What Is a Crypto Exchange Fee Discount? Each Exchange's Official Automatic Discount Rate, How to Calculate It and How to Check It Applies

When you sign up with an exchange using an invitation code, the exchange automatically charges you part of your trading fees less under its official rules. That is a fee discount. Each exchange sets its own rate, and the rates vary a lot: some differ between futures and spot, and some expire. This article puts every exchange’s current official discount rate in one table and explains how to calculate it and how to check that it applies.

The short version: actual rate = official rate × (1 − fee discount). The exchange applies the discount automatically, so you don’t need to apply for it. At the same exchange, different invitation codes may come with different rates, so check the offer text shown on the sign-up page before you register. A fee discount cuts your trading costs, but when you choose an exchange, security and reserve transparency matter more.

This article is a compilation of information, not investment advice. Fee discount rates are set by the exchanges and may change. The figures in the table are synced every day from a single data source; before you rely on them, check the sign-up page and the exchange’s current rules.

What a fee discount is

Under an exchange’s invitation program, invited new users get a fee discount of a set percentage:

• It applies automatically: once you sign up with an invitation code or invitation link, the exchange calculates it under its rules. You don’t need to apply.
• The exchange gives it: the discount is fee the exchange doesn’t charge you. No third party is involved, and you don’t hand your assets to anyone.
• The exchange sets the rate and conditions: at some exchanges futures and spot rates differ, some discounts expire, and each exchange sets its own eligibility conditions.

This site covers only the exchanges’ official fee discounts and never lists any extra or boosted rates.

Official fee discount rates by exchange

The table below shows the official fee discounts currently available with this site’s invitation codes, sorted from highest to lowest discount. “Taker after discount” is calculated from each exchange’s official regular-user fees (fee sources are in International Crypto Exchange Fee Comparison).

Data checked: 2026-10-07

A few things to watch:

• When futures and spot differ, look at both: if it says “futures 60%, spot 35%” and you mostly trade spot, the rate that applies to you is 35%.
• Bybit’s invitation code gives a sign-up offer, not a fee discount, so the table shows no rate for it.
• Bitfinex’s trading fees are already 0%. Which fees the discount in the table applies to depends on Bitfinex’s rules.
• TWD apps have a time limit: discounts at MAX and BitoPro last 180 days, counted from the sign-up date or the date verification is approved, subject to each app’s rules.
• Rates change: the table data is synced every day, and the rates in the invitation code boxes come from the same data as this table, so they never contradict each other.

Why websites show different rates for the same exchange

Search for invitation codes for one exchange and you’ll often see 20%, 30%, 50% and other figures. Possible reasons:

• Different invitation codes come with different rates: how much discount an invitee gets depends on the exchange’s invitation program and the inviter’s plan.
• The rate has changed: the article quotes an old figure and was never updated.
• Different offers are added together: for example, the invitation code discount, a platform token discount and VIP rates are simply added up and presented as “up to X%”. That figure is usually not what you can actually get (the calculation is in the next section).

So the offer text shown on the sign-up page is the most reliable guide before you register. Every invitation code box on this site includes a screenshot of the sign-up page and the date the data was synced. The rate the exchange itself shows in the screenshot is the fee discount you get by signing up with that invitation code.

How to calculate a fee discount

Actual rate = official rate × (1 − fee discount)

For example, with an official spot taker fee of 0.1% and a 20% fee discount, the actual rate is 0.1% × 0.8 = 0.08%.

Worked example: 10,000 USDT of trading a month

Assume an official spot taker fee of 0.1% and 10,000 USDT of market-order trading a month:

The bigger your trading volume, the bigger the gap. If you only buy a little now and then and hold for the long term, the difference is no more than a few dozen USDT a year.

Combining it with a platform token discount: multiply, don’t add

Some exchanges let you use a fee discount and a platform token discount at the same time. When they stack, multiply them:

Share you actually pay = (1 − fee discount) × (1 − platform token discount)

Take MAX: the invitation code gives a 20% fee discount, and with the MAX Token discount turned on you pay 70% of the original fee (MAX official explanation). You actually pay 0.8 × 0.7 = 56%, which saves you 44%, not 20% + 30% = 50%. When you see an “up to X%” figure that simply adds two percentages together, redo the math yourself.

To use a platform token discount you first have to hold the platform token, whose price moves, so factor that risk in yourself. Each exchange’s platform token discount rules are in International Crypto Exchange Fee Comparison.

How the discount is paid: charged less up front, or refunded later

Exchanges handle it differently:

• Built into the rate: you’re charged the lower fee when the trade fills, and the fee in your trade history is already the discounted amount.
• Refunded later: the trade is charged at the official rate, and the discounted part is paid back to your account afterwards. In my OKX account, for example, the discounted fees are returned to the funding account on the day of the trade, not added back to the trading account (screenshots in the OKX review).

At exchanges that refund later, the trade history alone makes it look as if you got no discount, so check the funding account records too.

How to check that your fee discount applies

1. Before you sign up: open the sign-up page through the invitation link and check that the page shows the invitation code and the offer text. If you type the code in by hand, make sure it’s correct.
2. When you sign up: enter the invitation code during registration. At most exchanges you can’t add it afterwards; a few let you add it later, subject to each exchange’s rules.
3. After your first trade: check the fee for that trade under “Orders → Trade history” and use the formula above to see whether it matches. At exchanges that refund later, look for the refund in your funding account the next day.
4. Watch for time limits and conditions: at exchanges with a time limit (for example, 180 days at MAX and BitoPro), the official rate applies again once it expires. Other eligibility conditions depend on each exchange’s rules.

What matters more than a fee discount

A fee discount saves on trading costs; if an exchange runs into trouble, what you lose is your principal. When I choose an exchange, I weigh security and reserves, past incidents and how they were handled, and order book depth above fees. How I score them is in How We Rate Exchanges; for how to read proof of reserves, see How to Check Proof of Reserves.

Invitation codes by exchange

These are the invitation code boxes for the exchanges in the table. The fee discount rates come from the same data as the table above. International exchanges come first, followed by the TWD apps.

More exchange reviews and comparisons are on the crypto topic page.

FAQ

What is a crypto exchange fee discount?

When you sign up with an invitation code, the exchange automatically charges you less trading fee under its official rules. Actual rate = official rate × (1 − fee discount). You don't need to apply for it, and no third party is involved.

Why do websites list different discount rates for the same exchange?

Different invitation codes may come with different rates, and rates also change as exchanges adjust their rules. Before you sign up, go by the offer text shown on the sign-up page; every invitation code box on this site includes a screenshot of the sign-up page and the date the data was synced.

Do I pay higher fees if I sign up with an invitation code?

No. The official rate stays the same, and the fee discount takes a further part off it. Without an invitation code, you pay the official rate.

Can I combine a fee discount with a platform token discount?

It depends on the exchange's rules. Where you can combine them, multiply rather than add. For example, with a 20% invitation code fee discount at MAX and the MAX Token discount, under which you pay 70%, you actually pay 0.8 × 0.7 = 56% of the original fee. That saves you 44%, not 50%.

Is a fee discount permanent?

Not necessarily. Some exchanges set a time limit; MAX and BitoPro, for example, give 180 days from sign-up or verification. For periods and conditions, go by the table below and each exchange's rules.