Best Brokerage Account Bonuses In 2025

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Brokerages are aggressively competing for your money. One way they do that is by offering competitive bonuses in the form of cash that you can add right to your brokerage account. Bankrate tracks the best brokerage account bonuses to help you compare active offers.

Best brokerage account bonuses in 2025

Charles Schwab: $100 to $1,000 bonus

Schwab is offering up to $1,000 if you use a referral code given to you by a current Schwab customer and open an eligible account at Schwab.

To receive the bonus award, you must:

Receive a referral code from a friend or family member.
Be a new Schwab client and make a qualifying net deposit within 45 days of both becoming a Schwab customer and opening an eligible retail brokerage account.

You’ll receive your bonus about a week or two after the 45-day period ends if you made a qualifying deposit when becoming a new Schwab customer and enrolling in the referral offer.

Schwab retail brokerage accounts and IRAs are eligible for this offer. You’re limited to one per account and only one account per client when you receive a referral. Schwab may charge back its bonus award if taxable accounts aren’t kept at Schwab for at least one year.

Here are the bonus tiers for this offer:

To receive a $100 bonus, deposit $25,000 to $49,999.
To receive a $300 bonus, deposit $50,000 to $99,999.
To receive a $500 bonus, deposit $100,000 to $499,999.
To receive a $1,000 bonus, deposit $500,000 or more.

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing: $50 to $700

You can earn a cash bonus if you open a brokerage or retirement account (traditional IRA or Roth IRA) and fund it with $5,000 or more. Your account must be opened by Jan. 8, 2026 to qualify.

To receive a cash bonus, you must:

Open a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account through the official offer page.
Fund the account with at least $5,000 in cash or securities from a non-J.P. Morgan or Chase account within 45 days of opening.
Maintain the new funds in the account for at least 90 days. The bonus will be deposited within 15 days.

You can participate in this bonus offer only once in a 12-month period from the last enrollment date.

Here are the cash bonus tiers for this offer:

To receive a $50 bonus, transfer $5,000 to $24,999.
To receive a $150 bonus, transfer $25,000 to $99,999.
To receive a $325 bonus, transfer $100,000 to $249,999.
To receive a $700 bonus, transfer $250,000 or more.

Merrill Edge: $100 to $600 bonus

When you open a Merrill Edge IRA or cash management account and make a qualifying deposit within 45 days of opening, you can earn up to a $600 bonus. You need to use the offer code 600ME during the account opening. This can be done while applying online or using it when speaking to a Merrill Edge financial advisor on the phone or at select Bank of America branches.

To receive a cash reward, you must:

Enroll for the offer at the time of account opening.
Deposit net new assets of at least $20,000 into your Merrill Edge account within 45 days of opening the account.
Maintain that balance for at least 90 days.

The offer limits you to one IRA — rollover, traditional, Roth and sole-proprietor SEP only — and one cash management account. Each account holder can’t have more than two enrolled accounts.

You’ll receive your cash reward two weeks after the initial 90-day period, assuming you meet eligibility requirements.

Here are the bonus tiers:

To receive the $100 cash reward, deposit $20,000 to $49,999.
To receive the $150 cash reward, deposit $50,000 to $99,999.
To receive the $250 cash reward, deposit $100,000 to $199,999.
To receive the $600 cash reward, deposit $200,000 or more.

TradeStation: $150 to $3,500 bonus

When you open a TradeStation account and make a qualifying deposit, you can earn up to $3,500. You’ll need to use the promo code 0148AGGL when opening your account.

To receive a cash award, you must:

Open a non-institutional account, such as an individual or joint taxable account (IRAs are not eligible for this offer).
Enter the promo code for the bonus offer.
Deposit new assets (either cash or securities) worth at least $5,000.
Maintain that minimum balance for at least 60 calendar days after funding, not counting any market fluctuations.

Your bonus will be deposited in the account the month after a 270-day holding period.

Here are the bonus tiers:

To receive the $150 cash reward, deposit $5,000 to $24,999.
To receive the $300 cash reward, deposit $25,000 to $99,999.
To receive the $500 cash reward, deposit $100,000 to $249,999.
To receive the $1,000 cash reward, deposit $250,000 to $499,999.
To receive the $2,000 cash reward, deposit $500,000 to $999,999.
To receive the $3,500 cash reward, deposit $1,000,000 or more.

E-Trade: $50 to $10,000 bonus

You can earn a cash bonus if you open a brokerage account (retirement accounts aren’t eligible) and fund it with $1,000 or more within 60 days of account opening. Your account must be opened by Oct. 31, 2025.

To receive a cash bonus, you must:

Use promo code OFFER25 when opening the account.
Open your new account with funds or securities from accounts outside of E-Trade. You need to also keep the new account (minus any trading losses) for at least six months to keep the cash bonus.

Here are the cash bonus tiers for this offer:

To receive a $50 bonus, deposit $1,000 to $4,999.
To receive a $150 bonus, deposit $5,000 to $19,999.
To receive a $300 bonus, deposit $20,000 to $99,999.
To receive a $600 bonus, deposit $100,000 to $199,999.
To receive a $800 bonus, deposit $200,000 to $499,999.
To receive a $1,000 bonus, deposit $500,000 to $999,999.
To receive a $3,000 bonus, deposit $1 million to $1,499,999.
To receive a $5,000 bonus, deposit $1.5 million to $1,999,999.
To receive a $6,000 bonus, deposit $2 million to $4,999,999.
To receive a $10,000 bonus, deposit $5 million or more.

Best brokerage account bonuses: Summary

Brokerage	Bonus and required deposit	Details
Charles Schwab	$100: deposit $25,000 to $49,999 $300: deposit $50,000 to $99,999 $500: deposit $100,000 to $499,999 $1,000: deposit $500,000 or more	Receive a referral code from a friend or family member, be a new client and make a qualifying net deposit within 45 days.
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing	$50: deposit $5,000 to $24,999 $150: deposit $25,000 to $99,999 $325: deposit $100,000 to $249,999 $700: deposit $250,000 or more	Open an account through the official offer page, fund it within 45 days of opening and keep money in the account for at least 90 days.
Merrill Edge	$100: deposit $20,000 to $49,999 $150: deposit $50,000 to $99,999 $250: deposit $100,000 to $199,999 $600: deposit $200,000 or more	Enroll for the offer at the time of account opening, transfer net new assets into your account within 45 days of opening it and maintain that balance for at least 90 days.
TradeStation	$150: deposit $5,000 to $24,999 $300: deposit $25,000 to $99,999 $500: deposit $100,000 to $249,999 $1,000: deposit $250,000 to $499,999 $2,000: deposit $500,000 to $999,999 $3,500: deposit $1,000,000 or more	Open an individual or joint taxable account, enter the promo code, deposit new assets of at least $5,000 and keep it for at least 60 days.
E-Trade	$50: deposit $1,000 to $4,999 $150: deposit $5,000 to $19,999 $300: deposit $20,000 to $99,999 $600: deposit $100,000 to $199,999 $800: deposit $200,000 to $499,999 $1,000: deposit $500,000 to $999,999 $3,000: deposit $1M to $1,499,999 $5,000: deposit $1.5M to $1,999,999 $6,000: deposit $2M to $4,999,999 $10,000: deposit $5M or more	Use promo code when opening the account, transfer funds or securities from accounts outside of E-Trade and keep it for at least six months to keep the bonus.

How to choose a brokerage account

The best online stock trading websites offer investor-friendly features, including research tools and low costs. When it comes to choosing which brokerage account is best for you, consider the following features:

Price: When it comes to fees, you’re in luck — fees have been dropping swiftly and most online brokers charge no trading commissions on stocks and ETFs.
Broker resources: You’ll also want to consider factors such as research tools, the quality of the digital trading app and the ability to place trades quickly and reliably.
Strategy: The account you want will ultimately come down to your personal investment strategy — including how frequently you plan to trade and whether you’re a beginner or are more experienced.

Finding the top bonus may be rewarding, but it’s important to also consider a broker’s other features that may add value. Benefits such as good research, quick trade execution and responsive customer support can drastically improve your experience.

— Brian Baker, CFA, Bankrate Investing and Retirement Senior Writer

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