Maximizing Your Profits: How to Save Up to $3,000 Monthly on Trading Commissions with VIP Programs from OKX, Bybit, Bitget, HTX, and MEXC

A trader with a monthly trading volume of $10 million pays between $4,000 and $10,000 in fees to exchanges, depending on the chosen platform and trading strategy. Holding a VIP status can reduce these fees by $1,500 to $3,000.

We analyzed the programs of five popular exchanges in the CIS and Eastern Europe: OKX, Bybit, Bitget, HTX, and MEXC. Let’s explore where trading large volumes is most advantageous and what additional benefits VIP clients enjoy.

VIP programs provide privileges for traders with high trading volumes or significant balances. Exchanges offer these programs to retain liquidity and attract institutional clients.

The main benefit of VIP status is reduced trading fees. Participants also enjoy higher withdrawal limits, personal account managers, priority transaction processing, access to an Application Programming Interface (API) with increased request limits, and other bonuses.

_»VIP programs emerged in cryptocurrency exchanges in 2018-2019, coinciding with the influx of institutional investors into the market. Today, competing in high-frequency trading and arbitrage without VIP status is virtually impossible,»_ say representatives from OKX.

For instance, a trader with a monthly turnover of $10 million in futures trading under a strategy of 50% maker and 50% taker incurs fees on OKX of 0.02% for makers and 0.055% for takers without VIP status, resulting in an average rate of 0.0375%. Monthly costs would be approximately $3,750, totaling $45,000 per year.

With a level one VIP status on OKX, fees drop to 0.01% for makers and 0.03% for takers, averaging 0.02%. Monthly expenses can then be estimated at $2,000 (a savings of $1,750). On Bybit, for VIP 1-2, the average rate falls between 0.02% and 0.025% ($1,500–$1,750). MEXC offers an average rate of 0.01% with zero maker fees ($2,750).

The annual savings from such trading volumes can reach $15,000–$33,000.

The VIP program at OKX features five levels with progressively lower fees. To achieve the starting level (VIP 1), one must meet the following criteria:

At this level, spot fees are set at 0.045% for makers and 0.05% for takers, while futures fees are 0.01% and 0.03% respectively. This results in a saving of 40-50% from the base rates.

The maximum privileges are available at the fifth level. To reach this status, a trading volume of $200 million in spot trading or $1 billion in futures trading is required, or a balance of $10 million. Holders of this status benefit from zero maker fees in both spot and futures trading, while taker fees are reduced to 0.03% and 0.02% respectively.

Benefits of VIP status on OKX include access to personal account managers, tickets to exclusive VIP events and occasions involving partners such as Manchester City, McLaren, TradingView, and increased withdrawal limits.

Until August 20, 2025, OKX runs a recruitment program for major clients from the CIS and Eastern Europe. Traders can receive an upgrade in VIP status by two levels along with a fee compensation of up to 50,000 USDT. To participate, one must submit an application on the OKX website.

The VIP program at Bybit includes six levels. To reach the starting (VIP 1), the requirements are:

At this level, the maker and taker fees for spot trading are 0.0675% and 0.0800%, while for derivatives, they are 0.018% and 0.04%. Withdrawal limits increase from $1 million to $6 million per day, and the number of API requests rises to 20 per second.

Users gain access to over-the-counter trades up to $10 million without transaction fees, invitations to exclusive offline events, and exclusive token distributions on the Launchpad for VIP clients.

The sixth level (Supreme VIP) is accessible only to those achieving a trading volume of $100 million in spot or $500 million in derivatives. Holders of this status receive zero maker fees on derivatives along with personalized benefits.

VIP status on Bitget can be attained in three ways:

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

The maximum level (VIP 7) requires a balance of $10 million, trading volumes of $100 million in spot and $1 billion in futures, or holding 1,840,277 BGB (~$8.4 million). At this level, maker fees are eliminated for both spot and futures trading.

Paying fees with BGB tokens offers a 20% discount. For VIP 1, this reduces the fee from 0.08% to 0.064%, which, at a trading volume of $10 million per month, results in savings of $1,600.

In Bitget Launchpool, VIP participants receive a personal staking limit for BGB, which for regular users is 5,000 BGB. A VIP 1 user may stake 30,000 BGB, while a VIP 7 participant can stake 50,000 BGB.

The VIP program HTX, known as Prime, includes 11 levels. At Prime 1, fees are set at 0.16% (maker) and 0.17% (taker) on spot, which are higher than many competing exchanges for regular users. The same applies in the futures market.

To reach a more favorable level (Prime 4 and above), the requirements include a trading volume of $3 million (spot) or $20 million (futures), a balance of $100,000, or holding HTX tokens valued at $20,000. Fees at Prime 4 are reduced to 0.08% (maker) and 0.1% (taker) on spot, and 0.012% and 0.04% on futures.

Participants at Prime 11 pay only 0.0126% (maker) and 0.0218% (taker) on spot, while futures fees have minimum values of 0% (maker) and 0.025% (taker). However, to reach the maximum level, a monthly trading volume of $1.8 billion on spot and $1.5 billion on futures is required. Balances and HTX tokens are not taken into account at the last two levels.

Paying fees with HTX tokens on spot provides a 25% discount. Any user at Prime 6 and above gains access to personal account manager services.

Alongside Prime, there is a program for accumulating EXP points. This program features five statuses: Advanced (from 4,000 EXP), Insider (7,000 EXP), Premier (30,000 EXP), Ambassador (150,000 EXP), and Partner (500,000 EXP). Points are accrued in the following way:

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

As of March 27, 2025, MEXC simplified the requirements for obtaining VIP status. The only requirement is a monthly trading volume of $10 million, encompassing both spot and futures trading.

However, trades with zero commission are not counted. Since MEXC offers 0% commission for all makers, only taker trades contribute to the count. For example, with a 50/50 trading ratio between maker and taker, a real volume of $20 million would be necessary to achieve VIP status.

VIP users gain access to a dedicated 24/7 customer support service and a VIP channel for priority handling of queries.

Standard MEXC 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 platform on the list with zero maker fees for all users.

Paying fees with MX tokens yields a 20% discount on taker fees.

The requirements for obtaining VIP status and the additional benefits vary significantly across platforms.

OKX emphasizes premium services with personal managers, event tickets from partners, and promotional campaigns. Until August 20, 2025, a special program exists for CIS traders, allowing for a two-level VIP upgrade and fee reimbursements of up to 50,000 USDT.

Bybit focuses on trading advantages, offering commission-free over-the-counter trades up to $10 million and exclusive access to Launchpad.

Bitget provides three routes to achieving VIP status; aside from trading volume, users can qualify based on a balance of $30,000 or by holding BGB tokens.

HTX combines its VIP program with an EXP points accumulation system that offers bonuses. The discount when paying with HTX tokens can reach 25%, the highest among exchanges offering similar options.

MEXC simplified its program in March 2025 by retaining just a $10 million cumulative trading volume requirement. However, only taker trades count toward this, meaning much higher trading volumes are necessary depending on the chosen trading strategy to obtain VIP status.

When selecting a trading platform, it is important to consider not only fees but also liquidity, platform stability, and reputation. Additionally, it’s wise to inquire about personalized deals as exchanges actively compete for high-profile clients.