Kalshi Refer-a-Friend: How to Earn Up to $1,000 in October 2026

To successfully claim your Kalshi referral bonus, there are a few key details you should know first.

Below, we've put together a quick overview of the Kalshi refer-a-friend bonus so you can review the important terms before getting started.

Here's how to refer a friend to Kalshi and claim your trading bonus:

1. Claim Your Signup Bonus: If you haven't created an account yet and claimed the signup bonus, do so using the Kalshi code ACTION55.
2. Find and Copy Your Link: Open the Kalshi app menu and tap Invite friends, then select the Predictions tab. On mobile, you can copy your unique referral link or share it via text, social media, etc. There's also a QR code that your friend can scan.
3. Send the Link to Friends: Your friend must sign up using that link and make a $25 trade within 7 days of opening their account.
4. Get Paid: Once the requirements are met, the referral credits usually post automatically to Menu → Activity. In some cases you'll need to claim them yourself at Menu → Invite friends.

The steps are quick on your end, but your friend's side could take longer. Mine had to verify his account, fund it, and then find markets to trade before anything counted.

That's worth flagging when you send the link; the 7-day clock starts when they open the account, not when they get around to trading, so a friend who signs up on a Friday and waits on a bank transfer can burn half the window before placing a single trade.

If you're comfortable with referring friends to Kalshi, you should also be able to refer friends to Novig and collect rewards.

If your friend signs up for Kalshi using your invite link, your referral code should automatically populate for them on the registration form. Have them check it's actually there before they make a deposit.

Your code is the text at the end of your referral link. For example, if your link ends in .../referral=sample-code, the code is "sample-code". If it hasn't auto-filled, they can paste it in exactly as it appears on the "Enter your birthday" screen, behind a button marked Enter referral code.

Note: Unlike the Polymarket refer-a-friend program, your Kalshi referral code is not your username. You must share the code/link in your Kalshi account.

To qualify as a Referee (the new user), you must:

• Be a US person and brand new to Kalshi, no previous Kalshi account, ever
• Pass Kalshi's identity verification (KYC) process
• Trade at least $25 on Kalshi's Predictions product within 7 days of opening your account
• Not have a suspended account or be under any open compliance investigation

 To qualify as a Referrer (the existing user), you must:

• Be a US person
• Be an existing Kalshi user in good standing, with no suspended account privileges and no open compliance investigation
• Have already transacted at least $25 on Kalshi's Predictions product

That last one trips people up. Your referral link exists from day one, but it won't pay anything until you've met the trading requirement yourself, and nothing in the app stops you sharing it before then.

Also, keep in mind that referral rewards are US-only; the program doesn't apply to international users.

Anyone who doesn't meet these conditions isn't eligible, even if a Referee successfully signs up using the referral link.

Kalshi awards both the referrer and referee $25, making it one of the simplest referral bonuses in prediction markets.

You can earn bonuses by referring up to 40 friends, for a total potential value of $1,000 from this program.

Note that you can continue to refer friends after hitting the $1,000 cap. While you won't earn anymore bonuses, your friends will still get $25 each for using your link.

Kalshi's refer-a-friend program is straightforward: have your friend sign up via your link, ensure they trade $25, and you'll both get $25 that you need to use within 7 days.

A few rules worth knowing before you sign up:

• Limit one offer per account, once you redeem a promo code, it's permanently used for you, even if you never end up qualifying for the rewards.
• You can use a promo code or a referral link at signup, but not both, only one will count.
• A friend's referral links earns you both $25 in bonuses.

To get the reward, you need to trade $25 on Kalshi's Predictions product, not just deposit the money. You can split that amount across multiple markets, and I'd look for contracts with enough trading activity and reasonable bid-ask spreads before placing an order.

Here are two football options worth considering:

• NFL single-game markets: Week 6 continues Sunday, October 18, with Texans vs. Jaguars in London at 9:30 a.m. ET, followed by a full afternoon slate that includes Chargers vs Chiefs at 4:25 p.m. ET. Cowboys vs Packers takes the Sunday Night Football slot at 8:20 p.m. ET, while Commanders vs 49ers closes the week Monday, October 19, at 8:15 p.m. ET. All four matchups have corresponding Kalshi game-winner markets.
  • How to trade it: Open the Pro Football section, choose a matchup, select Yes on the team you expect to win, and review the price before confirming. Orders fill when matching contracts are available.
• The Pro Football Championship market: If you'd rather trade on the bigger picture, Kalshi's 2027 NFL Champion market lets you back a team to win the championship in February. Unlike single-game contracts, this market remains relevant throughout the season, with prices moving as teams win, lose and improve their playoff chances. Keep an eye on the bid-ask spread, though, since a futures contract isn't guaranteed to fill immediately at your preferred price.
  • How to trade it: Find the 2027 NFL Champion market, choose your team, select Yes, and confirm your order.

Tips to hit $25 quickly and cleanly:

• Pick markets priced near the middle (roughly from 40¢ to 60¢) with visible depth on both sides, so your order fills immediately and you can exit near your entry if you just want to clear the requirement. This works best on head-to-head markets like a single MLB game; on wide futures fields, go by order-book depth instead.
• Do your $25 early in the 7-day window so any processing delay on the bonus doesn't push you past the deadline.
• Check the order book before you trade. Liquidity thins out fast on niche or newly listed markets, where wider spreads make it harder to get filled.
• Trade real markets you'd actually take a position in. Kalshi can deny, claw back, or debit a bonus if it suspects trades were manufactured purely to hit the $25 minimum (self-referrals, multiple or fake accounts, manipulated transaction activity, etc.).

You must trade your credit within 7 days after issuance. If you don't, it will expire.

If you're not sure how to use your bonus, you can refer to our guide on How Kalshi Works, and our Open Interest vs. Volume guide if you want help reading how active a market really is before you start trading.

If you’ve sent your referral link to a friend but don’t see the reward in your "Account Activity," don't panic.

Here are the most common reasons for a delay:

• The $25 Threshold: Your friend hasn't made their first $25 trade yet. This is the most common issue. Funding the account does nothing on its own, your friend must place a trade for something to happen.
• You haven't traded $25 yourself: Your link won't pay out until you've met the referrer requirement. Don't worry, it's OK to not know this, nothing in the app warns you about before you share the link.
• The Tracking Link: If your friend didn't use your specific link, or if they navigated away from the page during sign-up, the system may not have connected them to you.
• The code didn't attach: Your friend arrived through your link, but the code never populated on the birthday screen during signup. In that case, they need to copy the code at the end of the URL you sent, and enter it manually within 72 hours from account creation. Depositing or trading doesn’t close this window on its own.
• Processing Time: It isn't always instantaneous. It can take a few days for the credit to hit your account after the trade requirement is met.
• KYC Status: Both you and your friend must have a fully verified account. If their identity verification is still pending, the bonus will stay in limbo.
• It might be sitting there waiting for you: Most credits post straight to Menu → Activity, but some accounts need you to tap a claim step under Menu → Invite friends, so check both. If a referral shows as unlocked and the claim button won't budge, log in through the website rather than the app. Sounds odd, but it's worked for other people.

What to do: If a couple of days have passed since your friend traded their first $25 and you still don't see the credit, reach out to support@kalshi.com. Include your friend's name and the email they used to sign up so the support team can track it down.

In most cases, the credit will automatically populate in your account after your friend meets the trading requirements. There is no manual action required.

If you don't see your bonus at the Activity tab, you'll need to claim it at Menu → Invite friends, or at kalshi.com/account/referrals on the web. Tap it, and done!

The credits automatically hit in similar programs, including the ProphetX refer-a-friend program.

You can refer multiple friends to Kalshi and earn a reward for each one, up to the limit shown in your account's Rewards section. Share your link with friends and family members, or post it on social media.

Make sure to mention that anyone who uses your link is eligible for a reward, not just you. That's usually what attracts people.

While you're free to share it with anyone, try to keep it to people you actually know. Kalshi can deny, claw back or debit a bonus for self-referrals, multiple or fake accounts, or manipulated trading activity.

Looking for other ways to earn rewards? Check out our guide on the bet365 refer-a-friend program.

If you're the one being referred to one of the best prediction market apps, it's super easy to claim the refer-a-friend bonus via the Kalshi referral link your friend sent you:

1. Tap the link they sent to go to Kalshi or download the app.
2. Follow the prompts to create an account and complete verification.
3. Make a $25 deposit and trade those $25 on Predictions within 7 days of opening your account.
4. Check Portfolio → Predictions → Credit in the app to make sure your referral reward hits your account (on the website, it’s under Activity → Credit). If you don’t see your bonus there, you’ll need to claim it at Menu → Invite friends, or at kalshi.com/account/referrals on the web.

Note: If you clicked on your friend's referral link, their code should auto-fill. If it didn't auto-populate, you can copy the code at the end of the link they sent you and enter it manually. 

If your friend signed up for Kalshi without using a code, you might be able to get credit for their signup, as long as it’s within 72 hours of their account creation.

Have them tap your referral link, which should take them to their account and populate it with the refer-a-friend offer. If it doesn't populate, they can add it manually from the waffle menu, under "Add referral code". The code is the text at the end of your link.

If your referral link doesn't work, your friend can always use code ACTION55. But keep in mind that this promo code only pays them, not you.

Users have 72 hours after account creation to apply a referral link/code, provided no code is already attached to the account.

When you go to the refer-a-friend page in the Kalshi app, you'll notice two tabs: Predictions and Perpetuals. Most users will refer their friends to Kalshi Predictions.

You must be approved for Perpetuals before you can start referring your friends to this product. Once approved, Perpetuals referrals pay up to $1,000 per referral with no caps.

Referral bonuses are a nice perk, but they shouldn't be the reason you start trading. To clear one you have to put $25 of real money into live event contracts, and those contracts can settle against you.

The $25 is genuinely at risk, and the credit you get back can't be withdrawn as cash.

A few things worth keeping in mind:

• Only trade what you can afford to lose. A guaranteed bonus amount isn't a reason to stake money you need.
• Don't chase the referral cap. Every referral means another friend putting $25 of real money into the market. Share your link with people who were already interested, not people you have to talk into it.
• Watch for the deadline pressure. The 7-day trading window creates urgency by design. If you find yourself rushing into a market you don't understand to beat a clock, that's a reason to let the bonus go.
• Know when to step back. If trading starts feeling like a compulsion, that's worth taking seriously.

If you're worried about your own trading or someone else's, the National Council on Problem Gambling runs the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET, available 24/7 by call or text. Its longstanding national line, 1-800-522-4700, is also still in service.