William contributes to several investment websites, leveraging his experience as a consultant for IPOs in the Nordic market and background providing localization for forex trading software. William has worked as a writer and fact-checker for a long row of financial publications.
Tobias is a partner at DayTrading.com, director of a UK limited company and active trader.
He has over 25 years of experience in the financial industry and contributed via CySec to the regulatory response to digital options and CFD trading in Europe. Toby’s expertise and dedication to financial education make him a trusted voice in the industry, including a BBC investigation into digital options.
Here is a short overview of each broker's pros and cons
FOREX.com- Founded in 1999, FOREX.com is now part of StoneX, a financial services organization serving over one million customers worldwide. Regulated in the US, UK, EU, Australia and beyond, the broker offers thousands of markets, not just forex, and provides excellent pricing on cutting-edge platforms.
eToro USA- eToro is a social investing platform that offers short-term and long-term trading on stocks, ETFs, options and crypto. The broker is well-known for its user-friendly community-centred platform and competitive fees. With FINRA and SIPC oversight and millions of users across the world, eToro is still one of the most respected brands in the industry. eToro securities trading is offered by eToro USA Securities, Inc.
Pocket Option- Established in 2017, Pocket Option is a binary options broker offering high/low contracts on forex, stocks, indices, commodities and cryptocurrencies. With over 100,000 active users and a global reach, the platform continues to prove popular with budding traders.
IQCent- IQCent is an offshore binary options and CFD broker based in the Marshall Islands. The brand continues to offer a range of unique account types with bonuses and perks, including payout boosts, TradeBacks and free rollovers. With 100+ assets, around-the-clock trading and 98% payouts, the firm is popular with aspiring short-term traders.
Plus500 US- Plus500 is a well-established broker that entered the US market in 2021. Authorized by the CFTC and NFA, it provides futures trading on forex, indices, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and interest rates. With a 10-minute sign-up, a manageable $100 minimum deposit, and a straightforward web platform, Plus500 continues to strengthen its offering for traders in the US.
Moomoo- Moomoo is an SEC-regulated app-based investment platform that offers a straightforward and affordable way to invest in Chinese, Hong Kong, Singaporean, Australian and US stocks, ETFs and other assets. Margin trading is available and the brand offers a zero-deposit account as well as several bonuses.
CloseOption- CloseOption is a Georgia-headquartered broker with over a decade in the trading industry. The brand offers high/low binary options trading on forex and crypto markets, with decent payouts, welcome bonuses, 24/7 customer support and intuitive trading software.
Videforex- Launched in 2017, Videforex offers access to stock, index, crypto, forex and commodities markets via binary options and CFDs. The proprietary platform, mobile app and integrated copy trading are user-friendly and will suit new and casual traders, and the market analysis tools and trading contests provide good ways to improve your trading skills.
xChief- xChief is a foreign exchange and CFD broker, established in 2014. The company is based offshore and registered with the VFSC and FMA. Users can choose between a wide selection of accounts and base currencies, making ForexChief accessible to global traders. The brand also stands out for its no deposit bonus and fee rebates for high-volume traders.
Axofa- Axofa is a forex and CFD broker registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines. The broker offers three account types with access to forex, commodities and indices. With ECN processing, low minimum deposits and no commissions, Axofa remains an attractive option, although the broker does not hold a reputable license.
Trading Promotions and Broker Bonus Comparison
Trading Promotions and Broker Bonus Comparison
Broker
Bonus
Minimum Deposit
Instruments
Active Trader Program With A 15% Reduction In Costs
Popular discount broker, Firstrade, is offering up to $250 in transfer fee rebates for traders that use the straightforward switching service. Traders must transfer at least $2,500 and keep the account open for 12 months.
The World Forex Jet Trade promotion is doubling deposits for new traders. The funds can be used to speculate on the broker’s wide range of instruments, including CFDs on stocks, forex, commodities, and digital contracts.
European binary options broker, CloseOption, is running a weekly trading competition on its web-based platform. Participants are given $10,000 in virtual funds and the traders that accumulate the highest balance at the end of the contest are awarded cash prizes.
Professional traders at Just2Trade can get a deposit bonus worth up to $2000. Clients can trade on margin with spreads from 0.0 pips and execution speeds of 0.05 seconds. Traders can apply for the deposit bonus in a few easy steps.
ForexChief is offering a $100 no deposit bonus to new clients that open a live trading account, verify their profile, and install the Android app. Bonus funds can also be withdrawn once turnover requirements have been satisfied.
Multi-asset broker, World Forex, is running a Cashback Club where account holders can get money back on each lot they trade. Promotional funds can either be withdrawn for real money, exchanged for other bonuses and rewards, or traded in other assets.
Coinexx is offering a 100% deposit bonus available as extra margin on live trading accounts. The funds can be used to increase trades or take positions on multiple assets. The sign-up offer is available to all new clients and can be used with 1:200 leverage.
New users can get free stocks when they join Moomoo’s commission-free trading app. Up to 15 stocks are available, worth between $3 and $2000 each. The broker is also doubling the chance of winning AZO, APP, and TSLA shares. Find out how it works.
FxPlayer is offering tiered welcome deposit bonuses ranging from 100% to 500%. The more clients trade, the bigger the bonus. We break down joining instructions and key terms and conditions below.
PrimeXBT is offering a $100 bonus to new traders. You will need to make a deposit within 48 hours of signing up for an account and transfer the funds to a margin account to qualify. The bonus will show as a ‘Reward’ in your margin account.
Hundreds of NordFX clients could win cash prizes in the Mega Super Lottery. Users simply need to deposit at least $200 and trade 2 lots to receive a ticket. There is no limit on the number of lottery tickets per trader.
Popular global broker, IronFX, is offering a 40% Power Bonus. The promotion is available to traders with a Standard, Premium or VIP account. The bonus credit can be used to trade on the firm’s 300+ CFD instruments.
The FXTrading.com Frequent Trader Bonus is available to users with a Standard Account. Traders will earn $100 for every 50 lots traded. A 10% upfront bonus is also available.
Skilling is topping up accounts with a $30 welcome bonus. New users can trade 900+ instruments on the MT4 and cTrader platforms. Spreads start from 0.2 pips and there are no commission fees.
InstaForex is offering a 55% bonus on deposits. The offer is available to new clients and existing users. Traders can register for an account and apply for the bonus in a few straightforward steps.
Popular CFD, forex and copy trading broker, OctaFX, is offering a 50% deposit bonus. New users simply need to sign up for a live account and make a deposit to get the account boost. Traders can activate the bonus at any time with automatic payouts after satisfying volume requirements.
Popular broker, RoboForex, is offering up to 10% in extra funds to active traders. The program is available on all live accounts, including ECN, Prime and CopyFX. Clients can choose whether to withdraw the money or trade on the broker’s 12,000+ instruments spanning 8 asset classes.
Top-rated forex and CFD broker, XTB, is running a flexible cashback program that rewards clients based on trading activity. The more users trade, the more cashback they earn. Cashback is automatically credited to client accounts within seven days of the previous month’s end.
Traders that open an account with Vantage and deposit $1000 can qualify for free VPS hosting. A VPS ensures trading connectivity so that the MetaTrader 4 platform can run around the clock with no downtime or interruption.
SimpleFX is offering a large welcome bonus to new clients. Promotional funds can be used to speculate on the broker’s 170 instruments, including forex, stocks, commodities, and cryptos. The bonus can also be withdrawn once the trading funds have been converted into account equity.
Dukascopy is offering a 20% discount on volume trading commissions. Clients have one year after signing up for the discount program to satisfy the volume conditions. We break down joining instructions and turnover requirements below.
LegacyFX is allowing clients to undo losing trades, essentially providing a safety blanket for new investors. Up to seven trades can be reversed depending on the size of the initial deposit. We unpack the terms and conditions and explain how to activate Safe Mode.
FXCC traders that maintain account equity of $2,500 and trade 30 standard lots per month can qualify for a free virtual private server. The VPS service is managed by BeeksFX and offers faster order executions, secure servers, and round-the-clock access.
VT Markets will reimburse losses for new traders. Investors can get started in four steps and claim back losses within the Client Portal. The online broker will pay back up to 50 USD within 24 hours of users requesting the trade loss rescue.
Australian headquartered broker, VT Markets, is offering a 50% welcome deposit bonus up to $500. New traders can register for a live account in five minutes and the bonus credit is paid to client accounts within one working day. Find out how to get started.
FXCC is offering a 100% match deposit bonus to clients with an ECN XL account. Traders can claim the offer by emailing the broker’s customer support team and making a straightforward deposit. We unpack joining details plus key terms and conditions below.
TemplerFX is offering a 100% deposit bonus on verified accounts. A 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% bonus is available on deposits made to any of the broker’s live accounts. Promo capital can also be withdrawn once volume requirements have been satisfied.
Eurotrader is matching deposits by 111%. Simply load an account with between $50 and $20k and the broker will boost your trading capital. The bonus is available on the MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platforms, plus the Eurosocial trading app.
eToro is offering a $250 bonus to users that deposit $5000 into a live account. Bonus funds will be credited to client accounts within 30 days following the end of the promotional period and can be used to trade 2000+ assets. Read on for key terms and conditions plus the perks of joining the eToro Club.
The XM virtual private server (VPS) is situated 1.5 kilometres from the broker’s data centre in London and offers optical fibre connectivity. Users can connect to the VPS from any location, making the most of XM trade executions. Find out how to qualify.
New and existing traders can claim up to $20,000 in the LQDFX deposit bonus. The offer is available on all live accounts (excluding PAMM) and can be used to trade on the broker’s 100+ list of instruments. Find out how it works.
IQCent is running a weekly trading contest available to all account holders. Clients that place the most trades during the promotional period will win cash prizes. Read on for joining instructions along with any trading limitations.
Finq is offering a first-time deposit bonus up to $4000. The minimum qualifying deposit is $100 and the broker offers a selection of fee-free payment options. Bonus funds can be used to take positions on Finq’s 2100-strong asset list. Read on for the details.
InstaForex is running a 100% deposit bonus. Traders can double their first deposit and use promotional funds to speculate on the broker’s 100+ currency pairs. Read on for joining instructions, plus bonus terms and conditions.
AAAFX is running a 100% deposit bonus for global clients. Promotional funds are added to client accounts as additional margin. Find out how to claim the welcome bonus and boost your trading funds.
Award-winning forex and crypto broker, AAAFx, is offering a free VPS for traders that deposit $5,000. The virtual private server ensures uninterrupted trading operations, lending it to automated investing strategies and trading signals. Read on for the details.
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What is a Trading Bonus?
If you want to use a broker bonus offer or other promotion, it’s important to understand the different varieties out there. From no deposit bonus schemes to explaining why free bonuses are usually not free at all, we will explore the bonus and promotion offers at a range of brokers. We detail the types of bonus available, why forex trading bonuses might differ and which strategy can maximise bonus returns. We also reveal why the key to bonuses is always to read the terms and conditions.
A bonus provides you with potentially free money for trading and is normally offered by a broker as an incentive to attract new clients who can then try trading with little or no risk.
There are different types of trading bonus offers and requirements for getting the bonus paid out to your account. We detail these below.
No Deposit Bonus
The no deposit bonus is the most lenient of bonuses, as it does not require you to deposit any funds at all before you get the bonus. Normally a broker wants you to at least deposit some funds with them before you can get your bonus, but with a “no deposit” bonus they allow anyone to get the bonus after creating a new account.
Note that there might still be requirements to fulfil before you can get your trading profits paid out, and those requirements might be stricter for this kind of bonus than for others. Normally you have to trade a certain total volume before you can withdraw the profits derived from the bonus money.
Considering how generous it is to hand out free money to new traders, that makes a lot of sense. Make sure you are ok with those requirements before you sign up.
Welcome Bonus
A “welcome bonus” is a way to reward new traders who sign up for an account, to make them feel welcome and to make it easier for new clients to start trading right away. A welcome bonus might require you to make a deposit, so make sure you agree with the bonus requirements before you sign up.
Deposit Match Bonus
The “deposit match bonus” will match a percentage of your deposit, up to a certain maximum amount.
For example, if the bonus is a 30% match up to $5,000, and you deposit $1,000, you will get an additional $300 from the broker ($1,000 * 30%). With this example offer the most you can get is $5000, which you would get when depositing at least $16,667 ($16,667 * 30% = $5,000). Even if you deposit more than that, you will still only get the maximum $5,000.
Note – we have seen alternate definitions of the maximum amount, where 30% match up to $5,000 would rather mean that even if you deposit more that $5,000, you will only get the 30% paid out on $5,000. In other words, the maximum amount pertains to the maximum deposit on which you will get the 30% bonus, and NOT how much bonus you can maximally get.
OBS! For a serious trader the distinction between the two maximum amount definitions can make a big difference, so make sure you understand the requirements before signing up and depositing.
Considerations
Most bonus types have requirements regarding how much you have to trade before you can withdraw profits. For some traders this is ok, while to others it becomes a source of frustration.
Due to bonus abuse by many unscrupulous traders, the requirements have by necessity become so strict that you might be better off without one. However, it’s impossible to give individual advice, as it comes down to how much money you want to trade with and how long you can wait before you make a withdrawal.
In the long run a trading bonus will not make a huge difference to many traders, and might make things feel more complicated and thus spoil the joy of trading. Only use a bonus if you feel it makes sense to you personally.
FAQ
Do I have to accept a broker's trading bonus?
Normally you don’t have to accept a bonus deal just because a broker is offering one. You might have to explicitly opt out of a bonus however, so make sure to check the terms and conditions when signing up.
Is a bonus basically free money?
While a bonus offer can sometimes sound like free cash with no requirements involved, there are always terms and conditions attached. If this wasn’t the case, what would stop dishonest traders from just withdrawing the funds without trading?
Which Brokers Have Bonus Offers?
Due to regulation in many countries, it can be hard to find brokers with a bonus. However, we have collated all available bonuses here and also list other kinds of ongoing trading promotions and incentives.
Note that using a broker’s bonus offer is not necessarily best for all traders. Always read the terms and conditions, especially what’s required to “clear” the bonus (i.e., what you have to do to receive the full amount).