Who This Is For
This walkthrough is for intermediate futures traders who want to reduce trading costs by earning maker rebates instead of paying taker fees on Bybit.
What You’ll Need
- An active Bybit account with futures trading enabled (level 1 verification or higher).
- At least 10 USDT in your futures wallet to cover initial margin and potential slippage.
- Basic understanding of limit orders versus market orders on perpetual contracts.
- A trading strategy that doesn’t rely on instant execution — post-only orders may not fill.
Key Takeaways
- Post-only orders guarantee you pay the maker fee (often 0.01% or less) instead of the taker fee (0.055% or more), saving up to 80% on each trade.
- If your post-only order would execute immediately as a taker, Bybit automatically cancels it — protecting you from unintended fees.
- Use post-only orders for limit entries, take-profit targets, and range-bound scalping strategies where you’re patient enough to wait for fills.
Step 1: Open the Futures Trading Interface
Log into your Bybit account and navigate to the Derivatives section. Select USDT perpetual futures — most traders use BTCUSDT or ETHUSDT for liquidity. You’ll see the order entry panel on the left side of the screen. By default, it shows “Limit” as the order type. This is where you’ll enable the post-only feature.
Before you place any order, check your current fee tier. You can find this under your account settings or in the futures dashboard. Bybit’s maker fee can be as low as 0.01% for VIP 1 traders, while taker fees start at 0.055%. That spread of 0.045% per trade adds up fast. If you trade 10 BTC daily, switching from taker to maker could save you roughly $45 per day in fees — or over $1,300 per month.
Make sure your leverage is set correctly before entering the order. Post-only orders respect your leverage multiplier, and a wrong setting could lead to liquidation if the position size is too large. For this walkthrough, we’ll use 5x leverage on a 0.1 BTC position.
Step 2: Select Post-Only and Enter Your Price
In the order entry panel, click the dropdown menu next to “Limit.” You’ll see three options: Limit, Market, and Conditional. Below that, there’s a checkbox or toggle labeled “Post Only.” Enable it. The button may turn blue or show a small “PO” badge to confirm it’s active. If you’re using the mobile app, the option is in the same location — tap the gear icon or the order type selector to find it.
Now enter your limit price. Post-only orders must be placed at a price that doesn’t instantly match an existing order on the order book. For a buy order, this means your price must be below the current best ask. For a sell order, your price must be above the current best bid. If you accidentally enter a price that would cross the spread and execute immediately, Bybit will cancel the order and show a warning: “Order would be a taker. Post-only enabled. Order canceled.”
This is the most common frustration for new users. Let’s say BTC is trading at $30,000 with a bid of $29,990 and an ask of $30,010. If you place a post-only buy at $30,005, that’s above the best bid but below the best ask — it won’t fill immediately, so it’s valid. But if you place a post-only buy at $30,010 (matching the ask), that order would execute as a taker, and Bybit cancels it. Always check the order book depth before entering your price.
Step 3: Set Order Size and Confirm
Enter your quantity in the “Qty” field. For USDT perpetuals, this is usually in contracts or USD value depending on your settings. If you’re using 5x leverage and want a 0.1 BTC position, enter 0.1 if the contract is 1 BTC per contract. Double-check the “Value” field below — it should show your total position size including leverage.
Set your reduce-only flag if this is a closing order. For new positions, leave it unchecked. You can also attach a take-profit and stop-loss at this stage using the TP/SL panel. Post-only orders work fine with conditional TP/SL triggers — just remember those conditional orders will execute as market or limit orders separately.
Click the “Buy” or “Sell” button. The order will appear in your open orders list with a “Post Only” tag. If the order doesn’t fill immediately, it stays on the book until it’s matched or canceled. You can cancel it manually at any time without penalty.
Step 4: Monitor Fills and Adjust Strategy
Once your post-only order is live, watch the order book. If the price moves to your level, the order will fill as a maker — you’ll pay the maker fee, or possibly earn a rebate if you’re in a higher fee tier. Bybit’s standard maker fee is 0.01%, but VIP 0 traders pay 0.02%. Compare that to the taker fee of 0.055% — that’s a 63% reduction in cost per trade.
If the order doesn’t fill within your expected timeframe, you have two options: cancel and adjust the price closer to the spread, or leave it and wait. Post-only orders are ideal for strategies where you’re not in a rush — like accumulating positions during low volatility or placing limit orders at support and resistance levels. For example, if you’re scalping a 5-minute range, a post-only buy at the bottom of the range might sit for 2-3 minutes before filling. That’s fine if your edge depends on getting the best price.
One pro tip: use post-only orders combined with iceberg orders to hide your full position size. This reduces slippage from other traders front-running your order. To do this, enable the “Iceberg” option and set a display quantity — say 0.02 BTC for a 0.1 BTC order. The rest stays hidden. Just remember that iceberg orders still use the post-only logic, so your displayed portion must not cross the spread.
Elder Ray Index Bull Bear Power in Crypto Futures can help you identify the best market conditions for post-only orders. In trending markets with high volatility, post-only orders may never fill because price moves too fast. In range-bound or sideways markets, they’re much more effective.
Common Pitfalls and Risks
⚠️ Risk: Order gets canceled instantly without explanation. This happens when your limit price crosses the current spread. Solution: always check the best bid and ask before entering. Use the depth chart or order book widget. If you’re unsure, place a limit order without post-only first, see the estimated fee, then switch to post-only after adjusting the price.
⚠️ Risk: Missing a trade because the order never fills. Post-only orders prioritize fee savings over execution speed. In fast markets, you might miss a breakout entirely. Solution: use post-only for entries where you’re willing to wait 5-30 minutes. For urgent entries, use a market order and accept the taker fee. Alternatively, use a “Reduce Only” post-only order for take-profit targets — you’re not in a rush to close a winner.
⚠️ Risk: Confusing post-only with reduce-only. These are separate settings. Post-only controls how the order interacts with the order book. Reduce-only controls whether the order can open a new position. Both can be active simultaneously. If you accidentally enable reduce-only on a new position, the order will be rejected. Always double-check your settings before confirming.
This content is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Past fee structures and rebates may change — always verify current rates on Bybit’s official fee schedule.
What Next?
Now that you can place post-only orders, practice with a small position on a liquid pair like ETHUSDT to get comfortable with the fill behavior before scaling up.
Sources & References
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