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Best brokerage signup bonuses in May 2021

These brokerage account promotions are among the best in the biz.

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Shannon Terrell
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Signup bonuses can help new investors choose a trading platform. Some have minimum deposit requirements, while others offer a bonus just for opening an account. While a signup bonus may not make or break your decision to open an account, it’s worthwhile to know which platforms offer the best signup perks in the industry.

Here are the best offers for the week of May 3.

Best signup bonus

TradeStation

TradeStation logo
Go to site
at TradeStation's secure site
Read review
$0
Stock trade fee
$2,000
Minimum deposit
  • $5,000 when investors make a deposit or account transfer of $5 million or more into their Tradestation account.

Tradestation caters to experienced traders with commission-free stocks, top-notch charting tools, sophisticated screeners and third-party research. While it’s certainly not the most beginner-friendly platform, Tradestation makes a name for itself with award-winning analytics, extensive educational resources and a custom-built coding language for traders to back-test strategies.

Among the drawbacks? Traders complain of the platform’s high learning curve, high fees for low volume trading and limited access to international assets.

While its $5,000 cash bonus is an appealing perk, the $5 million minimum deposit may be challenging to meet. Luckily, Tradestation offers smaller signup bonuses for deposits below $5 million.
Signup bonusDeposit or transfer amount
$5,000$5,000,000
$3,500$2,000,000
$2,500$1,000,000
$1,200$500,000
$600$200,000
$300$100,000
$200$25,000
$50$5,000

Option trade fee $0 + $0.50/contract
Account transfer fee $125
Available asset types Stocks
Bonds
Options
Mutual funds
ETFs
Cryptocurrency

Best signup bonus just for opening an account

Sofi Invest

Sofi Invest logo
Finder Rating: 4.35 / 5

★★★★★

Go to site
at SoFi Wealth Management's secure site
Read review
$0
Stock trade fee
$1
Minimum deposit
  • Get one free stock valued between $5 to $1,000 when you open a SoFi Invest Active Investing brokerage account.

SoFi’s brokerage signup bonus is available to any investor who opens a SoFi Invest Active Investing brokerage account. New investors have the opportunity to play SoFi’s Claw Game: investors navigate the claw to the gift they want, drop the claw and receive a random stock worth $5 to $1,000. There are no funding requirements or account minimums to receive this bonus.

The promotion is not available to investors opening a SoFi IRA or investing with SoFi’s robo-advisor.

SoFi offers commission-free stocks, free portfolio management and a reliable, user-friendly mobile app. But its security lineup is limited to stocks, ETFs and cryptocurrencies.

Intro or bonus offer For a limited time, get one free stock worth up to $1,000 when you open a SoFi Invest Active Investing brokerage account.
Option trade fee N/A
Available asset types Stocks
ETFs
Cryptocurrency

Best free stock offer

Tastyworks

Tastyworks logo
Go to site
at Tastyworks's secure site
Read review
$0
Stock trade fee
$0
Minimum deposit
  • Get 100 shares of stock with an average total value of $200 to $220 when you open and fund a Tastyworks cash or margin account with at least $2,000.

Tastyworks’ signup bonus offers investors 100 shares of stock that are randomly selected from a collection of 11 stocks priced between $1 and $6. The value of the stock is credited to the investor’s account but will not count toward the investor’s buying power until three months have passed.

Investors new to Tastyworks can fund their account with as little as $1, but any investor keen on the platform’s signup bonus will need to deposit at least $2,000.

Tastyworks is a derivatives-focused trading platform that offers access to stocks, ETFs, options and futures. While not the most beginner-friendly of platforms, its comprehensive research offerings and live access to Tastytrade programs makes it a viable option for active investors seeking options trading.

Intro or bonus offer Fund your Tastyworks account with at least $2,000 to receive 100 shares of stock.
Option trade fee Stocks & ETFs: $1/contract to open, $0 to close, $10 max/leg
Futures: $2.50/contract to open, $0 to close
Futures trade fee $1.25/contract to open, $1.25 to close
Available asset types Stocks
Options
ETFs
Cryptocurrency

Compare all signup bonuses

As of May 3, these are the signup bonuses available at 20 of the most popular brokerages. Each platform may have slightly different requirements for what they consider a qualifying deposit. Read the terms before you sign up to make sure you qualify for the bonus.
Provider Highest signup bonus Requirements Lowest signup bonus Requirements Learn more
Ally Invest $3,000 Deposit or transfer $2,000,000+ $100 Deposit or transfer $10,000–$24,900 Read review
Charles Schwab $500 Make a qualifying deposit of $100,000+ in cash or securities $100 Make a qualifying deposit of $25,000–$49,999 in cash or securities Read review
Chase You Invest N/A N/A N/A N/A Read review
E-trade $3,000 Deposit $1,500,000+ and use promo code BONUS21 $50 Deposit $10,000–$19,999 and use promo code BONUS21 Read review
Fidelity $200 Deposit $200+ $50 Deposit $50 to $99 Read review
Firstrade Get up to $200 in transfer fee rebates Open an account and transfer at least $2,500 in securities N/A N/A Read review
Gatsby N/A N/A N/A N/A Read review
Interactive Brokers N/A N/A N/A N/A Read review
Merrill Edge N/A N/A N/A N/A Read review
Robinhood Free stock (chosen randomly with a value anywhere between $2.50 and $225) Sign up using the promotional link N/A N/A Read review
SoFi Invest $1,000 Download the app and open an account N/A N/A Read review
Stash Invest $5 Add at least $5 to your Invest account N/A N/A Read review
Stockpile N/A N/A N/A N/A Read review
Tastyworks Get 100 shares of stock (worth $1 to $6 a share) Open and fund a new cash or margin account with $2,000+ N/A N/A Read review
TD Ameritrade $2,500 Deposit $2,000,000+ $350 Deposit $250,000+ Read review
Tradestation $5,000 Deposit qualifying assets of $5,000,000+ and use promo code CASHAFRV $50 Deposit qualifying assets of $5,000+ Read review
Vanguard N/A N/A N/A N/A Read review
Webull Get two free stocks with values ranging from $2.50 to $1,600 Open an account and deposit at least $100 Get one free stock valued between $2.50 and $250 Open an account Read review
Wellstrade N/A N/A N/A N/A Read review
Zacks Trade N/A N/A N/A N/A Read review
Disclaimer: The value of any investment can go up or down depending on news, trends and market conditions. We are not investment advisers, so do your own due diligence to understand the risks before you invest.

Bottom line

When selecting a brokerage account, consider its tools, fees, asset classes and more. Signup bonuses may be appealing, but consider your options across multiple platforms before you make a decision.

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