Dozens of banks and credit unions lure 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.
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 (January 2023)
These are the best 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.
You own shares of Apple, Amazon, Tesla. Why not Banksy or Andy Warhol? Their works’ value doesn’t rise and fall with the stock market. And they’re a lot cooler than Jeff Bezos.
Get Priority Access
Whichever you choose, pair your new brokerage account with a subscription to Trade Ideas, the most powerful paper trading and market research subscription around.
1. J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing — Up to $625 Bonus
Open a new J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing by Jan. 19, 2023, and deposit qualifying new money within 45 days to get a bonus worth up to $625. Here’s how it works:
- Open a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account with qualifying new money by Jan. 19, 2023.
- Fund your account within 45 days. Your bonus will be determined on day 45.
- Maintain your new funds in the account for 90 days
- You should receive your bonus directly in your account within 15 days.
Bonus tiers are as follows:
- Deposit $25,000 to $99,999: $125 bonus
- Deposit $100,000 to $249,999: $300 bonus
- Deposit $250,000 or more: $625 bonus
Moving forward, enjoy commission-free stock and ETF trades with thousands of choices available. There’s a decent selection of no-transaction-fee mutual funds available here as well.
INVESTMENT AND INSURANCE PRODUCTS ARE: NOT A DEPOSIT • NOT FDIC INSURED • NO BANK GUARANTEE • MAY LOSE VALUE
2. tastyworks — Up to $2,000 Cash Bonus
For a limited time, customers who open and fund a new tastyworks account or fund an existing tastyworks account for the first time receive a cash bonus with a value as high as $2,000.*
Here’s how it works:
- Open and fund your account by the stated offer end date, currently Jan. 31, 2023
- Make a qualifying deposit of at least $5,000 — but you must deposit at least $100,000 to earn the full $2,000 bonus
- Meet other bonus requirements
Bonus tiers are as follows:
- Deposit $5,000 to $24,999 for a $100 cash bonus
- Deposit $25,000 to $99,999 for a $500 cash bonus
- Deposit $100,000 or more for a $2,000 cash bonus
See terms for more information.
*This offer is valid for legal residents of the 50 U.S. states and D.C. It’s not valid for IRA or trust accounts. You must be 18 or older to qualify. For complete rules and additional eligibility requirements, see the Official Terms and Conditions at https://info.tastyworks.com/get200/.
tastyworks, Inc. (“tastyworks”) has entered into a Marketing Agreement with Money Crashers (“Marketing Agent”) whereby tastyworks pays compensation to Marketing Agent to recommend tastyworks’ brokerage services. The existence of this Marketing Agreement should not be deemed as an endorsement or recommendation of Marketing Agent by tastyworks and/or any of its affiliated companies. Neither tastyworks nor any of its affiliated companies is responsible for the privacy practices of Marketing Agent or this website. tastyworks does not warrant the accuracy or content of the products or services offered by Marketing Agent or this website.
3. Wealthfront — Get $50 After Funding Your First Taxable Investment Account
Open and fund your first Wealthfront taxable investment account to earn a $50 bonus. That’s it — no minimum deposit requirement or other hoops to jump through.
This offer is only available to Wealthfront customers who haven’t had a taxable investment account in the past. Other restrictions may apply; see terms for details.
4. Axos Invest — $200 Bonus With a New Self-Directed Trading Account or Managed Portfolios Account
For a limited time, you can earn a $200 bonus when you open a new Self-Directed Trading account or Managed Portfolios account with Axos Invest. All you have to do is bring at least $2,000 in new money to the table within 60 daysand maintain that balance for at least 90 days. Other terms may apply, including a two-trade requirement ($25 minimum per trade) for new Self-Directed Trading accounts.
Moving forward, enjoy commission-free trading of U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs and access more than 10,000 mutual funds. And if you’re looking for an edge over other traders, consider upgrading to Axos Elite, a paid service with benefits like:
- Fully Paid Lending, a P2P securities lending service that may help you earn extra income on the assets in your portfolio if your account balance is greater than $25,000
- Extended hours trading (7pm ET on trading days)
- TipRanks™ market research, which delivers data and insights from thousands of market analysts
- Instant funds transfers from your Axos Bank account
- Margin trading privileges when you meet minimum balance requirements
5. Robinhood — Up to $175 (Or More) in Free Stock
Open a new Robinhood account with commission-free trading capabilities and get up to $175 (or more) in free stock. Here’s how it works:
- Apply for a new Robinhood brokerage account and get approved.
- Robinhood adds one free share of stock worth between $2.50 and $175 (or more) per share, chosen randomly from its inventory of settled shares.
- You can hold the share indefinitely or sell it after two 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.
6. TradeStation — Up to $5,000 Cash
TradeStation, a discount online brokerage popular with serious traders, has one of the most generous brokerage promotions on the market for new and existing account holders. It’s worth up to $5,000 cash when you make a qualifying transfer into your TradeStation account.
To qualify for bonus cash, existing account holders just need to complete the form on this page. New account holders must create a new TradeStation account using the promo code “CASHAFRV”.
In either case, TradeStation adds up all qualifying deposits made during the 45-day offer period to calculate the bonus threshold, then confirms that you’ve held them over the full course of the 270-day holding period that follows.
The bonus thresholds are:
- $50 Bonus: Deposit at least $5,000 in new money to the account.
- $200 Bonus: Deposit at least $25,000 in new money.
- $300 Bonus: Deposit at least $100,000 in new money.
- $600 Bonus: Deposit at least $200,000 in new money.
- $1,200 Bonus: Deposit at least $500,000 in new money.
- $2,500 Bonus: Deposit at least $1,000,000 in new money.
- $3,500 Bonus: Deposit at least $2,000,000 in new money.
- $5,000 Bonus: Deposit at least $5,000,000 in new money.
7. 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 sign-up bonus credit after completing your account registration.
Moving forward, Acorns offers two attractively priced plans that support everyday money management, longer-term saving, and market investing:
- Personal. For just $3 per month, Acorns offers 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.
See our Acorns review for more information.
8. SoFi Invest — Get Up to $1,000 With a New Account
For a limited time, download the SoFi Invest app and open a new SoFi Active Invest account for the get up to $1,000. Terms apply.
Moving forward, enjoy commission-free stock trades and access to fractional shares in select securities with no account minimums. Terms and conditions apply. See offer for details.
See our SoFi review for more information.
9. Webull — Free Stocks Up to $30,600 Total Value
Open and fund a new Webull account in any amount to get up to 12 free stocks worth up to $30,600 in total. Participating stocks include Google, Facebook, Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, Kraft Heinz, and Snap.
Plus, activate Webull crypto and place your first crypto trade to get a $5 crypto bonus.
Here’s how these promotions work:
Account Opening Bonus (2 Free Stocks)
Simply sign up and open a qualifying Webull account to receive 2 free stocks valued between $3 and $300.
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 discretion.
Deposit Bonus (Up to 10 Free Stocks)
Make an initial deposit of any amount to your new account by the end of the offer period to claim up to 10 fractional share free stocks valued between $7 and $3,000 per share.
This offer applies only to Webull cash and margin accounts.
Crypto Bonus ($5 Crypto Reward)
Activate Webull Crypto in your new brokerage account and complete one crypto trade (minimum $1). Then, choose from your favorite cryptocurrency — SHIB, DOGE, BTC, ADA, or ETH — and claim your $5 reward.
This promotion offer is open only to eligible customers. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for eligibility.
10. EarlyBird — Get $10 For Opening an Account
Earn an easy $10 when you download the EarlyBird custodial investment app and complete your account.
Just use your smartphone camera or scanning software to scan the QR code, or tap “Invest $10” on the linked page to download the app and begin the account creation process. To claim your bonus, install the app and complete your account. You should see the bonus as soon as you’re done.
Once the $10 credit appears in your account, use it to invest on behalf of a child of your own or gift it to a family member you’d like to support.
11. Ally Invest — Up to $3,000 Cash Bonus
Open a new self-directed account with Ally Invest by Sept. 30, 2022, and make a qualifying deposit of new money or assets to earn up to $3,000 bonus cash.
The bonus thresholds are:
- $100: Deposit $10,000 to $24,999 in new funds or assets.
- $250: 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.
- $2,000: Deposit $1,000,000 to $1,999,999 in new funds or assets.
- $3,000: 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.
12. Citi Wealth Management — Up to $3,500 Cash Bonus
Open a new eligible Citi Personal Wealth Management account by Sept. 30, 2022, and make a qualifying deposit of new money or assets to earn a cash bonus of 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 two months of account opening.
- Enroll the account into e-delivery of statements within two 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.
13. 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.
See our Betterment review for more information.
14. Tornado — Up to $1,000 Cash
Open a new Tornado 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 Tornado rewards you with $10 to $1,000 cash.
There is one catch: Tornado 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 Tornado users on live trading accounts only. Simulated trading accounts aren’t eligible.
15. 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 $25,000.
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 $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.
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.