How To Get Started and Get a Free Share with Trading 212

Would you like to know more about how to get a free share worth up £/€ 100 with Trading 212 in 2024?

If so, then you’ve come to the right place!

Bear with me for the next few minutes, and I will show you step by step how you can get your free share for as little as £1 or €1.

I have been a user of this app for over 7 years. I must say that the only reason why I originally downloaded it was because it is among the top-rated platforms in the UK. All I wanted then was to trade FOREX, a game that didn’t turn up too well for me. For the curious ones, I explained a bit about how I developed this negative addiction here.

At that time, the platform’s main purpose was to offer a contract for difference (CFD) to trade FOREX, commodities, cryptos or hot stocks to users.

But a lot has changed since then.

Let’s get deeper into it.

What is Trading 212

Trading 212 is a British online-based stockbroker with a registered address in London. However, this is only the trading name of the three companies behind; Trading 212 UK Ltd, Trading 212 Ltd and Trading 212 Markets Ltd. The former is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the last second by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission.

Regulation means that investor funds are kept separately in segregated bank accounts and are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, FSCS (Trading 212 UK Ltd.) and the Investors Compensation Fund, ICF Cyprus (Trading 212 Markets Ltd).

Investors registered under Trading 212 UK are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). The compensation is for up to £85 000.

Investors registered under Trading 212 Markets Ltd will be covered by the Investors Compensation Fund (ICF) – Cyprus. The compensation is up to €20,000. There is also additional insurance for up to 1M EUR per client, underwritten by Lloyds of London. 

In the case that the company defaults, the FSCS compensation protects up to £85K and the ICF Bulgaria compensation is up to 90% (with a limit of €20K of our funds).

Can you choose which one to join? This depends on your country of residence. Check this full list to get more information.

In my case, I am registered under Trading 212 UK, and I feel safe using Trading 212.

Trading 212 Fees

This is the part I like the most and why you are probably reading this (besides getting the free share).

Is it for real that you can trade with no commission and no fees with Trading 212?

Yup, it is if you deposit by bank transfer. Even the currency exchange is fair. If you are a saver type of person like me, then you are probably off to the fridge to open up a drink to celebrate it, right? 😉

The only thing you’ll have to pay for is the so-called bid-ask spread. The bid-ask spread is essentially the difference between the highest price that a buyer is willing to pay for an asset and the lowest price that a seller is willing to accept. Popular stocks have lower bid-ask spreads and vice versa.

Confusing? Then check this helpful video out:

Trading 212 also introduced a small FX fee of 0.15% in Invest and ISAs. That charge would apply for instance when you buy US stocks marketed in Dollars using Euros.

However, Trading 212 introduced a multi-currency account available for the Invest account. That allows investors to hold money and trade in multiple currencies. This means you will no longer have to convert money and incur FX fees each time you trade in a different currency.

How Does Trading 212 Make Money?

This is a common question among investors.

How can Trading 212 make any money without charging major fees or commissions?

Simple. Their business model is mainly based on the CFD account. Their users need to pay a currency conversion charge of 0.5%. In addition, as users are in fact borrowing money to buy assets (leveraging), traders must pay a SWAP interest every time they leave a position open for the next day.

“I strictly don’t recommend using the contracts for difference (CFD) trading account, especially if you are a beginner, as leveraging carries a lot of risks. 76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with Trading 212 “

Alternatively, Trading 212 can also make money lending out shares held in the Invest account to traders shorting in the CFD account. You are given the option to deactivate share lending. You can keep it active and earn interest on share lending.

Investors can earn interest on cash, however, this is paid well below the bank rates, which means they can pocket the difference for themselves.

These are the three Trading 212 accounts available:

I use the Invest and ISA accounts, the former to invest in dividend stocks and the latter to buy a Global Index Fund on a monthly basis.

There is no maintenance fee to keep an ISA account open, and that makes it attractive to invest. I hold three stocks and shares ISAs in total, the one I opened first with Vanguard worth £35K, the one with Trading 212 holding £43K and my latest addition Invest Engine worth £10K.

This is how my Trading 212 ISA account has performed to date (November 2023) since I opened it in June 2020.

Trading 212 Free Share

Getting your free share with Trading 212 is pretty straightforward.

1 – First, you must be 18 years or older and have a valid taxpayer identification number.

2 – Click on the following link next:

www.trading212.com/invite/tqd3H

2 – Verify and activate your Trading 212 Invest or ISA account. (CFD not included). For that, you will need to send a copy of your ID document (national passport or a driver’s licence for UK residents), a selfie and proof of address.

3 – Fund your account with the minimum deposit with a debit or credit card, as little as 1 Pound or 1 Euro. For wire transfers, the minimum deposit is 10 Pounds or Euros.

4 – Wait three business days after approval to get your free share worth up £/€100.

5 – You are now entitled to refer other people as long as there’s an open campaign.

6 – You can sell your free shares after 3 settlement days after the bonus is granted. The cash value of the free share can be withdrawn 30 days after the bonus is received.

7 – Good Luck! And thank you for using my referral link!

Some Facts I Like and Dislike About Trading 212

Likes:

• £0 commission investing.
• £0 fee Stocks & Shares ISA.
• 2500+ (4000+) global stocks & 500+ ETFs available.
• Fractional shares (Invest from 1£ or Euro).
• No foreign exchange fees (Invest account).
• Unlimited instant trades.
• AutoInvest & Pies function is brilliant.
• Tons of educational free videos on YouTube.
• Responsive live chat.
• Get a free share referral program.
• Regulated and well protected.
• Solid and profitable company.
• Option to earn interest on share lending and cash.

Dislikes:

• Market notifications that encourage you to day-trade (these can be deactivated).
• Some stocks and ETFs are still missing.
• It’s tempting to check out your investments on the phone more often than one should. You don’t necessarily need the app on your smartphone to trade, as you can use their website. However, the app gives some information that can only be found there (company ratios, dividends, balance sheet and so on).
• 0.15% FX fee (ISA account)
• The registered owner of the shares is Trading 212.

Get your free share here:

www.trading212.com/invite/tqd3H