Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is ICICI Direct?
ICICI Direct is the retail trading and investment service offered by ICICI Securities, providing digital and branch-supported investing opportunities across a wide range of products, including equities, derivatives, IPOs, mutual funds, fixed deposits, bonds, NCDs, insurance, and related products.
A key feature of ICICI Direct is the 3-in-1 account, which combines a savings bank account, trading account, and Demat account, enabling smoother movement of funds and securities.
2. What are ICICI Direct charges?
The typical charges associated with ICICI Direct include:
- Annual Maintenance Charge (AMC), which is commonly around Rs 700 per year for standard setups
- Brokerage fees, such as 0.29% for delivery under the MoneySaver-style plan
- Depository Participant (DP) charges, which are commonly cited as per-scrip or per-day
- Transaction and call-and-trade charges
- Government taxes and statutory levies
ICICI Direct also offers advanced plans, such as Prime and MoneySaver, which provide additional benefits and features.
3. Why ICICI Direct?
Some of the reasons why investors choose ICICI Direct include:
- The convenience of a 3-in-1 account
- Local support and a Relationship Manager (RM)-assisted model
- A wide range of investment products available under one account
- A research and advisory ecosystem
- The trust and established market presence of the ICICI brand
- The availability of Prime and iValue plans for active users
- The benefit of quicker settlement for eligible workflows
4. How to use ICICI Direct?
To use ICICI Direct services, investors need to open a 3-in-1 account, which can be done online or through a branch. After activation, users can trade and invest across various products, including equity, derivatives, currency, ETF, NCD, mutual funds, IPO, FDs, insurance, and portfolio products.
The primary software used for trading is:
- The ICICIdirect website
- The ICICIdirect mobile app
The typical website trading flow involves:
- Logging in to ICICIdirect
- Allocating funds or setting limits
- Placing an order from the equity section
- Confirming the order
- Tracking the order status in the order book
5. How ICICI Direct works?
ICICI Direct is a full-service broker brand under ICICI Securities, offering a linked 3-in-1 account that enables users to transfer funds and manage securities more seamlessly while investing across multiple products.
Users can start by accessing the website or mobile app, placing buy and sell orders, tracking reports and statements, and raising service requests online. Relationship Manager (RM)-assisted support may also be available.
6. Can I trade commodities in ICICI Direct?
Yes, commodity trading is available in ICICI Direct after enabling the commodity segment for eligible accounts.
- Existing 3-in-1 users can activate the commodity segment
- New users can open and activate a trading account online and then enable the required segments
7. What is ICICI Direct 3 in 1?
ICICI Direct 3-in-1 is a combo account that integrates a bank account, trading account, and Demat account. This linkage enables faster transfer and execution workflows and supports investing across equities, derivatives, IPOs, mutual funds, bonds, and related products.
8. Is ICICI Direct good for trading?
ICICI Direct is widely regarded as a stable full-service broker with broad product access and branch-backed support.
Users who may find it suitable include:
- Beginners who need hand-holding
- Investors who prefer branch or RM support
- Users who prefer the convenience of a 3-in-1 account
- Casual investors who value the ecosystem over the lowest brokerage
However, the trade-off is that brokerage may be higher than discount brokers unless optimized through plan selection.
9. How to close ICICI Direct account online?
A digital closure flow, where enabled in the account, includes:
- Logging in and clearing holdings and positions
- Ensuring balances and investments are zero or transferred
- Opening the summary and verifying available funds
- Using the in-account support or bot flow to place a trading account closure request
- Accepting terms and completing OTP verification
- Completing identity verification flow, including Aadhaar or NSDL-based steps where prompted
- Confirming the closure request and waiting for the settlement or closure timeline
Notes:
- Clear pending dues before closure
- Settlement timelines can apply after request submission
10. What is BTST order in ICICIdirect?
BTST stands for Buy Today Sell Tomorrow, which allows users to sell eligible shares before they are credited to the Demat account, subject to platform rules and stock eligibility.
Key points:
- Useful for short-term price movement opportunities
- Standard brokerage applies, with no special extra BTST brokerage in many setups
- Availability depends on the stock eligibility list and platform policy
- Shares under BTST are generally sold on T+1 or T+2 before delivery credit in the Demat account
11. What are brokerage charges for BTST in ICICIdirect?
Brokerage for BTST is generally charged as per the selected plan, such as the MoneySaver percentage brokerage or Prime-plan equivalent rates.
12. How to close ICICIdirect trading and Demat account?
Trading and Demat closure may require separate closure forms in many cases.
The typical process involves:
- Going to the ICICI form center and downloading separate trading and Demat closure forms
- Filling in the required details
- Submitting the forms to the designated ICICI Demat branch
- Tracking the closure status
Before submission, ensure:
- Holdings are sold or transferred
- Open positions are closed
- No outstanding dues remain
Typical closure completion can take around 7-10 working days after submission.
