Myth vs fact: "0% maker fees means KCEX futures are free" (beginner guide to fees and funding)

That is genuinely low. But a perpetual future has two kinds of cost, and the fee schedule only covers one of them. This beginner guide walks through the myths I hear most, with the math done in plain numbers.

Myth 1: "0% maker means I pay nothing to trade."

Fact: you pay nothing in trading fees on maker fills. A maker order is a limit order that rests on the book before it fills. If your order fills immediately against someone else's resting order (a market order, or a limit priced through the book), you are the taker and pay 0.01%.

Worked example. A 10,000 USDT position opened with a market order costs 10,000 x 0.01% = 1 USDT. Close it with another market order and that is another 1 USDT, so 2 USDT for the round trip. Open and close with limit orders that rest first, and the trading fee is 0.

Myth 2: "Fees are the only cost of holding a position."

Fact: perps also charge funding. Funding is a payment between longs and shorts, usually every 8 hours on KCEX, and you pay or receive it only if you are holding at the settlement moment. When the rate is positive, longs pay shorts. When it is negative, shorts pay longs. KCEX does not keep it; it moves between traders.

Worked example, using an illustrative 0.01% per interval (a common resting level, not a live reading for any specific pair). On the same 10,000 USDT position, one settlement costs 10,000 x 0.01% = 1 USDT. Three settlements a day is 3 USDT. Hold for one day and funding alone is already more than the 2 USDT taker round trip. Hold for a week and it is about 21 USDT, more than ten round trips.

Myth 3: "Leverage makes the fee smaller because I put up less money."

Fact: both fees and funding are calculated on the full position size, not your margin. KCEX's guide uses a clean example: 1,000 USDT of collateral controlling a 20,000 USDT position. A taker round trip on 20,000 is 4 USDT, which is 0.4% of the collateral. The same illustrative 0.01% funding would be 2 USDT per settlement, or 0.2% of collateral each time. Higher leverage means the same costs eat a bigger share of what you actually deposited.

Myth 4: "The fee is the same on every pair."

Fact: the standard schedule is the baseline, but KCEX runs pair-specific fee promotions, so a given contract can show a different rate for a period. Whether you trade BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP or DOGE, read the fee line on the order panel for that exact pair before you size the trade.

Myth 5: "I can run a bot and get the same rates."

Fact: KCEX's fee guide states the platform does not offer API trading, so the schedule you see applies to web and app orders. If a strategy depends on an API, plan around that.

A beginner walkthrough before your next trade

1. Open the contract page and note the funding rate and the countdown to the next settlement.
2. Decide whether you will enter with a limit order (maker, 0%) or a market order (taker, 0.01%).
3. Multiply your position size, not your margin, by the taker rate to get the worst-case fee per side.
4. Multiply position size by the current funding rate to get the cost or income per settlement.
5. Count how many settlements you expect to hold through. That number usually decides whether fees or funding is the bigger line.

Common mistakes

• Calling a position "free" because it was opened with a maker order, then holding it through six settlements.
• Using margin instead of position size in the fee math.
• Forgetting that a rate can flip sign between settlements.
• Closing with a panic market order and assuming the maker rate applied.

FAQ

Is funding charged if I close one minute before settlement? No, only open positions at settlement pay or receive.

Is 0.01% taker charged on both sides? Yes, on the open and on the close if both are taker fills.

Can funding be income? Yes, if you hold the side that receives it, but the price move usually matters far more.

Coins referenced: $BTC.USDT $ETH.USDT $SOL.USDT $XRP.USDT $DOGE.USDT

One-number rule: on a low-fee venue, the number of settlements you hold through is usually the biggest cost driver you control.