Every crypto exchange referral program is built on the same idea: the exchange earns a fee on every trade, and it shares a slice of that fee to win new customers. How it shares the slice is what separates a good code from a useless one. Some exchanges spend it up front on a crypto exchange sign-up bonus. Some return it to you month after month as a kickback. Some pay a flat amount in real crypto once you make a first purchase. A few pay nothing to you at all and reward only the inviter.
This hub compares all the exchanges we have reviewed using the numbers from each review, so nothing here contradicts the detailed pages. The table at the top is sorted by our four scores. Below it, we explain the three payout models, group the exchanges by type, run a worked example and list the traps that catch new users most often.
Three ways an exchange referral pays you
Welcome tasks. You register, verify, deposit and trade, and each step unlocks a reward. This is where the giant headline numbers live. Bitget advertises a 6,200 USDT pack, Toobit up to 15,000 USDT in vouchers and Bitunix up to 10,000 USDT. In each case most of the value is a futures bonusBonus margin that can only be used to open futures positions. It cannot be withdrawn; you usually keep only the profit made with it. that stays on the exchange.
Fee kickback. Your inviter earns a commission on your fees and can hand part of it back. KuCoin lets the referrer share cashback up to their full 25% to 35% rate for 365 days. CoinEx pays its rebate in CET for up to 12 months, halving after six. HTX runs a 30% rebate pool for 730 days, and XT splits 20% of fees between the two of you. Our referral kickback guide shows how these splits are calculated.
One-time crypto reward. Regulated exchanges tend to pay a modest, clean amount. Gemini pays $50 in crypto in the US after $100 of trades. Binance.US pays $10 to each side after $100 in buys or trades. Kraken pays up to $20 USDG on its main offer. Coinbase pays a referral bonus that varies by country after a first purchase.
Global exchanges: big packages, mostly vouchers
The largest offshore exchanges run elaborate new-user centres. They are worth using if you were going to trade anyway, and almost worthless if you were not.
Binance has one of the lowest entry points: verify your identity, deposit $10 and make a $10 Spot or Convert trade within 14 days for up to $100 in fee rebate vouchers. A Referral Pro code can add a 0%, 5% or 10% kickback. Bybit pays referees 50 USDT for a first trade of $50 or more, then 100 USDT at $500 and 100 USDT at $10,000 of volume, but most of it is bonus that cannot be withdrawn. OKX shows personalized new-user rewards and lets affiliates attach a fee rebate to their code, so the percentage you see at sign-up matters.
MEXC stands out for 0% Spot fees on all pairs, which makes a Spot kickback pointless there; its referral event pays a 20 USDT futures bonus to each side after a 100 USDT deposit and one futures trade. Gate gives up to 100 USDT in invite token vouchers plus a beginner package, with a long list of excluded countries. Bitget adds two $15 BGB airdrops for the friend at 500 and 50,000 USDT of volume.
Futures-first exchanges
A second group of exchanges is built around perpetual futures and markets itself with very large welcome numbers. BingX advertises up to 7,000 USDT, but also offers something more durable: a lifetime fee rebate on codes, capped at 45% of the inviter’s commission. BloFin gives up to 5,000 USDT in futures bonuses and lets unverified accounts withdraw up to 20,000 USDT a day. WEEX advertises up to 10,000 USDT in futures rewards, with deposits held for 3 to 7 days.
Phemex offers 10 USDT for the invited friend through the referral menu. BYDFi pays futures bonus tasks and, unusually, lets you add a code later. KCEX lists up to 75 USDT in futures bonus tasks, including 10 USDT for signing up. BTCC advertises up to 10,055 USDT, while other BTCC pages quote different totals, which is why it scores low on transparency. Bitrue pays a 30 USDT Spot Bonus on a 100 USDT deposit. Ourbit has no fixed welcome pack and runs time-limited events.
On the kickback side, LBank pays inviters 30% to 50% of fees, part of which can come back to you. Poloniex gives a published 10% fee rebate for your first 60 days plus a Mystery Box. Margex gives a $50 bonus that reimburses fees and funding, claimable without a deposit.
Regulated and fiat-first exchanges
These exchanges serve the US, Europe or other regulated markets. Their bonuses are smaller but more often paid in crypto or cash you can keep.
Gemini pays $50 in crypto in the US, Hong Kong and New Zealand, €20 in eligible EEA countries and AUD 50 in Australia, after you verify and trade $100 within 30 days. Crypto.com pays in CRO on a volume ladder up to $75, plus $25 more for staking CRO or a Level Up plan. Coinbase pays a country-dependent bonus after a first purchase within 90 days of verification. Kraken pays up to $20 USDG on its main app offer and up to $100 on its Canadian and Australian pages.
In Europe, Bitvavo refunds trading fees on your first €10,000 of volume within 7 days of creating the account, and the 7 days start at sign-up, not at verification. Bitpanda pays up to €100 in five steps as you invest €500 to €10,000, paid as a voucher balance that cannot be redeemed for cash.
Two exchanges in this category give new users little. Bitfinex has no welcome bonus and returns 6% of margin funding and Borrow fees, fading by 0.5 percentage points every 30 days. Backpack shares fees only through approved affiliates; a standard code gives the invitee nothing.
Regional exchanges
Some exchanges serve one market and keep their offers simple. In Australia, CoinSpot pays $10 AUD of Bitcoin to each side after verification and a first AUD deposit, and Swyftx pays $10 AUD of Bitcoin each after verification, a fiat deposit and a trade within 30 days. In India, CoinDCX has no fixed bonus and runs app campaigns, while ZebPay gives a 10% discount on the fee of your first trade above ₹5,000.
Exchange referral programs at a glance
| Exchange | Welcome reward | Your kickback | Withdrawable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEX.io | 25–50 USDC in capped referral promos | None published; referrer earns 30% for life | Paid in USDC |
| Binance | Up to $100 fee vouchers | 0%, 5% or 10% | No (vouchers) |
| KuCoin | Varies by campaign | Up to inviter’s 25–35% | Yes (cashback) |
| CoinEx | Varies by campaign | Inviter’s chosen share, 12 months | Yes (CET) |
| Bybit | Up to 250 USDT in tasks | None standard | Mostly no |
| Gemini | $50 in crypto (US) | None | Yes |
| Kraken | Up to $20 USDG | None | Yes |
| Bitvavo | Fees refunded on €10,000 | 100% for 7 days | Yes (euro) |
| XT | Rotating campaigns | 0–20% of fees | Yes (cashback) |
A worked example: bonus or kickback?
Picture two people. Anna buys $300 of Bitcoin four times a year. Ben trades $40,000 a month on Spot and pays a 0.1% fee, which is $40 a month or $480 a year.
For Anna, a kickback is almost worthless: 10% of $1.20 in yearly fees is twelve cents. A one-time reward paid in crypto, like Gemini’s $50 or Binance.US’s $10, is worth far more to her than any rebate. Binance’s $100 in vouchers would mostly expire, because each redeemed voucher lasts only 3 days.
For Ben, the picture flips. A 20% kickback returns $96 a year, and he keeps it as long as he trades. Bybit’s referee tasks would also suit him, since $10,000 of volume is a few days of trading for him. The lesson: match the payout model to your own volume before you compare the numbers. Our page on maker and taker fees helps you estimate what you really pay.
Become an AffiliateHow to choose an exchange referral code
Start with access. Check that the exchange serves your country, because a code is worthless if the exchange blocks you after the deposit. Bybit, Binance.com, KuCoin, MEXC, BingX and most futures exchanges exclude the US; US residents should go straight to our US crypto bonuses page.
Next, decide which payout model fits you, using the example above. Then read the unlock conditions in the review: deposit size, how long it must stay, trading volume and the deadline. Finally, look at the KYCKnow Your Customer: identity verification with an ID document and usually a selfie. Most exchanges require it before paying any reward. line. If you do not want to verify, your options shrink to fee kickbacks on exchanges like CoinEx, XT or BloFin, because almost every welcome bonus asks for ID.
If you only care about the welcome reward itself, the sign-up bonus ranking sorts offers across all categories by what you can claim and withdraw.
Traps specific to exchange bonuses
Read the deposit rules carefully. Several exchanges cancel a bonus if you withdraw during the holding period, and BTCC warns that moving money out of the futures account cancels unused bonuses. Futures bonuses expire, often within 7 to 15 days. “Up to” totals include tiers that need millions in volume; WEEX’s top tier needs up to 50,000,000 USDT.
Watch for the inviter’s rate being presented as your discount. “Up to 50% commission” at LBank or “40% of fees” at MEXC describes what the referrer earns. And never trust a code site that asks for your login details. Our guide to fake crypto bonuses shows how to spot phishing pages that copy exchange referral links.
