Broker deposit bonus
To receive the bonus award, you must: the offer limits you to one IRA — rollover, traditional, roth and sole-proprietor SEP only — and one cash management account.
Top-3 forex bonuses
Each account holder can’t have more than two enrolled accounts.
Best brokerage account bonuses in january 2021
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Brokerages are aggressively competing for your money. One way they do so is by offering competitive bonuses that you can add right to your brokerage account. It’s important to know the best offers so that you can decide whether it’s a good time to open a brokerage account and take advantage of what is often risk-free cash.
Here bankrate tracks the best brokerage account bonuses to help you compare active offers.
Best brokerage account bonuses in january 2021
- Ally invest: $50 to $3,500
- Merrill edge: $150 to $900
- Charles schwab: $100 to $500 (personally referred friend offer)
- E-trade: $50 to $2,500
Ally invest: $50, $200, $300, $600, $1,200, $2,500 or $3,500 bonus
New ally invest clients can earn up to a $3,500 cash bonus if they open a new account by march 31, 2021. The qualifying deposit must contain funds from outside of ally financial, and a person can only get the offer on one new ally invest securities LLC account. As an extra incentive, ally will credit your transfer fees from another brokerage, up to $150 as long as you bring at least $2,500 over to the new account.
Ally invest checks your deposit 60 days after your account is opened to determine the total qualifying deposit. You’ll receive your cash bonus within 10 business days after this review.
To receive a cash bonus, you must:
- Deposit at least $10,000 in a new ally invest account.
- Be a U.S. Resident.
- Not be an existing ally invest account holder or a former ally invest account holder (which includes former tradeking securities LLC account holders). You’re not eligible to receive the cash bonus if you closed one of these ally invest accounts within the past 90 days.
You must use the “open account” button associated with this offer on ally invest’s site for opening your account to be eligible for this offer.
Here are the bonus tiers for this offer:
- To receive the $50 bonus, deposit or transfer $10,000-$24,999.
- To receive the $200 bonus, deposit or transfer $25,000-$99,999.
- To receive the $300 bonus, deposit or transfer $100,000-$249.999.
- To receive the $600 bonus, deposit or transfer $250,000-$499,999.
- To receive the $1,200 bonus, deposit or transfer $500,000-$999,999.
- To receive the $2,500 bonus, deposit or transfer $1 million -$1,999,999.
- To receive the $3,500 bonus, deposit or transfer $2 million or more.
Once you receive your bonus, both the cash bonus and your qualifying deposit (minus any trading losses that are incurred) can’t be withdrawn for 300 days. A withdrawal may cause ally invest to revoke your bonus.
Read bankrate’s ally invest review to learn more.
Merrill edge: $150, $225, $375 or $900 bonus
When you open a merrill edge IRA or cash management account and make a qualifying deposit within 45 days of opening you can earn up to a $900 bonus. You need to use offer code 900ME during the account opening. This can be done while applying online or using it when speaking to a merrill edge financial adviser on the phone or at select bank of america branches. This offer expires april 15, 2021.
To receive a cash reward, you must:
- Enroll for the offer at the time of account opening.
- Deposit net new assets of at least $20,000 into your merrill edge account within 45 days of opening the account.
- You must be enrolled in the preferred rewards program within 90 days of making the deposit.
- Maintain that balance for at least 90 days.
The offer limits you to one IRA — rollover, traditional, roth and sole-proprietor SEP only — and one cash management account. Each account holder can’t have more than two enrolled accounts.
Assets from bank of america, merrill lynch, pierce, fenner & smith incorporated (MLPF&S), U.S. Trust, or 401(k) accounts administered by MLPF&S aren’t qualifying net new assets.
You’ll receive your cash reward two weeks after the initial 90-day period, assuming you meet eligibility requirements.
Business/corporate accounts, investment club accounts, partnership accounts and certain types of fiduciary accounts held at merrill edge aren’t eligible for this offer. The offer also doesn’t apply to accounts, which include iras or cmas, held with other business units of MLPF&S.
Here are the bonus tiers:
- To receive the $150 cash reward, deposit $20,000 to $49,999.99.
- To receive the $225 cash reward, deposit $50,000 to $99,999.99.
- To receive the $375 cash reward, deposit $100,000 to $199,999.99.
- To receive the $900 cash reward, deposit $200,000 or more.
Read bankrate’s merrill edge review to learn more.
Charles schwab: $100, $200, $300 or $500 (if you’re referred by a friend)
Schwab is offering personally referred friends the opportunity to earn up to $500 when they use a referral code, given to you by a current schwab customer, and open an eligible account at schwab.
To receive the bonus award, you must:
- Receive a referral code from a friend or family member.
- Be a new schwab client and make a qualifying net deposit within 45 days of both becoming a schwab customer and opening an eligible retail brokerage account.
You’re limited to one per account and only one account per client when you receive a referral.
Schwab retail brokerage accounts and iras are eligible for this offer. This includes accounts that are enrolled in schwab-sponsored investment advisery programs, such as schwab intelligent portfolios, schwab managed portfolios, schwab managed account select and connection and schwab private client.
You’ll receive your bonus approximately a week or two after the 45-day period ends if you made a qualifying deposit when becoming a new schwab customer and enrolling in the referral offer.
Schwab may charge back its bonus award if taxable accounts aren’t kept at schwab for at least one year.
Here are the bonus tiers for this offer:
- To receive a $100 bonus, deposit $1,000-$24,999.
- To receive a $200 bonus, deposit $25,000-$49,999.
- To receive a $300 bonus, deposit $50,000-$99,999.
- To receive a $500 bonus, deposit $100,000 or more.
Read bankrate’s charles schwab review to learn more.
E-trade: $50, $100, $150, $200, $300, $600, $1,200 or $2,500 bonus
You can earn a cash bonus if you open a retirement or brokerage account and fund it with $5,000 or more within 60 days of account opening. Your account must be opened by jan. 31, 2021.
To receive a cash bonus, you must:
- Use promo code WINTER21 when opening the account.
- Open your new account with funds or securities from accounts outside of E-trade. You need to also keep the new account (minus any trading losses) for at least 12 months to keep the cash bonus.
Here are the cash bonus tiers for this offer:
- To receive a $50 bonus, deposit or transfer $5,000-$9,999.
- To receive a $100 bonus, deposit or transfer $10,000-$19,999.
- To receive a $150 bonus, deposit or transfer $20,000-$24,999.
- To receive a $200 bonus, deposit or transfer $25,000-$99,999.
- To receive a $300 bonus, deposit or transfer $100,000-$249,999.
- To receive a $600 bonus, deposit or transfer $250,000-$499,999.
- To receive a $1,200 bonus, deposit or transfer $500,000-$999,999.
- To receive a $2,500 bonus, deposit or transfer $1 million or more.
Read bankrate’s E-trade review to learn more.
The 14 best brokerage account promotions and bonuses for 2021
Updated january 21, 2021
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Are you looking to open a new brokerage account to manage your portfolio of investments but aren’t sure which one?
Many online investment platforms compete for business by offering new account promotions based on the assets you can transfer to their platform. While promotions shouldn’t be the only consideration, these promotion/bonus amounts are too hard to look past.
There are a range of bonuses listed below, whether you have an established portfolio and looking to transfer stocks, or starting new.
Continue reading to review the best brokerage account promotions for new accounts.
Our top picks:
Webull – 4 free stocks worth up to $1,600
Webull is a free trading app from webull financial. They are a brokerage based out of new york city and regulated by FINRA, you can look them up on brokercheck. We have a full review of webull and their offer here.
For new signups, open and fund an account with $100 and they will give you 4 free stocks worth up to $1,600. They have no fees and no account minimums so it’s truly free stock.
Robinhood – free share of stock
Robinhood is a relatively new brokerage that will give you a free share of stock when you open an account. There are no other requirements of the offer, you just need to open an account. No deposit, no transfer, no nothing. You can read more about the free share of stock promotion here.
Ally invest – up to $3,500
Ally invest is the online brokerage account I use because they offer free trades (U.S. Stock, etfs, and options) with no minimums and monthly balance requirements. I have an ally bank account so managing it all with one login is convenient too. I wish I would’ve taken advantage of their new account bonuses for transfers because it’s one of the most generous, here is the schedule based on how much you deposit within 60 days of account opening:
Here is the ally invest bonus structure:
Deposit or transfer amount | your bonus |
---|---|
$10,000 – $24,999 | $50 |
$25,000 – $99,999 | $200 |
$100,000 – $249,999 | $300 |
$250,000 – $499,999 | $600 |
$500,000 – $999,999 | $1,200 |
$1,000,000 – $1,999,999 | $2,500 |
$2,000,000 or more | $3,500 |
They will also credit transfer fees if you move your account from another brokerage – up to $150 ACAT fee reimbursement.
NVSTR –
NVSTR has a referral program where you can get up to $1,000 (but at least $10) when you sign up. The referring customer gets $10 to $1,000 too – and it’s a limited time offer. If you’ve never heard of them before, our NVSTR review can get you up to speed.
The only requirement is that you make one trade within a year and you can keep the bonus. There are no other requirements for the new account bonus.
There is also a deposit bonus. For a limited time, after you open your account, you can get a bonus based on what you deposit. You need to maintain this amount for one year to keep the deposit bonus.
Tastyworks
Tastyworks will give you 100 shares of a “highly liquid stock” when you open and fund a new cash or margin account with $2,000. The shares will be selected at random from a list of eleven stocks priced between $1 and $6, so you can get anywhere from $100 to $600 in this promotion with a stated average bonus of $200 – $220. There is a 70% chance of getting a stock priced under $2 and a 30% chance of getting a stock priced over $2.
You must keep the initial value of the stock, less any loss in value, in the account for a minimum of three months.
The referral/promotion code for this offer is “STOCK_AWARD_20” and you must put it in the referral code field when applying.
Sofi invest – $50
Sofi invest is the brokerage arm of sofi, the student loan refinancing company. They’ve recently branched out into other areas, including sofi money (banking), and they are now offering a $50 bonus if you sign up and deposit at least $25.
With sofi invest, you can manage your portfolio (active investing) or go with a roboadvisor approach (auto investing). With active investing, you can invest in stocks, cryptocurrencies, and etfs without paying a trading commission.
For a limited time, get $50 in stock from sofi invest if you sign up with a referral link and deposit at least $1,000. There’s no trading requirement.
Betterment
Betterment is one of the largest and most respected robo-advisors, you can see our review of betterment for a closer look at their service.
For new accounts, they will waive the management fee of 0.25% depending on how much you transfer:
- Deposit $15,000 – $99,999, get 1 month managed free
- Deposit $100,000 – $249,999, get 6 months managed free
- Deposit $250,000+, get 12 months managed free
Citi personal wealth management
Citi personal wealth management has a juicy bonus offer when you transfer new-to-citibank funds within 2 months of opening an account. You also will need to enroll in e-delivery of statements and then keep those funds in the account through the end of the next month (or three months after the month of account enrollment). Bonus will be credited three months after you meet the maintenance requirement.
Here’s the citi bonus transfer schedule:
- Fund with $50,000 – $199,999 – $500
- Fund with $200,000 – $499,999 – $1,000
- Fund with $500,000 – $999,999 – $1,500
- Fund with $1,000,000 – $1,999,999 – $2,500
- Fund with $2,000,000 or more – $3,500
Merrill edge – up to $600
Merrill edge, a bank of america company, will give you up to $1,000 if you open a new merrill edge account using the offer code 600ME. You just need to transfer your funds within 45 days, maintain that balance for 90 days, and you will get the cash bonus in 2 weeks. This bonus applies to individual merrill edge iras or cash management accounts, which is what they call their taxable brokerage accounts.
Here’s the merrill edge bonus transfer schedule:
- Fund with $20,000 – $49,999: $100
- Fund with $50,000 – $99,999: $150
- Fund with $100,000 – $199,999: $250
- Fund with $200,000+ $600
If you are a preferred reward client, you may get up to $900 with this alternative offer.
Charles schwab – up to $500
Charles schwab will give stock plan services clients a bonus of up to $500 when you open a new account and transfer in new funds with 45 days. If you are not a stock plan service, they won’t give you this promotion (they will even let you apply and enter in a promotion code, but they won’t give you the bonus).
Here’s charles schwab’s bonus transfer schedule:
- Fund with $10,000 – $24,999: $100
- Fund with $25,000 – $45,999: $200
- Fund with $50,000 – $99,999: $300
- Fund with $100,000+ $500
Update: I have received reports from readers that you don’t get cash but instead get “trade credits” which can be used to pay the commission for trades. If you are considering this offer, call to confirm the details.
E*TRADE – up to $2,500
When I think of new account promotions, I think of E*TRADE. For years, they had an offer where you could get up to $3,000 (if you had over a million dollars in assets to transfer!) and 60 days of free trades if you open a non-retirement brokerage account.
With the recent rush of brokerages offering free trades, the promotion is now just cash.
You can find the full details here but this is the offer:
- Deposit $5,000 – $9,999, get $50 cash
- Deposit $10,000 – $19,999, get $100 cash
- Deposit $20,000 – $24,999, get $150 cash
- Deposit $25,000 – $99,999, get $200 cash
- Deposit $100,000 – $249,999, get $300 cash
- Deposit $250,000 – $499,999, get $600 cash
- Deposit $500,000 – $999,999, get $1,200 cash
- Deposit $1,000,000 or more, get $2,500 cash
Fidelity – promotion [expired]
Fidelity doesn’t offer any cash bonus right now and their last promotion, for free trades, no longer applies as they’ve made many trades commission free.
This offer has expired. We will update it when fidelity issues a new promotion.
Tradestation – $100 [expired]
Tradestation has a “cash madness” promotion where you can get $100 when you open and fund a tradestation securities account with $500 or more. All you have to do is open a new tradestation securities account using the offer code ZINGAFOG, deposit at least $500 within thirty days of opening your account, and then maintain the balance for one month after the funding date.
The promotion expired on july 1st, 2020. We will update this section when a new promotion arrives.
Frequently asked questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about bonuses and the brokerage transfer process.
Almost every brokerage firm supports ACATS, which stands for automated customer account transfer service, which lets you transfer your assets “in-kind.” this means that your holdings are transferred without you having to sell them (and create a taxable event). If you have big unrealized gains in a stock, the shares just get moved over without you having to sell them and you keep the same cost basis.
You may run into hiccups if some items can’t be transferred. One common example is vanguard admiral shares of their mutual funds. Some brokerages will take them, others won’t. In these cases, you may have to transfer them to another asset type (like the ETF version), which will accept them.
ACATS does take a week or two to complete the transfer.
I don’t think it’s worth switching from broker to broker, grabbing up the bonuses, but the process isn’t difficult.
If you’re looking to make a move anyway, getting paid a little for the effort is better than not being paid.
Some brokers may charge you to leave, which is something you’d be paying anyway, so hopping around may reduce your returns from the bonus perspective.
If you are creating new taxable brokerage accounts, the bonuses will be reported as income and you will have to claim them on your taxes as income.
If you are creating retirement accounts, like an IRA, the bonuses are going into those accounts so you won’t owe taxes on them immediately. For traditional iras, you’ll just be taxed when you start taking distributions. Roth iras will never be taxed. For each account, review the terms and conditions to see how the brokerage is treating it and you’ll know for certain.
Best brokerage account deals and bonuses right now: earn up to $3,500 with a new account
Get more cash to build wealth with these top brokerage deals and promotions.
Brokerage | brokerage bonus offer | bonus trigger |
TD ameritrade | $350-$2,500 | account opening and deposit minimum |
M1 finance | $250-$2,500 | account opening and transfer minimum |
stash | $5 | account opening and deposit minimum |
betterment | 1-12 months of free portfolio management | account opening and deposit minimum |
blockfi | $15-$250 free bitcoin | account opening and deposit minimum |
ally invest | $50-$3,500 | account opening and deposit minimum |
robinhood | $2.50-$200 worth of free stock | account opening |
webull | $8-$1,600 of free stock | deposit minimum |
charles schwab | $100-$500 | account opening and deposit minimum |
merrill edge self-directed | $100-$600 | account opening and deposit minimum |
E-trade | $25-$2,500 | account opening and deposit minimum |
If you’re unsure how to choose between this list of brokerage bonuses, these deciding factors on an investment brokerage will show you what to look for in a new account.
Best brokerage account bonuses right now
Building an investment portfolio can take time, but some top brokerage firms can help you with promotions, deals, referral bonuses and sign-up bonuses. Depending on how much money you have to invest, these brokers may offer to deposit a cash bonus into your account, give you free stock or provide fee-free investing for a set period.
If you’re looking for a new brokerage to help manage your portfolio, or if you’re a beginner investor who is excited to get started, check out these brokerage bonus offers to see how you can maximize your return.
1. TD ameritrade bonus: $350-$2,500
One of the largest brokers in the U.S., TD ameritrade provides a platform for all kinds of investors. It offers a robust set of resources and tools and doesn’t charge commissions on online trades of stocks, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (etfs).
TD ameritrade’s requirements to earn a sign-up bonus are a bit steep, so less experienced investors may not qualify. But the broker’s platform is among the best. With commission-free on stocks, mutual funds and other securities, TD ameritrade is still worth considering for long-term investing needs.
Read our full review of the TD ameritrade bonus.
2. M1 finance bonus: $250-$2,500
If you’re looking for an online stock broker that provides both investing and banking services, M1 finance may be ideal. With just $100, you can open an account and start trading various securities — that includes fractional shares, which allow you to purchase portions of shares in publicly-traded companies and benefit from gains without needing a lot of money. Plus, as an added benefit, the platform offers free trades.
M1 finance’s transfer bonus requires new money to be deposited into your account by october 31, 2020.
While this robo-advisor doesn’t offer a cash bonus, the features alone make this online broker worth considering. In addition to DIY-investing and checking, M1 finance offers the chance to borrow on margin at a low interest rate, especially if you register for an M1 plus account. It even offers commission-free trading for both trade windows and cash-back rewards for everyday spending.
Read our full review of the M1 finance bonus.
3. Stash bonus: $5 slickdeals bonus
slick tip: use this slickdeals affiliate link to automatically receive your $5 bonus offer to invest. |
If you’re relatively new to investing, meeting high deposit minimums may not be an option. With stash invest, though, you can get a bonus of $5 after you open a stash investment account and deposit $5 or more in new funds. While it may be a small incentive, it is a dollar for dollar match on your first $5 deposit.
That $5 sign-up bonus can be among your first dollars to invest with stash, and you can use it to trade stocks — including fractional shares — and etfs. Stash also offers a stock-back rewards program with its checking account, which means that you can earn rewards in the form of stocks when you make qualifying purchases with your stash debit card.
Just keep in mind that there’s a monthly fee that ranges from $1 to $9, depending on which features you want and how much you want to earn in stock-back rewards. However, like many online stock brokers, stash offers free trades which can help you to recover the cost of monthly fees.
Read our in-depth stash bonus review.
4. Betterment bonus: 1-12 months free portfolio management
One of the pioneers of robo-advising, betterment offers the chance to invest and bank all under one roof. On the investing side of things, the brokerage firm uses algorithms to manage your portfolio for you in exchange for a 0.25% annual fee. You can also upgrade to a premium plan with access to certified financial planners and advice for investments outside of betterment for a 0.40% annual fee.
For smaller investments, getting just one month for free may not amount to much. But it can give you some time to test-drive the platform and decide whether a robo-advisor is right for you.
5. Blockfi bonus: $15 – $250 in free bitcoin
slick tip: use this link and automatically earn your bonus after direct depositing the eligible bonus amount (see below). |
Cryptocurrency is a relatively new investment option, and blockfi is taking innovative steps to allow investors to take advantage of it. You can use the broker’s platform to buy and sell various cryptocurrencies, interest on your investment and even use your cryptocurrency as collateral to borrow money.
Blockfi is currently running a new block interest account (BIA) promotion. Fund your new block interest account with $25 or more on or before november to earn a one-time bitcoin bonus of $15 to $250. You must be a new blockfi customer to qualify for this bonus.
The blockfi interest account lets you put your crypto to work and earn monthly interest payments in the asset-type that you deposit with blockfi. Blockfi bonus fine print New clients who sign up through this referral link and fund their account during the current promotional period are eligible to receive $15 – $250 bitcoin bonus (in USDC) depending on their investment tier. The current promotional period is defined as the current calendar month ending at 23:59:59 UTC on the last day of the month. Please note, this must be your first deposit, and you must maintain a minimum $25 crypto balance through the 14th of the month for two and a half months from the month of eligibility in order to remain eligible. Eligible payouts occur on the 15th of every month on a rolling basis. If the 15th falls on a weekend, then the bonus payout will occur by the end of the next business day. There is a maximum of one bonus per client. This offer cannot be combined with other trading offers. Trading qualifications are dependent upon geographical or regulatory restrictions. Terms subject to change. Blockfi referral bonuses Once you’ve become a blockfi customer, you are eligible for their referral program which provides referral links for you to share. For every person that signs up using your blockfi referral code and deposits $100 or more into their blockfi interest account, you and that friend will each earn $10 in BTC. You can obtain a blockfi referral links by visiting the refer-a-friend landing page. Similarly, new promotions and past promotions are listed here on the blockfi promotions page. 6. Ally invest bonus: $50 – $3,500Ally invest is an online-only bank that offers a variety of banking, lending and wealth management services. It also offers one of the biggest bonuses for new investing customers that we’ve seen. If you open an ally self-invest account by december 31, 2020 and fund it with a certain amount within the first 60 days of account opening, you can receive up to $3,500. Ally invest features commission-free trades on eligible U.S exchange-listed stock, ETF, and option trades. In fact, at $0.50 per contract, ally invest offers low-cost fees for option trades and a wide selection of etfs from vanguard, globalx, ishares and more. Ally invest offers high-yield etfs from market leaders that may complement your portfolio and help diversify your investing strategy 7. Robinhood bonus: $2.50 – $200 worth of free stockRobinhood helped pioneer the mobile investing movement, as well as commission-free trades. The commission-free platform allows you to trade stocks (fractional shares included), options, cryptocurrencies and etfs, and there’s no minimum to get started. What’s more, the broker’s bonus is easy to earn: simply open a new account, and you’ll receive a free stock worth between $2.50 and $200. With no barrier to entry, this one may be the best online stock option for inexperienced investors. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that robinhood doesn’t offer retirement accounts. So you may want to consider another option if you’re hoping to open one of those. 8. Webull bonus: $8 – $1,600 of free stockAnother great mobile-first trading platform, webull offers the chance to invest in stocks, etfs and options (though you can’t trade fractional shares). Also, like robinhood, webull doesn’t require massive deposits to earn its welcome offer of free stocks. You can receive up to two free stocks each valued between $8 to $1,600 when you open an account with the broker and fund it with $100 or more. The broker also offers several ways to earn more free stock, including through referral links and other ongoing promotions. If you’re just starting out or you’re not sure you want to move a lot of money, webull can get a great place to start. In addition to offering free trades, another one of webull’s strengths is its investment in technical research, which can be a huge plus for experienced investors and others who want to learn. 9. Charles schwab: $100-$500Like TD ameritrade, charles schwab is one of the largest brokers in the U.S., and offers a much wider range of investment options, resources, tools and other features than many of the smaller brokers on our list. While the sign-up deposit requirements are a bit steeper than some other brokers, the lowest tier is still relatively accessible to investors with lower net worths. 10. Merrill edge self-directed account bonus: $100 – $600To earn the cash bonus, you’ll need to make your qualifying deposit of new funds within 45 days of opening your account, then keep it in the account for 90 days after that. And remember, the sign-up bonus only works for merrill edge self-directed accounts, which is where you manage your own portfolio. If you open a guided investing account with a professional manager, you’ll be ineligible for the promotion. Merrill edge’s bonus is more accessible than many other broker bonuses, but still requires a good amount of cash to get the minimum amount. 11. E-trade brokerage and retirement accounts: $25 – $2,500Once you meet the requirements, you’ll receive your cash bonus within seven business days. The offer is valid on new accounts opened by dec. 31, 2020, but you’ll have 60 days after that deadline to meet your deposit requirement. You also need to maintain the funds in the account (minus any trading losses you incur) for 12 months. Top 10 best forex brokers with bonus and promotions for 2021Top rated:Are you on the lookout for the best forex brokers with bonus and promotions to offer? They can be tricky to find, but if the answer is yes, then you are certainly in the correct place. Here we will give you all of the information you need, not only on the top recommended brokers if you are looking for a bonus, but also what these promotions mean, and how they can best work to your benefit as a trader. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the best brokers we have found that can offer bonus and promotions to you as a trader. Are these bonuses really free money?Although it may be hard to believe at first, it is true. The bonuses really are free money that is sent to your account by the broker. Now what is often asked is, can I withdraw these bonus funds? Generally, the answer is yes with most top brokers. Their policy will vary though and in many cases, there are certain trading criteria that you must meet in order to withdraw the bonus funds from your account. What should I check when choosing a bonus?There are a couple of very important steps that you must run through when checking the bonus that you should choose, and the broker who is providing that bonus. First off, it is vital that you read the terms and conditions carefully, so you know exactly what is on offer. Added to that, it is important to consider the whole offering of a broker. This means not only the bonus amounts, but what else they have to offer such as spreads, minimum deposits, and more.
Top 9 forex brokers with bonus and promotionsHere are the top 9 forex broker bonus and promotion offers we have found available: 1. FBSFBS is the first broker to make our listing for having some of the top promotions and bonus offers in the industry. They are well-known as being a very respected broker around the world, and they have a huge amount of bonuses on offer. At FBS you can win a wide range of prizes from holidays to new cars, and you can also double your deposit with the great FBS 100% deposit bonus they have in place. An FBS no deposit bonus is also available at no-risk at all to your funds as well as a cashback bonus if certain conditions are met. The FBS bonus offering continues to grow and expand with many contests and challenges also available where you can win cash, trips, and VIP event invites. They also run contests directly on social media like facebook where all you need to do is share posts with your friends. These are just some of the reasons why FBS is a top bonus broker for all traders. XM is another top international broker, and one of the most easily recognizable in the industry. They too offer a strong range of bonuses and promotions. These start with an excellent $30 no deposit bonus which you can use for completely risk-free, real money trading. Beyond this you will also find a deposit bonus of up to $4500 which means your deposit will be matched by the broker with free money up to this high value. Aside from those regular types of bonus offerings, XM also runs a lucky draw which has a huge total value of $1,000,000. As a regular trader with the broker you can also join their loyalty program which is points based. You can redeem these points through your trading actions to obtain a wide range of great benefits with the broker. Please note that these bonuses may not be available with every XM entity 3. InstaforexInstaforex is the next broker to make the top list of brokers providing bonuses and promotions. They too are very well-trusted by a broad range of traders across the industry. They start their bonus offering with one of the very best no deposit bonus offers in the sector. This is the instaforex $1,000 no deposit bonus. Further to this monster bonus offer, the broker also provides a deposit bonus of 30% so you can always receive an additional 30% on top of your initial deposit as risk-free bonus funds to trade with the broker. Added to this, instaforex makes a huge range of contests and challenges available where you only need to have a demo account to participate and win. Here you can win a great range of physical prizes including cars, money, and much more. 4. FxopenThe next broker on the list offering top promotions and bonuses is fxopen. They kick their bonus offering off with a $10 no deposit bonus. This is great if you are new to trading and looking to try out the broker with no risk at all to your own money. Another great offer for beginners is the $1 welcome bonus on micro accounts. This makes sure you are covered to trade with free money, even at lower risk levels. Like many of the other brokers they also provide access to a large number of trading contests with a unique prize attached. This prize is that if you reach a certain benchmark of profit in the contest with virtual funds, they will then turn 10% of these funds into real money for you to trade with. A very attractive bonus proposition indeed from this popular broker. 5. RoboforexRoboforex are in on the act too as another respected top broker offering bonuses and promotions to their traders. The excellent bonus infrastructure here starts with a deposit bonus that can be either 10%, 60%, or a huge 120% depending on how much you are depositing. The offers do not stop there with roboforex either. Just for joining the broker, you will be entitled to a $30 welcome bonus. This can be used for completely risk-free trading on the markets of your choice. You will also be entered into weekly and monthly contests which are free to enter but where you can win real prizes on both demo, and live accounts. Regular traders are not forgotten either with cash rebates stretching up to 15% based on how much you trade. 6. HotforexHotforex are one of the cornerstones of the industry and regularly feature as a top broker in many listings. They too have a very strong bonus infrastructure though it may not be available in every country the same. This is particularly true in europe. Outside of that though, their offer is strong. They provide a number of unique bonuses the first of which is a 100% credit bonus. This acts to double your deposit with completely free bonus funds. They also offer a very unique 30% rescue bonus. This bonus protects your funds from drawdowns up to $7,000. The 100% supercharged bonus is one of their most popular though. This provides for a huge amount in cash rebates that can reach up to $8,000, on top of a 100% deposit bonus. All of these great offerings maintain hotforex as a very popular bonus broker of choice. Please note that these bonuses may not be available with every XM entity 7. OctafxOctafx is another popular, and rapidly growing name in the sector. They are not stepping back when it comes to offering a bonus either. If you are trading with this broker, the first thing you may want to try out are some of the demo account contests. These great contests come with prizes of up to $500 real cash if you are trading through metatrader, and $150 if you are using ctrader. If these pique your interest, then you can decide to deposit for real, and benefit more from a 50% deposit bonus which is on offer. On top of this, there are many other prizes including merchandise to be won from a broker who is strong, trusted, and growing all the time. 8. FXTMFXTM is one of the biggest names in the industry. They have also not forgotten a strong bonus infrastructure, and for this reason, they too feature on our list of the best brokers for bonus offers and promotions. At the core of the FXTM bonus offering is their excellent loyalty program. Here, the more you trade, the more you can get paid. At the maximum level you have the ability to earn as much as $10,000 from the program. Also offered by the broker are a great range of both demo and live trading contests where you can compete against your fellow traders to win top prizes. 9. Vantage FXVantagefx is next in our selection of the best forex brokers who offer a good range of bonus systems. Here you will be able to take advantage of a 50% deposit bonus that will allow you to trade risk-free with bonus cash from the broker based on how much you deposit. Vantagefx also offers a great and very rewarding loyalty program where you can avail of 10% rebates on your trades up to $2 per lot traded when you deposit at least $1,000. With the broker and this program, there is no limit on the trade size at all. The higher the lot size you trade, the higher your bonus will be. Different type of bonusesWhen choosing your forex broker bonus, it is also important to keep in mind that there are many different bonus types available. Here is a more detailed look at exactly the kind of bonuses that are offered by brokers: Forex deposit bonus: the forex deposit bonus is a certain amount of money offered as a bonus based on the amount which you deposit. In the case of many brokers, this can mean matching your deposit amount with an equal bonus amount. Forex no deposit bonus: A forex no deposit bonus, as you might gather from the name, is a bonus which is offered to you with no deposit required. In most cases, you simply have to complete the registration process. This money is free and can be used in real trading at no risk to your own money. Welcome forex bonus: the welcome bonus can be similar to a no deposit bonus. You will get a bonus money amount for completing registration, and in some cases based on the amount of your first deposit. Loyalty program: A forex broker loyalty program, just like any other, is usually based on how much you use the service. In this case, the more you trade, the more you will be rewarded by such programs. These rewards could come in the form of lower trading costs, additional premium trade tools, physical prizes, access to live events and meetings, and much more. Points system: the forex broker point systems can also be based on loyalty programs. With these systems, the more you trade, the more points you will earn. These points can then be used to access monetary prizes, cars, vacations, and more. Cash back and rebates: cash back and rebate programs are also a very common form of bonus. Just as the name suggests, with this form of bonus, you can earn money back for each lot you trade. Money protection bonus: this is not a very common form of forex broker bonus, though it exists, nonetheless. This kind of bonus from your broker actually protects your funds from reaching a certain negative level, and in some cases, anything beyond this negative point can be refunded. Forex contest prize: there are a wide range of brokers who organize contests which you can participate in with virtual funds against other traders. If you win some of these contests through making the most profit from virtual funds, then you can win all kinds of great prizes including cash, cars, and more. Why do brokers offer forex no-deposit bonuses and other bonuses?There are several reasons why your broker may offer a no deposit, or other type of bonus. One of the primary reasons for this is to create value for you as a trader, and to attract new traders to the industry and that broker. This method is accepted in many parts of the world, though not in europe. Within the EU, the offering of the majority of these kinds of bonuses is not allowed by the regulator. ESMA does this in a large part to protect beginners from getting involved in trading without the proper knowledge and ultimately losing their money. Tips on how to choose a bonus and a brokerIf you are thinking about choosing a forex broker, the bonus is just one element of this choice, and it should not be a large factor in your decision-making process. First and foremost, you have to choose a broker who is trustworthy, and well-regulated. Luckily all of the brokers on our listing are both of these things. Once you have done this, then you can think about the bonus they are offering, but do not make your choice based on the broker bonus alone. You have to consider all of your trading needs. In this case, you may want to try out a broker first. This would be a great time to select a no deposit bonus broker so you can try out their real trading at no risk to you. FX brokers with deposit bonusThis is when a broker gives clients a bonus amount that is based on a percentage of your deposit. The bonus is typically issued as a credit and cannot be withdrawn; it will usually expire after a defined period of time.
Risk warning: trading forex, cfds and other leveraged derivatives is considered a high risk investment and may not be suitable for everyone. We do not provide investment advice and the bonuses or promotions offered by brokers are listed for comparative purposes only. Please read our terms and conditions and privacy policy for more information, and NFA's forex investor alert. The 14 best brokerage account promotions and bonuses for 2021Updated january 21, 2021 Some links below are from our sponsors. This blog has partnered with cardratings for our coverage of credit card products. This site and cardratings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author's alone and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. More information Are you looking to open a new brokerage account to manage your portfolio of investments but aren’t sure which one? Many online investment platforms compete for business by offering new account promotions based on the assets you can transfer to their platform. While promotions shouldn’t be the only consideration, these promotion/bonus amounts are too hard to look past. There are a range of bonuses listed below, whether you have an established portfolio and looking to transfer stocks, or starting new. Continue reading to review the best brokerage account promotions for new accounts. Our top picks:Webull – 4 free stocks worth up to $1,600Webull is a free trading app from webull financial. They are a brokerage based out of new york city and regulated by FINRA, you can look them up on brokercheck. We have a full review of webull and their offer here. For new signups, open and fund an account with $100 and they will give you 4 free stocks worth up to $1,600. They have no fees and no account minimums so it’s truly free stock. Robinhood – free share of stockRobinhood is a relatively new brokerage that will give you a free share of stock when you open an account. There are no other requirements of the offer, you just need to open an account. No deposit, no transfer, no nothing. You can read more about the free share of stock promotion here. Ally invest – up to $3,500Ally invest is the online brokerage account I use because they offer free trades (U.S. Stock, etfs, and options) with no minimums and monthly balance requirements. I have an ally bank account so managing it all with one login is convenient too. I wish I would’ve taken advantage of their new account bonuses for transfers because it’s one of the most generous, here is the schedule based on how much you deposit within 60 days of account opening: Here is the ally invest bonus structure:
They will also credit transfer fees if you move your account from another brokerage – up to $150 ACAT fee reimbursement. NVSTR –NVSTR has a referral program where you can get up to $1,000 (but at least $10) when you sign up. The referring customer gets $10 to $1,000 too – and it’s a limited time offer. If you’ve never heard of them before, our NVSTR review can get you up to speed. The only requirement is that you make one trade within a year and you can keep the bonus. There are no other requirements for the new account bonus. There is also a deposit bonus. For a limited time, after you open your account, you can get a bonus based on what you deposit. You need to maintain this amount for one year to keep the deposit bonus. TastyworksTastyworks will give you 100 shares of a “highly liquid stock” when you open and fund a new cash or margin account with $2,000. The shares will be selected at random from a list of eleven stocks priced between $1 and $6, so you can get anywhere from $100 to $600 in this promotion with a stated average bonus of $200 – $220. There is a 70% chance of getting a stock priced under $2 and a 30% chance of getting a stock priced over $2. You must keep the initial value of the stock, less any loss in value, in the account for a minimum of three months. The referral/promotion code for this offer is “STOCK_AWARD_20” and you must put it in the referral code field when applying. Sofi invest – $50Sofi invest is the brokerage arm of sofi, the student loan refinancing company. They’ve recently branched out into other areas, including sofi money (banking), and they are now offering a $50 bonus if you sign up and deposit at least $25. With sofi invest, you can manage your portfolio (active investing) or go with a roboadvisor approach (auto investing). With active investing, you can invest in stocks, cryptocurrencies, and etfs without paying a trading commission. For a limited time, get $50 in stock from sofi invest if you sign up with a referral link and deposit at least $1,000. There’s no trading requirement. BettermentBetterment is one of the largest and most respected robo-advisors, you can see our review of betterment for a closer look at their service. For new accounts, they will waive the management fee of 0.25% depending on how much you transfer:
Citi personal wealth managementCiti personal wealth management has a juicy bonus offer when you transfer new-to-citibank funds within 2 months of opening an account. You also will need to enroll in e-delivery of statements and then keep those funds in the account through the end of the next month (or three months after the month of account enrollment). Bonus will be credited three months after you meet the maintenance requirement. Here’s the citi bonus transfer schedule:
Merrill edge – up to $600Merrill edge, a bank of america company, will give you up to $1,000 if you open a new merrill edge account using the offer code 600ME. You just need to transfer your funds within 45 days, maintain that balance for 90 days, and you will get the cash bonus in 2 weeks. This bonus applies to individual merrill edge iras or cash management accounts, which is what they call their taxable brokerage accounts. Here’s the merrill edge bonus transfer schedule:
If you are a preferred reward client, you may get up to $900 with this alternative offer. Charles schwab – up to $500Charles schwab will give stock plan services clients a bonus of up to $500 when you open a new account and transfer in new funds with 45 days. If you are not a stock plan service, they won’t give you this promotion (they will even let you apply and enter in a promotion code, but they won’t give you the bonus). Here’s charles schwab’s bonus transfer schedule:
Update: I have received reports from readers that you don’t get cash but instead get “trade credits” which can be used to pay the commission for trades. If you are considering this offer, call to confirm the details. E*TRADE – up to $2,500When I think of new account promotions, I think of E*TRADE. For years, they had an offer where you could get up to $3,000 (if you had over a million dollars in assets to transfer!) and 60 days of free trades if you open a non-retirement brokerage account. With the recent rush of brokerages offering free trades, the promotion is now just cash. You can find the full details here but this is the offer:
Fidelity – promotion [expired]Fidelity doesn’t offer any cash bonus right now and their last promotion, for free trades, no longer applies as they’ve made many trades commission free. This offer has expired. We will update it when fidelity issues a new promotion. Tradestation – $100 [expired]Tradestation has a “cash madness” promotion where you can get $100 when you open and fund a tradestation securities account with $500 or more. All you have to do is open a new tradestation securities account using the offer code ZINGAFOG, deposit at least $500 within thirty days of opening your account, and then maintain the balance for one month after the funding date. The promotion expired on july 1st, 2020. We will update this section when a new promotion arrives. Frequently asked questionsHere are some frequently asked questions about bonuses and the brokerage transfer process. Almost every brokerage firm supports ACATS, which stands for automated customer account transfer service, which lets you transfer your assets “in-kind.” this means that your holdings are transferred without you having to sell them (and create a taxable event). If you have big unrealized gains in a stock, the shares just get moved over without you having to sell them and you keep the same cost basis. You may run into hiccups if some items can’t be transferred. One common example is vanguard admiral shares of their mutual funds. Some brokerages will take them, others won’t. In these cases, you may have to transfer them to another asset type (like the ETF version), which will accept them. ACATS does take a week or two to complete the transfer. I don’t think it’s worth switching from broker to broker, grabbing up the bonuses, but the process isn’t difficult. If you’re looking to make a move anyway, getting paid a little for the effort is better than not being paid. Some brokers may charge you to leave, which is something you’d be paying anyway, so hopping around may reduce your returns from the bonus perspective. If you are creating new taxable brokerage accounts, the bonuses will be reported as income and you will have to claim them on your taxes as income. If you are creating retirement accounts, like an IRA, the bonuses are going into those accounts so you won’t owe taxes on them immediately. For traditional iras, you’ll just be taxed when you start taking distributions. Roth iras will never be taxed. For each account, review the terms and conditions to see how the brokerage is treating it and you’ll know for certain. Best brokerage account deals and bonuses right now: earn up to $3,500 with a new accountGet more cash to build wealth with these top brokerage deals and promotions.
If you’re unsure how to choose between this list of brokerage bonuses, these deciding factors on an investment brokerage will show you what to look for in a new account. Best brokerage account bonuses right nowBuilding an investment portfolio can take time, but some top brokerage firms can help you with promotions, deals, referral bonuses and sign-up bonuses. Depending on how much money you have to invest, these brokers may offer to deposit a cash bonus into your account, give you free stock or provide fee-free investing for a set period. If you’re looking for a new brokerage to help manage your portfolio, or if you’re a beginner investor who is excited to get started, check out these brokerage bonus offers to see how you can maximize your return. 1. TD ameritrade bonus: $350-$2,500One of the largest brokers in the U.S., TD ameritrade provides a platform for all kinds of investors. It offers a robust set of resources and tools and doesn’t charge commissions on online trades of stocks, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (etfs). TD ameritrade’s requirements to earn a sign-up bonus are a bit steep, so less experienced investors may not qualify. But the broker’s platform is among the best. With commission-free on stocks, mutual funds and other securities, TD ameritrade is still worth considering for long-term investing needs. Read our full review of the TD ameritrade bonus. 2. M1 finance bonus: $250-$2,500If you’re looking for an online stock broker that provides both investing and banking services, M1 finance may be ideal. With just $100, you can open an account and start trading various securities — that includes fractional shares, which allow you to purchase portions of shares in publicly-traded companies and benefit from gains without needing a lot of money. Plus, as an added benefit, the platform offers free trades. M1 finance’s transfer bonus requires new money to be deposited into your account by october 31, 2020. While this robo-advisor doesn’t offer a cash bonus, the features alone make this online broker worth considering. In addition to DIY-investing and checking, M1 finance offers the chance to borrow on margin at a low interest rate, especially if you register for an M1 plus account. It even offers commission-free trading for both trade windows and cash-back rewards for everyday spending. Read our full review of the M1 finance bonus. 3. Stash bonus: $5 slickdeals bonus
If you’re relatively new to investing, meeting high deposit minimums may not be an option. With stash invest, though, you can get a bonus of $5 after you open a stash investment account and deposit $5 or more in new funds. While it may be a small incentive, it is a dollar for dollar match on your first $5 deposit. That $5 sign-up bonus can be among your first dollars to invest with stash, and you can use it to trade stocks — including fractional shares — and etfs. Stash also offers a stock-back rewards program with its checking account, which means that you can earn rewards in the form of stocks when you make qualifying purchases with your stash debit card. Just keep in mind that there’s a monthly fee that ranges from $1 to $9, depending on which features you want and how much you want to earn in stock-back rewards. However, like many online stock brokers, stash offers free trades which can help you to recover the cost of monthly fees. Read our in-depth stash bonus review. 4. Betterment bonus: 1-12 months free portfolio managementOne of the pioneers of robo-advising, betterment offers the chance to invest and bank all under one roof. On the investing side of things, the brokerage firm uses algorithms to manage your portfolio for you in exchange for a 0.25% annual fee. You can also upgrade to a premium plan with access to certified financial planners and advice for investments outside of betterment for a 0.40% annual fee. For smaller investments, getting just one month for free may not amount to much. But it can give you some time to test-drive the platform and decide whether a robo-advisor is right for you. 5. Blockfi bonus: $15 – $250 in free bitcoin
Cryptocurrency is a relatively new investment option, and blockfi is taking innovative steps to allow investors to take advantage of it. You can use the broker’s platform to buy and sell various cryptocurrencies, interest on your investment and even use your cryptocurrency as collateral to borrow money.
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