What a no deposit bonus is
A no deposit bonus (often written NDB) is trading credit that a broker adds to a new real account without asking you to deposit first. The amount is usually small. You can open trades with it on a real server with real prices, which is the main difference from a demo account.
The credit itself almost never belongs to you. In most programmes the bonus money cannot be withdrawn at all. What you can sometimes withdraw is part of the profit made with it, after you meet the conditions. If the bonus is lost in trading, nothing is taken from you, because you put nothing in. That is the real value of an NDB: a low-cost way to try a broker's real execution, platform and support.
The conditions that decide everything
Every broker writes its own rules, and the rules change. These are the terms you will meet most often. Read each one in the official terms before you accept a bonus.
- Verification first. Most programmes require a fully verified profile, and often a verified phone number, before the bonus is credited. One bonus per person, household, device or IP address is the usual rule.
- Trading volume. You must trade a minimum number of lots before profit can be withdrawn. Our guide to lots, pips and leverage explains what one lot means for your risk.
- Profit cap. The withdrawable profit is often limited to a fixed amount, no matter how much you made.
- Deposit to withdraw. Some programmes ask you to make a real deposit, or to trade a further volume with your own money, before any bonus profit is released.
- Time limit. The bonus expires after a set number of days. Open positions may be closed when it does.
- Account and instrument limits. Only certain account types, platforms or symbols may count towards the volume.
- Banned strategies. Hedging between accounts, arbitrage and very short scalping are often excluded, and breaking the rule cancels the bonus and the profit.
- Country restrictions. The bonus is tied to a legal entity of the broker and is not offered in every country.
Put together, these rules mean that most traders never withdraw anything from a no deposit bonus. That is fine if you treat it as a free test drive, and costly if you treat it as income.
Why fewer brokers offer it every year
Bonuses are a marketing cost, and regulators dislike them because they push people to trade more. In the European Union, the 2018 product intervention measures stopped brokers from offering monetary benefits such as bonuses to retail CFD clients, and similar rules exist in the United Kingdom and Australia. That is why bonuses, and especially no deposit bonuses, are usually offered by the offshore entities of international brokers. Before you accept one, check which company holds your account and what that means for your protection, as explained in how to choose a forex broker.
No deposit bonus at the 6 brokers we review
We do not publish amounts we cannot confirm on the broker's own website on the day you read this. Offers change by date and by country, so use this table as a map and the broker's promotions page as the final answer.
| Broker | Bonus position | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Exness | Focuses on trading conditions; no deposit bonus programme to rely on | Exness bonus page |
| FBS | Known for running bonus promotions; terms and countries change | FBS bonus page |
| RoboForex | Runs promotions on some accounts and entities | RoboForex bonus page |
| XM | Bonus availability depends on the entity and country | XM bonus page |
| AMarkets | Promotions vary; check before you register | AMarkets bonus page |
| Weltrade | We could not confirm a current no deposit bonus | Weltrade bonus page |
If a broker you like has no bonus, do not let that decide the choice. A broker without a bonus but with tight spreads and quick withdrawals often costs you less than a bonus with heavy volume rules. Compare the real costs in spread, commission and swap.
How to claim a no deposit bonus safely
- Open the broker's official website yourself, or use a link you trust, and check the address bar before you type a password.
- Find the promotions section and read the full terms of the no deposit offer for your country.
- Register with your real name and data, exactly as in your ID. Bonus fraud checks compare names, devices and addresses.
- Complete verification and any phone confirmation the programme asks for.
- Activate the bonus in your personal area if it is not credited automatically, and note the expiry date and required volume.
- Trade small sizes with a stop-loss, as if the money were yours. The aim is to learn the platform and the broker, not to hit the profit cap in a day.
- Before requesting a withdrawal, confirm in writing with support that you have met every condition.
Fake no deposit bonus offers
Because "forex no deposit bonus" is a popular search, scammers use it as bait. Treat these signs as a stop signal:
- A Telegram or WhatsApp contact offers a "$500 no deposit bonus" and asks for your trading password or account login.
- You must pay a "fee", "tax" or "activation deposit" to release a free bonus.
- The website copies a broker's logo but has a slightly different address.
- Someone promises guaranteed profit or offers to "trade the bonus for you".
A real broker never needs your password and never asks you to pay to receive a bonus. Our guide to forex scams and fake brokers lists more patterns and what to do if you have already sent money.
Better ways to start with little money
If your real goal is to learn trading cheaply, a no deposit bonus is only one tool. A demo account costs nothing and has no conditions. A cent or micro account lets you trade real money in very small sizes. Our step-by-step guide to starting forex trading shows a sensible path, and risk management for beginners explains how to size trades so that one bad day does not empty the account.
Risk warning
Forex and CFDs are complex products with a high risk of losing money quickly because of leverage. A bonus does not reduce that risk, and bonus conditions can encourage you to trade more than you planned. Trade only with money you can afford to lose. You must be 18 or older. Auron FX is an independent guide, not a broker, and this article is education, not investment advice. Bonus terms change often; the broker's own terms always prevail.