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Online Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – August 2012

As both investors and markets slow down in the tail end of summer, the discount brokerage deals and incentives have also gotten a bit quieter.  Still, for those of you looking for a deal on a discount brokerage account, there are some hefty commission rebate discounts being offered up this August.

BMO Investorline has upped the competition ante by offering $150 cash back as well as 150 trades when you deposit $150,000 or more into an Investorline account.  What’s interesting about this deal (the 150/150 promotion) is that it is open to existing clients as well as new clients, and it can also be combined with their refer a friend offer.

For those with less money to be depositing, Virtual Brokers is offering 150 free trades with a $25,000 deposit, and Questrade, as part of their new Questrade Advantage program will give you 100 free trades for a deposit of at least $10,000. Scotia iTrade continues to offer 100 free trades for a deposit of $25,000 for new accounts and will also let you try their new FlightDesk™ platform free for 60 days. A deal launched mid-month in July by National Bank Direct Brokerage called the “Commission Holiday Promo” gives new clients a $750 commission rebate with a deposit of at least $25,000.

For very active and pro-level traders as well as platform-savvy traders, you’ll want to check out the exclusive SparxTrading.com offer with Jitneytrade to take advantage of Realtick Platform discounts as well as trading volume discounts.

We also know from the deal rumour mill that there are some exciting promos being put together from a few Canadian discount brokerages for this September so be sure to check our deals section if you’re not quite ready to open your trading account.

Company Brief Description Details Link Deadline
Jitney Trade A Sparx Trading exclusive offer! Use the promo code “Sparx Trading” when signing up for a new account with Jitney and receive access to their preferred pricing package and a massive 45% discount on the Real Tick trading platform. For more details click here none
Open a new account (TFSA, Margin or RRSP) and receive $50 commission credit . Use promo code: kdkfnbbc none none
Move your brokerage account to Questrade and they’ll cover the transfer-out fee up to $150. Transfer Fee Promo none
Refer a friend to Questrade and when they open an account you receive $100 and they receive $50. To receive this deal you must be an existing client with an equity account and refer a person that does not reside with you and who has not previously opened a Questrade account. Refer a friend none
As part of the Questrade Advantage program, deposit $10,000 into a new account by August 31st, 2012 and you can get 100 free trades. Enter the promo code “100AVDL” in the application online. Note that the advantage program requires you to sign up for a data package (currently $89.95/month) the fees for which vary according to trading activity. See details link for terms and conditions on pricing. Questrade Advantage Promo August 31st, 2012
Get up to 100 free trades when you fund an account with a minimum of $10 000. You must open this account by August 31st 2012 and fund it with $10 000 within 30 days of account activation to qualify. You must enter promo code “100FREEQ”. There are quite a few other details, including a minimum balance requirement, so be sure to check the details link. 100 Free Trades August 31st, 2012
Transfer $25,000 or more to a National Bank Direct Brokerage account and they will pay up to $135 plus taxes in transfer fees Transfer Fee Rebate none
If you are an existing National Bank Direct Brokerage client and you refer someone to join, you each get $100. To qualify, the referred account must transfer at least $25,000 from another financial institution. If at least $25,000 is transferred, up to $135 of the transfer fee is covered. Use the promo code “FRIEND” when opening the account Refer a Friend October 31, 2012
Holders of National Bank Platinum, Ovation Gold, Allure or Escapade Mastercard or a card identified by a professional association can now redeem À la carte reward points for a contribution to your National Bank Direct Brokerage RRSP or Spousal RRSP account, or the new TFSA (Tax-free savings account). As the principal cardholder you can exchange your points, either partly or entirely, for one or more 100 $ contributions (100 $ = 11,000 points). contact one of National Bank Direct Brokerage’s Investor Services representatives (514-866-6755 or 1-800-363-3511). Mastercard points transfer none
Open and fund a new account with National Bank Direct Brokerage with $25 000 or more, and you can receive up to $750 in commission reimbursements. To qualify you must use the promo code “REGISTERED2012” in the general information section of the application form. Reimbursements will be paid in either January or April 2013 depending on date account is opened. See the terms & conditions link for more information. Commission Holiday Promo October 31, 2012
Virtual Brokers will cover transfer fees from your transferring institution to a maximum of $150 per account. This offer is only applicable to accounts opened with at least $25,000 in equity before September 30, 2012. Transfer Fee Promo September 30th, 2012
Open a new account with $25,000 before September 30, 2012 and receive 150 trades free. (Applies to the first 150 trades placed within 60 days of account opening at a maximum of $6.49 per trade with a total maximum value of $973) New Account Promo September 30th, 2012
Scotia iTrade Open and fund a new Scotia iTRADE account with at least $25,000 before September 30, 2012 and the commissions associated with your first 100 trades placed within 60 days of the date the account is activated and funded. Also, the new FlightDesk platform is being offered for free for 60 days. See details link for further terms and conditions. Scotia iTrade 100 free trades + FlightDesk September 30th, 2012
BMO InvestorLine Existing BMO Investorline clients who refer a ‘friend’ who then opens an account, (and the “friend” too) can qualify for a cash bonus, depending on the deposit amount. For deposits of between $50,000 and $249,999, the referral bonus is $200 and the “friend” receives $50; for deposits of over $250,000 the referral bonus is $300 the “friend” receives $100. To qualify for the deal, the referral reference code needs to be included in the application – see the details link for terms and conditions. Refer a Friend Promo December 31, 2012
BMO InvestorLine Open a new account with $150,000 or more (or for existing clients make a deposit of $150,000 or more) and get $150 cash back and 150 free trades. Use the promo code BONUS when opening a new account (or when making a new deposit of $150,000 or more). See the details link for qualifying account types and conditions. 150/150 Promotion October 31, 2012
TD Waterhouse Open an account with $25,000 or more and receive 10 free trades. This offer is only valid at the downtown Vancouver TD Waterhouse Investor Centre. 10 trades must be completed within 6 months of account opening; reimbursement based on $9.99 commission rate. scanned photo of flyer none
Qtrade Investor Qtrade Investor will reimburse your transfer fee up to $125 when transferring a balance of $25,000 or more. For reimbursement, please mail or fax a copy of your statement from the transferring institution that shows the transfer charge to Qtrade Investor at 604.484.2627 and indicate your Qtrade Investor account number. Transfer Fee Promo none
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Online Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – July 2012

Summer is officially here and with it are a few major league offers that Canadian online discount brokerages have going.  It seems like this month, the four big promos are from Virtual Brokers, Questrade, Scotia iTrade and Disnat Direct. We’ve also got a special discount brokerage deal offering from Jitneytrade now officially launched!

It seems like lots of free trades is all the rage this summer. Virtual Brokers has extended their offer of 150 free trades to September 30th when you open an account with at least $25 000. From Questrade, a chance to get 100 free trades when you open and fund an account with $10 000.  Questrade also has a “refer a friend” deal that looks like an interesting win-win promo. Scotia iTrade has extended their 100 trade credit offer out to Sept 30th, but to get that deal you’ll have to pony up at least $25 000.  Disnat Direct’s Active 5 offer is still in full effect – definitely one to take notice of if you’re an active trader or are thinking about becoming one, 50 trades commission credit and 5 months of best rate trading along with 5 months of their active trading platforms with data make it definitely worth considering – you’ll need $10 000 to land that deal. National Bank Direct Investing also just joined in on the giveaway front with their $750 commission reimbursement when you deposit $25 000 into a new account – make sure to read the fine print on this one though because reimbursements will get paid out in either January 2013 or April 2013 depending on when you open your account.

The official SparxTrading deal with Jitneytrade is now officially launched. If you’re a very active trader, you’ll want to check out the details below on this amazing offer of discounted commissions and a huge discount on the RealTick active trader platform.

Enjoy the rest of this month’s deals!

Company Brief Description Details Link Deadline
Jitney Trade A Sparx Trading exclusive offer! Use the promo code “Sparx Trading” when signing up for a new account with Jitney and receive access to their preferred pricing package and a massive 45% discount on the Real Tick trading platform. For more details click here none
Open a new account (TFSA, Margin or RRSP) and receive $50 commission credit . Use promo code: kdkfnbbc none none
Move your brokerage account to Questrade and they’ll cover the transfer-out fee. Transfer Fee Promo none
Refer a friend to Questrade and when they open an account you receive $100 and they receive $50. To receive this deal you must be an existing client with an equity account and refer a person that does not reside with you and who has not previously opened a Questrade account. Refer a friend none
Maximize your returns. Get up to 1% (or more) of your mutual fund value rebated back to you. Mutual Fund Rebate Promo none
Get up to 100 free trades when you fund an account with a minimum of $10 000. You must open this account by August 31st 2012 and fund it with $10 000 within 30 days of account activation to qualify. You must enter promo code “100FREEQ”. There are quite a few other details, including a minimum balance requirement, so be sure to check the details link. 100 Free Trades August 31st, 2012
Get $150 in cash for opening a Disnat Classic account worth at least $25,000 from a financial institution other than Desjardins. Call Disnat at 1-800-268-8471 and mention the promo code “Reference 150”. [Note this offer applies to Disnat Classic not Disnat Direct] Disnat Refer a Friend Promo July 31st 2012
Disnat has created the Active5 offer so that active traders can test drive their services. New Disnat Direct clients get a package of: 5 months of free real-time trading platform, 5 months of theirlowest commissions (starting at $5), 5 months of free Stockscores newsletter and 50 free trades ($ 250 commissions credit). You can hear Tyler Bollhorn of Stockscores talking about the Active 5 offer here. Disnat Direct Active 5 Offer July 31st 2012
Transfer $25,000 or more to a National Bank Direct Brokerage account and they will pay up to $135 plus taxes in transfer fees Transfer Fee Rebate none
If you are an existing National Bank Direct Brokerage client and you refer someone to join, you each get $100. To qualify, the referred account must transfer at least $25,000 from another financial institution. If at least $25,000 is transferred, up to $135 of the transfer fee is covered. Use the promo code “FRIEND” when opening the account Refer a Friend October 31, 2012
Holders of National Bank Platinum, Ovation Gold, Allure or Escapade Mastercard or a card identified by a professional association can now redeem À la carte reward points for a contribution to your National Bank Direct Brokerage RRSP or Spousal RRSP account, or the new TFSA (Tax-free savings account). As the principal cardholder you can exchange your points, either partly or entirely, for one or more 100 $ contributions (100 $ = 11,000 points). contact one of National Bank Direct Brokerage’s Investor Services representatives (514-866-6755 or 1-800-363-3511). Mastercard points transfer none
Open and fund a new account with National Bank Direct Brokerage with $25 000 or more, and you can receive up to $750 in commission reimbursements. To qualify you must use the promo code “REGISTERED2012” in the general information section of the application form. Reimbursements will be paid in either January or April 2013 depending on date account is opened. See the terms & conditions link for more information. Commission Holiday Promo” October 31, 2012
Virtual Brokers will cover transfer fees from your transferring institution to a maximum of $150 per account. This offer is only applicable to accounts opened with at least $25,000 in equity before September 30, 2012. Transfer Fee Promo September 30th, 2012
Open a new account with $25,000 before September 30, 2012 and receive 150 trades free. (Applies to the first 150 trades placed within 60 days of account opening at a maximum of $6.49 per trade with a total maximum value of $973) New Account Promo September 30th, 2012
Scotia iTrade Open and fund a new Scotia iTRADE account with at least $25,000 (cheque deposit or transfer of assets) before September 30, 2012 and the commissions associated with your first 100 trades placed within 60 days of the date the account is activated and funded with at least $25,000 in the account, will be credited back to your account within 30 days of each order fill, to a maximum of $9.99 per trade in the currency of the account (maximum total cash rebate from this offer is $999). Offer valid only for the first Scotia iTRADE account opened by new Scotia iTRADE clients who do not have an account with ScotiaMcLeod Direct Investing or TradeFreedom. Free trade credits and other Scotia iTRADE offers have no cash redemption value. This offer cannot be combined with any other promotional offer. Scotia iTrade $100 in free trades September 30th, 2012
Scotia iTrade Open a new iTrade account before July 31, 2012 and receive either: $100 cash and 25 trades free for a deposit of between $25,000-$49,999 or $150 and 50 trades free for a deposit of $50,000 or more. You must use the code SPRING-MA when signing up. Springaccount opening bonus July 31st, 2012
Qtrade Investor Qtrade Investor will reimburse your transfer fee up to $125 when transferring a balance of $25,000 or more. For reimbursement, please mail or fax a copy of your statement from the transferring institution that shows the transfer charge to Qtrade Investor at 604.484.2627 and indicate your Qtrade Investor account number. Transfer Fee Promo none
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Online Discount Brokerage Deals & Promotions – June 2012

This month’s discount brokerage deals and promotions from Canadian online discount brokerages still includes some substantial offerings, such as the Disnat Active 5 offer and the Scotia iTrade 100 free trades offer. Some new promos this month include the ‘one free trade’ offer from Scotia iTrade to download and try their mobile trading app (for which you qualify for 1 free equity trade and one free options trade) and the ‘refer a friend’ offer from National Bank Direct Brokerage.  Scotia iTrade also added another promotion that can give you either $100 or $150 plus 25 or 50 trades free (respectively) depending on your deposit – the fine print is a bit tricky so make sure to read it on this one as the promo code is buried in that fine print. Questrade has extended their “stick it to your broker” 10 free trade offer until the end of June.  Lastly there are some exciting whispers floating around that Jitneytrade may be announcing a deal soon and that National Bank Direct Brokerage is working on another promo for release sometime in June. Stay tuned!

Company Brief Description Details Link Deadline
Open a new account (TFSA, Margin or RRSP) and receive $50 commission credit . Use promo code: kdkfnbbc none none
Move your brokerage account to Questrade and they’ll cover the transfer-out fee. Transfer Fee Promo none
Open and fund your account with a minimum of CAD $1,000 before May 31st, 2012 and you’ll get 10 commission-free trades. Use your 10 stock trades within the first 30 days. Buy or sell, one at a time or all at once. Stick12 additional terms here June 30 2012
Refer a friend to Questrade and when they open an account you receive $100 and they receive $50. To receive this deal you must be an existing client with an equity account and refer a person that does not reside with you and who has not previously opened a Questrade account. Refer a friend none
Maximize your returns. Get up to 1% (or more) of your mutual fund value rebated back to you. Mutual Fund Rebate Promo none
Get up to 100 free trades when you fund an account with a minimum of $10 000. You must open this account by August 31st 2012 and fund it with $10 000 within 30 days of account activation to qualify. You must enter promo code “100FREEQ”. There are quite a few other details, including a minimum balance requirement, so be sure to check the details link. 100 Free Trades August 31st, 2012
Get $150 in cash for opening a Disnat Classic account worth at least $25,000 from a financial institution other than Desjardins. Call Disnat at 1-800-268-8471 and mention the promo code “Reference 150”. [Note this offer applies to Disnat Classic not Disnat Direct] Disnat Refer a Friend Promo July 31st 2012
Disnat has created the Active5 offer so that active traders can test drive their services. New Disnat Direct clients get a package of: 5 months of free real-time trading platform, 5 months of theirlowest commissions (starting at $5), 5 months of free Stockscores newsletter and 50 free trades ($ 250 commissions credit). You can hear Tyler Bollhorn of Stockscores talking about the Active 5 offer here. Disnat Direct Active 5 Offer July 31st 2012
Credential Direct Switch your account to Credential Direct and they’ll pay up to $125 of the transfer fees your online broker charges. If after 90 days you’re not completely satisfied, Credential Direct will waive the $125 transfer out fee. To qualify, you must deposit at least $5000 within 30 days of opening a Credential Direct account. Promo code “SWITCH ME” Switch Me Offer June 30th, 2012
Transfer $25,000 or more to a National Bank Direct Brokerage account and they will pay up to $135 plus taxes in transfer fees Transfer Fee Rebate none
Become a new National Bank Direct Brokerage Client before June 30, 2012 and receive a fixed rate commission of $6.95 for 6 months. Minimum deposit not specified. Promo code “TRADE2012”. Call customer service: 1-800-363-3511 – Available to Western Canada Customers only (BC/Alberta) June 30th, 2012
If you are an existing National Bank Direct Brokerage client and you refer someone to join, you each get $100. To qualify, the referred account must transfer at least $25,000 from another financial institution. If at least $25,000 is transferred, up to $135 of the transfer fee is covered. Use the promo code “FRIEND” when opening the account Refer a Friend October 31, 2012
Holders of National Bank Platinum, Ovation Gold, Allure or Escapade Mastercard or a card identified by a professional association can now redeem À la carte reward points for a contribution to your National Bank Direct Brokerage RRSP or Spousal RRSP account, or the new TFSA (Tax-free savings account). As the principal cardholder you can exchange your points, either partly or entirely, for one or more 100 $ contributions (100 $ = 11,000 points). contact one of National Bank Direct Brokerage’s Investor Services representatives (514-866-6755 or 1-800-363-3511). Mastercard points transfer none
Virtual Brokers will cover transfer fees from your transferring institution to a maximum of $150 per account. This offer is only applicable to accounts opened with at least $25,000 in equity before September 30, 2012. Transfer Fee Promo September 30th, 2012
Open a new account with $25,000 before September 30, 2012 and receive 150 trades free. (Applies to the first 150 trades placed within 60 days of account opening at a maximum of $6.49 per trade with a total maximum value of $973) New Account Promo September 30th, 2012
Scotia iTrade Open and fund a new Scotia iTRADE account with at least $25,000 (cheque deposit or transfer of assets) before June 30, 2012 and the commissions associated with your first 100 trades placed within 60 days of the date the account is activated and funded with at least $25,000 in the account, will be credited back to your account within 30 days of each order fill, to a maximum of $9.99 per trade in the currency of the account (maximum total cash rebate from this offer is $999). Offer valid only for the first Scotia iTRADE account opened by new Scotia iTRADE clients who do not have an account with ScotiaMcLeod Direct Investing or TradeFreedom. Free trade credits and other Scotia iTRADE offers have no cash redemption value. This offer cannot be combined with any other promotional offer. Scotia iTrade $100 in free trades June 30th, 2012
Scotia iTrade Download the new Scotia iTrade mobile app and get one trade free (one equity and one option). Trade must be placed on the mobile app. Scotia iTrade 1 free trade June 30th, 2012
Scotia iTrade Open a new iTrade account before July 31, 2012 and receive either: $100 cash and 25 trades free for a deposit of between $25,000-$49,999 or $150 and 50 trades free for a deposit of $50,000 or more. You must use the code SPRING-MA when signing up. Springaccount opening bonus July 31st, 2012
Qtrade Investor Qtrade Investor will reimburse your transfer fee up to $125 when transferring a balance of $25,000 or more. For reimbursement, please mail or fax a copy of your statement from the transferring institution that shows the transfer charge to Qtrade Investor at 604.484.2627 and indicate your Qtrade Investor account number. Transfer Fee Promo none
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Event Review – Options Education Day – Vancouver 2012

Options Education Day is an annual series of events organized and hosted by the Montreal Exchange (part of the TMX Group) as part of their goal to better educate retail investors about options and derivatives products.  While options and derivative products are more complex than your average stock, there has been an enormous growth in availability and interest in these types of investment products because of the versatility of strategies they offer investors. So, even though it takes some extra effort to learn them, there are many more potential strategies for creating wealth as well as preserving it that options offer investors.

There were three great speakers at the Vancouver stop on the Options Education Day: Jason Ayres, President of Learn to Trade Global and founder of optionsource.net;  Joseph Burgoyne,  director of institutional and retail marketing for the Options Industry Council and Patrick Ceresna, chief derivative market strategist for Learn to Trade Global.  Click on the following links to see our interviews with Jason, Joseph and Patrick.

The event itself had workshops for “beginner” and “advanced” topics that provided information appropriate to the level of complexity investors were willing to dive into.  The beginner sessions covered an “introduction to options trading” and “introduction to ETFs” whilst the more advanced sessions covered “advanced options spreads” and “getting to know the greeks and the impact of volatility”.  A final workshop covered using options as a tool for creating a balanced portfolio.

Exhibitors at the event included Canadian discount brokerages such as Disnat Direct, Interactive Brokers,  Jitneytrade, TD Waterhouse, Virtual Brokers and National Bank Direct Brokerage, as well options education firm Learn to Trade Global, and also the most awesome Canadian discount brokerage comparison company Sparx Trading (yes it is a shameless self-plug!).  We had a chance to talk to lots of investors of all levels who were all there not only for the great food, but also to get a better understanding of options and how to use them in their investing and trading strategies.

Overall this is an excellent event for individuals who want to learn about options at a live event and also network with fellow investors.  It was well-organized, the venue choice great and the cost was nominal and included materials, breakfast and lunch – a great deal for their price of $45.  The conference organizers did a great job of preparing materials that attendees could use during the presentations and take with them after the sessions were done.

For those that could not attend in person, the Montreal Exchange also has a lot of the material that was covered at prior options education days in the education section on its website.  Another excellent source of education materials for individuals looking to learn more about options is the Options Industry Council website available here.

Upcoming stops for the 2012 sessions of Options Education Day include Winnipeg (June 2), Montreal (September 8), Toronto (September 29), Calgary (October 20) and Edmonton (October 21).  You can find out more details for these and other education events checking our events calendar here.