12 Best New Brokerage Account Promotions & Bonus Offers – December 2020

As a savvy investor, you’re no doubt aware dozens of banks and credit unions entice new business with account-opening promotions. Some reward first-time customers with bonuses worth hundreds of dollars just for opening an account and making qualifying deposits. The best land on our regularly updated roundup of the top new bank account promotions.

You’ve probably seen credit card issuers get in on the action too. Many of the best cash-back credit cards and travel rewards credit cards come with irresistible welcome offers, the best of which rival the most generous new bank account promotions.

If it’s been years since you switched brokerage firms or you’re entirely new to investing, you might be unaware America’s top self-directed and managed investment platforms also offer impressive new-account bonuses. Top-tier new brokerage account promotions dwarf the leading bank and credit card promotions — promising thousands to new customers bringing substantial assets to the table.

Best New Brokerage Account Promotions (December 2020)

These are the best new brokerage account promotions from North America’s top online stock brokers for this month. All are subject to change, so check back often for updates.

Whichever you choose, pair your new brokerage account with the Trade Ideas Test Drive — just $8.99 for a two-week subscription to Trade Ideas Premium, the most powerful paper trading and market research subscription around.

1. Acorns — $10 Bonus

Open a new Acorns account using the link below to earn a $10 credit. It’s that simple — no minimum deposit or balance required. You’ll receive the credit after completing your account registration.

Moving forward, Acorns offers three attractively priced plans that support everyday money management, longer-term saving, and market investing:

Lite. For just $1 per month, take advantage of a powerful investing platform (Invest) that allows you to invest spare change left over from everyday purchases (Round-Ups) and earn bonus investments from more than 350 Found Money partners.
Personal. For just $3 per month, Acorns adds a tax-advantaged retirement account that updates regularly to match your goals and a checking account with 55,000+ fee-free ATMs worldwide and up to 10% bonus investments.
Family. For just $5 per month, you’ll get everything included in the lower-priced plans, plus Early, a kid-friendly investment account featuring automatic recurring investments, exclusive bonus investments, family-centered financial advice, and potential tax savings.

2. Robinhood — Up to $200 (Or More) in Free Stock

Open a new Robinhood account and to get up to $200 (or more) in free stock. Here’s how it works:

Apply for a new Robinhood brokerage account and get approved.
Robinhood adds 1 free share of stock worth between $2.50 and $200 (or more) per share, chosen randomly from its inventory of settled shares.
You can hold the share indefinitely or sell it after 2 trading days.

Bear in mind that you may not receive the same stock as other applicants and your share’s value may fluctuate with market movements. Once open, use your account to trade stocks, ETFs, and other market-traded instruments.

3. Webull — Free Stocks Up to $1,650 Total Value & $100 Transfer Fee Reimbursement

Open and fund a new Webull account with at least $100 to get up to three free stocks worth up to $3,450 in total. Plus, sign up to receive a three-month Level 2 Advance (Nasdaq TotalView) subscription for free. Here’s how these promotions work:

Account Opening Bonus (1 Free Stock)

Simply sign up and open a qualifying Webull account to receive a free stock valued between $2.50 and $250. You must complete the account opening process by the stated offer end date at the time you apply. This date is subject to change at Webull’s discrection.

Deposit Bonus (2 Free Stocks)

Make an initial deposit of $100 or more to your new account by the end of the offer period to claim two free stocks valued between $8 and $1,600 each per share.

Account Opening Bonus (Nasdaq TotalView Subscription)

Sign up and open your account to receive a three-month Level 2 Advance (Nasdaq TotalView) subscription for free. After the promotional period ends, the standard subscription fee applies.

These offers apply only to Webull cash and margin accounts.

4. Chase Private Client – $2,000 Bonus Offer

Chase has a very attractive bonus opportunity for new Chase Private Client customers. Here’s how it works.

First, join Chase Private Client by Jan. 15, 2021, and transfer a total of $250,000 or more in qualifying new money or securities to a combination of eligible checking, savings, and/or investment accounts, within 45 days. Then, maintain that balance for at least 90 days to earn the bonus.

Ineligible accounts include Chase Business checking and savings accounts, Chase CDs, You Invest by J.P. Morgan accounts, and Chase retirement accounts. Offer available to existing Chase customers only. Offer expires Jan. 15, 2021.

Apply Now

5. BlockFi — Up to $250 BTC Bonus

Open and fund a BlockFi Interest Account (BIA) for the first time and make qualifying deposits within the first 30 days of opening. In return, you could earn a special one-time bonus worth up to $250 BTC. The payout tiers work as follows:

$15 BTC: Deposit $25 to $249
$20 BTC: Deposit $250 to $999
$40 BTC: Deposit $1,000 to $4,999
$75 BTC: Deposit $5,000 to $9,999
$150 BTC: Deposit $10,000 to $19,999
$250 BTC: Deposit $20,000 or more

To ensure that you receive the bonus, you must maintain a crypto balance of $25 or greater through the 14th of the month two and a half months from your eligibility month (account opening month). Eligible payouts occur on a rolling basis on or about the 15th of every month.

Apply Now

6. Ally Invest — Up to $3,500 Cash Bonus

Open a new self-directed account with Ally Invest by Dec. 31, 2020, and make a qualifying deposit of new money or assets to earn up to $3,500 bonus cash. The bonus thresholds are:

$50: Deposit $10,000 to $24,999 in new funds or assets.
$200: Deposit $25,000 to $99,999 in new funds or assets.
$300: Deposit $100,000 to $249,999 in new funds or assets.
$600: Deposit $250,000 to $499,999 in new funds or assets.
$1,200: Deposit $500,000 to $999,999 in new funds or assets.
$2,500: Deposit $1,000,000 to $1,999,999 in new funds or assets.
$3,500: Deposit $2,000,000 or more in new funds or assets.

To qualify for the bonus, you must fund the account within 60 days of opening. Once Ally Invest credits the bonus to the account, the combined bonus and qualifying deposit (less any trading losses) must remain in the account for 300 days. Otherwise, Ally Invest reserves the right to revoke the bonus.

Deposited funds must come from accounts that aren’t Ally or Ally subsidiary accounts. You must fund the new account with a minimum qualifying deposit of $10,000 or more to qualify for the minimum cash bonus.

The bonus is available to U.S. residents, excluding current Ally Invest account holders, and Ally Invest account holders who closed their accounts within 90 days of applying.

Account Transfer Fee Credit

Separately, Ally Invest credits up to $150 in transfer fees charged by other brokerages when you complete a first-time account transfer totaling $2,500 or more. That credit hits your account within 30 days of the transfer.

For more information about Ally Invest’s taxable brokerage accounts and IRAs with commission-free trades, read our Ally Invest review. To learn more about Ally Bank, Ally Invest’s parent institution, check out our Ally Bank review.

7. Citi Wealth Management — Up to $3,500 Cash Bonus

Open a new eligible Citi Personal Wealth Management account by Dec. 31, 2020, and make a qualifying deposit of new money or assets to earn a cash bonus up to $3,500. The bonus thresholds are as follows:

$500: Deposit $50,000 to $199,999 in new funds or securities.
$1,000: Deposit $200,000 to $499,999 in new funds or securities.
$1,500: Deposit $500,000 to $999,999 in new funds or securities.
$2,500: Deposit $1,000,000 to $1,999,999 in new funds or securities.
$3,500: Deposit $2,000,000 or more in new funds or securities.

To earn this bonus, you must do the following:

Open and enroll your new Citi Private Wealth Management account
Make the qualifying new money deposit within 2 months of account opening
Enroll the account into e-delivery of statements within 2 months of account opening.
Maintain the new funding at least through the end of the third month (statement cycle) after account opening.

Eligible funds must be new to Citibank and can’t come from or be combined with funds from any other Citi accounts. This offer is available to new Citi Private Wealth Management clients only.

8. M1 Finance — Up to $2,500 Transfer Bonus

Open a new M1 Finance account and initiate an account transfer within 60 days of sign-up to earn a transfer bonus of up to $2,500. The bonus thresholds are:

$20: Transfer an account worth $10,000 to $2,000.
$100: Transfer an account worth $20,000 to $100,000.
$250: Transfer an account worth $100,000 to $250,000.
$500: Transfer an account worth $250,000.01 to $500,000.
$1,000: Transfer an account worth $500,000.01 to $1,000,000.
$2,500: Transfer an account worth more than $1,000,000.01.

Your new M1 Finance account type must match your old account type. The offer isn’t valid on ACH deposits, wire transfers or direct 401k rollovers. Once the transfer is received, you’ll receive payment within 90 days.

9. E-Trade — Up to $2,500 Cash Bonus

Open a new E-Trade Securities nonretirement brokerage account by Dec. 31, 2020, using the promo code ‘BONUS20’, to earn up to $2,500 bonus cash. The bonus thresholds are:

$25: Deposit or transfer $5,000 to $9,999 in new money.
$50: Deposit or transfer $10,000 to $24,999 in new money.
$200: Deposit or transfer $25,000 to $99,999 in new money.
$300: Deposit or transfer $100,000 to $249,999 in new money.
$600: Deposit or transfer $250,000 to $499,999 in new money.
$1,200: Deposit or transfer $500,000 to $999,999 in new money.
$2,500: Deposit or transfer $1,000,000 or more in new money.

You must transfer or deposit new funds or securities within 60 days of enrollment. All deposited or transferred funds must come from accounts outside E-Trade and remain in the account (less any trading losses) for at least 12 months.

10. Betterment — Up to 1 Year Managed Free

Get up to one year managed free when you open a Betterment robo-advisor account and make a qualifying deposit within 45 days. Bonus thresholds are:

1 Month Free: Fund your account with $15,000 to $99,999 within the qualification period.
6 Months Free: Fund your account with $100,000 to $249,999 within the qualification period.
12 Months Free: Fund your account with $250,000 or more within the qualification period.

You can’t combine this offer with any other promotions, and it’s available to U.S. residents only.

For more about Betterment’s benefits, check out our lists of the best high-yield savings accounts and cash management accounts on the market today.

11. Charles Schwab — Up to $500 Cash Referral Bonus

Open a new qualifying Charles Schwab account with a qualifying referral from an existing Schwab client to earn a cash bonus of up to $500.

To qualify, ask a friend or family member with a Schwab account to send you their unique referral code. Then use the code to open a new Schwab account with an initial deposit or deposits totaling at least $1,000. Make one or more qualifying deposits within 45 days of your account opening date, and you’ll receive your cash bonus about a week later.

Your bonus amount depends on how much you deposit during the 45-day qualifying period:

$100: Deposit $1,000 to $24,999 in new money or assets.
$200: Deposit $25,000 to $49,999 in new money or assets.
$300: Deposit 50,000 to $99,999 in new money or assets.
$500: Deposit 100,000 and above in new money or assets.

Once your account is open, monthly fees may apply. Multiple members of the same household may qualify for bonuses individually, as long as they open separate Schwab accounts.

12. Nvstr — Up to $1,000 Cash

Open a new Nvstr account using this link to earn up to $1,000 in cash. There’s no minimum funding threshold or other hoops to jump through — just open your account, and Nvstr rewards you with $10 to $1,000 cash.

There is one catch: Nvstr chooses your reward amount at random, and it’s impossible to predict how much you stand to receive. Once the bonus is in your account, you must make at least one trade within three months and keep the bonus funds on deposit for a full year.

The cash offer is available to new Nvstr users on live trading accounts only. Simulated trading accounts aren’t eligible.

Final Word

If you’re a satisfied investor, you’d be forgiven for feeling no urgency to switch brokerages. Why fix something that’s not broken?

But the prospect of earning hundreds or thousands of dollars in brokerage bonuses is often reason enough.

Most of these brokerages take pains to ensure their new-account bonuses qualify as easy money. In many cases, moving assets to a newly opened account requires little more than completing an account application and authorizing an electronic funds transfer or asset rollover, a process that’s quick and painless enough to complete in a spare 15 minutes.

Even if you’re not ready to take advantage of these brokerage account bonuses, it still pays to add a review of the top brokerage promotions to your due-diligence to-do list for whenever you’re ready to start investing on a new trading platform.

Published at Tue, 01 Dec 2020 11:00:37 +0000