Many or all companies we feature compensate us. Compensation and editorial research influence how products appear on a page. Personal Finance Gold American Bullion Review: A Solid Gold IRA Option With Room for Improvement Updated Apr 02, 2025 10-min read Reviewed by Maryalene LaPonsie Reviewed by Maryalene LaPonsie Expertise: Personal finance, investing, insurance, student financial aid Maryalene LaPonsie has been writing professionally for nearly 25 years, including 15 years specializing in education, healthcare, and personal finance topics. She is a graduate of Western Michigan University, where she studied political science and international business. She resides in West Michigan. Learn more about Maryalene LaPonsie 4.1 /5 Visit Site Gold IRA Extensive consumer education resources Easily accessible customer forms Gold IRA details disclosed online Positive customer reviews Some dated information on website Difficult to find a list of available metals No free shipping Metals soldGold, silver, platinum, and palladiumPurchase minimum $10,000FeesPrecious metals IRA: $25 setup fee for custodian; $225 annual fee for storage and custodian In business since 2009, American Bullion is one of the oldest gold IRA companies in the country. It prides itself on providing personalized, hassle-free service. The company has plenty to like, but as you’ll see in this American Bullion review, some of its features fall short of the competition. Perhaps because of its long history, American Bullion has a robust website with plenty of educational information for customers. All that information is a bit like drinking from a fire hydrant, though, and navigating to the details you need can be difficult. On the other hand, some companies seem to hide the fine print, but American Bullion gets kudos for being transparent. All its forms and documents are posted online for easy review. Those are just two examples of its pros and cons. Keep reading for more about how this gold IRA company compares to your other options. Table of Contents Is American Bullion legit? Does American Bullion offer any unique benefits? How does storage work? How much does it cost to work with American Bullion? Customer reviews and complaints American Bullion alternatives Is American Bullion legit? Yes, there is no reason to doubt that American Bullion is a legitimate company. It has been in business for over 15 years and has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since 2011. It currently holds an A+ rating from the organization. Precious metals American Bullion lists four precious metals on its website: Gold Silver Platinum Palladium However, you’ll need to scroll through the “Gold IRA” menu to find the available precious metals. Gold items are under the “bullion” submenu, but you’ll have to look for the silver IRA, platinum IRA, and palladium IRA headings to get to the bullion sections for those metals. Compare that to Thor Metals Group, where you can simply click an “All Products” heading on the main page to access everything the company offers. You won’t find product prices on American Bullion’s website, but that’s not unusual. Many companies don’t list them because the value of precious metals is constantly changing. Gold IRA American Bullion’s website doesn’t mention direct purchases much, but it provides extensive information about gold IRAs. Notably, the company lists all the forms you will need online. Plus, you can download and review its shipping and transaction agreement before opening an account. In an FAQ section of the website, American Bullion discloses the custodian and depository its customers use—STRATA Trust Company and Delaware Depository, respectively—along with fee information. Normally, you’d need to call a gold IRA company to get this information, so American Bullion gets high marks for transparency. Does American Bullion offer any unique benefits? What’s unique to American Bullion is its website’s “Accounts” section. The company lists all forms and documents online and provides customers with a checklist of items to complete. Theoretically, you could submit all the documentation before speaking to a service representative. Although American Bullion doesn’t have a stated buyback program, its shipping and transaction agreement notes that it has never failed to offer to repurchase precious metals from its customers. That’s another valuable benefit of the company. Note that with few exceptions, all sales from American Bullion are final. This is in line with what we see at other gold IRA companies and precious metals dealers. How does storage work with American Bullion? American Bullion works with Delaware Depository, one of the country’s most highly regarded depositories, to store its gold IRA customers’ assets. Orders are shipped directly from American Bullion to Delaware Depository for safekeeping. According to an American Bullion specialist, the cost of storage is part of a $225 annual fee that also covers the IRA custodian. The same cost applies regardless of the value of your account. It’s worth noting that American Bullion has a section on its website about home storage. This may be an example of dated information on the site because it suggests that people can set up an LLC and store precious metals from a gold IRA in their home. However, a 2021 court ruling expressly prohibits this strategy. Read More Why You Can’t Have a Self-Directed Gold IRA With Home Storage (and What to Do Instead) How much does it cost to work with American Bullion? How much it will cost to work with American Bullion depends on the type of purchase you make. If you are buying precious metals as a direct or cash purchase—that is, outside an IRA—you will likely only pay the spread on the items you select plus shipping. The spread is the markup applied to a product, and it’s how retailers earn their profit. In its transaction agreement, American Bullion lists a relatively modest spread of 7% to 10% for bullion and up to 23% for other purchases. Other companies have markups as high as 150%, making American Bullion’s profit margin seem reasonable. If you decide to open a gold IRA, you will need to cover some additional costs. These include a one-time setup fee of $25 and an annual account and storage fee of $225. Cash purchaseGold IRASpread7% for bullion; 20% for collectible coins; 23% for proof products (one-time cost)10% for bullion (one-time cost)Setup feeNone$25 (one-time cost)ShippingVariable (one-time costs)Variable (one-time costs)Annual feesNone$225 for storage and custodian American Bullion recommends a minimum $10,000 purchase for gold IRAs “to account for any fees associated with the process.” You may also need to spend this much for cash purchases. American Bullion customer reviews and complaints While American Bullion has fewer reviews than what you’ll find for large companies such as American Hartford Gold, there is enough customer feedback to see some trends in their experiences. PlatformRatingNumber of reviewsTrustpilot4.9/5216Better Business Bureau4.5/510Google3.8/550Collected on March 20, 2025. Positive reviews describe company employees as friendly, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. People also say their transactions with American Bullion were straightforward and seamless. This Trustpilot review is a good example of the positive comments people have about American Bullion: From beginning to end, everyone involved was polite, professional, and competent. Great experience. You’ll find negative reviews primarily on Google, and many of those are from people who felt they were pushed to purchase more expensive proof products. These individuals typically felt that they would have been better off purchasing bullion instead. How does American Bullion compare to alternatives? American Bullion earns a good rating from us and has solid, positive customer reviews. However, we recommend considering several gold IRA dealers before you settle on one. Here’s how some of the top names in gold IRAs stack up. Company What to know Rating (0-5) 4.9 Visit Site Best overall 4.9 Visit Site 4.6 Visit Site Best buyback program 4.6 Visit Site 4.6 Visit Site Best online experience 4.6 Visit Site 4.4 Visit Site Best for quick setup 4.4 Visit Site 4.1 Visit Site Excellent educational materials 4.1 Visit Site American Hartford Gold is one of the best overall gold IRA companies. It boasts several celebrity endorsements and offers special deals, such as free shipping and free silver, two perks not available at American Bullion. That said, American Bullion was one of the early pioneers in gold IRAs and has extensive experience with gold IRA transfers and 401(k) rollovers. We like Thor Metals Group for its buyback program, but you may be able to sell your metals back to American Bullion too. And American Bullion may also be competitive with Priority Gold when it comes to easy setup. One area where it falls short is its online experience. While American Bullion has plenty of information and customer resources, its organization leaves something to be desired. Navigating the site is not intuitive, and some information is scattered in unlikely places. American Bullion customer service Some gold IRA companies give you multiple ways to connect with customer service. At Patriot Gold Group, for instance, you can chat online with representatives as well as call. To reach American Bullion, you can send an email or fill out a webform, but the fastest way may be to call its toll-free number. You can reach a representative by calling 1-800-465-3472 on Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific. When you call, the person who answers will likely need to connect you to a specialist. Expect a short hold while that connection is made. The American Bullion specialist we spoke with was friendly and knowledgeable. He quickly answered all our questions, and the conversation didn’t feel like a sales call. Near the end, he requested an email address to send additional information. How to get started with American Bullion If you want to roll over funds to a gold IRA, American Bullion has all the forms you need online. However, call the company for an expedited process rather than filling them out yourself. A team member will walk you through the following steps: Discuss your investment preferences and the amount you plan to invest. Conduct a conference call with your current IRA custodian or 401(k) administrator to discuss transfer paperwork. Complete an application over the phone for you to sign via email. Select a precious metals portfolio to be purchased after funds are transferred. The precious metals will be shipped to Delaware Depository for storage, and you can then expect regular statements from the IRA custodian updating you on the value of your holdings. FAQ Does American Bullion offer any storage options for your metals? Yes, American Bullion offers IRS-approved storage through the Delaware Depository for customers who open a precious metals IRA. These facilities provide high-level security, full insurance coverage, and segregated storage, meaning your metals are stored separately from others. For non-IRA purchases, clients can also request secure storage, though many choose to take physical delivery instead. How can you liquidate your metals with American Bullion? American Bullion allows customers to liquidate their metals by contacting the company to initiate a buyback. The process typically involves verifying your holdings and receiving a price quote based on current market rates. While the company doesn’t guarantee repurchase, it states that it strives to offer competitive pricing and aims to make the liquidation process smooth and efficient. How can you track the value of your metals? American Bullion doesn’t currently offer a dedicated app or online dashboard to track the real-time value of your holdings. However, you can monitor market prices for gold, silver, and other metals through financial news sites or call your account representative for updates. Some depositories used for IRA storage may also provide periodic account statements or online access to help you track your metals’ value. How we rated American Bullion We designed LendEDU’s editorial rating system to help readers find companies that offer the best gold IRAs and gold precious metals inventory. Our system awards higher ratings to companies with affordable solutions, positive customer reviews, and online transparency of benefits and terms. We compared American Bullion to several gold dealers, using hundreds of data points from company websites, public disclosures, customer reviews, and direct communication with company representatives. We weighted, scored, and combined each factor to produce a final editorial rating. This rating is expressed on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest possible score. Our take is represented in our rating, recapped below. CompanyOur ratingAmerican Bullion Gold4.2/5