I use Etrade. They aren't the cheapest, but they now offer portfolio margining and it's nice to have a guy in an office that when I call knows my first name and fights with the firm on my behalf. That's worth the extra 1/2 cent per contract to me. But if you are all about speed and execution they aren't that great.
I get $1.25 at TOS and they won't match IB since they are a "deep discount broker" (or so I was told). For the volume I do, $1.25 is fine. The TOS platform is excellent for options and the order entry system allows you to do some pretty cool stuff that is unnecessarily cumbersome in IB. I happen to have accounts with both, so that's the way to go (my $0.02)
That's higher than mine...I think I did $600 in commissions all last year. I guess my overall cost is slightly higher than $1.25 since I just noticed the fee column has "SEC/ORF" charge which normally is a few cents, but can be higher as it looks like I get dinged $0.10-$0.20 whenever I get routed through PHLX (which looks like it happens about every 4th-5th trade). My base commission column says $1.25, though. Also, my account was opened over 4-years ago, so maybe it was different before TOS got bought out.
If your broker has to fight on your behalf, you're getting screwed by the firm... or at least they're trying to screw you. For the guy who does a coupla contracts a month, overpaying doesn't add up to a lot - even if paying 5 to 25 times more per trade. But if you trade some volume, deep discount commissions will make a big difference in the bottom line at the end of the year.
Hmmm, I wish I could cite your account as grounds for TOS to give me a better rate, LOL I doubt it though. I'm over $1000 in commission for this year and I also opened my account about five years ago but just got active in the last two. I guess I'm not a good negotiator. Maybe I should start a thread on what people's rates are on TOS and what's their volume.
I personally still use TOS, even though I do think they have gone down hill a bit since the buyout. I negotiated $4.95 + $0.65/contract for my commission rate. That may sound expensive, and it is if you only trade a few contracts at a time, but it saves money if you trade more contracts. For instance if I trade 6 or more contracts per trade my commission is less than someone paying $1.50/contract. If I am trading 9 or more contracts my commission is less than someone paying $1.25/contract. So if you are trading more than just a few contracts per trade, you may be better off with a base price + a much smaller per contact price.