← All articles · 2026-10-20
Crypto trading fee rebates explained: cashback, affiliate commission and how much you can really get back
A complete guide to crypto fee rebates. Where the money comes from, why exchanges allow it, how rebate percentages compare with VIP discounts and fee coupons, and the questions to ask before you join any rebate service.
What a crypto fee rebate is
Every order on a centralised exchange pays a fee, typically 0.02% to 0.1% of the trade value, charged on both entry and exit. Exchanges run affiliate programs that pay part of those fees to whoever referred the trader. A fee rebate, also called trading fee cashback, is when the affiliate shares that commission with the trader. You keep trading on the same exchange with the same fees, and part of what you paid comes back to you.
Where the money comes from
The exchange, not the trader, funds the rebate. The exchange pays the affiliate a commission on your fees; the affiliate passes a share of it back. Nothing is added to your fees and nothing is taken from your account. The only condition is that the account was registered through the affiliate's link, because that is how the exchange knows whom to pay.
Rebate vs VIP discount vs fee coupons
- A VIP discount lowers your fee rate but needs very large volume or holdings, usually millions of USDT a month.
- Fee coupons are one-off promotions that cover a fixed amount of fees and then end.
- A rebate applies to every trade for as long as the account exists, needs no minimum balance and starts from the first fill. It also stacks with VIP rates: a VIP trader still generates commission on the reduced fee, and the rebate applies to that.
How much you can get back
The number that matters is the rebate as a percentage of your own fees. RebateYou pays between 35% and 55% of your fees depending on your trailing 30-day volume, on Bybit, MEXC and Bitget. A trader paying 1,000 USDT of fees a month at a 40% tier gets 400 USDT back, which is the same as trading at a 40% fee discount.
Daily, not monthly
Exchanges report affiliate commission per day, one day in arrears. A good rebate service credits daily and shows the exchange's own figure for each day. Monthly or manual payouts are a sign the operator is reconciling by hand.
Questions to ask before joining a rebate service
- How is my account verified? UID against the exchange's affiliate API is safest. Never hand over an API key with trade or withdrawal rights.
- Where do payouts go? Only to the exchange UID you verified. Anything else is a risk.
- Is the rate a share of my fees or of the operator's commission? Compare like with like; "50% of commission" is less than "50% of fees".
- Can I see the exchange's figures? You should see, per day, the volume and commission the exchange reported for your UID.
- Does unbinding or changing UID reset anything? Know the rules before you need them.
Is it allowed?
Yes. Exchange affiliate programs explicitly permit sharing commission with referred users. The operator never touches your funds, never trades for you, and the exchange's own records are the source of truth.