How to Pay Lower Fees on Crypto Exchanges (7 Methods)

Overview

Trading fees are the crypto trader's biggest ongoing cost. On a $100,000 monthly volume, standard fees can cost $50-$100 per month — that's $600-$1,200 per year silently draining your profits. But with the right strategies, you can reduce these costs by 40-71%, turning wasted fees into saved capital.

This guide presents seven proven methods ranked by effectiveness, with exact savings calculations for each. The best part: most of these methods stack together, multiplying your savings.

Method 1: Fee Cashback Programs (Save 20-32.5%)

Impact: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Effort: ⭐ (2-minute one-time setup) | Best first step

Fee cashback programs return a percentage of your trading fees as USDT. Through cashback.day, you register on an exchange via a referral link and receive 20-32.5% of every fee back — automatically, daily, for life.

Current Cashback Rates

Why This Is Method #1

• Zero effort after setup — cashback is automatic
• Works on every trade — spot, futures, margin
• No behavior change needed — trade normally
• Lifetime duration — no expiry, no caps
• Stacks with all other methods — multiply savings

Real Savings

How Cashback Actually Works

The mechanics are straightforward. When you register on an exchange through cashback.day, the exchange pays a referral commission to cashback.day for bringing you as a user. cashback.day then shares a large portion of that commission with you — between 20% and 32.5% depending on the exchange.

This means your trading fees do not increase at all. You pay the same standard fees as anyone else. The cashback comes from the referral commission that would otherwise go entirely to the referral platform. Think of it as a permanent discount on every trade you make.

The cashback is paid daily in USDT directly to your exchange account. There is no minimum threshold, no claiming process — it simply appears in your account every day. This passive nature is what makes cashback the number one recommended method for reducing trading fees.

Cashback vs Referral Bonuses

Many exchanges offer sign-up bonuses — deposit $100 and get $10 in vouchers, for example. These are one-time bonuses that quickly expire. Cashback through cashback.day is fundamentally different:

For any trader with more than one month of trading ahead, cashback delivers far more value than any sign-up bonus.

→ Start: cashback.day

Method 2: Maker Orders Instead of Taker (Save 40-100%)

Impact: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Effort: ⭐⭐ (per trade habit)

The difference between maker and taker fees is dramatic — especially on futures:

Maker vs Taker Fee Comparison

How to Use Maker Orders

1. Spot trading: Place limit orders at or slightly below market price instead of market orders
2. Futures trading: Use limit orders or enable "Post-Only" mode to guarantee maker status
3. Advanced: Use API trading with maker-only flags for automated strategies

Real Impact for Futures Traders

$100,000/month futures on Bybit:

• All taker: $55/month = $660/year
• All maker: $20/month = $240/year
• Savings: $420/year (64%)

Practical Tips for Using Maker Orders

The key to consistently using maker orders without missing trades lies in setting your limit price close to the current market price. For spot trading, set your buy limit at the current ask price minus one or two ticks. For futures, use the mark price as reference and place your order slightly below (for longs) or slightly above (for shorts).

Many experienced traders use a technique called "post-only" orders, available on most exchanges. When you set an order as post-only, it will only execute as a maker order. If the price has moved such that your order would fill as a taker, the post-only order simply cancels instead of executing. This guarantees you never pay taker fees accidentally.

Another effective approach is to split large market orders into multiple smaller limit orders. Instead of buying $10,000 of Bitcoin with a single market order at 0.1% taker fee ($10 cost), place five $2,000 limit orders at slightly different price levels. Even if some fill as taker, the overall fee reduction can be significant.

On MEXC, maker orders are completely free — 0% fee on both spot and futures. This means every limit order you place on MEXC costs absolutely nothing in fees. Combined with 32.5% cashback on the occasional taker order, MEXC offers the lowest possible trading costs in the industry.

Method 3: Native Token Discounts (Save 25%)

Impact: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Effort: ⭐ (one-time toggle)

Some exchanges offer fee discounts when you pay with their native token:

Binance BNB Discount Deep Dive

This is the single easiest optimization on Binance:

• Toggle one setting → immediate 25% spot fee reduction
• Works on EVERY spot trade, automatically
• Requires maintaining a small BNB balance (~$50-100)
• Stacks with VIP discounts AND cashback

Example: $50,000/month spot trader on Binance

• Without BNB: $50/month fees
• With BNB (-25%): $37.50/month
• With BNB + cashback (-20%): $30/month
• Annual savings: $240

Understanding BNB Fee Discount Mechanics

When you enable BNB fee payment on Binance, the exchange automatically deducts your trading fee from your BNB balance instead of the traded asset. In exchange, you receive a 25% discount on the fee amount. For example, if your spot taker fee is 0.1%, with BNB payment it becomes 0.075%.

The critical insight is that BNB discount stacks with cashback. If you receive 20% cashback through cashback.day and 25% BNB discount, your effective fee calculation works like this: Base fee 0.1% × (1 - 25% BNB) = 0.075%. Then cashback returns 20% of 0.075%, giving you 0.015% back. Your net effective fee is 0.06% — a 40% total reduction from the standard rate.

To maintain this discount, you need to hold a sufficient BNB balance to cover your expected fees. A good rule of thumb is to keep BNB worth approximately 0.1% of your monthly volume. For $50,000 monthly volume, that means holding about $50 in BNB.

OKX offers a similar mechanism with OKB tokens, providing 25% fee discount when using OKB for fee payment. The stacking effect with cashback also applies, making the combined savings highly attractive for active OKX traders.

Token Discount vs Higher Cashback: Which Wins?

For Binance users, the answer is clear — use both BNB discount and cashback together. But what if you are choosing between Binance (20% cashback + 25% BNB discount) and MEXC (32.5% cashback + 0% maker)?

MEXC wins on pure cost for every scenario. However, Binance offers superior liquidity for major pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, which can outweigh the fee difference for very large orders.

Method 4: VIP Tier Upgrades (Save 10-80%)

Impact: ⭐⭐⭐ to ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Effort: ⭐⭐⭐ (requires volume)

Most exchanges lower fees as your 30-day trading volume increases. Here are the key tiers:

Binance VIP Tiers

Strategy for VIP Optimization

1. Concentrate volume — don't split across too many exchanges if you're close to a VIP threshold
2. Check BNB requirements — some VIP levels require holding BNB
3. Time your trades — volume resets on a 30-day rolling basis
4. VIP + cashback — VIP discounts reduce your base fee, then cashback applies on top = double savings

Reaching VIP Levels Faster

Most exchanges calculate VIP status based on 30-day trailing volume. The most efficient way to reach higher VIP levels is to concentrate your volume on one or two exchanges rather than spreading it across five. This focused approach not only unlocks lower base fees faster but also maximizes the value of your cashback percentage since it applies to a larger absolute fee amount.

Some exchanges offer additional paths to VIP status. Bybit allows users to fast-track VIP through a combination of trading volume and asset holdings. OKX considers both spot and derivatives volume when calculating VIP tier. Binance factors in BNB holdings alongside trading volume.

For most retail traders, VIP levels 0 through 2 provide the best value. The jump from VIP 0 to VIP 1 typically requires $1-5 million in 30-day volume, which is achievable for active day traders. The fee reduction at VIP 1 is usually around 10-20%, which compounds nicely with cashback.

Method 5: Rebate Vouchers & Promotions (Save 5-50%)

Impact: ⭐⭐ | Effort: ⭐⭐ (need to find and use)

Exchanges regularly offer fee rebate vouchers through:

• New user promotions
• Trading competitions
• Task centers (deposit, trade X volume)
• Seasonal campaigns

Where to Find Vouchers

Limitation: Vouchers are temporary and have conditions. Always prioritize permanent methods (cashback, maker orders, BNB) first.

Method 6: Choose Low-Fee Exchanges (Save 50-100%)

Impact: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Effort: ⭐ (one-time choice)

Your choice of exchange is the single biggest fee factor:

Fee Comparison: Cheapest to Most Expensive

MEXC's 0% maker fee is a massive advantage — every limit order is literally free. Combined with 32.5% cashback on taker fees, MEXC offers the lowest total trading cost in the industry.

Method 7: Fee Aggregators via cashback.day (Automate Everything)

Impact: Varies | Effort: ⭐ (automatic)

cashback.day serves as a fee aggregator — it automatically applies the highest available cashback rate for each exchange, tracks your savings, and pays you daily. This automates Method 1 without any ongoing effort.

The Ultimate Fee Savings Stack

Here's how to combine ALL methods for maximum savings:

Example: Binance Spot Trader ($100,000/month)

Monthly cost: from $100 → $60. Annual savings: $480

Example: MEXC Futures Trader ($200,000/month)

Monthly cost: from $60 → $20. Annual savings: $480

Quick Comparison: All Methods Ranked

Getting Started (3-Minute Setup)

Priority order — do these today:

Minute 1: Register for Cashback

Go to cashback.day and register on your chosen exchange. If unsure, start with MEXC (32.5% cashback + lowest fees).

Minute 2: Enable Token Discounts

On Binance: Settings → Use BNB to pay fees → ON

On OKX: Settings → OKB fee deduction → ON

Minute 3: Switch to Limit Orders

On your next trade, use a limit order instead of market order. Set the price at or near the current market price for quick fills with maker fees.

Minute 4 (Optional): Set Up a Multi-Exchange Strategy

If you trade significant volume, consider splitting your activity across two or three exchanges to leverage the best features of each:

• MEXC: Your primary exchange for spot trading (0% maker fee) and altcoin trading (2,300+ coins)
• Bybit: Your futures exchange (deep liquidity + 30% cashback)
• Binance: Your reserve exchange for large BTC/ETH orders (deepest order books)

Register on each exchange through cashback.day to ensure you receive cashback on all three. There is no limit to the number of exchanges you can register on.

That's it. Four simple steps that save 40%+ on every trade, for life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which method saves the most money?

Choosing a low-fee exchange (MEXC with 0% maker) saves the most in absolute terms. But cashback is the best effort-to-reward ratio — 2 minutes of setup for lifetime savings.

Can I combine all methods?

Yes! Most methods stack. Example: MEXC (low fees) + maker orders (0%) + cashback (32.5%) = near-zero effective trading cost.

Does using maker orders affect my trading?

Limit orders may fill slightly slower than market orders, but for most traders this isn't an issue. On futures, the savings (60-100%) far outweigh the minor inconvenience.

Is it worth switching exchanges for lower fees?

If you trade more than $10,000/month, yes. The annual savings from lower fees + higher cashback can be hundreds of dollars.

Does cashback reduce my fee during the trade?

No. You pay the standard exchange fee at the time of the trade. The cashback is returned to you afterward — typically within 24 hours — as a separate USDT payment. Think of it as a daily rebate on the previous day's trading fees rather than a point-of-sale discount.

What happens to my cashback if I stop trading?

Your cashback registration through cashback.day is permanent. If you stop trading for a period and then resume, your cashback continues automatically from the first trade. There is no need to re-register or reactivate. The referral link remains valid for the lifetime of your exchange account.

Compare all: cashback.day/compare

Calculate: cashback.day/calculator

Final Thoughts

Trading fees compound over time just like investment returns, but in reverse — they silently erode your capital with every transaction. The seven methods outlined in this guide can reduce your effective trading fees by 40 to 71 percent. The most impactful combination is choosing a low-fee exchange like MEXC, registering through cashback.day for lifetime cashback, and using maker orders whenever possible. These three changes alone can save active traders hundreds to thousands of dollars per year.

Sources: Exchange fee schedules from official documentation (March 2026). Cashback rates verified through cashback.day partner agreements.