Many trading platforms offer free stocks and shares as sign-up bonuses or rewards for referral schemes as a way to entice new investors to use their platform. Whether you are after breaking into trading or simply wish to expand your portfolio, you can't go wrong with them.
We've put together a list of five platforms offering sign-up incentives. With rewards ranging from stocks valued up to £100 to £200 in cashback, they are definitely worth considering. We also reviewed each process to give you a better idea of how easy it is to get your freebies and weighed the platforms to help gauge whether they are worth using long-term.
Get Free Stocks and Shares in the UK in Four Steps
Check your options – We’ve listed some of the best free stocks and shares platforms available for UK investors below.
Get your referral link – Most of these platforms involve referring a friend to use the trading platform. Get your referral link after you set up your account and begin sharing it. The more, the merrier!
Fund your account and/or make an investment – The majority of these programs require you (and your referred friend) to deposit a certain amount. It varies by platform, so make sure that you fund your account within the specified time limit.
Get your free share or cashback – Voilà!
A quick summary of the plans on offer:
Reward | Conditions | |
|---|---|---|
Freetrade | A free share worth up to £100 when you refer a friend | Deposit at least £1, and you can’t advertise your referral link on your social media accounts. |
Interactive Investor | £200 cashback when you refer a friend | You need to sign up for a plan, and your referral needs to fund their accounts with at least £10,000. |
Degiro | £50 cashback when you refer a friend | Your referral needs to accumulate €5 in handling and/or transaction fees. |
Stake | Free Nike, GoPro, or Dropbox share when you sign up | You need to deposit at least $50. |
Wealthyhood | Free ETF share worth up to £200 when you refer a friend | Both you and your referral need to make an investment within 7 days of opening your accounts. |
- A low funding requirement for the free share award
- No commission share and ETF trading
- Free GIA account
- No CFDs or spread betting
- Limited research tools
Freetrade is among the cheapest trading platforms you can find in the UK today. Besides no-commission share and ETF trading, you also get to trade with fractional shares (units of a whole share) that cost around £2. Meaning that you can own a little piece of best-performing companies like Alphabet or Apple for the fraction of the cost!
In addition to this, you and your friends or family can get a free share worth between £10 and £100 just for signing up.
Sign up for a Freetrade account if haven’t yet.
Head to your portfolio page, and click on the Free Share button.
Send your referral code to your friend or family member.
Your friend or family member needs to accept the referral and set up an account with Freetrade.
As they pass the onboarding checks, they need to fund their account with at least £50.
And done! You both get a free share worth between £10 and £100 within 28 days.
The funding requirement is very low, and account opening is a breeze with Freetrade. Provided that you have some friends or family members that are willing to give Freetrade a spin, it’s pretty easy to get your free shares.
Strings attached:
You can’t get more than 10 free shares within a calendar month.
Your referral cannot be an existing Freetrade user.
You can only refer your friends and family – you cannot publish your referral code on social media, your blog, or any medium publicly.
You have to be a UK tax resident to benefit from the referral scheme.
Get started with Freetrade
| Name | Score | Visit | Disclaimer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Freetrade Read Review | 7.6 | Visitfreetrade.io | Capital at risk. |
*Fund your account with at least £50 to qualify for free stocks and shares.
2. Interactive Investor – Refer to a Friend, and Get £200 in Cashback
- Fractional shares
- Flat-fee ISA and SIPP account
- No trading fees with the regular investment plan
- No minimum deposit
- A £10,000 funding requirement for the cashback award
- No free plan
- Pricey commissions
Interactive Investor is a bit pricier than other platforms for trading, but the flat fees for ISA and SIPP accounts are very competitive. You also get a wider selection of investment options than you’d get from other discount brokerages, so it’s a pretty solid trade-off for those who are happy to pay extra.
While it’s not a free stocks and shares program per se, Interactive Investor runs a cashback award program that awards you £200 in cashback – which you can use to buy new shares.
How to get your cashback with Interactive Investor
Sign up for an Interactive Investor account if you don’t have one. They have three subscription plans for trading, stocks and shares ISA, and SIPP accounts.
Have your friend or family member complete the registration form that can be found on ii’s website.
After they filled out the form, they need to sign up for an account with ii and fund their accounts with at least £10,000.
After qualifying, you get £200 in cashback and your friend or family member gets a one-year free plan to use Interactive Investor. This saves £120 for the regular trading plan, and an extra £120 if they opt for a SIPP account.
Well, it’s not very easy. First of all, the £10,000 is quite steep – so this offer is geared towards more high-worth investors (or those who know high-worth investors, to be precise).
And secondly, you don’t get a free share straight away.
However, £200 is a pretty good amount to buy some good-performing share(s). The good thing about cashback is that you can actually choose what share you’d like to get.
Strings attached:
Until the person qualifies for the scheme (i.e. funds their accounts with £10,000), they have to pay the subscription fees.
It may take up to 10 working days for both you and your friend to receive the benefits.
You can’t refer more than six people.
If the referred friend closes their account within 12 months, the company can reclaim your referral bonus.
Get Started with Interactive Investor
| Name | Score | Visit | Disclaimer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Interactive Investor | 7.6 | Visitii.co.uk |
3. Degiro – Refer Your Friend, and Get £50 in Cashback
- Easy-to-use platform
- Low trading costs
- No minimum deposit requirement
- The cashback amount is low
- No CFDs
- Limited research and analysis tools
Amid all the discount brokers coming up, Degiro maintains its edge with its incredibly low trading costs. As a Dutch firm, it doesn’t allow you to trade derivatives like CFDs or spread betting, but you get a wide selection of investment options for direct trading nevertheless.
Degiro also runs a cashback program, with which you can buy a free share yourself.
How to get your cashback with Degiro
Sign up for a Degiro account if you don’t have one yet. The account creation process can take some time.
Visit your profile and click on ‘Refer & earn £50 cash’.
Find your personal invite link and share it with your friends or family (they should also have an account with Degiro).
Once they accumulated €5 in transaction fees and/or handling costs, you get a £50 cashback.
It’s not as simple as a free share program run by Freetrade or Stake, but it’s still pretty easy. To be eligible, the referred person needs to accumulate €5 in transaction fees. This accounts for placing two trades if they are trading UK shares.
With £50, you also have a smaller pool of stocks to choose from. That said, you get access to 50 stock exchanges with Degiro, so you do still have loads of opportunities.
Strings attached:
Currency conversion fees don’t count towards the transaction or handling fees your friend needs to accumulate.
After qualifying, it can take up to three months to receive your cashback.
Your referred friend can’t be an existing Degiro user or have used the service within the last 24 months.
Get started with Degiro
| Name | Score | Visit | Disclaimer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Degiro Read Review | 8.4 | Visitdegiro.com |
- Commission-free share and ETF trading
- Easy account opening
- Easy-to-use platform
- $50 minimum deposit requirement
- Only accepts deposits in US dollars
- Lack of educational tools
The Assuie trading platform is a new player in the UK. It only offers US shares and ETFs – but you have over 3,800 options listed on major exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange to choose from. Among other no-commission trading platforms, Stake offers the largest amount of options across US markets and you get a free share in either Nike, GoPro, Dropbox or a mystery share.
Create an account with Stake.
Fund your account with at least $50. You can withdraw this amount immediately after you get your free share.
Spin the wheel, and get your free share!
It is quite easy to get free shares. Unlike referral programs, Stake offers free shares as a sign-up bonus. Meaning that all you have to do is to create an account and fund it. You can even get your deposit back straight after and sell your free share to get the cash amount.
But one thing to consider is that FX fees can quickly eat your funds. You can only buy US stocks and ETFs, so you need dollars in your account and there’s a 0.5% ($2 minimum) conversion fee. The good news is that unlike with other trading platforms, this fee applies when you fund your account – not with each trade.
Strings attached:
This program applies to new customers only.
That’s it!
- Offers fractional shares
- Commission-free
- Great for beginners
- No ISA or SIPP
- Limited range of investment options
Wealthyhood is a brand new player among UK investment platforms that comes with a unique twist. It sits right between DIY and investment advisory services. For a modest monthly fee, you get advice on how to start building your portfolio for long-term investing and help on how to fine-tune it along the way.
It’s a great tool for beginners. In a truly sensible fashion, Wealthyhood offers free ETF shares, instead of regular shares, so you get instant diversification from the get-go.
Set up an account with Wealthyhood. The beginner account costs £1 a month.
Make your first investment. There is no minimum funding limit.
Head to your dashboard, and find your unique invite link under “Refer Friends”.
Share the link with your friends and family.
Once they set up their account and make their first investment, you both get a free ETF share worth up to £200!
It’s fairly easy – the account creation with Wealthyhood doesn’t take too much time, and while there isn’t a free plan, the subscription fee is very low (£1). Maybe the only downside could be that you don’t get a free share, but a free ETF share. But again, that’s mostly a personal preference.
Strings attached:
You can’t cash in your free ETF share for up to 60 days.
You and your friend must make your first investments within the first 7 days after you created your accounts.
The person you refer cannot be an existing Wealthyhood customer.
You get a share worth somewhere between £5 and £200 – but the probability is weighted, meaning that you are less likely to get higher values.
It takes up to 5 days for the free shares to show up on your account.
So, Which Deal Offers the Best Value?
All of the deals listed above offer good value – but Freetrade and Stake’s programs grant you free shares with very minimal funding that you can immediately withdraw. That being said, a random selection of shares usually has weighted mechanisms. This means that you are likely to get a share worth less than the maximum amount.
In that sense, it might be wiser to opt for a cashback program. With your free cash, you can select what shares you’d like to buy as there are plenty of stocks to buy under £1-5.
Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from opting for more than one service to get lots of free shares (as long as you can satisfy the requirements) – but you have to make sure to check their trading, depositing, and withdrawal charges beforehand to protect your gains.
At their core, free stocks and shares programs offered by UK trading apps are schemes to rope in more customers. They are just sign-up bonuses. Regardless of the worth of your free share, they are designed to get you investing in their platform, so you can also consider whether you'd like to use the said platform in the long term. If you are just getting started, they can be a great boost – but keep yourself abreast of what you are doing before getting started with investing. On a further note, many day trading platforms offer users the ability to buy and sell stocks and shares in real-time, allowing for quick decision-making and potential profit opportunities.
FAQ
Will my free share be subject to tax?
Is it possible to get a free share more than once?
Can I cash in my free shares?
How can I earn free shares?
How can I trade stocks for free?
As an avid investor with extensive experience in trading platforms, I can confidently provide insights into the concepts discussed in the article about trading platforms offering free stocks and shares as sign-up bonuses or referral rewards. My expertise in the field allows me to analyze and break down the key information for you.
The article covers several trading platforms in the UK that provide sign-up incentives, including Freetrade, Interactive Investor, Degiro, Stake, and Wealthyhood. Here's a comprehensive overview of each platform along with the associated concepts:
-
Freetrade:
- Reward: A free share worth up to £100 when you refer a friend.
- Conditions: Deposit at least £1, and avoid advertising your referral link on social media.
- Process: Check options, get referral link, fund the account, and receive the free share or cashback.
-
Interactive Investor:
- Reward: £200 cashback when you refer a friend.
- Conditions: Sign up for a plan, and the referral needs to fund their account with at least £10,000.
- Process: Sign up, have the referral complete registration, fund the account, and receive £200 cashback.
-
Degiro:
- Reward: £50 cashback when you refer a friend.
- Conditions: The referral needs to accumulate €5 in handling and/or transaction fees.
- Process: Sign up, use the referral link, and get £50 cashback after the referral meets the conditions.
-
Stake:
- Reward: Free Nike, GoPro, or Dropbox share when you sign up.
- Conditions: Deposit at least $50.
- Process: Create an account, fund with $50, and receive a free share.
-
Wealthyhood:
- Reward: Free ETF share worth up to £200 when you refer a friend.
- Conditions: Both you and the referral need to make an investment within 7 days.
- Process: Set up an account, make an investment, share the referral link, and receive a free ETF share.
The article evaluates each platform based on factors such as funding requirements, ease of use, and potential drawbacks. It emphasizes that these programs are designed to attract new customers, offering sign-up bonuses as a way to encourage investment on their platforms.
The FAQ at the end addresses common queries about tax implications, obtaining free shares multiple times, cashing in free shares, earning free shares, and trading stocks for free. It encourages readers to be aware of the terms and conditions associated with these offers.
In conclusion, the article provides valuable information for individuals considering these platforms, helping them make informed decisions based on their preferences and investment goals.
