Online broker OptionsXpress is offering new customers a $100 bonus if they open an account with at least $500 and make 3 trades. You can also transfer in at least $500 of securities from another broker.

Stock trades cost $14.95 if you makes less than 8 trades/quarter, and options cost $15 for 10 contracts. There are no extra fees for broker-assisted trades, as well as no minimum account balances, no account maintenance fees, and no inactivity fees. It’s not that great if you just want the bonus, but a nice incentive if you want to try them out. The strong points of OptionsXpress are their options and futures trading tools, usability, and customer service.

Selected fine print:

Offer is valid for one new Individual or Joint optionsXpress account opened and funded with at least $500 by US residents on or before December 31, 2011 at 11:59 CST, and having executed 3 trades within twelve months of account opening. To receive $100 bonus, account must be funded with at least $500 cash or securities transferred from a brokerage firm other than optionsXpress. The $100 bonus will be deposited into the new optionsXpress account within one month after meeting the terms and conditions of this offer. optionsXpress may charge the account for the cost of the $100 bonus should account fail to remain open with minimum funding (excluding trading losses) 6 months from the account open date. IRAs, other tax-exempt, linked, or shared accounts are not eligible to receive the $100 bonus offer.

A company contacted me to see if I wanted six free coupon codes for their compound interest calculator iPhone app. It seemed like a win-win, they get publicity and readers get some free stuff. Also, I could actually try it out since I have an iPod Touch. (I got nothing else.) If you have iTunes, read about the app here.

Quickie Review
The calculator does what it says, it calculates compound interest for you based on your inputs of starting amounts, additional deposits, time, interest rates, and compounding frequency. You can find out how much you’ll save by putting away $50 a month for 20 years, or make sure your online savings account is paying you the right amount of interest.

Honestly, I thought that something like this would be free, as you can find something equivalent for free on the internet at hundreds of sites. However, I know it does take time and effort to make a pleasant-looking and bug-free iPhone app. It does have that iPhone “slick” feel. Some pretty graphs would have made it a more complete package.

The retail cost is $2.99. I would never pay that much money for this, but then again I’ve never paid for any iPhone/iPod Touch app so far. I looked, and there was no equivalent app that was free. There were a few for 99 cents that were close but still lacked a few of the features on this app.

Giveaway
If this sounds interesting to you, just leave a comment with a valid e-mail below by Noon Pacific on February 2nd. Name not necessary. I’ll randomly pick 6 winners to get a promo code that will let you download it from the Apple App Store for free.

(Udpate: The 6 winners have been contacted. If there are some no-shows, I’ll redraw in a week.)

If you’re considering starting a new Costco membership, you should buy it through this special offer page. This looks to be the same program I sold certificates for in the past through a marketing vendor, but now Costco sells them directly. Again, you pay the same price as everyone else ($50 a year for Gold, $100 for Executive), but you will also receive a coupon booklet with $50+ in goodies (see below). Use code smartsave for Gold and smartsaveEX for Executive.

Gold Star Membership is $50 a year including a free Household Card. Offer expires June 30, 2010, and is valid only for non-members for their first year of membership. Limit one offer per household. You must apply in person at any U.S. Costco location or online at www.costco.com. Offer is nontransferable and may not be combined with any other offer or coupon. Coupons will be mailed to you within 2 3 weeks of processing your membership application.

I am not sure if the coupons are the same every time, but the following are coupons received by one reader a few months ago:

Free 2 lb bag of Kirkland Coffee
Free Rotisserie Chicken
Free 100 photos digital printing
Free 48 pack “AA” batteries 9.99 value
$3 off fresh bakery cookies
$3 off albacore tuna 8 pack
$3 off case of spring water
$3 off fresh baked 18? pizza
$3 off fresh meat
$2 off salad mix
$5 off premium floral bouquet
$3 off white meat canned chicken breast

Also see Is Costco Executive Membership worth it? (Yes, because if it isn’t they’ll refund you the difference.)

24 Hour Fitness has some promotions right now for those interested. You can get $0 Initiation Fee and $29.99 Monthly Dues on All-Club Sport Memberships. Expires 1/31/10.

Offer not valid in Reno, Northern CA, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and other select locations or at Super/Ultra Sport Clubs. Membership dues are $29.99 per month. All-Club access depends on membership purchased; All-Club Sport memberships do not include access to Super/Ultra Sport clubs. Taxes may apply. Not valid for current members. Dues must be paid by pre-authorized payment (eft).

Alternatively, you can get a One-Club membership for $199 a year upfront. Costco members can also get a 2-year All-Club membership for $299.

Here’s a another Sharebuilder promotion, this time for existing customers. (New customers should grab their free $50 sign-up bonus first and then come back). Visit this page, click on “Kick-start your account” and then log into your account. Although the fine print says they take 2-4 weeks to arrive, I received immediate confirmation of my 10 free Automatic Investment credits. You must set up a new plan by January 31st, 2010.

Thank you for participating in our promotion. We have just credited your ShareBuilder Account with 10 free Automatic Investment credits. Your credit(s) will expire on 12/31/2010. Credit(s) must be used by the last Tuesday of the month in which they expire.

A reminder: These are not good for real-time trades, but for when you set up an automatic investment plan in advance to regularly buy stocks or ETFs in smaller amounts every week or month.

Buy gas from Exxon Mobil? If you are a new Speedpass customer and activate by 1/31/10, you’ll receive a 5¢ per gallon rebate on fuel purchases for 90 days in most states, up to a max of $20. In certain states, you’ll just get a flat $20 – FL, LA, MA, NC, NJ, RI and SC.

This appears to be a keychain fob that links to any existing credit/debit card but allows you to purchase gas without needing to swipe. So that would be 5 cents per gallon on top of your existing credit card rewards. Thanks to reader Kyle for the tip.

*Offer limited to new Speedpass customers. Offer excludes fleet card accounts. Both enrollment and activation must be done online at speedpass.com to qualify. New Speedpass customers in FL, LA, MA, NC, NJ, RI and SC will receive a $20 ExxonMobil Gift Card (or a $20 ExxonMobil Credit Card statement credit if Speedpass is linked to an ExxonMobil Credit Card) for activating a new Speedpass account. The $20 gift card offer cannot be combined with the 5 cent per gallon rebate offer. Maximum rebate is $20 (or $20 gift card) per new account. Allow a minimum of 90 days to receive rebate credit(s) or gift card. Rebates will be posted to the credit or debit card that is linked to Speedpass. Purchases must be made with a valid Speedpass. Offer expires January 31, 2010.

A tipster told me that if you join the Ben & Jerry’s fan club newsletter, called ChunkMail, they will email you a printable coupon good for a free single scoop at your local Ben & Jerry’s shop. I was skeptical, but it did indeed come for me. Kinda cold, but free ice cream is free ice cream!

Here’s one for the skiers and snowboarders out there. Until 1/15, grab a free 2009/10 Basic Tahoe Card from Snowbomb.com, which offers free discount lift tickets (electronic only). You can also get a free subscription to Snowboard or FreeSkier magazine. Usually costs $25.

Simply create a new account at SnowBomb.com with the promo bode snow1970. You should receive immediate confirmation, with the magazine sub option on the bottom of the page. Credit to FW user FatMattE.

Account Activated
You have completed the activation process. You now have access to the cheapest prices in the SnowBomb online store for the 2009/10 season.

The discounts aren’t awesome, but sometimes it can be the best deal available. For more ski deals, check out SlidingOnTheCheap.