Write down the actual journey
Buying an asset and moving it to a wallet involves different steps from trading assets already held on a platform. First fix residence, payment currency, route, amount, trading product and whether funds need to leave the platform.
Five questions to check
- Does the sender or bank charge a fee? Record sending and receiving currencies and the route, rather than relying only on a platform’s free-deposit label.
- Which product, tier and maker or taker role applies? A base spot rate cannot replace an instant-purchase quote.
- Is currency conversion involved, and whose exchange rate is used?
- Is a spread or service charge already embedded in the quote? Adding it again overstates the cost.
- Will you withdraw? Check the asset, network, minimum and confirmation-screen charge.
Kraken’s cash-funding documentation separates methods, availability, fees, minimums and timing. A broad bank-transfer label is not enough detail. Kraken cash deposit information
A reproducible example: a lower trading fee need not mean lower total charges
These are two fictional routes used to demonstrate arithmetic. They are not platform or bank quotes, and are not results from a real transaction test.
Use the same assumptions for both: a USD 500 trade notional; all listed charges paid separately rather than deducted from that notional; and zero FX, spread or other charges. The only condition changed is whether a withdrawal is included. An unconfirmed real-world charge must not be entered as zero.
Fictional example · USD 500 trade · charges paid separately
B costs USD 1.00 less without a withdrawal; A costs USD 0.50 less with one.
Uses the assumptions above: FX, spread and other charges are zero, as is B’s deposit fee. These are not platform quotes; unknown charges must not be treated as zero.
Hypothetical route A
- Fixed deposit fee: USD 2.00.
- Trading fee: 500 × 0.20% = USD 1.00.
- If withdrawing, add a fixed USD 1.50 fee.
- Total without withdrawal: USD 3.00; with withdrawal: USD 4.50.
Hypothetical route B
- Fixed deposit fee: USD 0.00.
- Trading fee: 500 × 0.40% = USD 2.00.
- If withdrawing, add a fixed USD 3.00 fee.
- Total without withdrawal: USD 2.00; with withdrawal: USD 5.00.
To reproduce the calculation, divide each percentage by 100: 500 × 0.002 = 1.00 and 500 × 0.004 = 2.00. Round each component to cents, then add. For example, route A with a withdrawal costs 2.00 + 1.00 + 1.50 = USD 4.50.
In this example, B has lower charges when assets stay on the platform; A has lower charges when a withdrawal is included. The difference comes from the whole route, not just the trading rate. This does not compare safety, eligibility or processing speed.
Applying the example to your own quote
Replace assumptions with charges confirmed for the same region, product, amount and time. For each component, record the amount or rate, charging currency, where it is deducted and whether it is already included in the quote. An explicit free-of-charge statement can support zero; an omitted charge cannot.
If USD 500 is your entire budget including charges, rather than the trade notional, this calculation cannot be applied directly. If an official quote instead shows final assets received after all charges, compare net receipt for the same asset at the same time. Do not add fees already embedded in that quote. The example contains no asset price, so it cannot tell you how much crypto you could buy.
A known-fee subtotal is not a complete total
Continue with route A: suppose the USD 2.00 deposit charge and USD 1.00 trading charge are confirmed, but the withdrawal charge has not been checked. You can write known subtotal: USD 3.00, plus an unconfirmed withdrawal charge. You cannot label this “total cost including withdrawal: USD 3.00” or compare it with route B’s USD 5.00 withdrawal-inclusive total to decide which is cheaper.
If you do not plan to withdraw, that component can be excluded from the comparison. Funding, trading, FX and charges within the quote still need checking. A complete total requires every necessary component to be confirmed, counted once and expressed in the same currency. List unresolved items beside the subtotal so it is clear what to check next.
Do not add charges in different currencies directly
A USD 1 trading charge plus an AUD 2 deposit charge is not a total of “3”. Choose a comparison currency and use an explicit exchange rate first.
For arithmetic only, assume USD 1 = AUD 1.50. These two charges then have a subtotal of 1 × 1.50 + 2 = AUD 3.50. This assumed rate is neither a live market rate nor a bank quote. Any additional conversion charge still needs a separate entry.
If a trading or withdrawal fee is deducted in crypto, retain its asset and quantity. Calculate an equivalent as “fee quantity × asset price in the comparison currency”, recording when that price was quoted. Without a confirmed conversion price, show the charges in their original currencies rather than presenting a combined total. A fiat equivalent does not mean that the platform actually deducts the charge from a fiat balance.
Using CoinNav
Check which accounts and products the platform’s rates apply to, then look up funding, conversion and withdrawal charges separately. The cost tool currently estimates documented trading fees, not a complete funding-route quote; the fictional routes above explain the calculation and are not purchasable products in the tool.
Check a specific region next
The Australian AUD funding and spot-fee guide brings together public banking routes, order-book schedules and source differences. Its examples explain when published rates apply, separately from the fictional A/B routes above. Unknown charges remain unknown.