Growth Rewards API
Bits of Stock User Guide
Investing can be an overwhelming experience. We wanted to share our User Guide for everyone to have access to how to use their Bits of Stock Account with their provider.
Aug 17, 2023
Courtney May
Welcome to the Bits of Stock User Guide. We are excited to grow with you.
First things first…
Who we are:
Bits of Stock is a technology provider that helps Financial Institutions (ie. banks, credit unions, etc.) to provide a brokerage account that rewards account holders with fractional shares for their transactions.
You read that right… you can get rewarded for your spending in fractional shares of a company of your choosing!
Our mission is to make stock ownership as easy as earning points!
If you are ready to earn fractional shares when you transact in your checking account, continue below!
Getting Started
What you need to get started:
Be sure you are signed up for a Stock Rewards Checking Account with your banking provider
Open the Bits of Stock page directly in your online banking institution.
Choose the stock you want to receive as your reward.
Start spending and earning fractional shares!
Choosing a Stock
How to choose a stock:
You will be given a list of stock pre-selected by our partnering financial institution to designate as the primary company you will receive in fractional shares.
Make sure you pick your favorite stock from a basket of pre-approved stocks, otherwise you will have the default stock selected by your account provider.
Once you choose a company, you will earn fractional shares of that company as rewards for your spending.
Stock pick selector from the brokerage portal
Getting Rewarded
How to earn rewards:
Refer to your account provider to see which transactions are eligible to earn fractional share rewards on.
When you spend money at an eligible merchant, you will get rewarded in fractional shares that you can redeem once you reach a certain threshold determined by your provider. e.g., $5.
Redeeming Rewards
How to Redeem what you earn:
Once you receive a certain amount of fractional shares as rewards, you can “Redeem” your shares. This means that as you spend money and earn shares in your selected stock, you can accumulate reward value to reach the threshold determined by your provider.
Once you reach this threshold, you will be able to redeem your rewards. When you redeem your rewards, the total you redeemed will be available in your brokerage account.
Panel for redeeming your rewards
In your brokerage account
The shares in your brokerage account are now yours to either buy, sell or hold!
As you earn more fractional shares through eligible purchases, your redeemed shares will add to your current position in that same stock. This means that your fractional share amount surpasses 1 share and you can own whole shares of stock over time.
If you earn and redeem fractional shares of a different company, that new company will be held in your portfolio as a separate position.
Sample portfolio display in brokerage account
FAQs
How do i reach out to customer support?
You can reach customer support by going through the guided prompts in the Bits of Stock portal. From there a customer support agent will be able to help answer any questions or resolve any issues.
What are fractional shares?
A portion of a share of equity stock that is less than one full share. For example, you can own 0.2 shares of Apple stock (ticker symbol: AAPL) instead of a whole share.
How do I sell my stock(s)?
You can place a sell order on the shares of stock you wish to no longer hold in the ticker detail page of that respective stock. You can find this by going to your portfolio and clicking on the stock under ‘My Assets’. We currently only support market orders which means your order will be placed at the next best available price of the security.
What is stock settlement?
The settlement marks the official transfer of securities to the buyer's account and cash to the seller's account. For most stock trades, settlement occurs two business days after the day the order executes, or T+2 (trade date plus two days). For example, if you were to execute an order on Monday, it would typically settle on Wednesday.
How do i buy shares of a stock?
You can place a buy order for shares of stock which you would like to own more of in your brokerage account. Go to your portfolio and click on the stock you would like to purchase more shares of under “My Assets” and place an order to buy. Then you can place a market buy order to own more shares of the respective stock.
Where does my money go when i sell my shares of stock?
When you sell a stock position, your money will go into your ‘Buying Power’ which can be found in your portfolio. You can use this to buy other stocks or withdraw the money into your bank account.
What order type can I use if I sell my shares of stock?
Currently, we only support market orders for trading stocks. This order type denotes buying or selling stock at the next best available price at the market.
How do I withdraw my funds from my brokerage account?
You can withdraw any settled funds from your brokerage account by clicking the withdraw button in your portfolio. We only support withdrawals through ACH, meaning you need your account and routing/ABA number. It can take up to a few business days for the funds to reach your bank account.
How do I know that my information is secure through Bits of Stock?
Safety is a top priority at Bits of Stock. We use bank rate levels of encryption to protect our users' account information.
What is the most I can get rewarded in each month?
There might be a monthly cap set by your account provider that determines how much stock rewards you will be able to earn on a monthly basis. Once you reach the predetermined limit, you will no longer earn rewards on eligible transactions.
