How futures fee rebates work, and who pays for them.

The short version

A futures fee rebate is a share of the trading fees you pay, handed back to you after you trade. You open an exchange account through a rebate partner's referral link, you trade as normal at the exchange's normal rate, and the partner returns an agreed percentage of those fees to you on a schedule.

Nothing about the trade itself changes. The exchange charges the same fee on every fill, your orders go to the same order book, and the partner never touches your account. What changes is your cost over a month: if 40% of your fees come back, you have effectively paid 60% of the listed rate.

This guide explains where the money comes from, works through a month of trading in dollars, and lists what to check before you trust any rebate service, including ours. For the dollar example we use Bitget, whose standard futures fees we checked on its own fee FAQ on 3 November 2026.

Where the rebate money comes from

Most large crypto exchanges run referral or affiliate programmes. When someone opens an account through a partner's link, the exchange pays that partner a commission out of the trading fees the new account generates. The exchange is happy to do this because the partner brought it a customer who would otherwise have signed up somewhere else.

A rebate service is simply a partner that passes a large part of that commission back to the trader instead of keeping it. The money is not a bonus, a loan or a promotion with conditions attached to your trading. It is a slice of fees you have already paid, returned to you by the partner, who keeps the rest as its margin.

That is also why the rebate is tied to the account. The referral is recorded when the account is opened through the link, so the partner can only share commission on accounts it referred. At Perpline the rebate applies to new accounts opened through our links.

What a rebate covers, and what it does not

• It covers trading fees. Maker and taker fees on the futures orders you fill, whether you are long or short, winning or losing.
• It does not cover funding. Funding on perpetuals moves between traders, not to the exchange, so there is no commission on it to share. Our funding fees guide explains the difference in detail.
• It does not lower the fee at the moment you trade. You still pay the full rate on each fill. The saving arrives afterwards, when the rebate is paid.
• It does not change your trading results. A rebate trims costs. It cannot turn a losing strategy into a winning one, and it is no reason to trade more than you would anyway.

A month of trading, before and after the rebate

Bitget's trading fees FAQ lists standard USDT-margined futures at 0.02% maker and 0.06% taker, charged on the value of the order rather than your margin. Here is a trader who opens and closes a $10,000 position 40 times in a month, compared in two styles: market orders on both sides, and a resting limit order to enter with a market order to exit.

Source: Bitget Trading Fees FAQ, standard rates checked 3 Nov 2026. Funding and VIP discounts are left out. The figures are arithmetic on an example, not a forecast of anyone's trading.

Two things stand out. First, the order type matters before any rebate does: entering with a limit order already saves $160 a month here. Second, the rebate scales with whatever you pay. It is a percentage of the fees actually charged, so if you reach a cheaper VIP tier or use more maker orders, the rebate shrinks in dollars but your total cost still falls. The two kinds of saving stack rather than compete. Our guide to maker vs taker fees covers the order-type side.

How rebate shares compare across exchanges

The share that comes back differs by exchange, because each exchange pays its partners differently. Through Perpline it currently ranges from 40% to 60%:

A bigger percentage is not automatically the better deal. What you actually pay is the exchange's fee multiplied by what is left after the rebate, so a venue with a higher base fee and a higher rebate can end up costing the same as a cheaper venue with a smaller one. Our exchange ranking does that multiplication for every venue, and the fee calculator lets you plug in your own size and number of trades. Liquidity, the markets listed and whether the exchange serves your country matter as much as the fee.

What to check before you trust a rebate service

• It should never ask for your password, 2FA codes or API keys. A rebate only needs your account's UID, which is a public account number. Anyone asking for more access does not need it for a rebate.
• The payout terms should be written down. When you get paid, in which currency, and whether there is a minimum. Ours: every Monday, in USDT, with a 10 USDT minimum; smaller amounts roll over to the next week.
• The rates should be published per exchange. You should be able to see the percentage before you sign up, not after.
• It should be clear what the partner earns. A rebate service is paid by the exchange's referral commission. If that is not explained, ask.
• The fee numbers should be sourced. Base fees change. A good guide links to the exchange's own fee page and says when it was checked.

How to sign up and claim a rebate with Perpline

1. Pick an exchange and open a new account through our link

   The referral is attached by the link, so for Bitget there is no code to type. It only works for a new account.

2. Secure and verify the account

   Turn on two-factor authentication and complete identity checks if the exchange asks for them where you live.

3. Copy your UID

   It is the account number on your profile page in the exchange's app or website.

4. Send "exchange name + your UID" on Telegram

   Message @btcbullit. We confirm within 24 hours. Never send a password, 2FA code or API key.

5. Get paid every Monday

   Last week's rebate on your trading fees arrives in USDT.

Each exchange has its own page with the referral link and its specific steps, for example our Bitget referral page. For the full Bitget fee picture, read Bitget futures fees explained.