Lightyear is a European investing app founded in 2020, regulated by the FCA in the UK and the Estonian Financial Supervision Authority in the EU. New customers who deposit £100 (or the EU equivalent) and enter a promo code get a free fractional US share, which Lightyear's own odds put at £10 to £20 for most people, not the headline £100. Under the current terms you must keep the qualifying deposit plus the reward value in the account for six months, so your own £100 is tied up along with the free share, and withdrawing the deposit early removes the reward.
Risk warning: Trading carries a high risk of losing money, especially with leveraged products such as CFDs. A bonus does not reduce that risk. Only deposit what you can afford to lose.
Lightyear
New UK users who deposit £100 and enter promo code MMB get a free fractional US share, most often worth £10 to £20, that must stay in the account for six months, along with your £100 deposit.
Lightyear
New EU customers who deposit at least €100 within 15 days and enter promo code MMBEU get a randomly valued free fractional share, realistically €10 to €20, that must be held for 6 months, and the €100 deposit has to stay in the account for those 6 months too.
Lightyear
Refer a new UK customer who deposits at least £100 within 30 days and you both get a randomly valued reward of £10 to £100, with an 80% chance of £10 to £20, locked for six months.
Lightyear
Refer a new friend who deposits at least €100 to Lightyear and you both get a free stock reward that starts at €10.
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Lightyear was founded in 2020 by Martin Sokk and Mihkel Aamer, two former Wise employees, and carries that heritage in its pricing philosophy: interbank FX rates with thin, transparent fees. It runs on two regulated entities: Lightyear Europe AS in Tallinn, an investment firm licensed by Estonia's Finantsinspektsioon serving the EU (with EU investor protection up to EUR 20,000), and Lightyear UK Ltd, FCA-authorized (reference 987226) since 2024. By mid-2026 the platform had passed $1 billion in customer assets after a $23 million Series B.
The product set has grown past simple share dealing: US, UK and EU stocks and ETFs commission-free, money-market Vaults yielding around 3.7% to 3.8% depending on currency, interest on uninvested cash, and in the UK both a Stocks and Shares ISA and a Cash ISA.
Trading is commission-free and the FX fee is 0.1% on general accounts at the live interbank rate, one of the lowest in the market (0.35% inside the UK ISA). Bank transfers are free both ways; card and wallet deposits cost 0.6%. For the free-share offer this matters at the exit: since the reward is a US fractional share, selling it and converting the proceeds costs a rounding error rather than the 1% some rivals charge.
The signup promotion pays a random fractional US share to new customers who enter a promo code and deposit at least £100 or €100 within 15 days of opening the account. Lightyear publishes the odds, which is rare and worth crediting: in the UK, 80% of shares land between £10 and £20, 15% between £20 and £50, and only 2% between £75 and £100. The EU table is skewed the same way, with 85% at €10 to €15. Plan around a £10 to £20 outcome.
The referral program mirrors the structure: an existing customer shares a link, the new customer funds at least 100 in local currency within 30 days, and both sides receive a random share on the same low-weighted odds. The two offers cannot be combined; one promo code or referral per customer.
The rewards carry a six-month lock before their proceeds can be withdrawn, though they can be sold and reinvested inside the account. Under the terms in force since late August 2026 (EU) and 1 September 2026 (UK), you must also keep net funding (deposits minus withdrawals and outgoing transfers) of at least the qualifying deposit plus the reward value for those six months, and for referrals that applies to both the referrer and the friend. Withdrawing the qualifying deposit within that period removes the reward, and Lightyear's terms allow clawbacks for gaming behavior: deposit-and-withdraw cycling, multiple accounts, or posting referral links publicly. Rewards land in a general investment account only, never an ISA.
Signup rewards typically arrive within a day or two of qualifying; referral rewards can take around ten business days. Identity verification must be complete before anything is credited.
As free-share offers go, this is among the most honestly presented: published odds, a modest deposit threshold, no trading requirement, low exit fees and a regulated European operator. The value is small and the six-month wait covers your qualifying deposit as well as the reward, but beyond that there is little fine print waiting to bite.
Yes, twice over. Lightyear Europe AS holds an Estonian investment-firm licence serving the EU, with investor protection up to EUR 20,000, and Lightyear UK Ltd is FCA-authorized (reference 987226). The founders came from Wise, and the fee model shows it.
Open an account with a promo code (or through a referral link), complete verification, and deposit at least £100 or €100 within the window: 15 days for the signup promo, 30 days for referrals. The random fractional US share usually arrives within a day or two for signups.
Lightyear publishes the odds: 80% of UK rewards fall between £10 and £20, and only 2% reach the £75 to £100 band (the EU table is similar, with 85% at €10 to €15). Budget for the bottom band.
You can sell it inside the account whenever you like, but the proceeds cannot be withdrawn until six months after the reward was credited. For those six months you must also keep at least the qualifying deposit plus the reward value in the account, and withdrawing the initial deposit within that period removes the reward.
No. One reward per new customer, either a promo code or a referral link. Lightyear also claws back rewards for gaming: multiple accounts, deposit-and-withdraw cycling, or posting referral links publicly.
No. Promotional rewards are only deposited into a general investment account, even if you also open a Lightyear ISA. Any gain on the share when sold is taxable under normal rules for your country.