To save money on OKX, VIP fee discounts suit large traders, while rebates work for almost everyone. The core difference: a discount reduces fees directly on each trade, while a rebate gives you money back after trading. Thresholds and payment methods are completely different. Which one you choose depends on your trading volume.
Understand VIP Discount Thresholds and Effects
VIP discounts don't rely on an application. They are automatically determined by your account assets or 30-day trading volume, using whichever qualifies you for a higher tier.
What to do: Check if you meet the VIP tier requirements.
How to do it: The threshold for VIP 1 is account assets ≥ 100,000 USD, or 30-day trading volume ≥ 5,000,000 USD. The system automatically evaluates this every day after midnight and takes effect the next day if you qualify. Note: OKB cannot be used to offset fees, and holding OKB does not affect your VIP tier rating.
Completion standard: You should be able to see your current fee tier and how far you are from reaching the next tier.
Understand How Rebates Work
Rebates return money after you trade. The threshold is much lower, but you need to register using someone's referral code, or become a node and invite others yourself.
What to do: Register with a referral code, or become a node to invite friends.
How to do it:
If you are the invited user: After registering with a referral code, you can enjoy a corresponding discount on trades.
If you are the inviter: When you successfully invite friends to trade, you earn rebates. Rebates are paid instantly and are not held by the platform. The rebate rate depends on your tier and can be up to 50%, but note that the discount you give to friends is deducted from your rebate.
Completion standard: Know clearly whether you are an invited user or an inviter, and what your rebate or discount rate is.
Risk reminder: Setting the discount for rebates can be a trap. If you give a friend a 20% discount and your total rebate rate is only 20%, your actual rebate becomes 0% – you've done the work for nothing.
Choose the Best Path Based on Trading Volume
Which path to take depends on where your 30-day trading volume falls.
Case A: Monthly volume < 5,000,000 USD. VIP discounts are basically out of reach. Rebates are the main way to save. Registering with a referral code to get a discount is much more cost-effective than paying the standard fee on your own.
Case B: Monthly volume 5,000,000–20,000,000 USD. You've just reached the VIP1 threshold and discounts start to apply. The spot maker fee is about 0.0675% and taker about 0.08%. This is slightly lower than regular users (spot maker 0.08%), but the difference isn't huge. You can combine it with a rebate to save even more.
Case C: Monthly volume > 20,000,000 USD. VIP discounts become clearly effective. At VIP4 and above, the maker fee can drop below 0.03%. At VIP6 and above, the maker fee can even be negative, meaning the exchange pays you. At this point, discounts are the core benefit, and rebates are just a supplement.
Common Reasons for Failure
Many people confuse holding OKB with VIP discounts. OKX rules are clear: OKB cannot offset fees, and holding it does not affect your VIP tier. Holding OKB will not save you on trading fees.
How to Verify Your Status
Log in to OKX, go to the fee tier page, and check your current actual rate. If it shows LV1 and is the same as regular users, you haven't reached the VIP threshold yet. You should prioritize getting a rebate discount through a referral code. If it shows VIP X, you have met the requirements and the discount is already applied automatically.
Next Steps
If your trading volume is low, getting a referral code to register is the simplest approach. If you are a high-frequency trader who hasn't reached the VIP threshold, you can look into OKX's Enhanced Liquidity Program (ELP) – in that program, meeting certain maker order levels may qualify you for lower fees, but note that the June 2026 update removed ELP rebates for some users with negative fee rates.
