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The short answer: XM bonuses are trading credit, not cash
XM’s bonuses — both the no-deposit welcome bonus and the deposit bonuses — are added to your account as trading credit. You cannot withdraw the bonus itself; you can only withdraw profits made while trading with it, and withdrawing your own funds removes a proportional part of the bonus. The exact amounts, eligibility and conditions change over time and differ by XM entity, so always confirm the current terms in your Members Area before relying on them.
Below we walk through how each bonus works, the claiming steps in the Members Area, the withdrawal rules that catch most people out, and the common “my bonus disappeared” situations.
How XM’s bonus programs are structured
XM has historically run two main types of promotion. Availability depends on which XM entity serves your region: entities regulated by CySEC and ASIC generally cannot offer bonuses to retail clients under their rules, while the entity regulated by the Belize FSC (often serving international clients) typically can. Leverage caps also differ by entity. You should verify which entity your account sits under and what it offers on XM’s official website, because this determines whether you see bonuses at all.
1. No-deposit welcome bonus
This is a small amount of trading credit given to new clients after registering and verifying an account — no deposit required. At the time of writing it has typically been in the range of around $30 (amounts vary by region and campaign — verify on XM’s official site). It exists so you can test live-market execution without risking your own money. Profits made with it can usually be withdrawn after meeting conditions, but the credit itself cannot.
2. Deposit bonuses
XM has offered tiered deposit bonuses, for example a higher percentage (such as 50%) on an initial portion of deposits and a lower percentage (such as 20%) on further deposits, up to a lifetime cap per client. These figures are examples as of the time of writing — verify on XM’s official site, because tiers, percentages and caps change and are not available in every region or on every account type.
| Feature | No-deposit bonus | Deposit bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Typical size (as of the time of writing — verify on XM’s official site) | Around $30 trading credit | Percentage of deposits (e.g. 50% then 20%) up to a lifetime cap |
| Deposit required | No | Yes |
| Bonus withdrawable? | No — credit only | No — credit only |
| Profits withdrawable? | Yes, subject to conditions (often a minimum trading requirement) | Yes, profits are your own funds |
| Effect of withdrawing your own funds | Credit may be removed entirely | Bonus removed proportionally to the withdrawal |
| Claim deadline | Usually a limited window after registration (e.g. 30 days) | Usually automatic or one-click when depositing, while the promotion runs |
| Eligible account types | Varies — typically not zero-spread/low-spread account types | Varies — typically not zero-spread/low-spread account types |
One important concept: trading credit supports your margin. It increases the equity available to hold positions, but if your losses eat through your own cash balance, the credit can be consumed or removed, and positions can still be stopped out. A bonus never prevents losses.
How to claim a bonus and what the withdrawal conditions mean
The exact screens evolve, but as of the time of writing the process in XM’s Members Area looks like this (verify on XM’s official site):
- Register a real account on XM’s website and complete verification by uploading your ID and proof of address under “Upload Documents” in the Members Area.
- Log in to the Members Area and open the “Promotions” (or “Bonuses”) section.
- If a no-deposit bonus is available for your region, click “Claim” next to the welcome offer. Some regions require confirming a code sent by SMS or email.
- For a deposit bonus, go to “Deposit”, choose a payment method, and make sure the bonus option is ticked (if a tick box is shown) before confirming. On eligible accounts the credit usually appears automatically after the deposit clears.
- Check the “Credit” line in your MT4/MT5 terminal window (Terminal → Trade tab in MT4, Toolbox → Trade tab in MT5) to confirm the bonus was applied.
Now the part most searchers actually need: the withdrawal conditions.
- The bonus is never withdrawable. It appears as “Credit”, separate from “Balance”. Withdrawal requests only draw from Balance.
- Profits from the no-deposit bonus usually have a trading requirement. As of the time of writing, XM has required a minimum traded volume and/or minimum number of trades before profits from the welcome bonus can be withdrawn — verify the current requirement on XM’s official site, as it varies by campaign.
- Withdrawing your own money removes bonus proportionally. Example: you deposited $500 and received $250 credit. If you withdraw $250 (50% of your deposit-based balance), roughly 50% of the remaining credit — $125 — is removed. This happens automatically.
- Internal transfers count like withdrawals for bonus purposes. Moving funds from a bonus-eligible account to another account (especially a non-eligible account type) typically removes a proportional amount of credit, or moves/removes it per the current terms.
What if my withdrawal has been pending for 3 days?
XM normally processes withdrawal requests within about one business day, but the payment provider adds time on top (cards and bank wires can take several business days). If a request has sat in “Pending” for three days or more: first check the “Withdrawal History” section in the Members Area for a status note — common holds are unverified documents, a name mismatch between your account and payment method, or an attempt to withdraw to a method you didn’t deposit with (XM generally returns funds via the original deposit method first, an anti-money-laundering rule). If nothing is flagged, contact live chat with your account number and the withdrawal reference. Weekends and bank holidays do not count as business days.
What if my bonus disappeared after an internal transfer or withdrawal?
This is almost always the proportional-removal rule, not an error. If you transferred or withdrew part of your balance, the same percentage of your credit was deducted automatically. Removed credit is generally not reinstated even if you deposit again, although new deposits may earn new bonus if you haven’t reached the lifetime cap. If your open positions relied on that credit for margin, its removal can push you toward a margin call — check your margin level immediately after any transfer. If you believe credit was removed in error, contact support with the transaction timestamps.
Check the current conditions on XM’s official website (ad)
Limitations, fees and risks
Honest points to weigh before you chase a bonus:
- Bonuses are not available to everyone. XM does not accept residents of certain jurisdictions, including the United States, Canada, Israel and Iran, and bonus availability further depends on your region and XM entity. You must check your own eligibility and your local regulations yourself before opening an account.
- Credit can amplify losses, not just margin. Extra margin lets you hold larger positions than your cash alone would. Larger positions mean larger drawdowns. A bonus does not reduce risk in any way — it can encourage you to take more of it.
- Terms can change or be withdrawn. XM reserves the right to amend or cancel promotions, and to remove credit from accounts it judges to be abusing the terms (for example, hedging across accounts purely to extract bonus profit). Treat any bonus as temporary.
- Not all account types qualify. Low-spread account types have typically been excluded from bonuses as of the time of writing — verify on XM’s official site. If raw spreads matter more to you than credit, the bonus-eligible account may not be the cheapest choice.
- Watch for inactivity rules. Dormant accounts can incur inactivity fees and may have remaining credit removed. If you claim a no-deposit bonus and then leave the account idle past the campaign deadline, the credit typically expires.
FAQ
Q. Can I withdraw the XM no-deposit bonus itself?
A. No. The bonus is trading credit only. You can withdraw profits generated while trading with it, usually after meeting a minimum trading requirement. Check the current requirement in the Promotions terms in your Members Area.
Q. Why don’t I see any bonus offers in my Members Area?
A. Most likely your account sits under an XM entity that cannot offer bonuses (entities regulated by CySEC and ASIC generally cannot offer them to retail clients), or your account type is excluded, or the campaign has ended in your region. Verify directly on XM’s official website.
Q. Does the bonus protect me from losses or stop-outs?
A. No. Credit supports margin while it exists, but it can be consumed by losses or removed when you withdraw funds, and your positions can still be stopped out. It is not a safety cushion.
Q. If I withdraw part of my deposit, do I lose the whole bonus?
A. For deposit bonuses, removal is proportional: withdraw 30% of your funds and roughly 30% of the credit goes. For the no-deposit bonus, any withdrawal often removes the credit entirely. Read the current terms before requesting a withdrawal.
Q. Can I claim the no-deposit bonus twice, or on a second account?
A. No. It is one per client (per person/household/IP, not per account). Attempting to claim it multiple times breaches the terms and can lead to credit and profits being removed or the account being closed.
Summary
XM’s bonuses are trading credit: useful for testing the platform or padding your margin, but never withdrawable themselves. Profits are withdrawable once conditions are met, and the key rule to remember is proportional removal — any withdrawal or internal transfer takes a matching slice of your credit with it, which can affect your margin on open positions. Availability depends on your region and the XM entity serving you; regulatory rules mean bonuses, leverage and terms differ between entities, so verify everything on XM’s official website rather than relying on any review page, including this one. This page is information only, not investment advice.
Check the current conditions on XM’s official website (ad)
Risk warning: CFDs and forex are leveraged products; losses can exceed your deposits and a high percentage of retail investor accounts lose money. Only trade with money you can afford to lose.