I've used Interactive Brokers for about 15 years. I was recently reviewing my Market Data Subscriptions and realized that there are a lot of choices for new users of Interactive Brokers to navigate.

If you are an option trader who primarily trades the U.S. equity indexes, here's what you need to do:

Step 1: Login to your Account Management home on the Interactive Brokers web site.

Step 2: Navigate to “Manage Account” > “Trade Configuration” > “Market Data”

Step 3: Click on the “Market Data Assistant” button.

Step 4: Enter the symbol you want to trade and find where it's traded. Notice if the symbol you want to trade is included in the “US Value Bundle” or not.

Step 5: The “US Value Bundle” and “US Options” are normally all you need to trade the US equities, equity indexes and options. There are some exceptions but this is a good setting for most people.

Step 6: After you make your selections, click the “Confirm” button at the bottom of the page. You'll be asked to confirm your status (normally non-professional) and then you'll see a summary of what you are subscribed to.

Step 7: Restart Trader Workstation (TWS) to have your new market data choices reflected in TWS.

Summary

By carefully selecting the market data you subscribe to, you won't over-pay for data you aren't using. See if the US Value Bundle and US Options are all you need or not. You can potentially save yourself some money!