Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is a long-standing favorite of experienced traders. It is a comprehensive trading platform that gives you access to a massive range of securities worldwide, including access to 150 global markets.
It has low fees and no commissions on any U.S. stock purchase or sale with the IBKR Lite pricing plan. Choose from stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds, and fund trading and get access to charting tools and top-level resources.
As if that weren’t enough, Interactive Brokers also regularly offers impressive promotions to help you earn and invest more. Below, you’ll find the latest Interactive Brokers promotions with the possibility to earn up to $1,000 or more.
IBKR is geared primarily toward experienced traders and investors. Still, free trades with IBKR Lite plus tools for investors of all levels can make it a good choice for casual traders. These tools and resources can help you acclimate to IBKR’s offerings.
Additionally, Interactive Brokers’ promotions are a way to save on fees and potentially earn additional rewards. Here are the two top reward options to choose from.
Referral Program:
With Interactive Brokers’ referral program, you can earn $200 per referral. To qualify, you must have an Interactive Brokers (IBKR) account with at least $2,000. You also need to have made at least one trade.
How to Refer Friends:
Once you have an IB account, you can share your unique application link with family and friends to receive a referral bonus. Using your application link, your family or friends can qualify for $1 in IBKR shares for each $100 in value they deposit in their account. To access the shares, they must maintain their average balance for one year before they are vested and available. The maximum value they can receive is $1,000.
For example, if your friend uses your referral link to open an account and then transfers $1,500 in cash to their new Interactive Brokers account, they’d receive $15 worth of IBKR shares, assuming they maintain the balance for at least a year.
When You Get the Bonus:
To qualify for the $200 referral bonus, the person you refer must deposit at least $10,000 within 30 days of account opening and maintain that balance for at least a year. In the example above, the referee would get a bonus, but you would not.
IBKR also limits the maximum number of bonuses you can receive. You can earn up to 15 referral bonuses per calendar year, worth $3,000. You also have a maximum earning limit of 30 total bonuses. The maximum you can earn through this promotion is $6,000, assuming you can refer 30 people over multiple calendar years while the promotion is running.
This offer is only valid for new taxable brokerage accounts. IRAs or other tax-advantaged accounts aren’t eligible for this promotion. If the person you refer opens one of these accounts, neither of you is eligible for the bonus.
There are a few other restrictions. First, geographic restrictions apply (see details below under terms and conditions). You also can’t refer your spouse or college-aged child. If the person you refer lives in the same household, you won’t qualify for the promotion. You also cannot be involved in any trading activity in the referral account.
Interactive Brokers currently doesn’t have an expiration date for this promotion, but it reserves the right to change the terms of the referral program at any time.
Free Trial:
Interactive Brokers also offers a free trial for its advanced trading tools and research resources, called its Trader Workstation platform and IBKR Mobile. With this platform, you can simulate trading with a $1 million trial account. This paper trading option lets you perfect your trading techniques without risk.
If you like what the platform offers during the free trial, you can open a live account, fund it with real money, and start trading.
To access the free trial, you only need to provide your email address and create a username and password. You’ll immediately get platform access, including market data and research tools. You won’t be able to invest real money with the free trial.
The real advantage of IB’s free trial is access to research materials you might otherwise have to pay for. It’s also an excellent free paper trading opportunity that allows you to practice and build your fundamental and technical analysis techniques over time.
However, this offering isn’t unique to IB, as many brokerages offer free paper trading to attract new investors. When you’re ready to start investing, you’ll need to switch to a live account and then fund it.
The benefits of IB promotions are additional money to invest or cost savings while you try out the features. Interactive Brokers offers extensive research tools, market data, and charts, from trading futures on Interactive Brokers to stocks investing in global markets. This makes it a valuable trading platform regardless of the promotions. The promotions are a bonus.
In case of the referral program, you get:
- The opportunity to refer your friends and family to a platform you like and regularly use.
- Up to $6,000 in referral bonuses over multiple years.
- A unique referral code to make passing on the savings easier.
In case of the free trial, you get:
- Full access to all the trading tools.
- Cost savings while you master the platform and build your analysis techniques.
- An enhanced trading experience.
- The opportunity to learn from others’ positions and trades, including networking opportunities.
Terms and Conditions
The referral program has no end date or validity period. However, to participate in the Refer-a-Friend program, you must have an individual or joint IBKR account with a net liquidation value (NLV) of at least $2,000 and at least one securities trade. You’ll only earn the bonus if the person you refer uses your unique application link.
Geographic Restrictions:
If you’re a resident of Japan, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, or Israel, you are not eligible to participate in the program. Residents of Canada can participate as referrers and receive the $200 referral bonus, but they cannot earn welcome shares.
Other Restrictions:
If you refer a friend, you are prohibited from involvement with the referred account after the referral. For example, you cannot build a business by referring clients to IBFR. Interactive Brokers states that you cannot:
- Train clients to use the IBKR platform.
- Assist in preparing the referred client’s IBKR account.
- Act as a point of contact or go-between for the new client and IBKR.
- Trade in the referred client’s account.
- Distribute advertising for IBKR without IBKR’s prior approval.
- Gather or provide client applications directly to Interactive Brokers.
- Refer your own account.
- Be part of the same household as the person you refer to IBKR.
Finally, as mentioned above, you’re limited to 15 referrals per year and 30 referrals total.
Why Choose Interactive Brokers?
Interactive Brokers caters to novice and advanced traders, offering educational resources and a user-friendly platform. It consistently ranks as one of the top online brokerages for various reviewers, from Benzinga’s team to other major financial sites. You can read Benzinga’s full Interactive Brokers review.
Interactive Brokers has built a strong reputation and won the trust of many stock brokers and casual traders worldwide with its innovative technology, robust regulatory compliance, and global market access. While the advanced trading tools can be intimidating to new traders, the free trial allows you to access and learn the platform before trading.
Other reasons to choose Interactive Brokers include:
- Access to a massive range of tradable assets across 150 countries
- No commissions on U.S. stocks
- Low commissions on international stocks
- High interest on instantly available cash balances
- Easy-to-use enhanced screening tools
- Low margin rates
- Manage all of your finances in one account with IB’s all-in-one cash management solution
- A mobile app that mirrors the full capabilities of the desktop version
- Access to the comprehensive IBKR Desktop platform
- Access recurring investments and tools like Options Wizard for simplified trading
- Overnight trading hours on over 10,000 U.S. Stocks and ETFs
- Robust customer support
- Access to hedge funds, mutual funds, fractional shares, options trading examples, ETF trades, and more.
If you want to make the most of your money with smart investing through a trusted, well-vetted, and diverse platform, Interactive Brokers makes it easier to build the skills to take your investing to the next level while offering impressive interest on cash reserves.
Frequently Asked Questions
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To get $1,000 of IBKR free stock, deposit $100,000 in a new IBKR account you opened using a referral code for a free stock bonus. You must maintain that account balance for a year before the free stock is vested. Customers in certain countries, including Canada, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, and Israel, aren’t eligible.
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According to Interactive Brokers, in today’s trade, the account must have at least $25,000 in net liquidation value, including cash, stocks, options, and futures profit + loss.
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Interactive Brokers is a complete online brokerage with an extensive range of assets you can trade on the U.S. and global markets. Even with its impressive offerings, Interactive Brokers has low fees and no commissions on U.S. stocks.
