Is Gate.io Safe? Honest Review + How to Get a Lifetime 10% Fee Discount
A complete, honest walkthrough of opening a Gate account — its real security history (including the parts other sites omit), how to register and verify step by step, exactly where to enter referral code VFIWUQTAUQ for a verified lifetime 10% fee discount, country availability, fees, and how Gate compares to Binance, KuCoin, Bybit and MEXC.
Updated June 2026 · Nakta
Quick answer
- Gate (formerly Gate.io, now Gate.com) is one of the oldest crypto exchanges — founded 2013 — and lists 3,800+ coins, one of the largest selections anywhere.
- Gate referral code: enter VFIWUQTAUQ at sign-up for 10% off trading fees, for life — verified via the referral dashboard, not copied from other sites. It can’t be added after registration.
- Honest history: Gate suffered a ~$230M hack in 2018 that wasn’t disclosed at the time (revealed 2023) and a small ETC 51%-attack loss in 2019; since then it has 120%+ zk proof of reserves, a MiCA licence in the EU, an FSA-registered Japan entity, and no known user-fund loss.
- Sign-up takes ~10–15 minutes: register → enter the code → verify ID (KYC, usually minutes) → enable authenticator-app 2FA → deposit and buy.
- Crypto deposits work wherever you live — fund Gate by sending coins from another exchange or wallet. The global platform doesn’t serve U.S. residents (Japan uses a separate local entity); start the sign-up to confirm your country.
- In practice, most individual losses come from phished accounts and reckless altcoin bets — not the exchange itself — so good security habits matter most.
What this guide covers
1. Quick answer: signing up for Gate (and the referral code)
2. Is Gate legit and safe? An honest review — including its hack history
3. Gate at a glance
4. Gate pros & cons
5. What you need before you sign up
6. How to sign up for Gate — step by step
7. How to enter referral code VFIWUQTAUQ (10% off fees, lifetime)
8. How to verify your identity (KYC)
9. How to secure your Gate account
10. How to deposit & buy your first crypto on Gate
11. Gate fees explained (and how to pay less)
12. Gate features overview (what to use, what to avoid)
13. Is Gate available in your country?
14. Common sign-up problems & how to fix them
15. Gate vs Binance, KuCoin, Bybit and MEXC
16. Is Gate right for you?
17. Next steps
1. Quick answer: signing up for Gate (and the referral code)
2. Is Gate legit and safe? An honest review — including its hack history
3. Gate at a glance
4. Gate pros & cons
5. What you need before you sign up
6. How to sign up for Gate — step by step
7. How to enter referral code VFIWUQTAUQ (10% off fees, lifetime)
8. How to verify your identity (KYC)
9. How to secure your Gate account
10. How to deposit & buy your first crypto on Gate
11. Gate fees explained (and how to pay less)
12. Gate features overview (what to use, what to avoid)
13. Is Gate available in your country?
14. Common sign-up problems & how to fix them
15. Gate vs Binance, KuCoin, Bybit and MEXC
16. Is Gate right for you?
17. Next steps
1. Quick answer: signing up for Gate (and the referral code)
Gate (formerly Gate.io, rebranded Gate.com in 2025) is one of the longest-running crypto exchanges in the world — founded in 2013 — and is best known for listing more cryptocurrencies than almost any other platform. Signing up takes about 10–15 minutes: register with your email, verify your identity, secure the account with two-factor authentication, and you’re ready to trade.
If you want lower fees from day one, there’s one thing you must do during registration:
Gate referral code: enter VFIWUQTAUQ in the “Referral/Invite code” field when you sign up to get 10% off your Gate trading fees — for life. The code can only be entered at sign-up; it cannot be added after your account exists. Using it costs you nothing extra.
This guide covers the whole journey honestly: whether Gate is safe and legit (including its past security incidents — we don’t hide them), how to create and verify your account step by step, exactly where the referral code goes, how to lock your account down, how to deposit and buy your first crypto, how Gate’s fees really work, whether Gate is available in your country, and how it compares to Binance, Bybit, KuCoin and MEXC.
2. Is Gate legit and safe? An honest review — including its hack history
Before you hand any platform your ID and money, ask the hard question first: is Gate legit — and what’s its real track record? Here’s the honest version, including the parts most referral sites leave out.
Is Gate legit? Yes. Gate was founded in 2013 by Lin Han, making it one of the oldest crypto exchanges still operating — older than Binance, Bybit, or OKX. It reports over 50 million registered users, consistently ranks among the largest exchanges by trading volume, and in 2025 rebranded from Gate.io to Gate.com with a major compliance push.
Has Gate ever been hacked? Honestly — yes, years ago. You deserve the full picture:
| Incident | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2018 hack (~$230M) | In 2023, on-chain investigator ZachXBT presented evidence that Gate.io was hacked for roughly $230 million in April 2018, attributed to North Korea’s Lazarus group — and that the incident was not disclosed at the time. Gate did not directly confirm the details. Users continued to be paid out normally, but the lack of disclosure is a legitimate criticism. |
| 2019 ETC 51% attack (~$200k) | Attackers double-spent Ethereum Classic against several exchanges. Gate disclosed this one openly, absorbed the ~$200k loss itself, and no user funds were affected. The attacker later returned about half. |
| Since 2019 | No publicly known breach of user funds. Gate has since built one of the industry’s stronger transparency records (below). |
What Gate does right today:
| Security/trust factor | What to know |
|---|---|
| Proof of Reserves (zk-SNARK) | Gate was one of the first exchanges to publish 100%+ proof of reserves, and now uses zero-knowledge cryptography to prove it holds more than users’ balances. Recent audits show a reserve ratio above 120% with reserves in the $10B+ range across hundreds of assets, updated monthly. |
| Licences | A MiCA licence in the EU (via Malta’s MFSA, 2025), an FSA-registered Japanese entity (Gate Japan K.K., No. 00018), inclusion on Türkiye’s SPK list of operating crypto platforms, and other regional registrations. |
| Fund protection | 90%+ of assets in cold storage, an insurance/risk fund reported at $200M+, ISO 27001 certification. |
| Account tools | 2FA, anti-phishing code, withdrawal whitelist, fund password — using them is what keeps your account safe. |
The honest bottom line: Gate’s distant past includes a serious hack and a disclosure failure — we won’t pretend otherwise. Its recent record is strong: 120%+ provable reserves, real licences, and no known user-fund loss since 2019. As with every exchange: keep long-term holdings in a wallet you control, and remember most individual losses come from phishing, not exchange failures — see our crypto scams guide.
3. Gate at a glance
A quick snapshot of what you’re signing up for:
| Gate — at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 (one of the oldest exchanges still operating); rebranded Gate.io → Gate.com in May 2025 |
| Size | 50M+ registered users (self-reported); consistently a top exchange by volume |
| Cryptocurrencies | 3,800+ coins — one of the largest selections of any exchange, especially small/new altcoins |
| Spot trading fee | From 0.1% (lower with GT-token deduction and VIP levels) — 10% off for life with referral code VFIWUQTAUQ |
| Proof of reserves | zk-SNARK proof of reserves, ratio above 120%, published monthly |
| Licences | EU MiCA (Malta MFSA) · Japan FSA No. 00018 (separate local entity) · on Türkiye’s SPK operating list |
| Apps | iOS, Android, desktop and web |
| Best for | Altcoin variety — finding coins before they reach bigger exchanges — at low fees |
| Watch-outs | Doesn’t serve U.S. residents (Japan uses a separate local entity); thousands of small coins = thousands of risky coins |
4. Gate pros & cons
No exchange is perfect. Here’s the balanced view before you commit.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| 3,800+ coins — new and niche altcoins list here first, often years before bigger exchanges | A huge coin list cuts both ways: most tiny altcoins are high-risk and many go to zero |
| Low fees: spot from 0.1%, minus 10% for life with code VFIWUQTAUQ | Unavailable in the US, UK, Japan, South Korea and several other countries |
| 120%+ zk-proof of reserves, published monthly — among the best transparency in the industry | A 2018 hack was not disclosed at the time (revealed in 2023) — a fair criticism of its past |
| 13 years of operating history; MiCA/FSA/SPK regulatory footholds | The interface is dense — more “trading platform” than “beginner app” |
| Full feature set: spot, futures, Earn, Launchpool, copy trading, P2P | Futures/margin/leverage are high-risk and not for beginners |
Beginner takeaway: Gate’s superpower is coin selection. If you mainly want Bitcoin and Ethereum, any major exchange works; if you also want access to smaller altcoins without juggling five platforms, Gate is one of the strongest choices — start small, ignore leverage, and secure the account first.
5. What you need before you sign up
Signing up is quick. Have these ready and the whole process takes about 10–15 minutes:
- An email address (or phone number) — to create the account.
- A strong, unique password — not reused from any other site; a password manager helps.
- A government-issued ID — passport, national ID, or driver’s licence for identity verification (KYC). Gate requires KYC for trading and withdrawals.
- Your phone — for an authenticator app (the secure form of two-factor authentication).
- The referral code VFIWUQTAUQ — entered during sign-up for the lifetime 10% fee discount.
One safety rule before you start: only reach Gate by typing gate.com yourself or via an official app-store listing — never from a search ad, email, or DM. Fake exchange login pages are a standard phishing trap. Bookmark the real site once you’re in.
6. How to sign up for Gate — step by step
Here’s the full step-by-step. Step 4 is where the referral code and your lifetime fee discount happen.
- Go to the official Gate website or app. Type gate.com yourself, or install the app from the official App Store / Google Play listing and verify the developer name.
- Click “Sign up.” Choose email (or phone) registration.
- Enter your email and create a strong password. Long, unique, never reused.
- Enter the referral code. On the registration form there’s a “Referral/Invite code” field — sometimes folded behind a small “Referral code (optional)” link you tap to reveal. Type VFIWUQTAUQ there. This is what attaches your lifetime 10% trading-fee discount, and it can only be done now.
- Verify your email. Gate sends a confirmation code; enter it.
- Complete identity verification (KYC). Upload your ID and pass the quick selfie/liveness check (next section). Approval is usually minutes.
- Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) immediately — authenticator app, not SMS where possible (security section below).
- Deposit and make your first purchase.
Tip: registering in the app and can’t see a referral field? Look for “Referral code (optional)” on the sign-up screen before you submit. Once the account exists, the code can’t be applied retroactively — that’s a platform rule on Gate, Binance, and every major exchange.
7. How to enter referral code VFIWUQTAUQ (10% off fees, lifetime)
This is the part people most often miss, so here it is on its own. Gate referral code: VFIWUQTAUQ. Entering it at sign-up gives you 10% off your trading fees, for life — applied automatically, at no cost to you. We verified this benefit directly through Gate’s referral program dashboard rather than copying numbers from other websites.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the code? | VFIWUQTAUQ |
| What do I get? | 10% off trading fees — lifetime, applied automatically |
| Where do I enter it? | The “Referral/Invite code” field on the registration screen |
| When? | During sign-up only — it cannot be added after the account is created |
| Does it cost me anything? | No — it lowers your fees; it never raises them |
You can also scan the QR below to open the official Gate sign-up with the referral already applied:
Gate.io
Code: VFIWUQTAUQ
Installing the app directly? Enter VFIWUQTAUQ in the “Referral” field at sign-up — that’s how your benefit (and our credit) attaches.
Official sign-up · referral applied · 10% off fees for life
Affiliate disclosure: some links are partner links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This is not investment advice.
Forgot to enter it? Honestly: if your account is already created, the code can’t be added afterward. If you haven’t registered yet, enter VFIWUQTAUQ before you finish — that’s the only window. Exchange promotions beyond the fee discount vary by time and region; the sign-up page always shows the current ones.
8. How to verify your identity (KYC)
Identity verification (KYC) is required on Gate, as on every serious exchange. It’s normal, it’s an anti-fraud measure, and it unlocks trading, deposits and withdrawals.
- Open Verification (your profile → Identity Verification, or the prompt right after sign-up).
- Enter your personal details exactly as they appear on your ID.
- Upload your government ID — passport, national ID card, or driver’s licence. Clear photos, no glare, whole document in frame.
- Complete the selfie/liveness check — follow the on-screen prompts.
- Wait for approval. Gate uses automated verification that typically completes within minutes; busy periods can stretch to hours.
Tips for fast approval: photograph the physical document (not a screenshot), use good lighting, match your name exactly to the ID, and keep the whole document visible. Rejections are almost always a blurry or cropped photo — just retake.
9. How to secure your Gate account
Do this right after signing up, before depositing anything meaningful. The most common way people lose crypto is a phished or hijacked account — not an exchange collapse.
| Security setting | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Authenticator-app 2FA | Turn on two-factor authentication with an authenticator app rather than SMS where possible (SIM-swap risk). The single most important setting on any exchange. |
| Fund password | Gate supports a separate fund password required for withdrawals and trades — a second wall even if your login is compromised. |
| Anti-phishing code | Set a personal phrase that genuine Gate emails will display; fakes won’t have it. |
| Withdrawal whitelist | Restrict withdrawals to addresses you pre-approved. |
| Unique password + manager | Never reuse passwords across sites. |
The rules that stop account theft: Gate will never ask for your password or 2FA code; real support never DMs you first; nobody legitimate needs remote access to your device. Anyone breaking these rules is a scammer — the patterns are catalogued in our crypto scams guide. For long-term holdings, use a wallet you control.
10. How to deposit & buy your first crypto on Gate
With the account verified and secured, you can fund it and buy your first crypto. Methods vary by country:
| Method | How it works | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Crypto deposit | Transfer crypto you already own (e.g., USDT) from another exchange or wallet | Free on Gate’s side; mind the network and a small test amount first |
| Card purchase | Buy crypto with a debit/credit card | Fast; processing fees are higher than other routes |
| P2P trading | Buy from other users with local payment methods, escrowed by Gate | Useful where card/bank rails are limited; check seller ratings |
| Third-party providers | Integrated on-ramp partners | Convenience varies by region — compare the quoted total price |
To make your first purchase: most beginners either deposit USDT and buy on the exchange, or use the simple buy flow for Bitcoin or Ethereum. On the spot market, a market order fills instantly at the current price — that’s all you need at the start.
Start small. Run one tiny end-to-end cycle first — deposit, buy, withdraw a little to your wallet — before committing real money. New to all of this? Begin with our complete beginner’s guide to crypto.
11. Gate fees explained (and how to pay less)
Gate’s fees are straightforward and competitive. Here’s what you’ll actually pay — and how the referral discount stacks.
| Fee type | What it is |
|---|---|
| Spot trading fee | From 0.1% per trade at the standard tier. Example: a $100 trade costs about $0.10. |
| Referral discount | Code VFIWUQTAUQ takes 10% off your trading fees for life — applied automatically from sign-up. |
| GT deduction | Paying fees in GT (Gate’s exchange token) gives an additional discount, and VIP tiers lower fees further with volume. |
| Futures fees | Lower than spot (entry tiers around 0.02% maker / 0.05% taker) — but futures themselves are high-risk and not for beginners. |
| Deposits/withdrawals | Crypto deposits are free; withdrawals cost a network fee that varies by coin and chain. Card purchases carry processing fees. |
How to pay the least: sign up with VFIWUQTAUQ (the only step you can’t do later), trade on the exchange rather than “instant buy,” consider the GT fee deduction if you trade often, and prefer cheap networks when withdrawing. Fee schedules change — the official fee page always has the current numbers.
12. Gate features overview (what to use, what to avoid)
You don’t need most of this on day one — but it’s worth knowing what one Gate account can do, and what to leave alone.
| Feature | What it’s for | Beginner? |
|---|---|---|
| Spot trading | Buy/sell 3,800+ coins on the open market | ✅ Start here (market orders) |
| Simple buy / P2P | On-ramp from local currency | ✅ Where available |
| Earn | Yield on idle assets (flexible/fixed) | ⚠️ Read terms; yields vary and carry risk |
| Launchpool / Startup | New-token launch participation | ⚠️ Popular but speculative — research every project |
| Copy trading | Mirror other traders’ positions | ⚠️ Past performance guarantees nothing |
| Futures / Margin | Leveraged trading | ❌ High risk — beginners should avoid |
Honest warning twice over: first, leverage wipes out beginners — most “lost money on an exchange” stories are leverage stories. Second, Gate’s 3,800+ coins include thousands of micro-cap tokens; easy listing access means many will fail. Wide selection is a tool, not a recommendation — stick to assets you’ve actually researched (start with how blockchains work).
13. Is Gate available in your country?
Gate sign-up is open across most of the world — and here’s the key point: crypto deposits work no matter where you live. Send coins from another exchange or wallet into Gate and you can buy the tokens listed there (its 3,800+ coins are the main draw). So if the coin you want is on Gate, you can almost certainly use it.
| Region | Status (2026 — verify current rules on the official site) |
|---|---|
| Fund with crypto (most common) | Move coins you already hold elsewhere into Gate and trade right away — just match the network. This works the same regardless of country. |
| European Union | Served under Gate’s MiCA licence (Malta MFSA, 2025) via its EU entity — standard sign-up. |
| Japan | Gate operates through a separate FSA-registered local entity, Gate Japan K.K. — Japanese residents use that platform (this global referral code applies elsewhere). |
| Most of the world | Sign-up generally works across Asia, Latin America, Africa and beyond; fund by sending crypto, and use a card or P2P for the local-currency on-ramp. |
| United States | Gate’s global platform doesn’t serve U.S. residents — if you’re in the U.S., use a U.S.-licensed exchange instead. |
The fastest path: if you already hold crypto on another exchange or in a wallet, send it to Gate and start trading — crypto deposits and withdrawals work everywhere. A few markets are excluded by Gate’s terms, so just start the sign-up to confirm yours. Compare options in our exchanges guide.
14. Common sign-up problems & how to fix them
Most sign-up issues have quick fixes:
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| KYC rejected | Almost always a photo issue: retake in good light, full document in frame, physical ID (not a screenshot), name matching exactly. |
| No email code | Check spam, wait a minute, resend; confirm the address; whitelist Gate’s domain. |
| “Invalid referral code” | Re-type VFIWUQTAUQ exactly (no spaces). If the field misbehaves, the QR/button in this guide opens sign-up with the referral pre-applied. |
| Forgot the code | It cannot be added after registration — platform rule, not a bug. It only works at sign-up. |
| Country not selectable for local deposits | Fund Gate by sending crypto from another exchange or wallet instead — crypto deposits work everywhere, so you can trade right away. |
| Locked out / lost 2FA | Use the official account-recovery flow only. Anyone DMing you “support” is a scammer. |
| Deposit not credited | Crypto needs network confirmations; check the transaction hash in a block explorer first. Wrong-network deposits are the classic cause — always match the network exactly. |
15. Gate vs Binance, KuCoin, Bybit and MEXC
How does Gate actually stack up against the other majors? The honest one-line answer: Gate wins on coin selection and reserve transparency; Binance wins on liquidity; each has a place.
| Exchange | Known for | Verified referral benefit here |
|---|---|---|
| Gate | 3,800+ coins (the altcoin library), 120%+ zk proof of reserves, 13-year history | VFIWUQTAUQ — 10% off fees, lifetime (verified) |
| Binance | World #1 by volume and liquidity, broadest fiat rails | CRYPTONAKTA — 10% off spot fees (verified) |
| KuCoin | Also altcoin-rich, simple app | CXEM4JP5 — 5% off fees, lifetime (verified) |
| Bybit | Derivatives platform popular with active traders | 5ZGKX#0 — new-user rewards shown at sign-up |
| MEXC | 0% spot maker fee, fast new listings | 43zJH — new-user benefits shown at sign-up |
Unlike most referral sites, we only print a number when we’ve verified it through the actual referral dashboard — that’s why some rows say “shown at sign-up” instead of an invented percentage. Full platform-by-platform comparison (fees, security, country availability): our best crypto exchanges guide.
Comparing in depth? KuCoin now has its own full guide: KuCoin sign-up guide (5% off fees, lifetime — verified), and the Binance walkthrough is in our Binance referral guide.
16. Is Gate right for you?
To keep it honest — Gate isn’t automatically right for everyone. The quick read:
| Gate is a great fit if you… | Consider an alternative if you… |
|---|---|
| Want one account with access to thousands of altcoins, early | Live in the US, UK, Japan, South Korea or another restricted country |
| Value provable 120%+ reserves and a long operating history | Only ever want Bitcoin/Ethereum with the simplest possible app |
| Want low fees (0.1% spot, −10% for life with VFIWUQTAUQ) | Want deep liquidity on large orders above all — Binance leads there |
| Will secure the account and skip leverage | Are tempted by 3,800 coins to gamble on — selection ≠ endorsement |
Our take: as a second exchange for altcoin access — or a first exchange for users in supported regions who want variety plus transparency — Gate has earned its place. Sign up with VFIWUQTAUQ for the lifetime 10% fee discount, enable 2FA before depositing, and start small.
17. Next steps
You now know the full picture: Gate’s honest track record, how to register and verify, exactly where to enter referral code VFIWUQTAUQ for the lifetime 10% fee discount, how to secure the account, and whether your country is served. The best next move is small and practical — finish sign-up with the code, turn on authenticator-app 2FA before depositing, and run one tiny deposit-buy-withdraw cycle to learn the flow. As holdings grow, move long-term funds to a wallet you control and learn the traps in our crypto scams guide. New to crypto entirely? Start with the complete beginner’s guide, understand Bitcoin, Ethereum and how blockchains work, and compare every major platform in our best crypto exchanges guide. Start small, secure the account, and learn as you go.
Frequently asked questions
Q. How do I sign up for Gate.io, step by step?
1) Register with your email or phone on the official Gate.io site or app. 2) Complete identity verification (KYC). 3) Enable app-based 2FA for security. 4) Enter referral code VFIWUQTAUQ in the referral field at sign-up to get a lifetime 10% trading-fee discount. Where direct fiat deposit is limited, buy a coin or stablecoin on a local exchange and transfer it in, or use P2P.
Q. Is there a Gate (Gate.io) referral code?
Yes. The Gate referral code is VFIWUQTAUQ. Enter it in the “Referral/Invite code” field during sign-up and you get 10% off your trading fees for life. It must be entered during registration — it cannot be added afterward — and using it costs you nothing extra.
Q. How much discount does the Gate referral code give?
Referral code VFIWUQTAUQ gives a 10% discount on your Gate trading fees, applied automatically and permanently from the moment you register with it. We verified this benefit through Gate’s own referral dashboard rather than repeating numbers from other websites.
Q. Where do I enter the Gate referral code?
On the registration form, in the “Referral/Invite code” field — on some screens you first tap “Referral code (optional)” to reveal it. Type VFIWUQTAUQ there before completing sign-up. After the account exists, the code can no longer be applied.
Q. Is Gate.io the same as Gate.com?
Yes. The exchange was founded in 2013 and operated as Gate.io for years; in May 2025 it rebranded to Gate.com with a new logo and domain. Same company, same accounts — older articles and app listings may still say Gate.io.
Q. Is Gate legit and safe?
Gate is a legitimate exchange operating since 2013 — one of the oldest in crypto — with 50M+ reported users, an EU MiCA licence, an FSA-registered Japanese entity and 120%+ zero-knowledge proof of reserves published monthly. Honestly, its past isn’t spotless: a ~$230M hack in 2018 wasn’t disclosed at the time (revealed in 2023), and a small ETC 51%-attack loss hit in 2019. Since 2019 there’s been no known loss of user funds, and its current transparency ranks among the industry’s best.
Q. Has Gate ever been hacked?
Yes, historically. In 2018 roughly $230M was stolen, attributed to North Korea’s Lazarus group — Gate didn’t disclose it at the time, which came to light through on-chain investigator ZachXBT in 2023. In 2019 it lost about $200k to an Ethereum Classic 51% attack, which it disclosed openly and absorbed without user losses. Since then no breach of user funds is publicly known, and Gate now publishes 120%+ proof of reserves monthly. We state all this plainly so you can judge with full information.
Q. What is Gate’s proof of reserves and why does it matter?
Proof of reserves is published evidence that an exchange actually holds users’ assets. Gate was among the first to publish 100%+ reserves and now uses zk-SNARK cryptography; recent reports show reserves above 120% of user balances across hundreds of assets, updated monthly. It doesn’t eliminate every risk, but it directly addresses the failure mode that destroyed FTX — claiming assets it didn’t hold.
Q. How long does Gate verification (KYC) take?
Usually minutes — Gate’s verification is automated. Use clear photos of your physical government ID with the whole document in frame, and make sure your name matches exactly. Busy periods can stretch approval to a few hours.
Q. Do I have to verify my identity to use Gate?
Yes. KYC is required for trading and withdrawals on Gate, as on every serious regulated exchange. Have a passport, national ID or driver’s licence ready; the process takes a few minutes.
Q. Is it free to create a Gate account?
Yes — registration and verification cost nothing. You pay fees only when trading (spot from 0.1%, minus 10% for life with code VFIWUQTAUQ) and small network fees when withdrawing crypto.
Q. What are Gate’s trading fees?
Spot fees start at 0.1% per trade at the standard tier and fall with GT-token fee deduction and VIP volume levels. Referral code VFIWUQTAUQ cuts 10% off for life. Futures entry tiers run around 0.02% maker / 0.05% taker. Fee schedules change — check Gate’s official fee page for current numbers.
Q. What is the GT token?
GT (GateToken) is Gate’s exchange token. Holding or paying fees in GT reduces trading fees further and unlocks platform perks. It’s optional — useful if you trade frequently, unnecessary for a beginner’s first purchase.
Q. Can I use Gate in the United States or United Kingdom?
No. Gate’s terms exclude residents of the US and UK (along with Japan, South Korea, Canada, Singapore and some others) from the global platform. EU residents are served under Gate’s MiCA licence via its European entity. If you’re in a restricted country, use a regulated alternative — our best crypto exchanges guide compares options by region. Avoid VPN workarounds: they risk frozen funds at withdrawal.
Q. How many coins does Gate list?
Over 3,800 cryptocurrencies — one of the largest selections of any exchange, and many small or new tokens list on Gate long before bigger platforms. Honest flip side: most micro-cap tokens are extremely risky and many go to zero. Selection is a tool, not a recommendation.
Q. I forgot to enter the referral code — can I add it later?
No. On Gate (and every major exchange) referral codes only work during registration and can’t be applied retroactively. If you haven’t registered yet, enter VFIWUQTAUQ in the referral field before finishing — that’s the only window.
Q. Is Gate good for beginners?
Yes with guardrails: the sign-up, KYC and simple spot buying are beginner-friendly, and fees are low. The interface is denser than beginner-only apps, and the huge altcoin list invites gambling — stick to spot purchases of assets you’ve researched, enable 2FA, and avoid futures/leverage entirely at the start.
Q. Should I keep my crypto on Gate?
Active trading amounts, yes — that’s what exchanges are for, and Gate’s 120%+ proof of reserves is reassuring. Long-term holdings are safer in a wallet you control (“not your keys, not your coins”). Our crypto wallet guide covers setting one up properly.
This article is for information and education only and is not investment, financial, or legal advice. Crypto is high-risk and you can lose money. Exchange features, fees, availability and policies change over time and vary by country — always verify current details on the official Gate site and confirm what’s legal where you live. The referral code provides the fee discount described at sign-up; confirm the exact benefit on the registration page. Security-history details reflect public reporting as of June 2026. Some links are partner links: using them costs you nothing extra and never changes what we recommend.
Sign up for Gate with code VFIWUQTAUQ (10% off fees, lifetime) →
