UK Free Share Offers: What’s Real, What’s Not, and What I Earned
If you’re looking to make extra money with barely any effort, free share offers are one of the easiest ways to get started. Several UK investment apps will hand you a free stock, ETF or cash bonus simply for signing up and depositing a small amount.
I’ve tried all of these myself as part of building a passive income portfolio. I’m not going to pretend these offers will make you rich, but they do give your investments a head start, especially if you stack multiple sign-up bonuses.
Please remember that when you invest, your capital is at risk.
Best investment rewards at a glance
These are the investing offers I’d shortlist right now based on value, ease, minimum deposit, and how realistic the reward actually is.
AJ Bell Dodl
Best for: £30 gift card with an ISA or pension- £30 gift card when you invest £500
- ISA, Lifetime ISA or Pension
- Keep invested for at least 12 months
Trading 212 *Currently unavailable*
Best for: Easy free share offer- Usually one of the easiest free share offers
- Low minimum deposit
- Random reward value
Webull
Best for: Bigger headline reward- Often one of the strongest headline offers
- May require a deposit and holding period
- Check latest terms before signing up
Wealthify
Best for: Hands-off investing bonus- Managed portfolios
- No need to pick investments
- Usually requires a higher deposit
InvestEngine
Best for: ETF investors- Good for long-term investors
- Focused on ETFs
- Bonus usually tied to deposit period
Robinhood
Best for: Fast signup appeal- Simple app-first signup
- Reward varies by promotion
- Always check the latest terms
IG Trading
Best for: Established platform- Long-established platform
- Less beginner-friendly than newer apps
- More suited to experienced investors
Fidelity
Best for: Long-term investors- Traditional investment platform
- Better for funds and ISAs
- Worth it if staying invested
I juggle a lot of side hustles, but building passive income has always been one of my favourites. Free shares help boost my investment pot without costing me a penny—just a few minutes of admin. And if you’re trying to grow a dividend-paying portfolio, every free stock helps.
Below are the latest offers, how to claim them, and what happened when I tried each one.
How to get free stocks and shares in the UK
It’s about as simple as it gets:
- Pick an offer and click the referral link.
- Create an account and verify your identity.
- Deposit the required amount.
- Wait for the free share or bonus to land.
I update the terms regularly, but offers can change quickly—if you see something generous, grab it while it lasts.
Also worth reading
If you’re searching for joining offers, why not take a look at my post on the best bank switch offers?
Trading 212
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 4.4/5
Best for a free share with a very low entry cost
If you’re opening an investing account anyway, Trading 212 is one of the simplest ways to get a free share in the UK. There’s no hard sell, no subscription, and the minimum deposit is just £1.
I joined before the free share offer existed, so I didn’t get one myself — annoying, but it’s a solid platform and the referral reward makes it a decent starting point when the offer is live.
Just be aware this offer isn’t always available, and Trading 212 has paused it in the past when demand got too high.
Important: The free share offer is currently unavailable and ended 29th April 2026.
My free share: £16 (Rolls Royce)
❓ What you get:
🎁 One free share (or fractional share) worth up to £100
👉 How to get your free share
- Click the referral link or button
- Create a Trading 212 account
- Verify your identity
- Fund your account with at least £1
- Your free share is added once the conditions are met
❓When do you get it?
Your free share is usually added shortly after funding your account once the offer is active.
⭕ Important to know
❌ Offer is not always available
❌ You can only refer up to 5 friends
ℹ️ You don’t need to invest your £1 — it just needs to be deposited
*This offer expired 9th July, 2026*
Dodl
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 4.5/5
Best for new investors looking for an easy £30 bonus
If you’re thinking about opening a Stocks & Shares ISA, Lifetime ISA or Pension anyway, the Dodl referral offer is a nice bonus. Deposit and invest £500, and you’ll receive a £30 gift card once you’ve qualified.
I’ve opened a Stocks & Shares ISA myself and I’m leaving my £500 invested in one of Dodl’s global funds to see how it performs over the long term. The app is simple to use and feels much less intimidating than many traditional investment platforms.
The main downside is that you need to invest £500 and keep your investment for at least 12 months, so this isn’t a quick freebie.
My investment: £500 in a global higher-risk fund
❓ What you get:
🎁 A £30 gift card when you qualify
👉 How to get your £30 gift card
- Click the referral link or button.
- Enter your email address.
- Download the Dodl app.
- Sign up using the same email address.
- Open a Stocks & Shares ISA, Lifetime ISA or Pension (SIPP).
- Deposit and invest at least £500 within 120 days.
- Keep your investment for at least 12 months.
❓When do you get it?
Your £30 gift card is normally sent during the calendar month after you’ve met all the qualifying conditions.
⭕ Important to know
❌ Investments can go down as well as up.
❌ Keep your investment for at least 12 months, or Dodl may reclaim your gift card.
ℹ️ If asked who referred you, enter Peter Chatfield.
ℹ️ You can refer friends yourself once you’ve successfully joined.
Robinhood
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 4.2/5
Best for a simple free share with low effort
Robinhood is relatively new to the UK, but it’s already popular thanks to commission-free trading and a straightforward sign-up bonus. The app is clean, easy to use, and ideal if you just want to dip a toe into investing without overthinking it.
I didn’t get a big win here, but it was still free money for very little effort.
My free share: $7.28 (Ford)
❓ What you get:
🎁 One free share worth between $7 and $175
👉 How to get your free share
- Click the referral link or button
- Create an account and verify your identity
- Fund your account (minimum £1 in the UK)
- Your free share is added automatically
❓When do you get it?
Your free share is usually added shortly after funding your account.
⭕ Important to know
⚠️ If you sell your free share, you can’t withdraw the cash for 30 days
ℹ️ You can earn referral rewards up to $1,500 per year
InvestEngine
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 4.5/5
Best for a cash bonus (not a share)
If you’d rather get cash instead of a random share, InvestEngine is one of the best options available. The platform is UK-based, low-cost, and geared towards long-term ETF investing.
The catch? Your money needs to stay put for a while.
My bonus: £12 cash (offer was lower when I joined)
❓ What you get:
💰 Cash bonus worth £20–£100
👉 How to get your free share
- Click the referral link or button
- Create an account
- Open a GIA or ISA
- Add £100 from your bank
- Bonus is paid automatically
❓When do you get it?
Usually within 2–5 business days.
⭕ Important to know
⚠️ You must keep your £100 and bonus invested for 12 months
❌ Withdraw early and you’ll lose the bonus
ℹ️ You can earn £20–£100 per friend you refer
Wealthify
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 4.4/5
Best for a guaranteed £50 bonus
Wealthify is one of the easiest investing platforms to use, especially if you don’t want to pick shares yourself. It’s backed by Aviva and handles everything automatically once you’re set up.
This one’s straightforward — but you do need a larger deposit.
My bonus: £50 cash
❓ What you get:
💰 £50 cash bonus
👉 How to get your free share
- Click the referral link or button
- Create an account
- Invest at least £1,000
- Leave it invested for 6 months
- Receive your £50 bonus
❓When do you get it?
After your investment has been held for six months.
⭕ Important to know
⚠️ Your £1,000 must stay invested for the full 6 months
ℹ️ You can refer others and earn £50 per referral
Webull
⭐⭐⭐☆☆ 3.9/5
Best for high-value rewards (but only if you deposit more)
Webull’s headline rewards look huge — but the reality is most users will only qualify for the lower tiers unless they’re depositing serious money.
Still, it’s a legit platform with advanced tools if you’re an active trader.
My reward: $10 Tesla stock (older offer)
❓ What you get:
🎟️ ETF trading vouchers worth up to £3,000
👉 How to get your free share
- Click the referral link or button
- Create an account and verify your ID
- Deposit £100 and hold it for 30 days
- Receive ETF trading vouchers
❓When do you get it?
After maintaining your deposit for 30 days.
⭕ Important to know
⚠️ £3,000 in vouchers requires a £500,000 deposit
ℹ️ Smaller deposits earn smaller rewards
IG
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 4.4/5
Best for a £50 cash bonus
IG regularly runs different referral offers, and the exact terms can change without much notice. The version below is the standard referral-based offer, which pays cash, not shares.
I’ve completed this offer myself and received £50, but always check the landing page before starting.
My reward: £50 cash
❓ What you get:
💰 Bonus cash (amount varies — £50 is typical)
👉 How to get your free share
- Register using a referral link or button
- Complete any required identity checks
- Open an IG share dealing account, Stocks & Shares ISA or SIPP
- Deposit at least £50
- Place at least one trade within 1 month
- Keep your investment in place
- Bonus cash is credited once conditions are met
❓When do you get it?
Within 60 days of meeting the requirements.
⭕ Important to know
⚠️ You must place a real trade — deposits alone don’t count
⚠️ Withdraw too early and you’ll lose the bonus
ℹ️ The offer changes often — always check the referral landing page
Fidelity
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ 4.1/5
Best for a high-value reward if you’re investing £5,000 anyway
Fidelity’s refer-a-friend offer is one of the most generous UK investing rewards, but it’s not a casual freebie. You only qualify if you’re opening a new account and investing £5,000 upfront.
I completed this offer myself and received a £100 Amazon gift card, but this is only worth doing if you were already planning to invest a decent lump sum and leave it untouched.
My reward: £100 Amazon voucher
Find out more from my Fidelity investment review.
❓ What you get:
🎁 £100 Amazon.co.uk Gift Card
👉 How to get your free share
- Register using a referral link or button
- Open a Stocks & Shares ISA, SIPP or General Investment Account
- Deposit £5,000 or more on the same day you open the account
- Complete the entire application online
- Stay invested with Fidelity for at least 3 months
- Keep your account value at £5,000+ after 3 months
- Receive your Amazon gift card by email
❓When do you get it?
The gift card is usually emailed within 120 days once Fidelity confirms all conditions are met.
You’ll then have 120 days to redeem it.
⭕ Important to know
⚠️ You must invest £5,000 in one go on the same day
⚠️ Regular monthly savings do not qualify
⚠️ Transfers from other providers do not qualify
⚠️ Junior ISAs and Junior SIPPs are excluded
⚠️ Withdraw, transfer, or add an adviser within 12 months and Fidelity may cancel the reward
ℹ️ Referral terms and rewards change regularly
Do you need to pay tax on your free shares?
Possibly, as being given a free share counts as income. If you earn under the Personal Allowance limit of £12,570 per year, you don’t need to pay UK income tax on a free share. More than this, it should be declared on your self-assessment as it will class as income. When you sell your share, it may also be liable for capital gains tax – although this depends on whether you have sold other assets.
Dividends
You may qualify for a dividend payment depending on the free stock you receive.
If you start to receive a dividend payment, this may also attract tax. At the moment, you can receive £500 each year from dividends without paying tax. Above this, you will need to pay –
- Basic rate taxpayers: 8.75% on dividend income
- Higher rate taxpayers: 33.75% on dividend income
- Additional rate taxpayers: 39.35% on dividend income
A word of warning
When you invest, your capital is at risk.
If you’re thinking of opening one of these accounts because it could be a way of making a large amount of money, think again. There are plenty of people out there (especially on social media) who claim to make a fortune from trading stocks and share dealing. It’s a dangerous business. It’s estimated that 90% of people lose money when trading on the stock exchange. If somebody tells you it’s easy, they’re probably after some of your money.
Which is the best free share offer?
This changes depending on the offers. But at the moment, I do like the £100 Amazon voucher from Fidelity. But this really is a long-term investment and not quick money.
My free shares conclusion
A decent way to make some extra money, if not a little underwhelming. Although a lot of companies offer free stocks worth up to £200, it’s often far lower. I have to wonder how many people actually do receive shares that are worth close to $200. But that said, it is money for nothing and you’re beginning to open up your own portfolio, no matter how small. A free stock in a company is nothing to be sniffed at.
If investing and playing the stock market is something that interests you, why not take a look at the best investment apps in the UK?
FAQs
Can you cash in your free share?
In most cases, you must wait for a certain period before selling your share. However, once that minimum amount of time has passed, it can be exchanged for cash.
Can you get a free share from Hargreaves Lansdown?
No, there is currently no free share offer.
Does J.P. Morgan offer free shares?
There are no free shares on offer, but the robo-advisor J.P. Morgan Personal Investing does have a refer a friend scheme. If a friend joins using your link, you could earn an Amazon gift card worth between £50 and £100
Does eToro offer a free share?
Because this trading app is one of the most popular in the UK, eToro doesn’t offer a free share to new customers. However, you can earn by referring your friends.
What happened to Tulipshare?
This investment app offered new users a bonus of up to £25 when taking part in ethical investing. It was withdrawn in April 2023.
Does your free share give you voting rights?
Your free stock will give you precisely the same rights as if you bought it.
What happened to Freedom 24?
Due to an issue with UK regulators, Freedom 24 was withdrawn for UK residents.
What happened to Shares.io?
This app announced that it was closing down in June 2024.
What happened to Stake?
Stake was closed to UK residents in October 2024.
What happened to Wombat?
They became NuWealth and then Quilter Invest. I have yet to see them offer any free shares.
