ZoneOptions Broker Review

ZoneOptions are relatively new on the scene. Founded in early 2012, we’ve been watching this broker carefully for any negative feedback, scam cries and general misbehaving. So far, so quiet. Or should we say, not so quiet as the feedback we’ve had from players around the world have been that of contentment and general two thumbs up for a broker that, from the outside, seems fairly average at first glance.

The Basics are covered

We will come to why this broker stands out from the pack in a second. First of all, let’s look at everything it does right. The site is well structured, easy to navigate and intuitive. You might never have made a trade in your life and you will still be able to do a trade in less than three minutes. The same is true of the mobile version of their site. Their free financial tools stand out in their use and we have to do a special ‘shout-out’ for the ‘Top 5 Trades’ always on display – showcasing not just the best trades being done at the moment, but also who has been doing them. The competitive bug inside most of us will certainly make most traders push the envelop to be in the golden top five. Who doesn’t want to be successful and recognised for it?

First Time Trades Risk Free

Beginners will enjoy their easy to understand educational material and the  free e-book to get you started. It will not make you an expert overnight, but ZoneOptions caters to first starters incredibly well. Their minimum trade of 20 EUR, GBD, USD is not the smallest out there, but conservative enough for those trying out. The trading simulator is also great fun to test out the platform with little to no risk.

Now why are we concentrating on beginners so much? Because now we are going to tell you why every seasoned trader should take a peak at this new broker.

An Aggressive Broker for Aggressive Traders

For each instrument, as well as having the normal high/low, touch/no touch and in/out investment options they offer the already high industry return of up to 85%, but they have also added investment opportunities offering between 220% – 360% margins. These ‘High Yield Options’ are great for traders looking for something more than just your standard trade and ZoneOptions are the first to implement them. We would not recommend these for anyone starting out in the market, especially as they are only available on the already pretty high risk 60 second and 2 minute trades. But even if you are, think of the possibilities once you’ve learnt the tricks of the trade.

The experienced trader will particularly love the variety and flexibility in the platform. Tools like Roll Over or Early Closure, for example, will help traders manage their risks better and create a great variety of trades, tailored to your individual needs. The maximum trade is a generous 15,000 USD/EUR/GBP, and if you are thinking of hitting those numbers, we would recommend you contact their team to get a VIP account.

That said ZoneOptions is far from perfect. Being a new brand, there is always room for improvement, one of which is the fact that you cannot see more than one chart at a time. This means you can only keep your eye on one asset at a time, which if you are doing several small time-framed trades, the platform becomes a hindrance rather than a solution. That said, this is a small price to pay for what is an overall great broker with high returns and the charts themselves load quickly and are easy to swap in between.

Assets & Expiry Times

ZoneOptions have a diverse collection of underlying assets available to trade on their platform. With 85 assets at our last count including 17 Indices, 9 Commodities, 25 Currency Pairs and 34 Stocks, you'll find your favourite asset easily and quickly enough.

These include well known stocks and commodities such as Apple, Google, LinkedIn, Oil, Gold and Coffee. All in all a very decent set of well know and easy to follow brands and market stocks.

Expiry times range from 60 seconds to 30 days. The option types include High/Low, Touch/No Touch, Boundary and Short Term (60 seconds, 2 minutes and 5 minutes expiry times). This should please all manner of traders, allowing you to go aggressive or cautious, depending on what your indicators are telling you. We would have like to see slightly longer trades, over a few months, but that certainly won't stop us from using this broker.

Profits & Returns

ZoneOptions offer up to 85% in the money returns, which is among the highest returns available from binary option brokers on the market. They also offer fixed refunds up to 15% when your options return out of the money which is great for beginners and traders who like high stake and riskier trades.

As we've mentioned several time in this review, Zone Options also offer the innovative High Yield Options feature, which can increase your potential of profit anywhere between 220% - 360% margins. For example, in a High/Low trade you can choose Above/Below. So if you agree that the price of oil will be below the target price of 101.851 when the option expires, then click below and choose the amount to invest and click ‘buy’. If you are in the money your returns will be within the magical numbers of 220% - 360%.

Deposits & Withdrawals

At ZoneOptions you will find a relatively high deposit amount at $250 for your first deposit and $200 for every deposit after that. This isn't the lowest on the market and could put off a few traders wanting to test out the platform. However ZoneOptions boast to be the only broker that offers your first trade to be 100% Risk Free, a tempting offer from this new player on the binary options market.

Essentially guaranteeing they will give you back any loses greater than 50 EUR/USD/GBP on your first trade, this is an incredibly tempting offer for those of us who like to test out the system with real cash. Beginners will particularly enjoy this risk free first trade as a test of their skills and strategies.

You can deposit in to your account using any of the following options: Credit Card and Debit Card, Wire Transfer, Skrill (Moneybookers), Liberty Reverse, Western Union, CashU and Neteller. As expected, some take longer than others to others to be accepted, which is why we recommend using an e-wallet like Skrill (Moneybookers) or Neteller for instant and safe transfers into your account.

When it comes to withdrawing your profits from ZoneOptions there are a few things to be aware of. You can only withdraw in the same currency as your account is setup in. Withdrawals are made back to the original source of the deposits. You will have to verify your account before you can withdraw any money to comply with security and fraud checks. The information you will need is photo ID, proof of address (utility bill) and a copy of your credit card that made the initial deposit.

Now there are a few time issues involved when withdrawing your money. If you have not previously verified your account then it could take 4-5 business days to make the necessary checks. Also wire transfer could also take 4-5 business days. Again one of the easiest ways would be through an e-wallet like Skrill or Neteller for instant transfers. Be sure to check out the site or ask their support staff for more information.

Customer Support

You can contact ZoneOptions support staff through a variety of different methods. Via email at support@zoneoptions.com, expect a little delay in response times, but they aim to respond within the same working day. You can call their local support lines for English, French, Spanish and Italian or you can chat online with them via their Live Chat feature for instant answers.

Local support numbers:

• English: +44 203 514 2063
• French: +33 97 518 2071
• Spanish: +34 91 182 947
• Italian: +39 069 480 0002
• Germany: +49 (0)800 7236222
• Bahrain: +973 161 98782
• Hong Kong: +85 258 083171

Mobile Trading

ZoneOptions offer their traders the ability to trade on their mobile and access the financial markets at any time.

Now they don't have a specific mobile app to download, but you can access everything you need by visiting www.zoneoptions.com on your mobile device and you will automatically be taken to their mobile friendly site. The only downfall to this  is that you should ensure you have a strong mobile connection to avoid any connectivity issues mid way through a trade.

You can view your balance, scroll through assets you want to trade, pick an option type and and keep track of your open trades in an easy to use interface. Overall we are happy to report that their mobile version of their site is as easy to navigate and use as the desktop version.

Free Financial Tools & Features

ZoneOptions provide you with your expected High/Low, Touch/NoTouch and Boundary trades. We've also covered the 'High Yield Options' which stand out from the pack as one of the most innovative features.

But ZoneOptions’ have a few other suprises up it's sleeve, including an Early Closure which allows you to close open positions before the scheduled expiry time. So if you see that you are not going to win your trade, you can close an open position to secure the profit or limit the loss.

The Rollover button is also a handy feature to control your trades, allowing you to close your current option if you think it will fall out of the money. Your investment will then be carried over to an identical new option, but with a later expiry time.

Covering Every Base

Their market analysis and live rates are comprehensive and we particularly impressed by their Trading Trends and Top 5 Trends feature which allows you to see not just what the best trades are at the moment, but who is doing them. The trading simulator is handy for beginners, but if you want a free demo account, you will need to be a platinum (VIP) member to acquire this.

All in all, we can't fault the educational material. The free ebook trading guide is well written and they also provide videos tutorials and personal training courses for those wanting to get one step ahead. Best of all, these are all free, making you feel like a VIP even when first starting.

Conclusion

Zone Options is doing all they can to provide a service that sets them apart from the rest in the binary options markets. From transparency in who they are (Cyprus based company) to good quality of customer service and care and above average training material, they tick all the boxes.

They still have a little way to fine tune their system to make trading effortless, but that said, it's one of the best platforms we've seen in a while. Best of all, it's great to see a broker create a platform that doesn't try and copy what's already in the market, but give you something new to get excited about. With the High Yield Options and good terms and conditions, giving you a chance to get your money out, this broker is impressive.

Here's a contender who, as a newcomer, come out punching above it's weight and succeeds. Five stars.