“Updated 2025.1” Many readers have found that with GroundFloor, you must make an investment before the referral bonus will post successfully. If it has been more than a month since your deposit and you still have not received the referral bonus, remember to check whether you actually invested after funding the account. You can use auto-invest if needed. The investment return on this account is fairly good, around 10%, but we still recommend caution. Do not add funds blindly; it may be best to just collect the signup bonus. Also, the referral bonus is restricted credit and cannot be withdrawn. If unused, it will expire automatically after one year. It can only be used to invest on GroundFloor, though any investment gains you earn from it can be withdrawn.

  • Groundfloor will credit both the Referrer’s and Invitee’s account with a $50 restricted credit 30 days after the Invitee completes qualifying investments of $100 or more in closed, fully funded loans.
  • The restricted credit can only be used towards the purchase of any Groundfloor investment.
  • The $50 restricted credit cannot be withdrawn as cash. If the restricted credit is not used within one year of issuance, it will expire and be removed from your Groundfloor account

This article is reposted from: US Credit Card Guide. Friendly reminder: all investing involves risk, so be cautious with large deposits.

About GroundFloor

Founded in 2013, GroundFloor is a U.S. company that offers real estate investing and lending. GroundFloor was built for individual investors rather than institutional investors. As of October 2018, GroundFloor had issued more than $70,000,000 in loans across more than 500 properties in the U.S. and had raised $13,800,000 in funding (information from Wikipedia). GroundFloor investment accounts are only available to U.S. users. If you are not physically in the United States, you must use a U.S. internet connection to open an account.

Open a GroundFloor Investment Account

Open an account through our link and invest $100 to earn a $50 credit bonus:

After opening the account, link a bank account and transfer in $100. Once the funds arrive and you complete the required investment, you can receive the $50 bonus.

Activate Your Account

Opening and funding a GroundFloor account is very simple as long as you have a U.S. bank account. There is no Hard Pull during the application process, so it will not affect your U.S. credit history.

Sign Up

  • Use our link and enter your name and email to register
  • Verify your email address

Link a Bank Account

You must link a bank account right away, or your GroundFloor account may be closed. There are two ways to link a bank account:

  • Third-party verification service Plaid: most mainstream banks are supported, including Chase, Capital One, and SoFi
  • Micro-deposit verification: if your bank does not support Plaid, you can use this option

After linking successfully, the funds will not arrive immediately and may take a few days. When I linked a Capital One account through Plaid, it showed an estimated arrival time of 1-3 days.

When the Bonus Posts

About 30 days after the funds are deposited and the qualifying investment is completed, you will receive the $50 bonus. You should also get an email notification when the bonus posts.

The bonus will appear here:

The referral bonus is classified as restricted funds and cannot be withdrawn as cash. If you do not use it, it will expire automatically after one year. It can only be used to invest on GroundFloor. Given the high stated return, the original article estimates that each $100 could generate roughly $4-$5 per month, and those investment gains can be withdrawn.

  • Groundfloor will credit both the Referrer’s and Invitee’s account with a $50 restricted credit 30 days after the Invitee completes qualifying investments of $100 or more in closed, fully funded loans.
  • The restricted credit can only be used towards the purchase of any Groundfloor investment.
  • The $50 restricted credit cannot be withdrawn as cash. If the restricted credit is not used within one year of issuance, it will expire and be removed from your Groundfloor account

In addition, if you do not want the $100 deposit to keep reinvesting, you can change that setting:

Extra Investment Bonus

Through the end of this year, GroundFloor is also offering an additional investment bonus: for every $1,000 you transfer in, you receive $20. Again, this may be fine for grabbing the promo, but be cautious about making large investments.

GroundFloor investment income and account-opening rewards are taxable. The tax forms issued include 1099-INT, 1099-MISC, and 1099-B. According to the source article, these forms can be used for normal tax filing regardless of immigration status. GroundFloor does not ask for your tax information during account opening, so you need to fill it in yourself afterward. SSN/ITIN is supported.

Open a GroundFloor Investment Account

Open an account through our link and get a $50 bonus:

After opening the account, link a bank account, transfer in $100, and once the funds arrive and the qualifying investment is completed, you can receive the $50 bonus.

Summary

  • The $50 signup bonus is worth considering, but we do not recommend making large investments

For other investment account bonuses, see below:

Stock Market Basics

Here are some popular U.S. stock brokerages and their account-opening bonuses:

Overview Sign-Up Bonus Quick Take
Moomoo $200 in stock vouchers + $1,000 in Anthropic stock + 8.1% APY Feature-rich with a strong Chinese-language experience. Its market data, Level 2 quotes, options, and cash management features are useful for everyone from beginners to active traders.
TradeUp 50 shares of NVDA + a chance to win 5 shares + 4% for three months Well suited to active trading, with competitive trading fees and margin rates for U.S. tax residents. It supports Web Trading and Level 2 quotes and offers Chinese-language customer service.
Webull 12 fractional shares + one month of Premium membership Strong charting and active-trading features, including technical indicators, options, and premarket and after-hours trading. A good fit for frequent traders.
BBAE Up to $650 in rewards Convenient for Chinese users to open an account; applications are accepted without an SSN or ITIN. It offers good Chinese-language support, but currently charges a platform fee, making it less suitable for frequent trading with small amounts.
Robinhood A chance to win 1 share of stock Its simple interface is easy to use, making it suitable for first-time U.S. stock investors. Gold members also get a higher yield on uninvested cash and lower margin rates.
Interactive Brokers Up to $1,000 A highly capable broker with access to global markets and multiple currencies. Its margin costs are competitive, and Chinese residents can also open accounts. A good fit for experienced investors and those investing globally.
TradeStation $250 Geared toward professional and active traders, with powerful advanced charting, strategy backtesting, and automated trading tools. Most long-term investors may not need these features.
Schwab Up to $1,000 Well suited to long-term investing and larger portfolios, with convenient access to ETFs and CDs. Checking accounts and global ATM access are also advantages, but the default yield on uninvested cash is relatively low.
Fidelity Account opening link A long-established full-service brokerage suited to long-term investing, ETFs, and retirement accounts. It also offers good cash management, making it a solid choice as a primary long-term brokerage.
BIT (formerly Matrixport) Earn $210 by depositing and trading Suitable for Chinese users and digital asset investors. You can use funds such as USDT and USDC to invest in U.S. stocks. It is not a traditional U.S. brokerage, so review its fees and asset custody structure separately.
SoFi Invest $75 for opening an account Easy to use and supports Stock Bits, making it suitable for small investments and long-term investing. It has fewer advanced market data and trading tools, so it is not ideal for frequent trading.
M1 Finance Get $10 when you deposit Focused on Pies and automated investing. It is well suited to setting a stock and ETF allocation and investing regularly over the long term, but not to active trading.

If you don’t have an SSN or ITIN but still want to invest in U.S. stocks, consider the brokerages and platforms below. They accept a full set of Chinese documents, and you can register with a national ID card or passport. None participates in China’s CRS.

  • BBAE: Welcoming to Chinese users; no SSN or ITIN required to open an account
  • BIT (formerly Matrixport): Open an account with a national ID card; approval can take just a few hours.
  • Bitget: Complete identity verification with a national ID card or Chinese passport

If you’re in China and want to invest in U.S. stocks, see this overview: