American Hartford Gold vs Augusta Precious Metals: Fees, Minimums, Custodians

Disclosure: Augusta Precious Metals is our affiliate partner, and we may earn a commission if you request its info kit through a link on this site. The full explanation is in Our relationship with Augusta Precious Metals.

What is this page, and what is it not?

This page puts two Gold IRA dealers next to each other, American Hartford Gold and Augusta Precious Metals, using the same fields in the same order. It is part of our set of pages that compare Gold IRA companies side by side. The full write-ups are our American Hartford Gold review and Augusta Precious Metals review.

It is not a ranking. We do not rank either company, and nothing here is a recommendation. Company information is that company's claim. Complaints and lawsuits are allegations unless a court or regulator has issued a judgment or order. A search that finds nothing does not prove nothing exists.

What was re-opened on 2026-10-18. American Hartford Gold: the Gold IRA FAQ, the Gold IRA article, the commitment page, the Terms and Conditions and the 2026/09 Shipping and Transaction Agreement. Augusta: the home, FAQ, Gold IRA, Silver IRA, reviews and Terms of Use pages. Everything else is "as recorded in our review" (dated 2026-10-15 for American Hartford Gold, 2026-10-12 for Augusta) and was not re-opened today. Section "What did we not check?" lists those pages.

How do the two companies compare at a glance?

How do their fees and minimums compare?

A Gold IRA is a self-directed IRA that holds physical metal. The dealer sells the metal, the custodian legally holds the IRA and files tax forms, and the depository stores the metal. Our guide to the custodian, the dealer and the depository explains why paperwork comes from several places.

American Hartford Gold. Its FAQ says: "The minimum order size for our self-directed Gold IRA is $10,000." The Gold IRA article states no minimum. The FAQ gives no setup or annual fee; it says storage "Fees vary based on your account's size and the metal holdings in your depository" and "the storage might be free." The article says "There may also be setup fees" and that costs "can vary depending on the custodian and depository you choose."

Augusta Precious Metals. Its FAQ says: "Augusta Precious Metals requires a minimum initial purchase of $50,000 for both cash (non-IRA) and IRA purchases," and that this is not a fee. It states $50 setup, $125 custodian and $110 depository storage and insurance, which "totals $285 for the first year and $235 per year thereafter," and says the fees "do not increase based on the amount held in the IRA." It adds: "Every account also receives up to 10 years of custodian and depository fees paid by Augusta." The page does not explain how "up to" works.

The custodian's schedule. Equity Trust's Universal IRA schedule (as recorded in our reviews) lists a $50 online setup fee, $500 a year for $50,000 to $99,999 accounts, and $160 segregated or $110 non-segregated storage. Equity Trust publishes other schedules (our Augusta review recorded an Institutional "Flex" schedule with a flat $125 for a precious metals account), and we do not know which applies to an account opened through either dealer. Ask for it in writing. See custodian fees, storage fees and hidden fees.

What do you pay for the metal itself?

The spot price is the market price of one troy ounce. A dealer sells above spot and buys back below it, and the gap between its selling and buyback prices is the spread. The CFTC says in its customer advisory: "A dealer will always sell metal above the spot price and buy it back below the spot price." See our guide to dealer premiums, markups and spreads.

American Hartford Gold. Its 2026/09 Shipping and Transaction Agreement states that on the date the agreement was offered, the spread on bullion "was one percent (1.00%) up to nineteen-point ninety-nine percent (19.99%)," with higher maximums for coins; our 2026-10-15 reading of the same document recorded up to 39.99% for exclusive and semi-numismatic coins and up to 59.99% for certain numismatic coins. For credit card transactions, the agreement says "there will be a three percent (3%) merchant processing fee of the total amount of your transaction"; it also says the card fee is nonrefundable and not included in a refund. On pay, our review recorded the agreement as saying representatives are "compensated on commission based at least partially on the volume and profit margin of precious metals they sell" and that "AHG's sales representatives are not licensed" (company statements, not re-opened in that wording today).

Augusta Precious Metals. Its pages give no spread figure. The FAQ says: "No additional commission is added to prices listed by Augusta" and "Prices quoted to you by the Augusta order desk are the prices you will pay." The Gold IRA page says Augusta "publishes its fees and walks through all costs — including the spread — before any transaction," and that "The transaction agreement clearly outlines pricing and buyback terms at every step." On pay, our Augusta review recorded its website as saying customers receive education from "salaried, no-commission educators" (a company claim). We have not seen Augusta's transaction agreement, so we cannot check any of this.

What do they say about buying back your metals?

American Hartford Gold. The commitment page says: "While we cannot guarantee that we will repurchase metals," and "we never charge any additional liquidation fees." The Gold IRA article refers to "a buy-back commitment with no back-end fees." The agreement says the company "makes no such guarantee, either as to actual repurchase or as to repurchase at a particular price," that its offer "may increase or decrease at any time," and that liquidations it facilitates are final once both sides sign.

Augusta Precious Metals. The FAQ says "the law doesn't allow any dealer to guarantee future repurchases" and "Augusta's buyback policy is subject to change without notice." It says bids "can land above, near, or below melt value" and "There's no separate liquidation fee when Augusta agrees to repurchase your metals." It describes a "24-hour Highest Buyback Price Guarantee window, during which you can request cancellation if another dealer offers more," which is the company's wording.

Each company's fee statement concerns its own charges; your custodian may charge separately. See buyback costs and liquidity risk.

Which custodians, depositories and insurance do they name?

American Hartford Gold. The Gold IRA article says: "As a client, you will enjoy the experienced custodial services of Equity Trust Company" and also lists Entrust; a 2019 guide (not re-opened) named STRATA Trust Company instead; the FAQ names no custodian. The FAQ says "we like Brinks Global Services and Delaware Depository" and describes "an IRS-approved, insured private storage facility." The article lists Delaware Depository, A-M Global Logistics and International Depository Services, and says the service "includes insurance for your physical precious metals"; no insurer or amount is given.

Augusta Precious Metals. The Gold IRA page says "Augusta works with Equity Trust Company" and "Augusta stores metals at Delaware Depository." The Silver IRA page calls Equity Trust "our #1 preferred custodian" and cites "$1 billion in all-risk insurance backed by leading London underwriters" and "Fully allocated storage." The FAQ says metals are insured "against covered losses while stored, typically through a London underwriter," with no insurer or amount.

The IRS list of nonbank trustees approved as of April 1, 2026 did not show Equity Trust in the list text our American Hartford Gold review could read, and our Augusta review did not find it either (as recorded, not re-opened). Equity Trust's regulatory page says that list is not a complete list of every custodian (its statement). We did not confirm this and draw no legal conclusion.

How do their cancellation, return and dispute terms read?

American Hartford Gold's two documents conflict on arbitration provider and governing law. Augusta's Terms say transactions are governed by its transaction agreement, which we have not seen, so we cannot say whether a similar difference exists. What these clauses mean in a dispute is a question for a lawyer; this is not legal advice.

What do BBB's pages show for each company?

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a nonprofit that publishes business profiles, customer reviews and complaint records. We did not open bbb.org, which blocks automated tools. BBB figures are per screenshots of BBB's profile sent to us by the site owner: three screenshots on 2026-10-15 for American Hartford Gold; for Augusta, a complaints screenshot on 2026-10-15 and profile and review screenshots from 2026-10-12.

BBB's page notes that displayed complaint text might not represent all complaints, that some consumers choose not to publish details, and that BBB may show only a portion when volume is high. BBB also notes that company size and transaction volume matter, which bears on the 112 complaints figure.

American Hartford Gold. Complaints are consumers' allegations, and company responses are company statements. The complaints screenshot is too low in resolution to read individual complaints, so we report only the two counts and say nothing about content or outcomes. The difference in how much we describe for each company reflects what was readable in screenshots, not the severity of any complaint.

Augusta. The one complaint was filed 01/23/2026 (Sales and Advertising Issues), status "Answered," not "Resolved." The consumer alleged that premiums were well above typical market pricing and that written buyback pricing differed from what was presented. The company responded on 05/18/2026 that there appears to be confusion about valuation and that a third-party analysis does not accurately reflect valuation or spreads. The consumer rejected that on 05/27/2026, citing the process for getting written buyback pricing. A company response on 07/10/2026 said no confidentiality agreement is required before receiving buyback pricing and that a live appointment is needed; the consumer rejected it on 07/10/2026 and 07/18/2026. No resolution, judgment or finding is shown. All of it is unverified.

Augusta's own reviews page, opened 2026-10-18, says BBB "4.93/5" with "134 reviews, 0 complaints on file (as of 7/16/26)." That differs from the screenshots (136 reviews; one complaint filed 01/23/2026).

What do ratings from other websites say?

These are other sites' users' ratings, not ours. See how review sites make money.

Our reader opened American Hartford Gold's Trustpilot profile on 2026-10-15 (4.8 out of 5 from 1,872 reviews); its own reviews page (not re-opened today) claims 5 out of 5 from "over 1,000." We did not open Augusta's Trustpilot profile. Augusta's home page claims "Trustpilot, Google & More — 4,000+ 5-Star Ratings" without per-platform scores, and its reviews page (opened today, mostly undated) reports Google 4.9 from 736 reviews and TrustLink 4.9 from 317. We checked none of these platforms.

What public records did each review check?

American Hartford Gold: court matters. Neither is a judgment against the company. In Mathys v. The Hartford Gold Group, LLC, No. 20 C 3927 (N.D. Ill., Dec. 7, 2020), a customer alleged claims including breach of contract and fraud; the court only compelled arbitration and did not decide whether the allegations were true. In McDougall v. The Hartford Gold Group, LLC, No. 2:23-cv-03912 (C.D. Cal.), a Justia snapshot from May 22, 2023 lists a Telephone Consumer Protection Act suit; its status is unknown, and linking it to the company rests on BBB's alternate name.

Augusta: no matter located by web search only (no court-database search). We make no claim about cases outside the records searched.

Where do the two companies' own pages conflict or run thin?

American Hartford Gold: the IRA minimum ($10,000 on the FAQ, none on the article); Equity Trust versus STRATA as custodian; no current fee table; the Terms page (California law, AAA, Los Angeles) versus the 2026/09 agreement (customer's state law, JAMS); inconsistent entity names and page dates; a "commitment" to buy back versus no guarantee of repurchase or price.

Augusta: "0 complaints on file" versus one complaint on BBB's page as screenshotted; 134 versus 136 BBB reviews; no spread figure; "up to 10 years" of paid fees unexplained; a 24-hour window, a seven-day period and a BBB refund policy that describe cancellation differently; the transaction agreement, which the pages say governs, was not seen.

What did we not check?

Not re-opened on 2026-10-18 (described as recorded in our reviews): for American Hartford Gold, the home, About, Risk Disclosure and reviews pages, the price protection article and older guides; for Augusta, the compliance page; for both, Equity Trust fee pages, Delaware Depository, the IRS list, the CFTC advisory, the CFPB database, FINRA, court pages and Trustpilot. We did not open bbb.org, state addenda or Augusta's transaction agreement. SEC EDGAR was blocked, and NFA BASIC, Investor.gov, state regulators, PACER and state courts were not searched for either company.

What should you ask American Hartford Gold?

1. What are the sale, spot and buyback prices for each product, in writing?
2. Where in the stated spread range does my order fall, and how is each product classified?
3. Which custodian and fee schedule (with date) apply to my account?
4. What is the minimum for my purchase?
5. Which depository, segregated or not, and what are its fees and insurance terms?
6. Which return and cancellation rights apply to my products and state?
7. Which document governs: the agreement or the website Terms, and which entity am I contracting with?

What should you ask Augusta Precious Metals?

1. What are the sale, spot and buyback prices for each product, in writing?
2. What is the spread on my order, and how is each product classified?
3. Which custodian and fee schedule (with date) apply to my account?
4. What does "up to 10 years" of paid fees mean, and what happens afterward?
5. Which depository, segregated or not, and what are its fees and insurance terms?
6. Which cancellation and refund rights apply to my products and state?
7. May I see the transaction agreement, and which legal entity am I contracting with?

See also how to evaluate a Gold IRA company.

What risks apply to any company?

No dealer, custodian or depository can remove the basic risks of owning physical metal. Prices go up and down (see price volatility), a Gold IRA has costs some funds do not, and you can only sell at a dealer's buyback price or to another buyer. Counterparty risk is the chance that a company you depend on fails to do its part. We do not predict prices.

How was this page researched, and when will it be updated?

On 2026-10-18 we re-opened the company pages listed near the top and took quotes from them. Everything else comes from our two published reviews (American Hartford Gold, sources opened 2026-10-15; Augusta Precious Metals, opened 2026-10-12), the BBB data files described above and the CFTC advisory. Citation access dates show when each page was actually opened. We left out facts we could not confirm.

See also Augusta vs Noble Gold and Birch Gold vs Goldco. We review pages every three months under our update policy, and sooner if a regulator acts or a reader reports an error through our corrections page. Our methodology explains how we research.

This page is general information, not personalized advice. Talk with a qualified financial planner, tax professional or attorney before you act.