I have partnered with TradeUP to offer new users an EXCLUSIVE welcome bonus where you can get up to 100 free Circle ($CRCL) shares when you open a TradeUP account. The more you deposit or transfer, the more shares you earn!
Plus, you can get up to an additional 5 free stocks based on your deposit, AND if you transfer an external brokerage account over to TradeUP, you’re eligible to receive up to a 3% cash back bonus based on your total value of your assets transferred along with up to $300 in transfer fee reimbursement.
Full details on this promotion and all other TradeUP offers and bonuses below.
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New users will earn up to 100 free shares of CRCL when they open a TradeUP account using the promo code “NINJA” and make deposits and transfers that reach one of the following bonus tiers:
| Total Deposit (USD) | CRCL Shares |
| $2,000 | 1 share |
| $10,000 | 3 shares |
| $50,000 | 10 shares |
| $200,000 | 30 shares |
| $500,000 | 60 shares |
| $1,000,000 | 100 shares |
This offer is valid until December 31, 2025. You must either use the links found on this page or add the promo code “NINJA” during account opening. Using any other promo or referral codes will void the bonus.
Step-by-Step Directions
- Open a TradeUP account and have the bonus automatically added using this link OR enter promo code NINJA during account registration if you have downloaded the app already.
- Make deposit(s) and/or ACATS transfers that total at least $2,000 before the end of the promotion and maintain the amount for at least 30 days.
- Receive your first share credited to your account on the last business day of the month, 15 days after all conditions are met.
| CRCL Shares | Stock Distribution Schedule |
| 1 | 1 share on last business day of calendar month after qualifying deposit(s) completed |
| 3 | 1 per month for 3 months |
| 10 | 1 per month for 10 months |
| 30 | 1 per month for 24 months, all other shares distributed on the last day of the 24th month |
| 60 | 1 per month for 24 months, all other shares distributed on the last day of the 24th month |
| 100 | 1 per month for 24 months, all other shares distributed on the last day of the 24th month |
Free stock promotion is available for US customers only. CRCL shares can be freely traded or held.
Account Closure / Withdrawals: If a client withdraws funds such that their account balance falls below the qualifying deposit tier before all CRCL shares have been distributed, or if a client closes their account, any and all remaining undistributed shares will be forfeited.
This promotion is on top of the other TradeUP welcome bonuses (additional 2-5 free stocks, 3% transfer cashback, and $300 transfer credit promo).
Up to 2-5 Additional Free Stocks
New users will earn up to 5 additional free stocks, worth between $10 and $1,800 each, when they open a TradeUP account using the promo code “NINJA” and make a qualifying initial deposit.
| Initial Deposit | Free Stocks |
| $100 – $2,499 | 2 |
| $2,500 – $9,999 | 3 |
| $10,000 – $99,999 | 4 |
| $100,000+ | 5 |
The additional free stock promo is valid until December 31, 2025.
Free stock promotion is available for US customers only. The value of the stock(s) range from $10 to $1,800 each, based on a random lottery draw. Once the free stock(s) are claimed, the share(s) will be issued to your account within 10 business days.
| Value of Free Stock | Probability |
| $10-$20 | 95% |
| $20-$30 | 3% |
| $30-$50 | 1% |
| $50-$100 | 0.80% |
| $1,800 | 0.20% |
2% + 1% ACATS Transfer Cash Back & Up to $300 Transfer Fee Credit
Transfer your account over to TradeUP and not only will you enjoy the new user bonuses mentioned earlier, but you’ll also receive the following transfer bonuses:
- 2% Cashback = Enjoy a fixed 2% cashback on your transferred amount, up to $1,000 — no minimum amount required. You will be issued installment payments as long as the transferred assets are held for at 90 days after the settlement date.
- Extra 1% Cash Back = Users who transfer $100,000 or more and keep your assets with TradeUP for a year will earn an additional 1% cashback, capped at $1,000.
- ACATS Transfer Fee Reimbursement = Transfer assets exceeding $3,000 and TradeUP will reimburse up to $300 in transfer fee credit. The reimbursement will be credited to your TradeUP account within 30 calendar days.
For users who make a full or partial ACATS transfer valued at $3,000 or more during the promotion, you may be eligible to receive up to $300 in transfer credit.
To qualify for transfer credit, you must email a copy of their most recent statement from the delivering brokerage account with evidence of a transfer fee to support@tradeup.com.
ACATS Transfer promotions are valid until December 31, 2025.
The Bottom Line
This is a solid sign-up bonus, which is better than the Nvidia offer that ended in October for those with a little more money and/or assets to throw around, though slightly worse for people who can only reach the first bonus tier.
Each Circle share is currently worth ~$140 with a 52-week range of $64 to $298.99. A deposit of $10k will net you 3 shares with a value of ~$420. You’d also get an additional 4 random free shares that’s worth at least $10 each. In total, your floor is at least $460 worth of stock.
The ACATS transfer bonus is great too. A guaranteed return of 2% for transfers up to $50,000 +1% for transfers over $100,000) is on top of any investment gains you may realize.
I think we’re in the golden days of stock trading apps. I don’t remember a time when there were so many investment apps and all of them seem to have some sort of account opening bonus and/or referral bonus program.
Opening brokerage accounts don’t affect your credit score at all so I would grab any free stock bonus offers that you come across.
Updated Welcome Gift Policy as of July 1, 2025: Each user can now only claim one welcome gift (specifically the 2-5 free stocks) across all accounts. For instance, if a user opens an individual brokerage account and multiple IRA accounts, only one account will qualify for the welcome gift. You’ll still get BOTH the free Circle share bonus that’s offered here and the free SGOV share as part of TradeUP’s IRA account promotion.
Sweet promotion John! Can I confirm that all 4 promotions can be stacked (free CRCL shares, free stocks, 2%+1% match, and transfer fee reimbursement)? Thank you!
Thanks! I’m really happy I was able to work with TradeUP and provide a strong sign-up bonus for my readers/viewers. To answer your question: yes, you can combine all four promotions you listed as long as you used one of the links in this post to open an account or include the “NINJA” code during account registration.
Here’s the proof to put your mind at ease – just in case. If there are any problems, you can always reach out to me.