How to save up to $3,000 a month on fees: comparing the VIP programmes of OKX, Bybit, Bitget, HTX and MEXC

A trader with a $10m monthly turnover pays exchanges $4,000–10,000 in fees, depending on venue and strategy. VIP status trims that by $1,500–3,000.

We analysed the programmes of five platforms popular in the CIS and Eastern Europe: OKX, Bybit, Bitget, HTX and MEXC. Here is where large-volume trading is cheaper and what additional privileges VIP clients receive.

What VIP status is

VIP programmes are perks for traders with high volumes or sizeable balances. Exchanges use them to retain liquidity and attract institutional clients.

The main advantage is lower trading fees. Participants also get higher withdrawal limits, a dedicated account manager, priority transaction processing, access to an API with higher request limits and other bonuses.

“VIP programmes emerged on crypto exchanges in 2018–2019, when institutional investors started entering the market en masse. Today it is impossible to compete in high-frequency trading and arbitrage,” say OKX representatives.

For example, for a trader with a $10m monthly turnover in futures using a 50% maker and 50% taker strategy, OKX fees without VIP status are 0.02% for makers and 0.055% for takers, yielding an average rate of 0.0375%. Monthly costs come to about $3,750, or $45,000 a year.

With VIP level 1 on OKX, fees drop to 0.01% for makers and 0.03% for takers, an average of 0.02%. Monthly costs are about $2,000 (a $1,750 saving). On Bybit VIP 1–2 the average rate is 0.02–0.025% ($1,500–1,750). On MEXC, with zero maker fees, the average rate is 0.01% ($2,750).

Annual savings at such trading volumes reach $15,000–33,000.

OKX

OKX’s VIP programme includes five tiers with progressively lower fees. To obtain the initial level (VIP 1) you need:

• $5m in 30-day spot volume or $50m in futures volume;
• or a $100,000 balance.

At this level, spot fees are 0.045% for makers and 0.05% for takers; on futures they are 0.01% and 0.03% respectively. That trims 40–50% off the base rates.

The top benefits are available at level five. To reach it you need $200m in spot volume or $1bn in futures, or a $10m balance. Holders get zero maker fees on both spot and futures, while taker fees drop to 0.03% and 0.02% respectively.

The advantages of VIP status on OKX include access to a dedicated account manager, tickets to closed VIP events and functions featuring Manchester City, McLaren, TradingView and other OKX partners, as well as higher withdrawal limits.

Until 20 August 2025 OKX is running a programme to attract large clients from the CIS and Eastern Europe. Traders get a two-level VIP upgrade and up to 50,000 USDT in fee rebates. To participate, submit an application on the OKX website.

Bybit

Bybit’s VIP programme includes six levels. To obtain the initial one (VIP 1) you need:

• $1m in spot volume or $10m in derivatives volume;
• or a $100,000 balance.

At this level, maker and taker fees are 0.0675% and 0.0800% on spot, and 0.018% and 0.04% on derivatives. The withdrawal limit increases from $1m to $6m per day, and API calls rise to 20 per second.

Users get access to OTC trades up to $10m with no transaction fees, invitations to exclusive offline events, and exclusive allocations of new tokens on Launchpad for VIP clients.

The sixth level (Supreme VIP) is available only to those reaching $100m in spot volume or $500m in derivatives. Holders get zero maker fees on derivatives and other benefits on bespoke terms.

Bitget

There are three ways to obtain VIP status on Bitget:

1. By balance.
2. By trading volume.
3. By holding the Bitget Token (BGB).

The initial level (VIP 1) is available with a $30,000 balance, $500,000 in spot volume or $5m in futures volume, or by holding 5,421 BGB tokens (about $25,000 at the time of writing). Fees at this level are 0.08% for makers and takers on spot, and 0.019% and 0.06% on futures.

The maximum level (VIP 7) is available with a $10m balance, $100m in spot and $1bn in futures volume, or by holding 1,840,277 BGB (~$8.4m). At this level, maker fees are zero on both spot and futures.

Paying spot fees in BGB gives a 20% discount. For VIP 1 that cuts the fee from 0.08% to 0.064%, which at $10m a month in volume saves $1,600.

In Bitget Launchpool, VIP participants get a personal BGB staking cap, while ordinary users are limited to 5,000 BGB. A VIP 1 user can stake 30,000 BGB, and VIP 7 — 50,000 BGB.

HTX

HTX’s VIP programme — Prime — comprises 11 levels. On Prime 1, spot fees are 0.16% (maker) and 0.17% (taker). These rates are higher than many competing exchanges charge regular users. The same holds on the futures market.

To reach a more favourable level (Prime 4 and above) you need trading volume of at least $3m (spot) or $20m (futures), a $100,000 balance or $20,000 worth of HTX tokens. On Prime 4, fees fall to 0.08% (maker) and 0.1% (taker) on spot, and 0.012% and 0.04% on futures.

Prime 11 users pay just 0.0126% (maker) and 0.0218% (taker) on spot, while futures reach minimums of 0% (maker) and 0.025% (taker). However, to obtain the maximum level you must show a monthly trading volume of $1.8bn on spot and $1.5bn on futures. Balances and HTX tokens are not counted at the last two levels.

Paying spot fees in HTX tokens gives a 25% discount. Every user at Prime 6 and above gets access to a dedicated account manager.

Alongside Prime, an EXP-point accrual programme runs. It has five statuses: Advanced (from 4,000 EXP), Insider (7,000 EXP), Premier (30,000 EXP), Ambassador (150,000 EXP), Partner (500,000 EXP). Points are earned
as follows:

• 1 EXP for every 2,000 USDT of trading volume;
• 1 EXP for daily holding of assets from 10,000 USDT.

These statuses grant access to unique bonuses, priority support and other exchange products.

MEXC

On 27 March 2025 MEXC simplified its requirements for VIP status. The sole condition is $10m in monthly trading volume, including both spot and futures.

However, zero-fee trades are not counted. Because MEXC grants 0% fees to all makers, only taker trades qualify. For example, with a 50/50 maker–taker split you would need $20m in actual volume to attain VIP status.

VIP users get access to a special 24/7 customer-support service and a VIP channel for priority handling of requests.

MEXC’s standard fees are 0% for makers and 0.05% for takers on spot, and 0% for makers and 0.02% for takers on futures. This makes MEXC the only exchange on the list with zero maker fees for all users.

Paying fees with the MX token gives a 20% discount on taker fees.

Conclusions

Requirements for VIP status and the added benefits vary widely across platforms.

OKX emphasises premium service with dedicated managers, partner event tickets and promotions. Until 20 August 2025 a special programme for CIS traders is available, offering a two-level VIP upgrade and up to 50,000 USDT in fee rebates.

Bybit focuses on trading perks — OTC deals up to $10m without fees and exclusive access to Launchpad.

Bitget offers three routes to VIP status — beyond trading volume you can qualify with a $30,000 balance or by holding BGB tokens.

On HTX, alongside the Prime VIP programme there is an EXP-points system with bonuses. Paying with HTX tokens yields a discount of up to 25% — the highest among exchanges that offer an analogous option.

MEXC simplified its programme in March 2025, leaving a single requirement — $10m in total trading volume. However, only taker trades count, so the required volume will be much higher depending on strategy.

When choosing a platform, consider not only fees but also liquidity, platform stability and reputation. It is also worth asking for bespoke terms — exchanges are vying hard for big clients.