ‘When we ran our last free trading day, in June, our customers really took advantage of the offer and it was enormously popular. We think it is important that our offers are available to new customers as well as existing ones, particularly when many providers make “new customers only” promotions. Like our current free Halifax Share Builder offer, this demonstrates our commitment to providing easy affordable access to everyone.’

Private investors can open a share dealing account online by visiting www.halifax.co.uk/sharedealing and supplying their bank account details, National Insurance number and address details for the past three years. Once the account is opened, customers will be sent a pack including a personal reference number, with a PIN sent separately, to enable them to operate their account, giving access to seven major international stock markets through a single sterling-denominated account.