What can I do about this clause?

{'method': 'WEB_FORM', 'recipient': 'https://help.coinbase.com/en/contact-us', 'difficulty': 'MODERATE', 'action_type': 'DISPUTE_FEE', 'instructions': "If you believe you were charged an incorrect fee, navigate to Coinbase Help at help.coinbase.com, select 'Contact Us,' and submit a dispute describing the transaction date, amount, and fee charged. Retain your transaction confirmation email as documentation.", 'deadline_days': 30, 'deadline_hours': None}

Which regulatory agencies enforce this type of clause?

{'agency': 'CFPB', 'reason': "The CFPB has supervisory authority over payment processing fee structures and the 'greater of' calculation methodology may implicate UDAAP standards if not clearly disclosed pre-transaction.", 'complaint_url': 'https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/'}, {'agency': 'State_AG', 'reason': 'State attorneys general in New York and California have active enforcement programs for cryptocurrency platform fee disclosure violations under state consumer protection and money transmitter laws.', 'complaint_url': 'https://www.naag.org/find-my-ag/'}

What is the severity of this clause?

ConductAtlas classifies this Coinbase Transaction Fee Tiers clause as high severity. Severity reflects the magnitude of rights affected, the breadth of users impacted, and the degree of discretion the platform retains.

Coinbase Transaction Fee Tiers — Coinbase

What it is

Coinbase charges a transaction fee on every trade, and you pay whichever is higher: a fixed dollar amount (based on trade size) or a percentage of your trade. For small trades under $200, you pay a flat fee ranging from $0.99 to $2.99.

Change history

modified Apr 30, 2026

The tier boundaries were adjusted ($0.00-$9.99 changed to $10 or less, $10.00-$24.99 changed to between $10 and $25, etc.) and the description of the $200+ tier was removed; the structure and concept remained largely the same.

View full change record →

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Consumers making small cryptocurrency purchases pay disproportionately high fees relative to transaction value, with a $0.99 flat fee on a $10 purchase equating to a 9.9% effective fee rate, which substantially erodes the value of small investments.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.

Dispute a Fee
Within 30 days
If you believe you were charged an incorrect fee, navigate to Coinbase Help at help.coinbase.com, select 'Contact Us,' and submit a dispute describing the transaction date, amount, and fee charged. Retain your transaction confirmation email as documentation.

Why it matters (compliance & risk perspective)

For small transactions, the flat fee can represent a very high percentage of your trade value — for example, a $0.99 fee on a $10 purchase is effectively a 9.9% fee — making small crypto purchases disproportionately expensive.

View original clause language

Coinbase charges a fee based on the payment method and the total transaction amount. The fee is the greater of a flat fee or a percentage of the transaction amount. For transactions $10 or less, the flat fee is $0.99. For transactions between $10 and $25, the flat fee is $1.49. For transactions between $25 and $50, the flat fee is $1.99. For transactions between $50 and $200, the flat fee is $2.99.

Institutional analysis (Compliance & legal intelligence)

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This tiered fee structure implicates FTC Act Section 5 (15 U.S.C. § 45) regarding adequacy of fee disclosure and whether the 'greater of' calculation methodology is sufficiently disclosed pre-transaction; Dodd-Frank Section 1032 on clear cost disclosure; and state money transmitter laws in New York (23 NYCRR 200), California (DFPI), and Texas (TX Fin. Code §151) which impose fee disclosure requirements on licensed money transmitters. The CFPB and state attorneys general have concurrent enforcement authority.

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Applicable agencies

CFPB

The CFPB has supervisory authority over payment processing fee structures and the 'greater of' calculation methodology may implicate UDAAP standards if not clearly disclosed pre-transaction.
File a complaint →
State AG

State attorneys general in New York and California have active enforcement programs for cryptocurrency platform fee disclosure violations under state consumer protection and money transmitter laws.
File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information

Document

Coinbase Fee Schedule

Entity

Coinbase

Document last updated

April 29, 2026

Tracking information

First tracked

April 27, 2026

Last verified

April 27, 2026

Record ID

CA-P-003285

Document ID

CA-D-00049

Evidence Provenance

Source URL

https://help.coinbase.com/en/coinbase/trading-and-funding/pricing-and-fees/fees

Wayback Machine

View archived versions →

SHA-256

54f4d3b31dea52393747d774564cd2c5b9e9bfdf9ff7c64ed986f4c3b9194011

Verified

✓ Snapshot stored ✓ Change verified

How to Cite

ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Coinbase | Document: Coinbase Fee Schedule | Record: CA-P-003285
Captured: 2026-04-27 11:20:56 UTC | SHA-256: 54f4d3b31dea5239…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/coinbase/coinbase-fee-schedule/coinbase-transaction-fee-tiers/
Accessed: May 2, 2026

Classification

Severity

High

Coinbase Transaction Fee Tiers