Fee rebate vs deposit bonus — what's the difference?

A deposit bonus is a one-time credit an exchange adds when you first fund an account, usually locked until you trade a set volume. A fee rebate is different: it returns a share of every trading fee you pay, credited daily, for as long as the account keeps trading — currently 50–65% depending on the exchange, with no volume requirement to unlock it.

Two different mechanics, not two versions of the same thing

Deposit bonus: a fixed or percentage credit added once, when you first fund an account. It's usually tied to a minimum deposit, and most exchanges won't let you withdraw it (or the funds it unlocks) until you've traded a multiple of the bonus amount.
Fee rebate: a percentage of the commission your own trading fees already generate, paid back to you — not a promotional credit, but a recurring return on money you were paying anyway. It applies from the first trade, with no volume threshold.

Why a deposit bonus can end up costing more than it looks

The volume-unlock condition is the part most people skip past. A bonus that looks generous on the landing page often requires trading many times the bonus amount before any of it — sometimes including your own original deposit — can be withdrawn. That unlock volume generates its own trading fees, which a bonus alone doesn't touch. Always read an exchange's own promo terms before counting on a deposit bonus number.

What a fee rebate is worth over time

Because a rebate applies to every trade indefinitely, its value scales with however much you actually trade — there's no cap to hit and no volume you need to clear first. On loweef's partner exchanges the current total ranges 50–65% of every trading fee, credited daily in USDT:

Exchange	Total rate	Welcome boost	Effective taker
AlphaX	65%	—	0.0175%
BingX	60%	70%	0.0200%
OKX	50%	60%	0.0250%
MEXC	55%	65%	0.0180%

Can you get both?

Usually, yes — a deposit bonus is a separate promotion run by the exchange itself, unrelated to referral attribution. A fee rebate depends on which referral link opened the account, set once at sign-up. The two aren't mutually exclusive, but always confirm current promo terms on the exchange's own site, since bonus conditions change and vary by exchange. What a fee rebate is and where the money comes from →

Figures are estimates based on published fee schedules and loweef's current partner rates; actual results vary with VIP tier and maker/taker mix.

Frequently asked questions

Does loweef offer a deposit bonus?

No — loweef doesn't run deposit bonuses. It returns a share of the trading fees your account already pays, credited daily in USDT, with no deposit or volume-unlock requirement attached.

If I claim an exchange's deposit bonus, do I lose my fee rebate?

No — they come from different mechanisms. A deposit bonus is a promotion the exchange runs on its own; a fee rebate depends on referral attribution set when the account was created. Claiming one doesn't cancel the other, but always check the exchange's current promo terms, since volume-unlock rules vary and change.

Which is worth more, a deposit bonus or a fee rebate?

It depends on how much you trade. A deposit bonus is a fixed, one-time amount, often reduced by what it costs in fees to unlock it. A fee rebate has no ceiling and no unlock condition — it keeps accruing on every trade for as long as the account is active, so [referral code vs fee rebate platform](/en/answers/referral-code-vs-fee-rebate/) explains the mechanics in full.