Guide · Buying Bitcoin in AED
How to compare two Bitcoin quotes, fees included
The fee percentage is the easiest number to compare and the least useful on its own. What matters is how much bitcoin your dirhams actually get you, delivered to where you want it.
The one number to compare
For each quote, work out the effective price: total AED you pay, divided by the net bitcoin you receive. Lower is better — it means more bitcoin for the same money. It already contains every fee, spread and margin, so you don't have to know how the venue splits them up.
A worked example
Illustrative figures only. Quote A and Quote B are fictional and do not represent any real venue's prices or fees.
Both quotes are for AED 1,000, taken at the same moment. Quote A shows a trading fee; Quote B advertises no trading fee. On the exchange, A delivers 0.00250000 BTC and B delivers 0.00248000 BTC.
But you want the bitcoin in your own wallet. Quote A charges 0.00001500 BTC to withdraw, so 0.00248500 BTC arrives. Quote B's withdrawal is free here, so 0.00248000 BTC arrives.
| Measured at | Quote A | Quote B | B vs A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exchange balance | AED 400,000.00 | AED 403,225.81 | +0.81% |
| Your own wallet | AED 402,414.49 | AED 403,225.81 | +0.20% |
The quote with no trading fee is the more expensive one in both rows — it simply delivers less bitcoin for the same AED. The withdrawal cost narrows the gap but doesn't close it. Judged by fee percentage alone, you would have picked the wrong quote.
Five checks before you trust a comparison
- Same time. Bitcoin's price moves by the minute. Quotes taken an hour apart partly measure the market, not the venue.
- Same AED amount. Prices can change with order size, so compare equal amounts.
- Same destination. Compare what arrives where you want it: exchange balance against exchange balance, or wallet against wallet after withdrawal costs.
- Same kind of quote. A displayed price isn't a firm offer, and neither is a completed purchase.
- Every cost included. Funding charges from your bank, trading costs and withdrawal fees all belong in the total.
Check your own quotes
The free cost check does this arithmetic in your browser and tells you when two quotes aren't like-for-like.
Check a quote — free
Related: why zero trading fees can still cost you.
Educational information only, not investment, financial, tax or legal advice.