What a crypto savings plan is
A crypto savings plan, often called a recurring buy or dollar-cost averaging (DCA), is a standing order for crypto. You decide once which asset to buy, how much and how often. The provider then buys automatically, for example €50 of Bitcoin every month.
The upside: you don’t need to time the market, and because you always buy for the same amount, you get more when prices are low and less when they are high. That smooths your average entry price. It is not a guarantee, though: depending on how prices move, a lump-sum investment can do better. BISON, for example, points this out itself.
Savings plans compared
All six providers we have reviewed hold a MiCA licence and offer savings plans. The values come from the providers’ help pages and fee overviews:
| Provider | Minimum | Intervals | Cost per execution |
|---|---|---|---|
| BISON | from €0.01 | weekly, monthly, quarterly | No order fee. Average spread of 1.25 % per buy for Bitcoin and Ether, 1.75 % for other assets. |
| Trade Republic | from €1.00 | weekly, twice a month, monthly, quarterly | No fee. The spread is included in the price and not shown separately. |
| Bitvavo | from €5.00 | daily, weekly, every two weeks, monthly | Normal trading fee (taker), 0.25 % below €100,000 monthly volume. |
| Bitpanda | from €10.00 | weekly, every two weeks, monthly | Premium in the price: 0.99 % for Bitcoin and stablecoins, 1.49 % for other assets, 2.49 % for small-cap assets. |
| Coinbase | n/a | weekly, twice a month, monthly | n/a |
| Kraken | n/a | daily, weekly, every two weeks, monthly | Fee of 1 % plus spread according to Kraken. It is shown before you confirm. |
“n/a” means we haven’t found the value backed by the provider yet. We don’t guess.
What a savings plan really costs
With a savings plan, you pay the costs on every execution. Percentage fees only depend on the amount, not on how often you buy. Here are the stated costs at €50 a month in Bitcoin:
| Provider | Cost per buy as stated | at €50 | per year (€600) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade Republic | no fee | €0.00 | €0.00 |
| Bitvavo | 0.25 % trading fee | €0.13 | €1.50 |
| Bitpanda | 0.99 % premium | €0.50 | €5.94 |
| Kraken | 1 % fee | €0.50 | €6.00 |
| BISON | avg. 1.25 % spread | €0.63 | €7.50 |
| Coinbase | n/a | n/a | n/a |
How to measure the spread yourself, and why it often matters more than the fee, is explained in our guide to the spread. What a savings plan pays in and costs over several years is shown by the DCA calculator, without any price forecast.
What to look for
- Cost per execution: with small amounts, fixed fees hurt. Among the providers whose savings plan costs we could verify, there is no fixed fee per execution, only percentage costs or no fee at all.
- Minimum amount: from €0.01 at BISON to €10 at Bitpanda. Almost all are suitable for starting small.
- Intervals: Bitvavo and Kraken even offer daily buys, BISON and Trade Republic quarterly ones too.
- Choice of assets: if you want to save in more than Bitcoin and Ether, check whether your asset is available for savings plans. Bitvavo offers around 450 crypto assets in total, BISON 63, Trade Republic around 50.
- Withdrawal to your own wallet: according to our data, all six providers allow withdrawals to your own wallet. Fees for this differ.
Savings plans and tax
The same tax rules apply as for one-off buys, and they depend on your country. One point matters for every savings plan: each instalment is a separate purchase with its own purchase date and price. Keep the records from day one. In Germany, for example, each purchase has its own one-year holding period.
FAQ
Where is the cheapest crypto savings plan?
On stated costs, Trade Republic comes first: savings plans are free there, and the spread is included in the price but not shown separately. Bitvavo follows with a 0.25 % trading fee per execution. Bitpanda charges a 0.99 % premium for Bitcoin, and BISON has an average spread of 1.25 % per buy for Bitcoin and Ether.
What is the minimum amount for a crypto savings plan?
Depending on the provider: €0.01 (BISON), €1 (Trade Republic), €5 (Bitvavo) or €10 (Bitpanda). We could not yet verify the minimum at Kraken and Coinbase.
Is a weekly or a monthly plan better?
With percentage fees, both cost the same, because the fee depends on the amount, not on the number of buys. More frequent buys smooth your entry price a little more. There is no guaranteed advantage, though: depending on how prices move, a lump-sum investment can do better.
Can I stop a savings plan at any time?
According to Trade Republic and BISON, savings plans can be changed, paused or deleted at any time free of charge, with no minimum term. The other providers also let you do this in their apps; check their terms if in doubt.
Sources
- Can I set up a savings plan for crypto? (minimum amount, in German)
- How can I create a savings plan? (costs, intervals, in German)
- Crypto trading: order types & savings plans (in German)
- Crypto savings plan (DCA) (in German)
- Fees
- Crypto savings plan (in German)
- Recurring orders in the Kraken app
- How to set up recurring buys