Top offers
- Best signup bonus: Tradestation
- Best signup bonus just for opening an account: Webull
- Best free stock offer: Tastyworks
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Best brokerage signup bonuses
These brokerage account promotions are among the best in the biz.
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 9/14/2020.
Best signup bonus 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.
TradeStation
$5
Stock trade fee
$500
Minimum deposit
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 bonus Deposit 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
Corporate bond trade fee
$14.95
Option trade fee
$5 + $0.50/contract
Mutual fund trade fee
$14.95
Account transfer fee
$125
Available asset types
Stocks
Bonds
Options
Mutual funds
ETFs
Futures
Best signup bonus just for opening an account Webull’s free stock signup offer is two-fold: when you open a brokerage account, you receive a 3-month subscription to Nasdaq TotalView’s Level-2 market data. And when you fund your account with $100 or more, you receive a free stock valued between $8 and $1,600. While you don’t need a $100 deposit to open a Webull brokerage account, you need at least that to get the free stock. Webull’s lineup of tradable securities is less expansive than many of its competitors, with investors limited to stocks, ETFs and options trades. But it doesn’t charge any commission fees, its research offerings are robust and it allows investors to open a paper trading account — an option very few platforms offer.
Webull
$0
Stock trade fee
$0
Minimum deposit
In addition to its two free stocks for new investors, Webull offers two additional signup bonuses:
Intro or bonus offer
For a limited time, get a 3-month free subscription to Nasdaq Level-2 market data when you open a Webull account and one free stock worth up to $1,600 when you fund your account with at least $100.
Option trade fee
$0
Available asset types
Stocks
Options
ETFs
Best free stock offer 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.
Tastyworks
$0
Stock trade fee
$0
Minimum deposit
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
Futures
Compare all signup bonuses
As of 9/14/2020, 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 | $3,500 | Deposit or transfer $2,000,000+ | $50 | 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 $1,000–$24,999 in cash or securities | Read review |
| Chase You Invest | $725 | Fund with $250,000+ | $200 | Fund with $25,000–$99,999 | Read review |
| E-trade | $2,500 | Deposit or transfer $1,000,000+ | $25 | Deposit or transfer $5,000–$9,999 | 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 | $600 | Deposit qualifying assets of $200,000+ and use offer code 600ME | $100 | Deposit qualifying assets of $20,000 | Read review |
| Robinhood | Free stock (chosen randomly with a value anywhere between $2.50 and $200) | Sign up using the promotional link | N/A | N/A | Read review |
| SoFi Invest | Up to $1000 in free stock of your choice | Download the mobile app, open an account and play the claw promotion game. Prizes range from $5 to $1,000. There's a 0.028% chance of winning the $1,000 prize. | $5 in free stock of your choice | Download the mobile app, open an account and play the claw promotion game. There's a 85.488% chance of winning the $5 prize. | Read review |
| Stash Invest | $5 | Add at least $5 to your Invest account | N/A | N/A | Read review |
| Stockpile | Get $5 of free stock | Buy a stock on Stockpile | 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 a free stock valued between $8-$1600 | Open an account and deposit at least $100 | 3 months of free NASDAQ Level 2 market data | 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.
