Spread widening that only hits certain accounts
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 9:25 am
Two traders, same broker, same account type, same pair, same minute. One sees 0.4 pips. The other sees 0.9.
It sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it's technically simple. Many brokers apply markups per account group, and groups can be assigned manually. A trader moved to a "toxic" group, a "VIP" group or a "promotional" group sees a different price from the same underlying feed.
The effect is small enough to miss without tracking. Half a pip on a three pip target is a sixth of the profit, every trade, indefinitely.
Comparing screenshots of the spread with another trader at the same broker, at the same moment, is a free check. Most forums have someone willing to do it, and a few minutes of coordination is enough. Time stamps in the screenshots make the comparison fair.
Has comparing spreads with another client of the same broker ever turned up a difference?
It sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it's technically simple. Many brokers apply markups per account group, and groups can be assigned manually. A trader moved to a "toxic" group, a "VIP" group or a "promotional" group sees a different price from the same underlying feed.
The effect is small enough to miss without tracking. Half a pip on a three pip target is a sixth of the profit, every trade, indefinitely.
Comparing screenshots of the spread with another trader at the same broker, at the same moment, is a free check. Most forums have someone willing to do it, and a few minutes of coordination is enough. Time stamps in the screenshots make the comparison fair.
Has comparing spreads with another client of the same broker ever turned up a difference?