What is spot trading? Real coins, your own money, no leverage
Short answer
Spot trading means buying and selling the actual coins at the current price, with your own money. Buy bitcoin with USDT and the bitcoin lands in your account: you can hold it or withdraw it. There's no borrowing and no leverage, so a price drop is a paper loss, not a forced sale.
- For beginners, spot is all you need: deposit, buy, withdraw.
- The fee rebate covers spot trading fees at both Binance and OKX, on buys and sells alike.
In one line
You buy and sell real coins at the current price, with your own money.
An example
Bitcoin is trading at 60,000 USDT, and you spend 600 USDT on 0.01 BTC.
- It drops to 54,000: your coins are worth 540 USDT. That’s a 60 USDT paper loss, but you still own 0.01 BTC.
- It climbs back to 60,000: they’re worth 600 USDT again.
Fees
You pay a fee on every buy and every sell, based on the trade value. Standard Binance spot fees are 0.1% for both maker and taker orders; at OKX they’re 0.08% for makers and 0.1% for takers. If you entered a referral code when you signed up, the exchange pays part of those fees back to you.
Related
FAQ
Should I try futures instead of spot?
No. With futures you don't own any coins: you're betting on the price, usually with leverage, and a small move against you can wipe out your deposit. We don't recommend them for beginners.
Can I get liquidated if I only buy spot?
No. Without borrowing or leverage, there's nothing to liquidate. A price drop is a paper loss, and you still hold the coins. Prices can still fall a lot, though, so start small.
Do spot trades get the fee rebate?
Yes, as long as you entered a referral code when you signed up. The rebate is based on the fees you actually pay, and the exchange pays it straight into your account.