Common questions about buying Bitcoin in 2026.

As of May 2026, MEXC offers 0% spot trading fees on most major pairs, making it the cheapest exchange for direct Bitcoin purchases by published rate. Binance offers 0.10% standard, reduced to 0.075% with BNB token, and combined with deeper liquidity often produces a lower total cost (fee + spread) than smaller zero-fee venues. The 'cheapest' answer depends on whether you measure published rate or all-in cost.

Bybit's tiered deposit-bonus ladder reaches $30,000 for high-deposit users, the highest published among major exchanges as of May 2026. OKX's mystery-box program reaches $10,000, and MEXC's stack reaches $9,000. Most retail users qualify for $50–$500 in the lower tiers.

It depends on the exchange and the size of the transaction. MEXC, Bybit and Weex offer optional KYC for basic withdrawal limits as of May 2026. Binance, OKX, Bitget, HTX, BingX, XT.com and BTSE require KYC for full functionality. Most exchanges require KYC for fiat deposits regardless.

A referral code is a marketing identifier that, when entered at registration, grants the new account a permanent fee discount (typically 20-60%) and pays the referrer a share of the new user's future trading fees. The discount comes from the exchange's own revenue, not from the user. There is no extra cost. Once registered, the discount applies to every future trade for the lifetime of the account.

Yes. On every major exchange listed in this publication, a referral fee discount activated at registration applies to every future trade for the lifetime of the account, with no expiry. Welcome bonuses and deposit credits typically have a 7-30 day unlock window, but the underlying fee discount does not.

Every fee figure, bonus claim, and exchange policy is verified against the exchange's own official documentation before publication. We re-verify monthly and update within 48 hours of confirmed changes. Each data point includes a 'last verified' timestamp. Sources are linked from each report's references section.

For first-time Bitcoin buyers, we recommend Binance or OKX based on three measurable criteria: (1) deepest spot liquidity (tighter spreads = lower all-in cost), (2) most polished onboarding flow (as of May 2026), (3) largest education hubs. Both can be claimed via referral code for a permanent fee discount.

Spot fees apply when buying or selling crypto assets outright; futures fees apply when trading derivative contracts. Spot fees are typically 0.10% maker/taker on major exchanges; futures fees are typically 0.02% maker / 0.05% taker. Futures fees are lower because trade volumes are higher and exchanges compete for derivatives flow.