This page answers one question: I already have an exchange account — what do I actually have to do? Short version: about two minutes of work, and nothing about the way you trade changes.
1. Which exchanges do you trade on?
Pick the ones you use. You can choose several — each pays its own rebate.
[rf_exchange_picker empty=”No exchange picked yet.” one=”You picked: %s — your steps are below.” many=”You picked (%d): %s — your steps are below.” joiner=”, ” last_joiner=” and ” rebate=”rebate” picked=”PICKED”]
2. “I already have an account. Do I really have to register again?”
Usually yes — and because this is where most people stop, here is the honest reason.
An exchange decides who a rebate belongs to at the moment you register, based on the link you arrived through. That is how the exchange’s own system works; it is not a setting anyone can flip afterwards. Your existing account was never tied to a link, so the rebate on the fees it pays goes to nobody — it stays with the exchange.
Some exchanges do allow an existing account to be linked. Which ones is shown in the dashboard before you do anything. If you picked one of those, you will not need a new account at all.
3. What does not change
Before you take the step, here is what stays exactly the same on the exchanges you picked:
- Your strategy. Same pairs, same leverage, same order types. Nothing is restricted.
- Your KYC. The same verification step you already know, with the same documents. No extra paperwork is introduced.
- The interface. You keep using the exchange’s own site and app exactly as before.
- Your fee rate. The exchange still charges its published rate. The rebate arrives after it is charged.
- Your funds. ReferenceFee never touches, holds or sees your money.
One thing does change: part of the fee you pay comes back to your exchange wallet in USDT, every day.
4. Four steps
Step 1 — Create a free ReferenceFee account.
An email address and a password. No identity documents, no card, no deposit. There is nothing here to fund.
Step 2 — Find the exchange you picked in the dashboard and open its link.
The dashboard gives you a dedicated registration link per exchange. You need to open the exchange through that link — it is the only thing that tells the exchange the commission belongs to your account.
Step 3 — Open the account and copy your UID.
Once you are registered, the exchange shows a user ID (UID) on your profile or account page — usually the number sitting under your name at the top. Copy it.
Step 4 — Paste the UID into ReferenceFee.
Paste it into the field in the dashboard and save. That is the whole setup. You never need to open ReferenceFee again; the rebate lands in your exchange wallet each morning on its own.
Where people get stuck
What is a UID? Is it safe to hand over?
A UID is a plain account number — not an API key, not a password. It cannot be used to sign in, move funds or place an order. The exchange’s partner dashboard reports only the volume and fees attached to that number.
Do I have to close my old account?
No. Your old account stays exactly as it is and your assets stay in it. Move across at your own pace. The rebate simply applies to trades made on the new account.
Do I have to move my funds?
Not necessarily. The rebate is calculated from trading volume, not from where a balance sits. Wherever you carry on trading is where the rebate applies.
Can ReferenceFee see my trades?
No. All we see is the total volume and fees your UID produced. Your positions, direction, leverage, profit and loss, deposits and withdrawals are invisible to us.
Does it cost anything?
No. There is no subscription and no sign-up fee. The exchange pays the commission; we keep a small share and pass the rest to you.
I pasted my UID and it did not match.
The usual cause is that the exchange account was opened outside the ReferenceFee link, so the exchange does not attribute it to us. The second most common cause is copying a different number, such as a sub-account ID. If it still will not link, email us with your account email and the exchange — that is normally enough to fix it in one reply.
Read next: what a trading fee is and how leverage multiplies it.