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. The free share has to stay in the account for six months before you can sell and withdraw it, though your own deposit is never locked.
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.
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 before withdrawal.
Lightyear
Refer a new friend who deposits at least €100 to Lightyear and you both get a free stock reward that starts at €10.
Profile checked against official sources on · How we rate
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, and your own deposit is never restricted. Withdrawing the qualifying deposit before the reward settles forfeits it, 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 is real, but 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. Your own deposited money is never locked, though withdrawing the qualifying deposit early can forfeit a pending 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.