If you’ve been considering opening an account with Zecco Trading, they just e-mailed me a new promotion that offers 20 free trades for new customers. Use the promotion code “bonus1” in the application:

Offer expires 9/13/09, and the trades are available for 90 days. More details:

Get 20 free stock trades when you sign up with Zecco Trading!

Zecco Trading is offering 20 free stock trades — a $90 value — to all new brokerage customers who sign up by Sunday, September 13th 2009! Use promo code “bonus1” to qualify.

These free stock trades are special, because you have a whole 90 days to use them. Some other brokerages give you free equity trades to use within 30 days of signing up, so by the time you transfer money into your account, the free stock trades might have expired! With Zecco Trading, you have more time to use your free stock trades when it makes sense to trade. […]

Be sure to use the promotion code “bonus1” when signing up. Be sure to use all lowercase or the code won’t work. Special terms and conditions:

* New Zecco Trading accounts must be opened and approved by Sunday, September 13th, 2009.
* The 20 free stock trades will be granted on or before September 16th, 2009. The free trades will expire 90 days after the date they are granted.
* Offer not eligible to existing Zecco Trading customers.
* Limit one bonus per household.

Zecco Quick Overview

I’ve had a Zecco account for a couple years now, so here’s a quick snapshot. The standard commission cost is $4.50 per trade. There are no minimum balance requirements and no inactivity fees. They offer free online ACH cash transfers in/out. Idle cash can be put into a money market sweep that is usually not that bad (CSAXX), but right now all money market yields are pitiful. Online statements are free, but paper statements cost $2 per month.

However, if you maintain a total account equity of $25,000 or make 25 traders per month, then you get 10 free trades per month. Account equity isn’t just cash, it’s the total value of your holdings including stocks, so you might consider shifting some outside holdings to Zecco to qualify. As long as you hit the $25k mark once during the month, you’ll get 10 free trades that month. (This is in addition to the 20 free trades given out above.)

Here’s another solid opening account bonus for an online broker. OptionsXpress is offering new customers a $100 bonus if they open an account with a referral from a current customer. You must maintain an average balance of $500 for 6 months, and make at least one trade. That’s a pretty sweet return on $500 in exchange for you trying out their service.

OptionsXpress offers $14.95 trades, free real-time and streaming quotes, and has lots of features for options traders. There are no minimum account balances, no account maintenance fees, and no inactivity fees.

If you’re looking for something safe to buy, the new WisdomTree Current Income Fund ETF (USY) is designed to have very low volatility and currently yields 1.03%. Another option I like is PowerShares VRDO Tax-Free Weekly (PVI), which also has a stable NAV from VRDOs and currently yields 2.62% tax-free. These would also work well with the TradeKing $50 bonus if you’re low on stock ideas.

I have an account, so if you’d like a referral just contact me with OptionsXpress in the subject, and I’ll be happy to send you one. I only need your e-mail address. You must open your account with the same e-mail you give me, and also use the promotional code FRIEND on your application.

Here’s the complete fine print:

$100 in your account and $100 in your friend’s account
Offer limited to one $100 bonus per referrer and referred friend, for each unique referral resulting in a newly activated, funded optionsXpress account meeting the terms and conditions of the refer a friend program. To qualify for the $100 bonus, the referred account must maintain a per account average balance of $500 for 6 months, and the account must trade at least once. The $100 bonus will be deposited into the referrer and referred accounts within 45 days after the referred friend meets the terms and conditions of the offer. To qualify, the referrer must enter the referred friend’s email address through this page, and the referred friend must enter the promo code “FRIEND” through the new account application form when opening the new account. A referred customer can only qualify for the $100 bonus a total of one time. A customer can only qualify for a total of $500 from any combination of optionsXpress cash promotions per calendar year. Deposits of new funds or securities from existing optionsXpress accounts are not eligible for this offer. Qualified (IRA), linked and shared accounts are not eligible for this offer. This offer is not valid for optionsXpress associates, non-U.S. residents, certain referring parties, and where otherwise prohibited. Customers can not exchange the $100 for other offers, cash or credit. We reserve the right at our sole discretion, to cancel, modify or suspend this offer program at any time without notice.

Online broker TradeKing.com has brought back their $50 sign-up bonus for new accounts as part of celebrating National Friendship Day. If you get a referral from an existing account holder, fund it with at least $1,000, and make a trade, both people will get $50.

Simply enter your friends’ email addresses below between now and August 27, and press Send. As soon as your friend deposits $1,000 and executes a trade, we’ll deposit $50 into both of your accounts. Isn’t friendship grand? Please note that your friends must click the link in the email for us to track them and for you to receive your reward. But don’t worry. We tell them that in the email they’ll receive.

[..]You must have a regular non-retirement investment account, and you must leave the account open, with your referral money in there, for at least 6 months. Your friends must open a non-IRA account by August 31st, fund their account with at least $1,000 within 30 days of opening the account, and make a minimum of one trade within 180 days of account opening to receive their $50. But even if they act on it later, you’ll still receive your $50. So what are you waiting for? Start entering email addresses!

I have an account, so if you’d like a referral just contact me, and I’ll be happy to send you one. I only need your e-mail address. There is no promotion code, but you’ll need to click on the specific link on the e-mail for tracking purposes.

TradeKing offers $4.95 trades with no minimum balance requirement. For more information, please check out my TradeKing Review.