What is fee tier?
The schedule setting your trading fees by 30-day volume, and on some venues by how much of the exchange's own token you hold.
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In this entry
The schedule setting your trading fees by 30-day volume, and on some venues by how much of the exchange's own token you hold.
New accounts start at the top of the table and pay the highest published rate. Compare exchanges at the volume you actually trade rather than at the headline lowest tier, because the bottom row of a fee table is written for professional trading firms and has nothing to do with what an ordinary buyer pays.
The confusion that costs money is reading a marketing page that quotes the lowest rate on the schedule. That number is real and it is not yours. Find your own row before comparing venues.
How it works
An exchange publishes a table with volume bands. Your 30-day trading volume, measured on a rolling basis, places you in a band, and the band sets separate maker and taker rates; see maker taker fee. The tier is usually recalculated daily and applies until the next recalculation.
The table's shape is consistent across venues even though the numbers are not:
| Element | What it does | Typical variation |
|---|---|---|
| Volume bands | Set the base maker and taker rates | Measured over a rolling 30 days |
| Token holding | Moves you up a tier, or applies a flat discount | Only on venues with an exchange token |
| Fee-payment discount | Reduces the rate when fees are paid in the venue's token | Stated percentage off |
| Stablecoin or promo pairs | Reduced or zero rates on selected markets | Time-limited and withdrawn without notice |
Two details are worth checking rather than assuming. Whether volume is counted per account or across a family of sub-accounts changes which band you land in, and whether an instant buy product uses the schedule at all. Convenience buy flows are frequently priced with a spread instead, so the fee tier never applies to them.
Example
Illustrative arithmetic showing why the top row is the one that matters. You buy $500 a month. At an illustrative entry-tier taker rate of 0.40% that is $2. A venue whose lowest published tier is 0.02% will not give you 0.02%; you would need volume orders of magnitude higher to reach it. Comparing the two venues at their bottom rows would suggest a twentyfold difference that does not exist for you. Compare the entry row instead, where the gap between venues is usually much smaller and sometimes reversed.
Why it matters when you buy
Your actual cost is the entry-tier rate plus the spread plus your funding cost, and headline comparisons usually quote none of those. Look up the rate for the volume you really trade at the fee comparison and check the measured spread on the asset you want at the liquidity pages.
Related terms
maker taker fee — the two rates a tier sets, exchange token — how some venues discount, instant buy — the product that skips the schedule, spread — the cost the schedule never shows, trading volume — what determines your band, sub account — whether volume is pooled.
Questions
How do I move to a lower fee tier?
By trading more within the rolling window, or by meeting a holding requirement where the venue offers one. Both are published on the exchange's own fee page, and neither can be negotiated at retail size.
Does my tier apply to deposits and withdrawals?
Usually not. Deposit and withdrawal charges are set separately from the trading schedule, so a low trading rate can sit alongside an expensive withdrawal fee.
Are maker and taker rates always different?
On most order-book venues, yes, with makers paying less and sometimes receiving a rebate. Some venues charge a single rate, and quoted-price products have no maker or taker concept at all.