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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 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 promotions & bonuses – january 2021

If you’re looking for the latest brokerage promotions & bonuses, you’re at the right place! Our list will include options from sharebuilder, TD ameritrade, E*trade, optionshouse, schwab, merrill edge, fidelity, motif, optionsxpress, and much more.

With these brokerage bonuses, you’ll be able to take advantage of sign-up cash bonuses, points & miles promotions, free commission trade deals, and other nice perks. Best brokerage deals

Best brokerage promotions
*find all brokerage promotions here*
PROMOTIONAL LINK	OFFER	REVIEW
ally invest's self-directed trading	up to $3,500 cash & free trades	review
webull	4 free stocks & free trades	review
TD ameritrade	$0 commissions	review

broker	bonus	terms	expiration	review
acorns	free $5 bonus	none	none	review
ally invest managed portfolios	low advisory fee	$100 minimum deposit	none	review
ally invest's self-directed trading	up to $3500 cash bonus	$0 minimum deposit	12/31/2020	review
betterment	up to 12 months managed free	$500K+ deposit	none	review
charles schwab	up to $500	$100K+ deposit	none	review
charles schwab	500 free trades	$100K+ deposit	none	review
choicetrade	$5 base rate plus $0.15 per contact	no minimum initial deposit	none	review
citi	earn up to $3,500	no minimum initial deposit	12/31/2020	review
cobra trading	free platform demo	request a free platform demo	none	review
dough	up to $200	N/A	12/31/2020	review
E*trade	$0 commissions for online stock, ETF, & options trades	N/A	none	review
E*trade	$0 commissions for online stock, ETF, & options trades	N/A	none	review
firstrade	free stock referral	N/A	none	review
firstrade	up to $600	use promo code "FTCASH"	04/15/2020	review
firstrade	$200 transfer fee rebates	account transfer of $2,500 or more	none	review
future advisor	free service sign up	many services are free to use. Premium service management fee is 0.50%	none	review
just2trade	$2.50 per trade	N/A	none	review
lightspeed	up to $10K cash back in rebates	use promo code: 10K2019	none	review
M1 finance	$20 bonus & $20 referral	$100 minimum deposit for taxable accounts. $500 minimum deposit for iras.V	none	review
merrill edge	up to $1000	$200K+ deposit	07/15/2020	review
merrill edge	up to $600	$200K+ deposit	none	review
motif investing	3 months free	no minimum	none	review
personal capital	free financial software	none	none	review
robinhood	unlimited free trades + free share ($170+)	no minimum	none	review
robinhood	1.80% APY cash management	no minimum	none	review
sigfig	unlimited free trades + free share ($170+)	no minimum	none	review
sofi invest	$75 bonus	$1,000 deposit	none	review
sogotrade	100 free trades	$500+ deposit for free trades. Transfer $10K+ for $100 reimbursement.	None	review
speed trader	$100 in free trades	N/A	none	review
tastyworks	100 shares worth $1-$6	open new account with $2k	12/31/2020	review
TD ameritrade IRA	$0 commissions	none	none	review
TD ameritrade	$0 commissions	none	none	review
tradestation	$50	N/A	none	review
tradestation	$5,000	complete qualifying account transfers	none	review
wealthfront	up to $5,000	N/A	none	review
webull	free share of stock + free trades	N/A	none	review

About danny nguyen

Danny nguyen is born and raised in dallas/fort worth, texas. He has a keen sense in how to save and make money while being as frugal as possible. With this, he is committed to passing on this knowledge and skills to our readers. Outside of work, danny enjoys helping and giving back to the community, reading, working out, and spending time with what matters most - family!

South african forex no deposit bonus offers from trusted brokers

If you’re out there looking for a new forex broker to deal with, you might want to start considering working with one that offers a very beneficial bonus for trading with them. Though you might not be aware of what a forex bonus is, in which case, let us discuss the concept with you and explain why forex bonuses are some of the best and worst things south african forex broker or any other broker might offer.

The idea behind a forex no deposit bonus is simple: to attract new customers. There are many types of forex bonuses and all of them are there to attract new traders to a platform. Whether this is a welcome bonus forex broker offer or some kind of bonus received after trading a certain amount, there is no question about it, it is always there to attract a new customer. Some brokers might offer more than others and some scams might use bonus offers as a way to attract new victims, but there is always a way to find out what the intentions of the company are. I believe bonuses to be a blessing, simply because they give you more money to work with and a chance to generate more income, but I also cannot shed a feeling that they are a curse. A curse, since a bonus might make you think that it is okay to take a risk you should not be taking because the money isn’t yours, which results in more money being lost than you should have.

Though let’s get over the philosophical deliberations over what the dangers and advantages of a forex bonus are and get into the thick of it: how do you go about getting some sweet, sweet bonus money on your forex account?

What is a no deposit bonus?

First, let us explain what exactly no deposit welcome bonus is and how does it work. Unlike deposit bonuses, the no deposit bonus is usually the one that most traders are looking for in a new FX broker to work. These no deposit bonuses are welcome bonus forex brokers like to offer the least of. S outh african forex brokers with no deposit bonus will usually offer no more than 400 rand, but it will still be a significant benefit to a trader who knows what they are doing. For experienced traders, a no deposit bonus is like a free, no risk capital that can be spent on experimental currency pairs to see the results. If the capital is lost, it doesn’t mean much, but if it has returned, then the results are positive and indicate that further trading might be a good idea. The bonus can also be a nice piece of bait for the industry newcomers, who do not know which broker to start working with. While this is not a problem if you end up with a good broker, the danger of starting to trade with a scammer or a brokerage that trades against you is very real.

On the other hand, the no deposit bonus forex is also one of the best ways to start trading for a beginner trader. The cause for this is simple – new traders, with little experience, are too afraid to invest real money into forex trading. Many of them spend time working on demo accounts, trying to figure out how the market works. While a respectable endeavor, it is a limited one – a simulated market is not capable of showing the full spectrum of problems that perk up on the real market. This is why a nice no deposit bonus is a good way for a trader to move onto the market without risking their real money on the market.

How to find the best south african forex bonus

Where do you go about looking for F orex brokers with no deposit bonus offers, and how do you find them? That question is one that has bothered many before. If you are new to the industry or are simply looking for a new way to make money within it, a bonus is definitely something you might want to look into. But where?

The best forex bonus is one that is found quickly, easily applied for and easily received. To find such a bonus, all you need to do is check with a forex broker. Most international forex brokers and most south african forex brokers no deposit bonuses get updated during certain times of the year. These times are usually specific seasons when these brokers have had a certain surplus in revenue that they can reallocate towards further increasing their user base. Usually, these become welcoming bonuses for new customers and traders, encouraging them to sign up and deposit money to receive the bonus. Finding such a bonus is not that tough. All you have to do is look at the website of some of the brokers that you might be interested in. If they are offering a welcome bonus, they will usually have it promoted on their home page. If such a promotion is not present on the page, then it is probably not being offered currently.

If you can’t find a bonus with a company that you would like to work with, you might want to find and sign up for their newsletter. Brokerages usually have promotional offers for their clients, those who have signed up for their newsletters or subscribed to their social media platforms. This is where you might find nice south african forex brokers with bonus offers or some kind of alternative bonus program that might interest you.

Better safe…

Though be careful! The hard part of the process is not finding a forex bonus. Forex bonuses are usually offered in droves, and simply searching the words on google will result in a whole bunch of results on the subject. The real complicated part of the process is identifying which of these are legitimate offers and which are simple bait to attract you and then never provide you with the bonus. Whether it is a scam or an unscrupulous broker trying to attract you to trade with them, it is important to consider what kind of reputation the broker has in the south african forex broker community.

Knowing what forex bonus to pick with a south african broker

The process of choosing what bonus to pick with what broker can be a complicated one. If it is not a complicated process for you, you are not doing it right. The thing is, you have to do a lot of research before choosing to trade with a forex broker. Think of it this way, if you were making an investment into a building, that as a bonus offered you to install a pool free of charge, would you not make sure that both the house and the pool are of good quality? Would you not make sure that you are getting what you paid for?

The same goes for south african F orex brokers offering no deposit bonus . You should not invest simply because you are looking to make some free cash, but also because you believe the company to be trustworthy. All south african FX brokers offer some kind of benefit for investing with them, but not all of them offer the same kind of quality of service or reputation. A bonus and broker choice should go together and should be done with great care.

Just consider this: one forex broker is offering a no deposit bonus of 2750 rand as long as you start trading with them, while the other is offering a 350 no deposit bonus. Which company would you start trading with? If you are anything like me five years ago, you will be thinking that the first option sounds pretty good. In fact, it sounds a little too good. While the information provided is not enough to decide whether a company is trustworthy, one thing is true: if something sounds too good to be true, you need to make sure it is not a lie. In some cases, companies will make great promises, only to do their best to not deliver on them. The better the premise sounds, the more likely the broker is to not deliver on it. They might give you the promised money and you make more money off of it, but they will simply block you from withdrawing the money. Or they might make the promise of the bonus once you deposit some cash, but you end up never receiving the bonus and have a hard time withdrawing the money you deposited with them. Whatever it is you do, you need to know why you are picking whatever you are picking.

Something else you need to consider: what kind of terms and conditions they have for their bonuses. Usually, a broker, whether it is a south african FX brokerage or otherwise, will have some terms and conditions attached to the bonus. It might be a no withdrawal policy unless you deposit a certain amount, or unless you make a certain amount of money off of the bonus. It could be that you need to complete certain actions to be able to receive the money. It is important to know these, so you can intelligently apply and gain benefit from the bonus.

Finally, it is important to know the general no deposit bonus withdrawal conditions, associated fees and other possible money related conditions that a forex brokerage might have. If the brokerage has a nice bonus, but does not offer an agreeable spread system, has commissioned or has other aspects that you do not find to be agreeable to you, it is not recommended to try and get the bonus from the broker. Make sure to check if the broker is offering F orex no deposit bonus without verification, this should raise your suspicions and validate more research.

How to avoid south african scam forex brokers and scam bonuses

The way to avoiding the scams we have mentioned so many times up to this point is simple: do your research and know the signs. While this might seem like a complicated and time-consuming process, it is an important one nonetheless. Just like with any other kind of investment activity, you need to know what you are doing, and need to know that your money is safe. This is why you need to research the forex trading scams and treat all others with suspicion. If a broker has an underdeveloped and ugly website, is promising something that might seem too good to be true and has many negative broker reviews online, it might be a good idea to abstain from investing with them, as they are most likely to be either a scam or a very unscrupulous company. Here is a quick checklist of red flags to look for:

If their website is underdeveloped or badly optimized

If they are offering bonuses that seem unrealistic

If they are not licensed by any regulatory body

If they do not respond to chat, emails or calls

If they have bad reviews on official websites, as well as user reviews

Or if they have demonstrated any suspicious activity

These red flags should provide you with enough evidence to decide against investing with a company, despite the amazing bonuses they may offer. We have provided a number of reviews of good and bad forex brokerages in south africa on our page that you can take a look at. Those should be able to help you understand what the best forex broker qualities are and how to choose the best south african broker offering no deposit bonus.

Moomoo free stock sign up bonus & referral link

Earn free stocks using moomoo!

Earn up to $200 in free stock with nothing more than a few clicks of your cursor. Sign up for the moomoo free stock giveaway and cash in on the moomoo sign up bonus! All you need to do is download moomoo and open a trading account in the app. You will then be gifted a free stock card worth between $8-$200, available right in the moomoo app!

Then, when you deposit your first $100 or more into moomoo you will receive a second free stock card worth between $10-$1000 that can be redeemed for stock in netflix, uber, beyond meat or zynga! Refer friends to receive additional free stock cards.

Recently launched in 2019, the moomoo free stock offering is designed to promote the stock trading app and won’t last forever. Both the moomoo stock cards and the moomoo sign up bonus were made available in november 2019, and the promotions can end anytime, as stated in moomoo’s terms and conditions. Act fast while the promotion lasts!

About moomoo

Moomoo is a trading platform that allows customers to make 100% commission free trades on US stocks, etfs, adrs and options. It also allows you to trade outside normal market hours, making moomoo ideal for traders outside the united states, as well as anyone who doesn’t have time during the workday to pay attention to their portfolio.

How the offer works

Download the moomoo app for free on your ios or android device.

After your account is approved (usually on the same day you sign up) moomoo will send you a notification via email that you have received your moomoo signup bonus and your $8-$200 free stock card has been issued. Congrats!

To claim your card, open moomoo and go to “me” > “free stocks” > “my invites” in the moomoo app.

After completing this initial step, you are eligible to receive a second free stock card valued between $10-$1000 when you make a deposit of $100 or more in your moomoo account. Follow the same steps to redeem this card.

All free stock cards must be claimed within 60 days or the reward will expire.

This offer is valid for residents of the united states who are at least 18 years of age and have a valid social security number.

Redeeming your moomoo free stock card

Your free stock card is a card issued in a dollar amount between $8-$200 or $10-$1000 that can be used to purchase any stock of equal or lesser value.

Think of it as a gift card for a stock, which can be used through the moomoo app!

After you receive your moomoo stock card, go into the moomoo mobile app, select “me” > “stock cards” > “redeem”

The stock you redeem with your card will be added to your account within 5 trading days.

Using your card to buy stock

After redeeming your stock card, you can use the card to purchase a stock for the value of the card. For example, if you were to receive an uber stock card worth $100, you would be able to purchase 3 shares of stock in uber (currently valued at $30.44). The extra money remaining cannot be redeemed, unless the price of uber stock drops below the remaining balance.

According to moomoo’s terms and conditions, for the free stock card you receive from the moomoo signup bonus, you have a 98.5% chance of receiving a stock card worth $8, around a 1% chance of receiving a stock card worth $50, and approximately a 0.2% chance of receiving a stock card worth $200.

For the card you receive after depositing $100, you have a 98.5% chance of receiving a card worth $10, approximately a 1% chance of receiving a card worth $50, about a 0.45% chance of receiving a card worth $200 and approximately a 0.05% chance of receiving a card worth $1000.

Earning more moomoo free stock cards with moomoo’s referral program

Like the moomoo free stock program and want to earn more? You can receive up to a total of $2000 in free stock by referring friends to join you on the app! Referring people is not required in order to receive your moomoo sign up bonus, it is a completely separate offer allowing you to receive more free stock. Simply follow these steps:

Follow the links “me” > “free stock app” in the moomoo app.

Click “invite friends”

Copy and paste or share the moomoo referral link to as many friends as you like.

For each friend that downloads moomoo by following your link and signs up for a free trading account with futu while the promotion lasts, you will both receive stock cards between $8-$200!

For each friend who then deposits $100 into their moomoo account, you will both receive a second free stock card valued between $10-$1000!

You will be notified when each of your new stock cards becomes available. They can be found by following “me” > “free stocks” > “my invites” in the moomoo app.

All free stock cards must be claimed within 60 days or the reward will expire.

When your total free stock earnings reach the limit of $2000, your account will no longer be eligible to receive free stocks or free stock cards. Your friends who use your referral link will still receive their free cards.

This offer is valid for residents of the united states who are at least 18 years of age and have a valid social security number.

The advantage of trading with moomoo

On top of 100% commission free trading and an easy to use mobile application, there are several key features that give moomoo users a significant value over the competition. These include:

● pre and post market trading (still commission free). Too busy during the workday to juggle your portfolio? No problem. With moomoo, you can login and navigate an easy to use platform anytime, anywhere.

● no minimum account balance to trade. With no barrier to entry, moomoo is accessible to traders of all income and experience levels.

● robust, in-depth information to guide your trades. Moomoo offers free, extremely detailed graphic charts with over 50 indicators and all the information you need to make an educated decision about a stock.

● second layer information, including free NBBO quotes. This is what really sets moomoo apart from most of the trading apps on the market, including some of the biggest institutions. NBBO quotes include a list of all orders currently on the market for each stock you are looking to trade, as well as analyst ratings, graphical financial charts and transaction details.

Jump into trading with moomoo

Moomoo is one of the newest stock trading apps in a competitive field, and it has created this offering to attract new clients. It comes with some notable advantages over its competitors which are potentially even more valuable than the free stock cards they are offering, including making it easier for the everyday user to trade options.

This is a great promotion for people who are new to investing, or are looking for an alternative to their current platform. Download moomoo, register your account, and start trading today!

Other free stock sign up bonuses

Check out other free stock referral bonuses from robinhood, webull, firstrade, and sofi invest.

Welcome bonus up to $500

Welcome bonus - a bonus which is equal to 100% of the first deposit, but does not exceed $500. It is credited automatically. The profit can be withdrawn without any limitations, and the bonus itself can be withdrawn after required trading turnover completed.

Welcome bonus advantages

How to get the welcome bonus

Terms and conditions

To credit a welcome bonus, it is required to open a live account MT4.Directfx, MT4.Classic+, MT5.Directfx or MT5.Classic+. Please note, "cent" accounts are not allowed. Welcome bonus can be credited only to standard account.

Welcome bonus can be obtained only once with the first deposit of at least $50. For this purpose, check “enroll welcome bonus” option on the replenishment form.

Bonus amount is equal to 100% of the deposit sum, but can not exceed $500 (or equivalent in the account currency).

The profit can be withdrawn at any time, but the welcome bonus can be withdrawn only after the required trading turnover is achieved. The required trading turnover can be calculated upon the formula: .

Example:

The trader made a deposit $200 and received welcome bonus $200. Required turnover = 200 * 50,000 = $10,000,000 (which is equivalent to 44 lots of EURUSD in metatrader)

Examples:

BUY 1 lot EURUSD (1 lot = 100,000 EUR) position opened at a price of 1.1257 and closed at 1.1283.

SELL 5 lot USDJPY (1 lot = 100,000 USD) position opened at a price of 109.806 and closed at 109.352.

BUY 3.5 lot GBPUSD (1 lot = 100,000 GBP) position opened at a price of 1.2978 and closed at 1.2985.

Example:

The trader made a deposit $500 and received welcome bonus $500. In case the equity goes down to $500 (value in the credit field), welcome bonus will be automatically cancelled, and all positions will be closed forcibly (stop out).

Risk warning: trading with complex financial instruments such as stocks, futures, currency pairs, contracts for difference (CFD), indexes, options, and other derivative financial instruments involves a high level of risk and is not suitable for all categories of investors. You must realize that there is a probability of partial or complete loss of your initial investments and you should not invest facilities that you can't afford to lose. Until you begin to carry out trading transactions, make sure that you fully realize the risks associated with this type of activity.

Expose what is the meaning of forex no deposit bonus. You gain a real forex trading account with original money on it no deposit required from your side

Youвђ™re probably interested in forex live trading. It is a good way to increase your wealth if you have the right skills and knowledge about the industry as a whole. However, itвђ™s worth to mention that there are a lot of pitfalls in forex trading. If you fail to become an expert in trading before investing large sums of money in it, you may be leading yourself towards financial ruin.

Now, sure, you have read dozens of articles on forex and how to make a profit on it. You have seen dozens of people talk about their immense fortunes earned by trading. What you havenвђ™t seen is thousands of people who only suffered losses when they started trading. Donвђ™t become one of them, trade with skill.

You canвђ™t get experience unless you fail. But how do you get trading skills if you donвђ™t want to lose your own money to learn? The answer is to get a no deposit forex bonus on a forex trading platform.

It is a free bonus (no deposit required) with no deposit required and no strings attached. You just have to register to get anywhere from $30 to $500 for free to get you started in trading. Make sure you don't waste the money and work hard to learn the basics.

Is bonus with no deposit on forex a scam?

While the industry has seen some fraudulent projects, most places that offer trading bonuses with no deposit are trustworthy. The thing is there are so many trading platforms that they have to compete against each other to win new paying customers. Giving away some free money for you to learn how to trade is only beneficial for them.
Profit from their offers. Browse the list of trading platforms that offer no deposit bonuses and chose the most beneficial option fo you.

Forex no deposit bonus is risk free and deposit free bonus. You don’t need any deposit, the broker will give you bonus after opening a new account. Just you need to register with a forex broker and verify your account. Then you can start your live trading.

This how forex broker makes their potential client. Forex broker utilizes no deposit bonuses to pull in new customers, particularly in the event that they are new brokers, to expand their demographic as quickly as conceivable which is the reason they offer such free rewards.

Presently, forex trading becoming more popular, so there are too many traders and they want to start deposit free welcome mean no deposit bonus. Luckily, there is various forex broker offering no deposit bonus for beginners. They offer amazing bonuses, often $5 USD to 100 USD.

How free bonus is important?

Most of the brokers offering bonus. In any case, the greater part of them is unregulated. They are doing it is a great way to find new clients and they can’t find another good way. But regulated forex broker is good they offer some good bonuses for a newbie to familiar with live trading and their trading platform. We reviewed unregulated forex broker offer a free bonus with too many conditions and trading period is very short like 15 days, 20 days maximum 30 days, also you can’t withdraw the bonus, you have to trade required standard lot volume within a short time. Also, you fell trouble with leverage, the maximum amount of withdrawing and withdrawal method and other things. Then?

However, forex free reward is significant for currency traders. A regulated broker always offers a good bonus with some easy conditions to familiar with them. I think finding a trustable broker is important, so a beginner can join with a regulated broker bonus and they have to check some important factors like leverage, speared, fees and commissions and other things. One other thing is a security issue and trading platform.

So you already got it free bonus is important and joining with a regulated broker is better.

In this case, if you are a newbie in this forex trading market, obviously you can start with a free no deposit bonus. Forex is an extremely entangled and professional market, you need some experience to success on trade. In this case, if you are new in the FX market, utilizing a free reward can enable you to make some profit and increase some knowledge on how the market actually work you can make money more.

When you get familiar with your way (strategy, techniques), you don’t need the free reward again. You'd have the option to trade and make plenty of benefits by live trading. Moreover, experience traders, sometime takes a free bonus to multiply their profit and test a new strategy.

Terms and conditions for free forex bonuses

The different broker set different terms and conditions. There are a lot of terms and conditions in a free bonus, some terms and conditions are really hard. Like you have to trade a certain number of standard lot volume to withdraw profit. But there have also some good trader they regularly making money with this free bonuses. They use tricky techniques, they always hunt bonus presenting a website to choose an amazing bonus. The choose bonus then joins, start trading make some money, and build up their special strategy.

On the other hand, some other brokers will give you one time to withdraw conditions. Some will ask to deposit for withdrawing and some will say to start live trading and internal transfer your amount.

Discover more about the free bonuses

You have learned a lot already from here, but sometimes beginner asks some question us this like:

Is forex free bonus is a welcome bonus?

Actually, most of the time broker gives the bonus after joining with them so you can say it is forex welcome bonus.

Also, some reputed broker gives a bonus to their old clients and new clients, its deposit bonus like a 20% deposit bonus. Example: a trader after deposit $100 the broker will give $20 and the trader will able to trade with $100.

Does forex broker give no deposit bonus without verification?

Yes! Usually, a broker doesn’t provide the free bonus without verification. First things you need to fill-up at least your name and email, you have to confirm your email id for the complete creation of account.

Usually, the broker wants some individual data like ID card, passport or utility document after opening or before withdrawing profit.

But sometimes it happens that forex broker offers no deposit bonus without any verification.

Can I make money with a free bonus?

Why not? The broker gives the bonus to trade on the real market. It totally depends on you, if you can make some profit it’s obviously yours. But we suggest free bonus for newbie and learn something and for familiar with real market trading and for preparing themselves for the future.

So you can make with free bonus and withdraw it after meeting the terms and conditions.

What is the best thing in a free bonus?

The best thing is if you have a no fund you can start live trading, you can learn new thing and if you can make some profit further you can trade it with a forex deposit bonus that will boost your trading capital.

So you have to start with a free bonus wisely.

Conclusion

Forex no deposit or deposit free trading bonus is a kind of blessing for a newbie, they can start live trading with it easily. Here is some good opportunity will help you to take a decision to choose a free bonus.

You can start live trading without any deposit

You can change your broker platform of a broker

You can earn some money and grow your confidence

You can change your trading instruments (currency pair, stocks, indices, share, commodities, and crypto currency)

You can start trade without pressure and risk free

You can develop your trading plan, strategy, and pattern

So you may say the free bonus is a really good opportunity to learn real forex trading, familiar with live trading environment and prepare yourself to take the challenge (forex trading contest)

The 14 best brokerage account promotions and bonuses for 2021

Updated january 21, 2021

Some links below are from our sponsors.

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?

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

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.

Ally invest – up to $3,500

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 –

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

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

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

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

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

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

E*TRADE – up to $2,500

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]

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.

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.

5 broker deals that'll pay you to open an account

If you're looking for a new brokerage, consider opening your account with one of these institutions. They’ll pay you a new account bonus on certain account types if you meet minimum deposit requirements and keep your account open for a specified length of time. (all promotional data presented is accurate as of may 2020.)

Key takeaways

With discount brokers cutting client fees and offering $0 trading commissions, the competitive landscape has never been better for individual investors and savers.

In order to lure in new clients (or steal them from the competition), many financial firms offer financial incentives to those who qualify.

Here, we present just five such offers that include cash bonuses, free trading, and higher-than-market incentive rates on savings products.

Charles schwab: $100 bonus or 500 commission-free trades

Charles schwab is offering a $100 referral bonus with a $1,000 deposit into a new schwab brokerage account. You can also get 500 commission-free trades with a $100,000 deposit; this deal is good for two years following the opening of the new account.

Schwab also offers unlimited commission-free online trading on most stocks and etfs for all clients.

Motif investing: 3 free months

On offer now at motif investing is 3 free months of their motif BLUE unlimited automated investment service. The offer is good only for first-time customers and is available when the new brokerage account application is approved.

For subscriptions starting at $4.95 per month, motif BLUE provides automated investing and rebalancing, real-time quotes, unlimited trading, and more.

$100 bonus + 3.75% 40-month IRA CD at navy FCU

Navy federal credit union is offering a $100 bonus, and it's available nationwide. Investors taking advantage of this deal will also have access to an attractive CD rate of 3.75 percent APY when you open a new IRA CD.

To qualify for the bonus, the new account must be funded with an opening balance of at least $100 within 45 days of account opening. The bonus will be deposited into the account within 30 days of the qualifying opening deposit.

Ally invest $3,500 cash bonus + 90 days of commission-free trades

Available at ally is an ally invest $3,500 cash bonus offer, which offers a $3,500 cash bonus and commission-free trades for 90 days when you open a new ally invest account. To qualify, you must do the following:

1. Open a new self-directed trading account by january 31, 2019.

2. Fund your account within 60 days of account opening to earn a bonus based on your deposit amount:

$3,500 bonus + free trades for $2,000,000+ deposit or transfer

$2,500 bonus + free trades for $1,000,000+ deposit or transfer

$1,200 bonus + free trades for $500,000+ deposit or transfer

$600 bonus + free trades for $250,000+ deposit or transfer

$300 bonus + free trades for $100,000+ deposit or transfer

$200 bonus + free trades for $25,000+ deposit or transfer

$50 bonus + free trades for $10,000+ deposit or transfer

3. Receive the bonus cash credit to your account within 10 business days of meeting the promotional requirements.

4. Once the account is credited, the bonus and initial qualifying deposit are not available for withdrawal for 300 days after the requirements have been met.

Get up to 500 commission-free trades at E*TRADE, plus up to a $600 cash credit

If you decide to go with an E*TRADE account, there are a few things you'll need to know. First, you must fund your account within 60 days by transferring funds from an external source. Here's how it works:

Deposit at least $10,000 into your new account.

Get up to 500 commission-free trades for stocks or options within 60 days of funding your new trading account. This excludes options contract fees.

Your first 29 stock or options trades are charged $6.95 (plus $0.75 cents for each options contract), while trades after that are charged $4.95 (plus $0.50 per options contract) up to 500 trades.

Commissions are credited back to your account within a week of the settled trade.

E*TRADE does not compensate for any unused commission-free trades.

There is a separate commission schedule for stock plan account transactions.

E*TRADE makes credits for cash or securities within 60 days of the account open, depending on deposits to the account from external sources. Credits are made within a week after the 60-period. Here's how the credit is broken down:

Deposit $1,000,000+, receive $2,500 + commission-free trades

Deposit $500,000–$999,999, receive $1,200 + commission-free trades

Deposit $250,000–$499,999, receive $600 + commission-free trades

Deposit $100,000–$249,999, receive $300 + commission-free trades

Deposit $25,000–$99,999, receive $200 + commission-free trades

Deposit $10,000–$24,999, receive only commission-free trades

E*trade offers unlimited commission-free online trading on most stocks and etfs for all clients.

The bottom line

These promotions aren’t a good way to make a quick buck, and the bonuses are relatively small, often 1 percent or less of the amount you’re required to deposit. What's more, in many cases, taxes or commissions will erode the value of your bonus.

An account-opening bonus is, however, a good incentive to give a brokerage, bank or credit union a closer look if you were thinking about opening a new account anyway. Just make sure the account type you’re opening is the best option for your long-term needs, that you’ll still come out ahead after any fees and that you aren’t depositing money you might need in the near term.

So, let's see, what we have: if you have extra cash that you’re looking to invest, brokerages are looking to reward new clients with attractive bonuses. Are you happy with your current broker or is it time for a change? Here are some of the best brokerage account bonuses. At brokers with free sign up bonus