EUR/USD 
GBP/USD 
USD/ZAR 
EUR/INR 
EUR/GBP 
XAU/USD (Gold) 
XAG/USD (Silver) 
XM Global 
AvaTrade 
RoboForex 
IC Markets 
LiteFinance 
IUX Markets 
FP Markets 
South Africa 
Thailand 
Singapore 
Japan 
Pakistan 
Malaysia 
Philippines 
Brazil 
Bangladesh 
Vietnam 
India 
CFDs are complex instruments and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly.
CFDs are complex instruments and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly.
CFDs are complex instruments and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly.
CFDs are complex instruments and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly.
CFDs are complex instruments and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly.
CFDs are complex instruments and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly.
CFDs are complex instruments and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly.
CFDs are complex instruments and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly.
CFDs are complex instruments and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly.
Quick heads-up: FX Recap may earn a commission if you open an account through a link here — it never costs you anything, and it doesn’t change our ratings or who ranks where. Bonuses change all the time and depend on where you live, so always confirm the live offer and its terms on the broker’s own site before you sign up.
What a Forex Promotion Really Is
Think of a forex promotion as a broker’s way of saying “come trade with us.” It might be free credit to get started, extra funds matched to your deposit, prize money from a contest, a little cash back on every trade, a free server to run your strategy, or a stack of courses and webinars. Some let you trade before you’ve risked a penny of your own. Others stretch your deposit so you can hold bigger positions. Here’s the honest part: none of it is a gift. Every offer comes with strings attached — and those strings are exactly where the real value, or the catch, lives. This page walks you through each type in plain English, what it’s genuinely worth, and how to read the small print before you commit.
Bonus Types Side by Side
A fast way to size up the common offers — roughly what they’re worth, whether you need to deposit, and who each one suits. Treat the numbers as a guide; exact figures shift by broker and region.
| Bonus type | Typical size | Deposit needed? | Can you withdraw it? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No-deposit bonus | $10–$50 (sometimes more) | No | Profits only, after volume | Your first live account |
| Welcome bonus | Fixed $50 or $100 | Sometimes | Profits only | New account holders |
| 100% deposit match | Matches your deposit | Yes | Profits only | Traders ready to fund |
| 200% deposit match | 2× your deposit | Yes | Profits only | Higher-volume traders |
| Cashback / rebate | Per-lot refund | Yes | Yes, paid directly | Scalpers & active traders |
| Live / demo contest | Varies by prize pool | Sometimes | Prize money is yours | Competitive traders |
The Promotions You’ll Come Across
Brokers run different offers at different times. Here’s what each one really means in plain terms — so you always know exactly what you’re looking at.
Deposit Match (100% / 200%)
A deposit match tops up your account with extra trading credit based on what you put in. Fund $200 with a 100% match and you’ve got $400 to trade; a 200% match makes it $600. The catch: the bonus part isn’t yours to withdraw — it’s there to trade with. Any profit you make from it becomes withdrawable once you’ve traded the required volume. Great for stretching capital, as long as that volume target is realistic.
No-Deposit Bonus
The closest thing to a free trial. You open an account, verify your ID, and the broker drops a small amount of real trading credit in — usually $10 to $50, occasionally more. You keep any profit (after a volume requirement), but never the bonus itself. For a new trader, it’s the lowest-risk way to feel what live trading is actually like — real prices, real emotions — before your own money is on the line.
Welcome Bonus ($50 / $100)
A set amount handed to new accounts — sometimes the moment you verify, sometimes after a small first deposit. Unlike a percentage match, it doesn’t scale with your deposit: $100 is $100 whether you fund $100 or $1,000. Handy when you want a known starting figure and simple terms rather than doing the match math.
Live Trading Contests
Real-account competitions ranked by things like return, profit, or account growth over a set window. Top finishers win cash, credit, or prizes. They can be fun and motivating — just read the rules first for entry fees, minimum deposits, and any limits on how you trade, since aggressive contest tactics can burn a real balance fast.
Demo Contests
Same idea as live contests, but played on virtual (demo) money — so nothing of yours is at stake while the prizes are still real. It’s one of the only ways to win actual cash or credit without depositing, and a brilliant, pressure-free sandbox for new traders to test a strategy and build confidence.
Cashback & Rebates
Every time you trade you pay a spread or commission. A cashback or rebate program returns a slice of that to you — say $3 per lot. Trade 50 lots a month and that’s $150 back, roughly $1,800 a year. It won’t turn a losing strategy into a winning one, but for active traders it quietly lowers your real cost of trading, and that adds up.
Free VPS Hosting
A VPS (virtual private server) keeps your trading platform online around the clock, independent of your own laptop or wifi. Brokers often provide one free once you trade a certain volume each month. It mainly matters if you run automated strategies (EAs) that need to stay connected even when your computer is off.
Courses, Webinars & eBooks
Education-based perks: video lessons, live webinars with analysts, ebooks on strategy and risk, sometimes one-to-one coaching for bigger accounts. Not as exciting as free cash — but for a new trader it can be worth far more. Understanding risk management before you trade is the single biggest thing that keeps an account alive.
Partnership & Referral Programs
Referral, affiliate, and introducing-broker (IB) programs pay you a commission for bringing other traders to a platform. If you’ve built any kind of audience or network in the trading world, this can become a steady income stream — sometimes larger than your trading profits. Just stay honest with the people you refer.
Questions Traders Ask Most
Honest answers to the things people search before claiming a bonus. Offers move fast, so treat figures as a guide and confirm the live terms on the broker’s own site.
There’s no universal “best” — it comes down to where you are right now. Brand new to live trading? A no-deposit bonus from a regulated broker lets you test real markets without risking your own money. Ready to fund an account? A deposit match can stretch your capital, as long as the volume target is realistic. Whatever you choose, judge it by the terms, not the headline number — a small bonus with fair conditions beats a huge one you can never unlock.
You open an account, verify your identity, and the broker credits a fixed amount of real trading funds — no deposit needed. You trade with it, and once you hit a set trading volume within a time limit, you can withdraw the profits (not the bonus). Amounts and rules vary a lot by broker and country, so check the live figure and conditions on the broker’s promotions page before you sign up.
It changes constantly and depends heavily on where you live, so any fixed list goes stale fast. Plenty of international brokers have run 100% matches at one time or another. The reliable move: check the live offers at the top of this page, then confirm the exact terms on the broker’s own site before depositing.
Generally no — Exness leans on tight spreads, fast execution, and quick withdrawals rather than bonuses, partly because it operates under regulators like the FCA and CySEC that restrict promotional offers. If a deposit bonus is your priority, you’ll usually find one with brokers under lighter rules — just weigh that against the extra protection strong regulation gives you.
Not always. Bonuses are limited or banned in several regions. In the US, CFTC and NFA rules rule out most deposit bonuses, and the EU and UK restrict them heavily too. Before you get attached to an offer, confirm it’s actually available in your country — the broker’s terms page will say.
The bonus is trading credit, not cash you can pull out. You can withdraw the profit you make with it, but only after meeting a trading-volume (lot) requirement inside a set time. That’s why a flashy big bonus can be worth less than a modest one — if the volume target is unrealistic, you’ll never unlock it.
Not in the no-strings sense. Even a no-deposit bonus needs ID verification and a volume target before profits come out. “Free” just means you don’t have to fund the account first. The healthy way to see it: a bonus is a tool to learn and lower your costs, never a guaranteed payday.
Two different things, so check which. It might be a flat $100 credited when you open an account — the same amount no matter what you deposit. Or it might be a 100% match on a $100 deposit, turning $100 into $200 to trade. The flat version is fixed; the percentage version scales with your deposit, up to the broker’s cap.
How to Grow a $100 Account
A stage-by-stage approach for starting small. No shortcuts and no hype — just the habits that keep a tiny account alive long enough to grow.
Trade the smallest size possible
Stick to 0.01-lot (micro) trades and risk no more than 1–2% on any single trade — literally a dollar or two on a $100 account. For context, a full standard lot moves about $10 per pip and can wipe a small account in minutes. Micro lots give you real screen time and real lessons without the blow-up risk.
Aim for consistency, not heroics
A 5–10% month on $100 is only $5–$10 — tiny, but that’s not the point. You’re building the habit of trading a plan and managing risk. Traders who chase big returns this early almost always over-leverage and blow the account before any consistency can form. Boring and alive beats exciting and broke.
Let compounding do the work
As the balance grows, your position sizes grow gently with it. At a steady 8% a month, $100 becomes around $250 in a year with no extra deposits. Compounding feels painfully slow at first, then surprisingly quick — protect the downside and let time work for you.
Reinvest, and test ideas with bonuses
Resist withdrawing until the account is big enough that taking money out actually matters — every early withdrawal slows compounding. A $30–$50 no-deposit bonus is perfect here: a separate little account to try new ideas on, so you’re not risking your main balance just to learn.
How to Pick the Right Promotion
A generous bonus from a shaky broker is bait, not a benefit. Check the broker first, then judge the offer on these six things.
Check the broker first
A massive bonus is meaningless if the broker won’t pay you out. Look for oversight from the FCA, ASIC, CySEC, or FSCA first — a regulated broker has rules to follow and your funds to protect. Sort the broker, then look at the offer.
Do the lot math
The volume (lot) requirement is the heart of any bonus. Divide the bonus by the lots you’d have to trade to unlock it — that tells you what it’s really worth. A low requirement is a fair deal; a sky-high one means that “free” money is practically out of reach.
Know the ceiling
Percentage matches nearly always cap out. A 100% bonus capped at $500 still only adds $500, even if you deposit $1,000. Knowing the cap before you fund tells you the deposit size that actually makes sense — there’s no reward for going over it.
Confirm it’s available to you
Loads of bonuses are off-limits in certain places. US traders especially have very little access under CFTC rules, and the EU and UK restrict them too. Confirm the offer works in your country before you fall for it — it saves a frustrating sign-up.
Make sure your markets qualify
Some offers only apply to certain pairs, or exclude indices, commodities, or crypto from bonus trading. If you mainly trade gold or a particular index, check it’s covered by the promotional funds before you assume you can use them there.
Give yourself enough time
Every promotion has a clock. A 7-day window with a 20-lot target is useless for most regular traders. Look for at least 30–90 days, so you’ve got a realistic shot at the conditions without forcing trades you wouldn’t normally take.
Terms Worth Knowing Before You Claim
Every promotion comes with rules. These six decide whether an offer is genuinely worth claiming — skim them before you click.
Lot requirement
The volume you have to trade before any bonus profit can be withdrawn. It’s the term that matters most — a $50 bonus needing 5 lots is far more reachable than a $100 bonus needing 100.
Expiry date
Miss the volume target inside the time window and the bonus, plus any profit attached to it, usually vanishes. Windows run from about a week to six months, so note the date the moment you claim.
The bonus isn’t cash
You almost never get to withdraw the bonus amount itself. It sits in your account as trading credit; only the profit you earn with it can be cashed out, and only after the volume condition is met.
One per person
Most no-deposit and welcome offers are limited to one per person, household, or IP address. Opening extra accounts to claim again breaks the rules and usually ends with the accounts — and any profit — closed.
Instrument limits
Bonus funds may only work on certain pairs, and some brokers leave out indices, commodities, or crypto. Check which markets you can actually trade with the credit before you count on it.
Maximum cap
A percentage match tops out somewhere. A 100% bonus capped at $500 credits $500 whether you deposit $1,000 or $5,000. Match your deposit to the cap so you’re not leaving value on the table.
What Promotions Genuinely Give You
Treated as a tool rather than a jackpot, promotions offer real advantages at every stage of trading.
Trade with less of your own money
No-deposit offers get you onto live markets without funding first — a softer landing for those nerve-wracking first real trades.
Real experience a demo can’t fake
Trading bonus funds on a live account feels different from demo — real spreads, real execution, real emotions. That’s the part that actually teaches you.
Try a broker before you commit
Use a no-deposit bonus to test a platform’s spreads, speed, and withdrawals yourself. First-hand facts beat a dozen reviews.
More breathing room for risk
A deposit match gives you more capital, so each position can be smaller relative to your balance. Used with discipline, that’s a real edge — not an excuse to size up.
Quietly lower your costs
Cashback and rebates trim a little off every single trade. For an active trader — say 600 lots a year at $3 — that’s around $1,800 back over twelve months.
Learn on someone else’s dime
Free courses, webinars, and ebooks shortcut the early learning curve. Getting risk management right early is the difference between a hobby that lasts and an account that doesn’t.
Treat promotions as a tool, not a jackpot
The traders who win with bonuses use them to gain experience and cut costs — not to chase positions their account has no business holding. Choose carefully, read the terms, trade your plan, and let the offer quietly work in your favour.
See Broker & PromotionRunning a promotion? Get it in front of the right traders.
List your latest bonuses, contests, and offers on FX Recap and reach people who are actively hunting for verified deals — warm, intent-driven traffic, not cold clicks.
- Thousands of active traders every month
- Your offer live quickly, with no long delays
- A verified-broker badge on your listing
- Featured placement when you want a boost
List your promotion
Join the brokers already putting their offers in front of our readers.
Submit your promotion