How to Set Up Recurring Buys on Kraken (and What Dollar-Cost Averaging Actually Does)

To set up a recurring buy on Kraken, open the Kraken app, tap +, then Buy, choose the coin, change One time at the top right to a schedule (daily, weekly or monthly), and tap Confirm. Kraken emails you when the plan is created and again each time it runs. That's the whole setup. The parts worth thinking about are the fee, the funding source, and whether a fixed schedule fits how you want to buy.

Everything below reflects Kraken's own help center and fee schedule as checked on October 29, 2026. Kraken changes product details often, so the confirmation screen in the app is the final word on what you'll pay.

What dollar-cost averaging is, in plain terms

Dollar-cost averaging (DCA) means buying a fixed dollar amount on a fixed schedule no matter what the price is doing. You commit to, say, $50 of bitcoin every Monday and let the calendar make the decision instead of your mood.

Because the dollar amount stays the same, you automatically buy more units when the price is low and fewer when it's high. Your average cost ends up somewhere in the middle of the prices you paid, weighted toward the cheaper buys.

A quick worked example

This is a made-up illustration, not a forecast. Suppose you put $100 into a coin in each of two months. In month one the price is $50, so you get 2 units. In month two it drops to $25, so you get 4 units. You've spent $200 for 6 units, an average cost of about $33.33 per unit. The simple average of the two prices was $37.50, so the fixed-dollar approach left you with a lower average cost than buying a fixed number of units would have.

Flip the example and the logic still holds: if the price rises, each $100 buys fewer units, which keeps you from piling in at the top.

What DCA does not do

DCA doesn't protect you from losses. If a coin falls and keeps falling, a recurring buy keeps buying it. It also doesn't beat a lump sum in every market. When prices rise steadily, money invested earlier would have bought more. What DCA really manages is timing risk and the stress of trying to pick the perfect day. For a lot of people, that's the point.

How Kraken's recurring buys work right now

Kraken calls the feature recurring orders, and it lives in the main Kraken app, not the Kraken Pro trading interface. Its help article describes daily, weekly, biweekly and monthly schedules, though the setup steps themselves only mention daily, weekly and monthly. Check the frequency menu in your app to see which options your account shows.

To use it, your account has to be verified at a level that allows cash payments. Kraken lists the eligible levels as Individual or Business.

Setting one up, step by step

1. Open the buy screen. In the Kraken app, tap the + button and choose Buy.
2. Pick the asset. Search for the coin you want, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum.
3. Turn it into a schedule. Tap One time in the top right corner and choose how often the buy should repeat.
4. Choose the amount and payment method. Enter the dollar amount per buy and pick where the money comes from.
5. Review the fee and confirm. The final confirmation screen shows the fee for the transaction. Tap Confirm to save the plan.

Managing, pausing and canceling

• See all plans: go to Portfolio → Orders. You can also start a new plan there with New.
• Change amount or frequency: open the order from Activity and tap Edit.
• Pause or resume: open the order, tap the three-dot menu, and choose the option you need. A paused plan shows a pause icon.
• Cancel: find the order in Activity, tap the three dots, and tap Cancel.
• Rename: handy if you run several plans, such as one for BTC and one for ETH.

What a recurring buy costs on Kraken

Kraken's fee schedule says the app charges a 1% fee on instant and recurring trades. On top of that, there's a spread, which is the gap between the price you pay and the market price. Kraken says the spread varies with volatility, the asset, order size and type, and account activity, and it doesn't publish a fixed number.

Two more cost layers can apply:

• Payment method fees. Kraken says card, Apple Pay and Google Pay purchases can carry processing fees, and your card issuer may add its own charges.
• Small-trade pricing. The fee schedule notes that small instant trades carry a fee of up to $2 instead of the 1% fee. If you plan tiny daily buys, check what the confirmation screen shows before committing.

Kraken also warns that the total cost, fees and amount you receive on a recurring transaction can vary with market moves, so two identical $50 buys won't land the exact same amount of crypto.

Kraken+ and fee-free volume

Kraken's fee schedule says Kraken+ members get trading fees waived on up to $10,000 a month of volume in USD and several other currencies. Spreads and card processing fees still apply. If you're buying a meaningful amount every month, compare the membership cost shown in your app against the 1% fees you'd otherwise pay.

How that compares with buying on Kraken Pro

Kraken Pro uses maker-taker pricing instead of a flat fee. Kraken's own comparison page lists Pro spot fees starting at 0.25% for makers and 0.40% for takers, dropping as your 30-day volume rises. That's cheaper per trade than the app's 1%, but you place each order yourself. Recurring orders are an app feature, so you're trading convenience for cost. Our Kraken fees breakdown goes deeper on the tiers.

Picking a funding source

Kraken's recurring-buy article lists three ways to pay: your Kraken cash balance, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and card payments in USD and several other currencies. The choice affects both cost and how smoothly the plan runs.

Cash balance topped up by ACH

For US clients, Kraken's funding guide lists ACH deposits through Plaid with no Kraken fee, a $1 minimum, and arrival in up to about five minutes. Two catches: Plaid ACH isn't available to accounts located in Texas, and funds from a Plaid ACH deposit carry a 7-day hold before they can be withdrawn (trading isn't affected). US wire deposits are another option, with no Kraken deposit fee, though your bank may charge one.

Paying from your balance avoids card processing fees. The trade-off is that you have to keep the balance topped up. If the balance is short when the order runs, Kraken lists insufficient funds as a reason a recurring transaction can fail.

Debit or credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay

Cards are the hands-off option because the money is pulled at each run. Kraken's card article lists a $10 minimum purchase in USD and a seven-day purchase limit between $1,000 and $5,000, depending on your account. Card and digital wallet purchases also trigger a 72-hour hold on withdrawing the purchased amount.

When a recurring buy fails

Kraken's help center names three reasons a scheduled buy might not go through: not enough money in your Kraken balance, adverse market conditions, or a system error. For the last one, Kraken points users to status.kraken.com to check for known issues.

Because you get an email each time an order runs, a missing email is often your first sign something went wrong. It's worth glancing at Portfolio → Orders after the first couple of runs to confirm everything is executing the way you set it up.

Taxes: every buy is its own lot

Each recurring purchase creates a separate tax lot with its own date and cost basis. Buying doesn't trigger tax by itself, but when you later sell or swap, you'll need the basis of the specific units you're disposing of. A weekly plan creates 52 lots a year, so keep your exchange records or use tax software that imports them. Our guide to exchange tax reporting features covers what Kraken and others export.

Is a recurring buy right for you? A quick decision guide

• Choose a recurring buy if you want to build a position slowly, you tend to second-guess entry points, and you'd rather pay 1% for automation than place orders manually.
• Choose manual Pro orders if you're buying larger amounts and are comfortable placing limit orders on a schedule you keep yourself. The lower maker-taker fees add up.
• Choose neither if you might need this money soon, or you haven't decided how much crypto risk you can stomach.

Before you start:

1. Pick an amount you won't need back. Size each buy so a long drawdown wouldn't force you to sell.
2. Fund cheaply. If you can, top up your cash balance by ACH and pay from it.
3. Run it for a month, then review. Check the fees on the confirmation emails against what you expected.
4. Set a review date. Put a reminder on your calendar every few months to decide whether to keep, pause or adjust the plan.

Still comparing platforms? See our roundup of the best exchanges for recurring crypto buys.