Investa referral code UK: what you get and how to claim

Last updated: 11 July 2026

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Want the Investa referral bonus?

Open an account with the link below, then reach a £250 balance within your first seven days. Both you and your referrer then qualify for a grant of Reward Options.

Get the Investa referral offer

How the Investa referral code works

First, the mechanics are simple, even if the reward is not. The Investa referral code triggers a grant of Reward Options to both people, as long as the new customer hits a qualifying balance in time. Here is the order of play, taken straight from Investa's own Referral Programme Terms.

Step one: a new user opens an Investa account by signing up through a valid referral link, for example our link above. Importantly, there is no separate code field in the app, so you must start from the link itself for it to count. To qualify, that person must be a UK resident and must not have held an Investa account in the previous 12 months. They also need to pass Investa's standard checks, including identity, anti-money-laundering, sanctions and fraud screening.

Step two: within seven calendar days of opening the account, the new user reaches an equity balance of at least £250. Helpfully, that balance can come from a cash deposit, a transfer of assets, or growth in the value of assets already held. Notably, no trades are required, and the balance does not have to stay there afterwards, subject to Investa's fraud and withdrawal controls.

Step three: once the threshold is met, Investa issues a grant notice to both the referrer and the new user. Each side then accepts their grant of Reward Options. In other words, the reward is mutual, so both people benefit from a single successful referral.

What are Investa Reward Options?

This is where the offer needs careful reading, because the reward is not cash and it is not free shares. According to Investa's Share Options Key Features Document, each Reward Option is a private, non-transferable call option over one ordinary share in Investa Markets Ltd.

The "discounted strike price" people mention is real, and here is what it means. The strike price is set at the nominal value of an Investa share, which is £0.00025. Consequently, the option effectively captures the growth in Investa's share value above that tiny floor. So if Investa becomes far more valuable, the option becomes more valuable too.

However, there is a big condition attached. Reward Options stay "unvested" until a Liquidity Event, which Investa defines as an initial public offering or an acquisition of the company. If an IPO happens, your options convert into listed Investa shares. If an acquisition happens instead, you receive a cash payment based on the sale price minus the strike. Until then, you simply hold and wait.

Meanwhile, the grants are limited. The referral pool is capped at 2,000 options in total, and once it is exhausted, no further referral grants are made. On top of that, a single referrer can earn options on a maximum of 20 successful referrals. In short, this is a first-come, pool-based reward rather than an open-ended one.

The catch: what the reward is really worth

Now for the honest part, because a benefit with no matching risk line would be misleading. The plain truth is that a Reward Option can be worth a great deal, or nothing at all.

First, there is timing. The options can run all the way to an expiry date of 1 January 2050, and a Liquidity Event might never happen. Therefore you could hold them for years and still see no payout. Second, there is company risk. If Investa's value at the event sits below the nominal strike, the options expire worthless; equally, if Investa stops trading, the potential value disappears.

Third, there are the restrictions. Reward Options give you no shareholder rights, so there are no votes and no dividends. They also have no secondary market, which means you cannot cash them in or sell them to anyone today. Investa itself puts a "floor" on the downside in one sense, though: you paid nothing to receive them, so you lose nothing you put in.

Investa has illustrated potential upside for its wider options scheme, quoting figures up to £1,000 at its current £10 million valuation for its most active users under a separate historical programme. Importantly, that is Investa's own illustration for a different grant, not a promise attached to this referral. The referral grant size is set per grant notice, no value is guaranteed, and the company is clear that outcomes depend entirely on future growth. If you are new to this kind of thing, our beginner's guide to what investment risk really means is a useful primer.

Fees and what Investa actually costs

Investa markets itself on price, and the headline is very competitive. Trading commissions are zero on both stocks and listed options, and there is no charge for the general investment account, deposits, withdrawals or securities custody. So far, so cheap.

That said, some costs still apply, and the detail is worth knowing. Investa charges you nothing for the app itself. Instead, IBKR charges 0.99% of the value of each currency conversion, which matters because everything you trade is priced in US dollars. Investa is then paid a fee by IBKR equal to 0.99% of that conversion value. In plain terms, you pay the 0.99% FX fee once, and that fee is how Investa earns from your trading, which is a conflict worth knowing about.

On top of that, small third-party regulatory fees apply to options trades, such as OCC, ORF and SEC charges. These are typically fractions of a penny per contract, yet they are real, so check Investa's pricing page before you trade. For a wider view, our roundup of the cheapest investment apps by FX fee puts that 0.99% in context.

Is your money protected?

This is an important question, and the answer needs care rather than a blanket reassurance. Investa is the trading name of Investa Markets Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under FRN 1037289. You can check it yourself on the FCA Financial Services Register, where it appears as Investa Markets Ltd, reference number 1037289.

Importantly, though, Investa does not hold your money or your investments. Its own client agreement is explicit about this. The app receives and transmits your orders to Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited, known as IBKR, who execute them. IBKR is separately authorised by the FCA under FRN 208159, and it is IBKR that holds your cash and your assets, under a separate agreement you sign with them. In effect, you are an IBKR client with an Investa front-end, so it pays to read IBKR's terms as well.

On compensation, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme protects eligible investments up to £85,000 per person per FCA-authorised firm. One wrinkle is worth flagging, though. Investa's client agreement currently quotes a £120,000 maximum for investment claims. That figure is actually the FSCS limit for deposits, which rose in December 2025; the limit for investments did not change and remains £85,000, as the FSCS confirms. We have raised the discrepancy with Investa, and we would treat £85,000 as the working figure.

The Reward Options are a separate matter again. Because they are a right over Investa's own unlisted shares, they are illiquid and high risk by nature, so they should not be treated as a protected savings product.

Who Investa suits, and who it does not

Investa is built for a specific type of user, so honesty helps here. It suits confident, hands-on investors who already understand options and want a clean, zero-commission app for US stocks and derivatives. Founded by former Citi options brokers, and with a co-founder of Freetrade involved, it is clearly aimed at the more active end of the market.

One thing to understand before you sign up: Investa is a front-end onto Interactive Brokers. You are onboarded as an IBKR client, IBKR runs the appropriateness assessment that decides whether you can trade options, and IBKR holds your money. Some people like that, because it puts a large, established broker behind a friendlier app. Others see it as an extra layer they did not ask for. Either way, you should know it before you open an account.

On the other hand, it is not for everyone. The app is iOS only for now, with Android on a waitlist, and it carries an 18-plus age rating. More importantly, options are complex and can lose their full value, so beginners and cautious savers may prefer simpler, lower-risk routes. If you want a US-focused comparison, our guide to the Robinhood app in the UK covers a similar audience.

Ready to claim the Investa referral offer?

Open Investa with the link below, add funds to reach the £250 threshold within seven days, and both you and your referrer qualify for Reward Options. Remember, no trades are needed to hit the balance.

Open Investa and claim the offer

Investa referral code: frequently asked questions

What is the Investa referral code?

The Investa referral code is unique to each existing customer, and on Investa it works as a sign-up link rather than a code you type in. So to claim the offer, open your account through our referral link above, because there is no separate box to paste a code into. Once you reach a £250 balance within seven days, both you and your referrer qualify for a grant of Reward Options.

Do I have to deposit exactly £250?

You need an equity balance of at least £250 within your first seven days, so more is fine. Usefully, that balance can come from a deposit, a transfer of assets, or growth in assets you already hold. You do not need to make any trades, and you can withdraw afterwards, subject to Investa's fraud and withdrawal controls.

How much are Investa Reward Options worth?

There is no guaranteed value, and that is the key point. Reward Options only pay out if Investa floats or is acquired, and the amount depends on the company's valuation at that time. If no Liquidity Event happens by 1 January 2050, or the value is below the nominal strike, the options expire worthless. Because you pay nothing to receive them, you do not lose money you have put in.

Is Investa safe and FCA regulated?

Investa Markets Ltd is authorised and regulated by the FCA under FRN 1037289, and it secured direct authorisation in April 2026. However, Investa does not hold your money or assets. Your cash and investments sit with Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited (FRN 208159), a separately FCA-authorised firm, under an agreement you sign with them. FSCS protection for eligible investments is £85,000 per person per FCA-authorised firm.

How does Investa compare to Freetrade or Trading 212?

Investa is narrower and more specialist. It focuses on US stocks and listed options with zero commission, whereas Freetrade and Trading 212 cover a broad range of shares, ETFs and ISAs. If options are not your goal, one of those broader apps may fit better, so it is worth comparing before you commit.

Can I lose money with Investa?

Yes. Options are complex products, and you could lose all of the money you invest through the app. The Reward Options themselves cost nothing, yet they can still end up worthless. In both cases, only invest what you can afford to lose.

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