Trading Fees & Cost Minimisation
Learn how to minimize your trading costs and maximize your returns with these community-tested fee reduction strategies.
Fee Reduction Strategies
Activate Kraken+ Free Trial
Kraken+ offers zero or heavily reduced trading fees. The community recommends activating the free trial to enjoy these benefits, then cancelling before the subscription charges kick in.
Community Tip: Multiple users successfully used this strategy to avoid all trading fees during their promotional period.
Use Limit Orders on Kraken Pro
Placing limit orders (rather than market orders) on Kraken Pro results in significantly lower fees. Kraken Pro is completely free to use and offers professional-grade trading tools.
Market Order
Executes immediately at current price
Higher fees
Limit Order ✓
Set your preferred price
Lower fees (Recommended)
Warning: Avoid Kraken Pro for Bonus-Qualifying Trades
If you're trying to qualify for a referral bonus (e.g., requiring A$200 trade), do NOT use Kraken Profor that initial qualifying trade.
Community member reported that Kraken Pro charges approximately A$0.50 in fees, which could cause your trade to fall just short of the A$200 threshold needed for bonuses.
Recommendation: Use the standard Kraken app for your first qualifying trade, then switch to Kraken Pro for subsequent trades to enjoy lower fees.
Understanding Spread & Pricing
What is the Spread?
The spread is the difference between the buy (ask) price and sell (bid) price of a cryptocurrency. Exchanges make money from this spread, which is why you might notice:
- •You buy BTC at a slightly higher price than the current market price
- •You sell BTC at a slightly lower price than the current market price
Community Observations
Example from community member:
"My $100 bonus was credited at a BTC price of A$164,026 when the market price was around A$161,000–$161,500. When I immediately sold that $100 worth of BTC, I only received ~$97 due to the spread."
This is normal behavior for exchanges. If you're claiming a bonus and planning to cash out immediately, expect to receive slightly less than the nominal bonus amount due to spread.
Viewing Transaction History & Fees
On Kraken:
- •Portfolio → Balances → View History - Shows all activity including bonuses
- •Trading → Trades - Shows detailed trade information with fees
- •Profile → Activity Statements - Generate comprehensive reports
Note: Transactions made on the standard Kraken app may not appear in Kraken Pro and vice versa. Check both apps if you can't find a specific transaction.
Best Practices for Minimizing Costs
- •Compare fee structures across different exchanges before committing to one platform
- •Use limit orders instead of market orders whenever possible for lower fees
- •Take advantage of free trial subscriptions (like Kraken+) to reduce or eliminate trading fees
- •Factor in withdrawal fees when planning to move crypto to external wallets
- •Understand that spread exists on all exchanges - it's how they make money
- •Keep detailed records of all fees paid for tax reporting purposes (see Tax Guide)