Contract fees feel a lot higher than spot because that single "deduction" you see often mixes two things: trading fees and funding fees. Spot trading only has the first one, while contracts add the second — this money is not collected by the platform, but directly exchanged between long and short traders.
Step 1: Understand the essential difference between the two types of fees
Spot trading fees are a one‑time fee paid to the platform when you buy or sell, charged as a percentage of the trade amount.
Contract fees have two layers: trading fees (similar to spot, charged once when opening and once when closing) and funding fees (a mechanism unique to perpetual contracts that keeps the contract price close to the spot price). Funding fees are settled directly between long and short position holders — the platform takes no cut from this.
Step 2: Break down the two amounts
For regular users, contract Maker (limit order) is about 0.02%, Taker (market order) about 0.05%. After August 2026 some trading pairs will be unified to this standard.
Charged once when opening a position, once when closing. It is calculated on notional value (margin × leverage). The higher the leverage, the higher this fee.
Funding Fees
Usually settled at 08:00, 16:00, 24:00 (UTC+8) every day. Some contracts settle every 1, 2 or 4 hours with the per‑session rate adjusted accordingly.
Positive rate = longs pay shorts; negative rate = shorts pay longs.
Calculated as position value × funding rate. Applies whenever your position is held across a settlement time.
Risk reminder: The funding fee is an ongoing cost or income. If you are long and the funding rate is positive, you will pay shorts every 8 hours (or shorter period); if you are short, you receive money instead. The longer you hold, the bigger the impact on your total cost.
Step 3: Check your transaction history and separate the two fees
The reason contract fees feel high is that the system combines all deductions into one number.
What to do: In OKX's "Bill" or "History", filter by category for "Trading Fees" and "Funding Fees".
How to do it: Add up the two types of spending separately. You will often find that funding fees are the main reason total fees exceed your expectations.
Done when: You can tell whether each deduction is a trading fee or a funding fee, instead of just looking at the lump‑sum total.
How to verify after taking the steps
Go to the OKX app or website, tap "Assets" → "Bill" and filter contract transaction records. Check the accumulated amounts in the "Fee" and "Funding" columns separately. That will precisely show why your fees were higher than expected.
Next steps to take
If you often hold positions overnight, it helps to glance at the current funding rate just before settlement (around 07:50, 15:50, 23:50). If the rate is high, you may close the position early to skip that round. When opening a position, try to use limit orders (maker orders) instead of market orders — this cuts the trading fee from about 0.05% down to about 0.02%.
