Augusta Precious Metals Review

Opening a precious metals IRA is hassle-free as you work with a dedicated agent and receive a one-on-one meeting to answer your questions and clarify your investment goals.

Start investing at least $50,000 and learn more with our honest and in-depth Augusta Precious Metals review. 

The Verdict for Augusta Precious Metals

I’ve given them a rating of 9 out of 10.

Augusta Precious Metals has excellent customer service for your lifetime, transparent pricing, and competitive fees. It strives to be honest and ethical by avoiding high-pressure sales tactics and deceptive marketing.

Further, Augusta is your liaison with a reputable gold IRA custodian and depository, making it convenient to manage your portfolio.

Criteria	Rating (out of 10)
Product & Service Offerings	9
Pricing & Fees	8
Guarantees	9
Customer Experience	9.5
Storage & Security	9
Account Setup & Maintenance	9
Reputation & Reviews	9.5
Overall Rating	9

In this review of Augusta Precious Metals, I’ve followed GIC’s detailed criteria for evaluating the precious metals IRA company.

About Augusta Precious Metals

Augusta Precious Metals operates nationwide, offering physical gold and silver IRAs with hands-on lifetime account support and educational resources.

The company launched in 2012, with headquarters in Beverly Hills, California, and secondary offices in Casper, Wyoming.

Founder and CEO Isaac Nuriani launched Augusta Precious Metals with the personal vision of helping retirement savers gain exposure to precious metals to hedge against economic policies that tend to harm individual investors.

I also like that he emphasizes ethics and professionalism to prevent deceptive practices and high-pressure sales tactics.

For instance, Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana is an Augusta customer and paid ambassador because of the service helping ordinary households buy physical metals with confidence.

I believe that Augusta makes investing in physical gold easier through these tenets:

• Transparency: Ethics and integrity are essential to August Precious Metals’ reputation. It’s also an Ehtics.net registered member and implements a robust compliance system to obverse applicable federal and state laws.
• Simplicity: Choosing from preselected products and receiving assistance with paperwork helps streamline the enrollment process. 
• Service: Experienced customer service representatives are available by phone or online chat. Enjoy lifetime account support, investor education, and tools that help individual investors achieve portfolio diversification.

Emphasizing investor education is something I greatly respect too. Harvard-trained economist Devlyn Steele is Augusta’s education director and has over thirty years of wealth management experience.

He hosts monthly one-on-one conferences to help members digest the latest economic trends. 

These factors are why its Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation has remained active since 2015 and currently has an A+ BBB rating.

This rating reflects its transparent business practices, regulation compliance, and speedy resolutions of customer complaints.

Product & Service Offerings

You will find many gold and silver bullion investment options through a precious metals IRA or cash transactions with a $50,000 minimum transaction.

Common bullion

Most offerings are for common gold and silver bullion from government mints, including the United States Mint and Royal Canadian Mint.

Bullion coins can serve as legal tender but their true worth is its melt value.

Some of the options include: 

• Gold American Eagle
• American Silver Eagle
• Gold American Buffalo
• Canadian Gold Maple Leaf
• Canadian Silver Maple Leaf
• South African Gold Krugerrand 

Gold bars and silver bars with a 99.9% (.999) purity level are also available. Additionally, silver investors can purchase rounds, pre-1965 silver quarters, and dimes with a 90% purity level.  

I have peace of mind as most products are from reputable mints and have the highest purity, making maximizing your investment value and verifying authenticity easier.

However, you must inquire by phone to verify the latest pricing and premiums.

Premium bullion

Augusta also offers a sizable catalog of premium gold and silver bullion with limited mintage or a pre-1933 strike date that can be IRA-eligible and have a numismatic value exceeding the melt value.

As a tradeoff, the buyer’s premium is pricier than standard offerings and inventory is limited.

Examples include:

• American Gold Buffalo Proof
• Certified American Eagle
• Certified American Buffalo
• $20 Saint Gaudens

Augusta Precious Metals IRA

Augusta provides hands-on help with buying gold and silver within a self-directed IRA, including rolling over existing retirement accounts.

The ample selection of metals makes it easier to diversify your portfolio and the education team can help you compare investment options.

Additionally, Augusta is your liaison with its preferred self-directed IRA custodian, Equity Trust. This custodian has over 30 years of operating experience, serves all 50 states and holds over $52 billion in retirement assets.

After placing an order on your behalf, Augusta delivers your inventory to a secured depository and assists with future orders or buy backs.

Cash transactions

I also like the flexibility of making cash purchases to buy alternative assets outside of an IRA.

While you sacrifice potential tax benefits, this option allows you to buy metals of lesser purity or to opt for self-storage.

Pricing & Fees

Augusta Precious Metals doesn’t publish current prices or premiums online and are available by phone call only.

The minimum order amount for IRA or cash orders is $50,000 and can be eligible for free shipping and insurance.

Setup fee for IRA	$50
Wire transfer fee	$30
Custodian administration fee	$100 annually
Storage fees	$100 annually

When opening an Augusta Precious Metals IRA, anticipate paying $250 for your first year and $200 for each subsequent year.

I find these fees competitive with other gold IRA providers, although the $50,000 minimum order requirement is too high for some.

Regarding buybacks, Augusta currently provides buyback offers at approximately 5% below the current retail price on eligible items and may not charge liquidation fees.

For example, you can receive $95 when the retail price is $100.

Promotions

Depending on your investment amount, you can waive up to 10 years of fees.

Guarantees

Customers selling metals to Augusta qualify for the highest buy back price guarantee. This policy allows you to request cancellation within 24 hours of the trade when a competitor provides a higher payout.

However, Augusta doesn’t guarantee it will buy the metals it sells to you, and you may need to find another buyer in some situations.

Additionally, there are two guarantees for premium bullion purchases:

• 7-Day Price Protection Program: Request one price revision within seven days of the order date if product prices drop.
• Cancellation Period: First-time customers can cancel their premium gold or silver order within seven calendar days after the transaction confirmation date.

I wish Augusta would be slightly more transparent about guaranteeing grading and authenticity.

The service sells products “as is” but guarantees that all products are genuine and not counterfeit, which is the industry’s standard practice.

Customer Experience

Online chat and phone support are available from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. PST. You can also request a free gold IRA guide online and a dedicated representative will work with you.

I really like that you receive hands-on support throughout your investing journey. 

Email support and frequently asked questions are available on the website. Members can also read online articles and watch periodic educational seminars to learn more about investing in precious metals.

Storage & Security

Augusta works with the Delaware Depository to store IRA holdings at a private location of your choice:

• Bridgewater, MA
• Dallas, TX
• Las Vegas, NV
• Los Angeles, CA
• Nampa, ID
• New Castle, DE
• New York, NY
• Salt Lake City, UT
• Shiner, TX
• South Fargo, ND
• Wilmington, DE

These deposits have up to $1 billion in all-risk insurance through a London underwriter and are inaccessible to the facility’s creditors.

You can work with your IRA custodian to conveniently schedule a visit to view your metals.

Cash transactions allow you to choose the shipping destination of choice as you are responsible for bullion storage.

Account Setup & Maintenance

Below is a step-by-step look at the account setup process:

1. Request a free gold guide. This agent is your direct contact, serves as your liaison to interact with the different departments, and helps schedule a free initial web conference. 
2. Speak with the education team. Your agent will schedule an appointment, and a team member will review your account options, economic conditions, and other factors.
3. Open a precious metals IRA. The IRA processing team will help you complete up to 95% of the paperwork, including application, transfer, and rollover forms. You will then communicate with your new IRA custodian to finish the process.
4. Order gold and silver. The Augusta order desk will help you place an order by phone with most orders shipping within seven to 10 business days. The lifetime support benefit means your agent can answer ongoing account maintenance questions and assist with buyback requests in retirement.   

I appreciate the hands-on support which emphasizes transparency instead of high-pressure tactics that may not be in your best interest.

Reviews & Reputation

The overwhelming majority of Augusta Precious Metals reviews are very positive with customers typically appreciating the following traits:

• Educational one-on-one introduction appointment
• Knowledgeable and non-aggressive customer service agents
• Transparent pricing and fees

To summarize the relatively few customer complaints, the $50,000 order minimum is the most prevalent. Another area for improvement is having to call to receive current pricing.

Augusta Precious Metals has the highest ratings with the Better Business Bureau, Business Consumer Alliance, Google, TrustLink, and Trustpilot.

The company also routinely posts short, informative videos on social media platforms, including Facebook and X.

Augusta Precious Metals Alternatives & Competitors

These gold IRA providers have lower order minimums and potentially lower fees.

Goldco

Goldco has a $25,000 minimum order for gold and silver and its annual fees range from $175 to $225. It also works with multiple IRA custodians and the company also pledges to repurchase metals at the highest price through its highest Buy back guarantee.

Request Goldco’s free gold & silver kit

American Hartford Gold

American Hartford Gold sells gold, silver, and platinum. Order minimums are $10,000 for IRAs and $5,000 for non-IRAs. Its $175 to $225 annual fees are slightly lower than Augusta Precious Metals.

Request AHG’s free gold investors guide

Birch Gold Group

Birch Gold Group offers a wide investment selection of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. The minimum order is an affordable $10,000, although transferring at least $50,000 waives your first-year fees.

Further, you can store your IRA metals with either the Delaware Depository or Brinks Global Service.

Request Birch’s free gold info kit

Is Augusta Precious Metals a legit company?

This Augusta Precious Metals review confirms this is a trustworthy company for opening a gold and silver IRA and expanding your retirement strategy.

It has many pleased customers who appreciate the fee transparency, hands-on support, and in-depth educational tools.

Its primary drawback is the $50,000 order minimum which deters smaller investors.

Start by requesting a free Augusta Precious Metals gold kit and a one-on-one meeting.

FAQs