Brokerage
A score out of 100 for how well reviewed a product is. It rises with positive reviews and with how many there are; negative and mixed reviews take points off.
So a handful of glowing reviews can’t beat a product lots of people like. No sponsored placements.
Topics grouped from customer reviews, with how many mention each; read the originals below.
Showing 7 reviews mentioning great rewards Show all
Reddit · r/MerrillEdge · Jul 28, 2026
MixedSummary of a Reddit comment
Used mainly to keep Bank of America rewards qualification; as a self-directed brokerage it is fine, with Schwab's interface preferred, though for few transactions they are all really the same.
Reddit · r/Bogleheads · Jul 27, 2026
MixedSummary of a Reddit comment
They used Merrill for a long time and still keep an account for the credit card points bonus. They find the Automatic Investment Plan fund selection limited with poor expense ratios, so they buy by hand each quarter.
Reddit · r/Schwab · Jan 8, 2026
MixedSummary of a Reddit comment
They have used both Merrill and Schwab and say customer service is the big difference: the Bank of America card perks were nice, but Merrill support was not there when they had a problem.
Reddit · r/Bogleheads · Jan 5, 2026
MixedSummary of a Reddit comment
They keep assets at Merrill for the boosted credit card rewards, which they rate among the best, though they find the cash APY at Merrill mediocre and pay their bills through Fidelity instead.
Reddit · r/MerrillEdge · Dec 11, 2025
MixedSummary of a Reddit comment
Opened mainly for Preferred Rewards and holds ETFs there; approval took about three business days even in-branch and the IRA rollover went fine. Fine for buy and hold but not for active trading.
Reddit · r/investing · Dec 6, 2025
MixedSummary of a Reddit comment
A former Merrill Edge user for the Preferred Rewards credit card boost. They say it is a good deal, but the platform blocks a surprisingly large number of mainstream ETFs, which can be very annoying.
Reddit · r/fidelityinvestments · Jul 14, 2025
MixedSummary of a Reddit comment
They keep long-term holdings at Merrill despite a very bad interface because the BofA credit card rewards beat most cards. Day trading and dividend investing stay at Fidelity, whose system they find much better.
Of the 79 reviews with a clear verdict, 34% are positive, 34% mixed and 32% negative. The praise mentioned most is great rewards. The most common complaint is poor support.
The praise reviewers mention most: great rewards (20 reviews), easy to use (13 reviews) and reliable (7 reviews). For example: They hold accounts at both Fidelity and Merrill and keep both, praising the credit card boost as an excellent benefit and using Merrill for their long-term positions.
The complaints reviewers mention most: poor support (13 reviews), buggy app (10 reviews) and account frozen (5 reviews). For example: Cumbersome back-office restrictions, rough platform design, and endless hold music make customer service painful.
It's how well reviewed Merrill Edge Self-Directed is, out of 100. Negative and mixed reviews take points off, and so does having only a few reviews: a product needs plenty of them, compared with the most-reviewed products here, to reach the high 80s and 90s. It's worked out from reviews only, needs at least 5 of them, and updates as new ones come in.
Category: Brokerage. Type: Brokerage account. Fees: $0 online stock, ETF and option trades; no annual account fees (options contract and other fees may apply). Minimum: No balance minimums.
79 are quotes from Reddit, each linked to the original. Customer reviews are checked for spam before they appear. Every review, written here or quoted, is read as positive, mixed or negative.