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Options Foundations

Order Flow Rebate

Public shares a rebate with you on every options trade, making Public the cheapest way to trade options. Earn up to $0.18 rebate on every option contract traded.

How it works

If you are enrolled in our Options Order Flow Rebate Program (“Program”), Public will automatically share a portion of our options order flow revenue from each completed transaction with you, reducing the cost of your options trade. We are calling the revenue that Public shares with you an “order flow rebate.”

For each trade, you will be able to view your order flow rebate throughout the checkout process — first, on the “Review” screen before submitting the trade and then on the “Order Completed” screen. You’ll also be able to view your order flow rebates on your trade history and on your trade confirmation.

On trade confirmations, order flow rebates will be displayed in the “Additional Fee” column, and will be included in the net dollars paid or received for that transaction.

Why Public is paying order flow rebates

Payment for order flow (“PFOF”) is when brokerage firms receive compensation in exchange for routing orders for trade execution to a particular market maker or exchange. Public does not participate in PFOF for equities trades, including stocks and ETFs.

However, PFOF is an essential part of the options market structure. At Public, we are choosing to share part of the options order flow revenue that we receive from our intermediaries as a rebate with our investors to help reduce your options trading costs.

How Public determines the rebate

Public determines your order flow rebate based on currently-negotiated PFOF rates. Your rebate will range from $0.06 to $0.18 per contract traded, depending on when you enrolled in the Program and how many referrals you’ve done post March 31st, 2024. For the most current rates, please see our Options Order Flow Rebate Terms & Conditions.

Note that the PFOF pricing and rates may change in the future, and future options order flow rebates may have a different dollar amount per contract and/or may be dependent on factors such as total number of contracts or legs or type of options strategy. Order flow rebates are only issued for options transactions.

Receiving your order flow rebate

Public does not actually receive our order flow revenue on options orders until 1-2 months after the order has actually occurred. Because we don’t want to wait that long to pass the savings on to you, we are sharing rebates with you based on our expected revenue using the current PFOF pricing and rates at the time you place the trade. What you see as your order flow rebate amount during checkout and on your trade confirm won’t change — that’s the exact rebate that will be applied to your order. We apply the order flow rebate directly to your trade at the time of your trade.

How the rebates impact cost basis

Since order flow rebates are directly applied to the trade, they will also impact your cost basis, reducing your cost basis on buys and increasing your realized gains on sells.

How to activate the rebate

If you have a brokerage account with Public, you will activate your rebate of $0.18 per contract traded if you enroll in the Program by successfully enabling options trading on Public by 11:59 PM ET on March 31, 2024.

If you enroll in the Program after March 31, 2024, you will start by earning $0.06 per contract traded. Invite friends to earn up to $0.18 per contract traded when they sign up to Public, fund their account, and successfully enable options trading. Friends who sign up with your link will also earn more.
For more details, see our Program Terms & Conditions.
If you are enrolled in the Options Order Flow Rebate Program, Public Investing will share a portion of our estimated order flow revenue for each completed options trade as a rebate to you. The exact rebate will depend on the specifics of each transaction and will be previewed for you prior to submitting each trade. This rebate will be deducted from your cost to place the trade and will be reflected on your trade confirmation. Order flow rebates are not available for non-options transactions. To learn more, see our Fee Schedule.

Options are not suitable for all investors and carry significant risk.  Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk.  There are additional costs associated with option strategies that call for multiple purchases and sales of options, such as spreads, straddles, among others, as compared with a single option trade.

Prior to buying or selling an option, investors must read the “Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options”, also known as the options disclosure document (ODD) which can be found here.

Brokerage services for US Listed, registered securities, and options in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Open To The Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. ETFs and options are available to US members only.

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Options Foundations
options-101Chapter 1Options 101
pl-chartsChapter 2P/L charts
time-valueChapter 3Time value
greeksChapter 4The greeks
assignmentChapter 6Assignment
order-flow-rebateChapter 8Order flow rebate
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Stocks, ETFs, Options, Bonds.
Self-directed brokerage accounts and brokerage services for US-listed, registered securities, options, and Bonds, except for treasury securities offered through Jiko Securities, Inc., are offered to self-directed customers by Open to the Public Investing, Inc. (“Public Investing”), a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA & SIPC. Additional information about your broker can be found by clicking here. Public Investing is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Public Holdings, Inc. (“Public Holdings”). This is not an offer, solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell securities or open a brokerage account in any jurisdiction where Public Investing is not registered. Securities products offered by Public Investing are not FDIC insured. Apex Clearing Corporation, our clearing firm, has additional insurance coverage in excess of the regular SIPC limits. Additional information can be found here.

Options.
Certain requirements must be met in order to trade options. Options can be risky and are not suitable for all investors. Options transactions are often complex, and investors can rapidly lose the entire amount of their investment or more in a short period of time. Investors should consider their investment objectives and risks carefully before investing in options. Refer to the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before considering any options transaction. Supporting documentation for any claims, if applicable, will be furnished upon request. Tax considerations with options transactions are unique and investors considering options should consult their tax advisor as to how taxes affect the outcome of each options strategy.

Options Order Flow Rebate.
If you are enrolled in our Options Order Flow Rebate Program, Public Investing will share 50% of our estimated order flow revenue for each completed options trade as a rebate to help reduce your trading costs. The exact rebate will depend on the specifics of each transaction and will be previewed for you prior to submitting each trade. This rebate will be deducted from your cost to place the trade and will be reflected on your trade confirmation. Order flow rebates are not available for non-options transactions. To learn more, see our Fee Schedule, Order Flow Rebate FAQ, and Order Flow Rebate Program Terms & Conditions.

Bonds.
“Bonds” shall refer to corporate debt securities and U.S. government securities offered on the Public platform through a self-directed brokerage account held at Public Investing and custodied at Apex Clearing. For purposes of this section, Bonds exclude treasury securities held in treasury accounts with Jiko Securities, Inc. as explained under the “ Treasury Accounts” section.

Investments in Bonds are subject to various risks including risks related to interest rates, credit quality, market valuations, liquidity, prepayments, early redemption, corporate events, tax ramifications and other factors. The value of Bonds fluctuate and any investments sold prior to maturity may result in gain or loss of principal. In general, when interest rates go up, Bond prices typically drop, and vice versa. Bonds with higher yields or offered by issuers with lower credit ratings generally carry a higher degree of risk. All fixed income securities are subject to price change and availability, and yield is subject to change. Bond ratings, if provided, are third party opinions on the overall bond's credit worthiness at the time the rating is assigned. Ratings are not recommendations to purchase, hold, or sell securities, and they do not address the market value of securities or their suitability for investment purposes.

High-Yield Cash Account.
A High-Yield Cash Account is a secondary brokerage account with Public Investing. Funds in your High-Yield Cash Account are automatically deposited into partner banks (“Partner Banks”), where that cash earns interest and is eligible for FDIC insurance. See here for a list of current Partner Banks. Your Annual Percentage Yield is variable and may change at the discretion of the Partner Banks or Public Investing. Apex Clearing and Public Investing receive administrative fees for operating this program, which reduce the amount of interest paid on swept cash. Neither Public Investing nor any of its affiliates is a bank. Learn more.

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Cryptocurrency.
Cryptocurrency trading, execution, and custody services are provided by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849) (“Bakkt”). Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrencies offered by Bakkt are not securities and are not FDIC insured or protected by SIPC. Your cryptocurrency assets are held in your Bakkt account. Bakkt is a licensed virtual currency business by the New York State Department of Financial Services and a licensed money transmitter, but is not a registered broker-dealer or a FINRA member. Your Bakkt Crypto account is separate from your brokerage account with Public Investing, which holds US-listed stocks and ETFs. Please review the Risk Disclosures before trading.

Treasury Accounts.
Investing services in treasury accounts offering 6 month US Treasury Bills on the Public platform are through Jiko Securities, Inc. (“JSI”), a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA & SIPC. See JSI’s FINRA BrokerCheck and Form CRS for further information.

JSI uses funds from your Treasury Account to purchase T-bills in increments of $100 “par value” (the T-bill’s value at maturity). T-bills are purchased at a discount to the par value and the T-bill’s yield represents the difference in price between the “par value” and the “discount price.” Aggregate funds in your Treasury Account in excess of the T-bill purchases will remain in your Treasury Account as cash. The value of T-bills fluctuate and investors may receive more or less than their original investments if sold prior to maturity. T-bills are subject to price change and availability - yield is subject to change. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Investments in T-bills involve a variety of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity risk. As a general rule, the price of a T-bills moves inversely to changes in interest rates. Although T-bills are considered safer than many other financial instruments, you could lose all or a part of your investment. See Jiko U.S. Treasuries Risk Disclosures for further details.

Investments in T-bills: Not FDIC Insured; No Bank Guarantee; May Lose Value.

Banking services and bank accounts are offered by Jiko Bank, a division of Mid-Central National Bank.

JSI and Jiko Bank are not affiliated with Public Holdings, Inc. (“Public”) or any of its subsidiaries. None of these entities provide legal, tax, or accounting advice. You should consult your legal, tax, or financial advisors before making any financial decisions. This material is not intended as a recommendation, offer, or solicitation to purchase or sell securities, open a brokerage account, or engage in any investment strategy.

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