Where to enter your Binance referral code (and how it cuts fees)

Plenty of people get halfway through sign-up, spot an "invite / referral code" box, and stop to search "Binance referral code where to enter" to double-check: what does entering this code actually do? Is sign-up really the only time I can add it? Is using someone else's code safe, and how much does it really save? Short answer — entering it gets your trading fees discounted on a percentage basis for the long run, and you can basically only enter it during that one sign-up moment; once it's bound it can't be changed. This piece walks the account-opening steps and, above all, holds you on that one "enter the referral code" step. For the full path from sign-up all the way to your first buy, we have a separate piece, the first-time Binance flow; verification and per-region document details are only touched on here, not repeated from the verification piece.

First, some reassurance: sign-up itself is fast, a few minutes, and not hard. The only parts that need your attention are two or three little one-time switches that bind and then can't be changed — get those right and the rest goes smoothly. Anywhere specific numbers come up (fee rates, limits, review times) I'll remind you to go by what Binance's page shows at the time, since the platform adjusts these and hard-coding a figure would only mislead you.

1. Before you sign up, have these three things ready

Don't tap "sign up" the moment you land. Spend two minutes settling these three things and you'll save yourself a lot of back-and-forth later:

• An email or phone number you control long-term. It'll be used for login codes, withdrawal confirmations and security alerts — it's a root of your account's security. Don't use a shared work mailbox, and don't use a throwaway you'll forget the moment you finish signing up. Ideally this email has its own two-factor auth turned on, too.
• Your own, real ID document. After sign-up, Binance asks you to complete identity verification (KYC), using your own document. Check in advance that it isn't expired and that the photo will come out clearly. Don't think about borrowing someone else's or using a "verification service" — that's handing your account and your money to someone else.
• An invite code. Signing up through an invite code rebates part of your trading fees on a percentage basis — something you set once at sign-up that keeps applying long-term. The catch is you can only enter it during that one sign-up moment, and once bound it basically can't be changed. Ours is BN0128 — just enter it when you sign up.

2. How many steps Binance sign-up is, walked through

Sign-up on the desktop web and the mobile app is much the same; either way it's these steps:

1. Open the sign-up page, pick email or phone

Open Binance's official sign-up page and choose "email" or "phone number" as your account. Either works, and the difference is small: email is more universal and isn't affected when you change phones; a phone number gets the code a touch faster. Once you enter it, the system sends you a verification code.

2. Set a strong, unique password

Don't reuse the password you've used elsewhere just to save effort. An exchange account is worth money, and a credential-stuffing hit on a reused password is a common way people get breached. The ideal approach is to have a password manager generate a long, random password used only here — it's fine if you can't remember it yourself; that's the manager's job.

3. Expand the "invite / referral code" field and enter it

This is the step that most often gets missed, and the one this whole piece most wants to hold you on — so it gets its own section next. In short: the sign-up page usually has an "invite / referral code (Referral ID)" field that's collapsed by default, and you have to actively expand it and enter the code.

4. Finish verification and your account exists

Enter the code you received, clear the slider or human-verification prompt, and the account is created. But note — at this point you still can't actually deposit and trade; two steps remain (security settings + verification), covered in section 4.

3. Where the invite code goes, and why you only get one shot

This is the single most worthwhile thing to remember in the whole piece. On the sign-up page, the "invite / referral code" field is often collapsed by default — you have to click something like "expand" or "I have a referral code" for it to appear. Plenty of beginners simply don't notice it, walk straight through sign-up, and only realize afterward that everyone else has a fee discount they don't.

Why can't you get it back? Because Binance generally only lets you bind a referrer at the moment of sign-up; once the account exists, that relationship is usually fixed and can't be changed. This isn't one site's rule — it's how exchange rebate systems work across the board. So this discount is either yours at sign-up or basically irrelevant to you — which is exactly why we keep stressing "don't miss it in that one moment."

Entering it is simple: expand the field, put BN0128 in fully, and watch for a page hint like "referral code applied / bound successfully." Once it's in, just carry on.

4. Signed up ≠ ready to use: do this right after

Lots of people rush to buy the moment they're signed up, only to get stopped at the deposit or order step by "please complete identity verification first" or "please enable two-factor auth first," then have to backtrack. Far easier to knock out these two the same day you sign up:

1. Turn on two-factor auth (2FA)

Prefer an authenticator app (like Google Authenticator) over relying on SMS alone. SMS codes carry the risk of SIM-swap and interception, weaker than the offline, rotating codes an app generates. When you bind the authenticator, the system shows you a screen of backup keys — do not skip this; be sure to copy them down offline and store them safely. If you lose or change your phone, that's what gets you back in.

2. Set an anti-phishing code and complete verification

An anti-phishing code is a short phrase you set for your account; afterward, every legitimate email Binance sends you carries it — any that doesn't is fake. That alone blocks a big chunk of phishing emails. Identity verification (KYC) is uploading your ID plus a face check; skip it and deposits, trading and withdrawals basically won't work. For how to pass verification first try and why the face check keeps failing, see Binance verification failed — how to pass first try; for the full security setup, see how to set up your Binance account security.

5. How much does the code actually save? Let's do the math

Rather than just claiming it saves money, let's work an example (the numbers are illustrative only; the actual fee and discount rate are whatever Binance shows on its page):

Suppose you're an ordinary user (VIP0) with 50,000 USDT in total spot volume in a month. At a base spot fee of roughly 0.1% (go by the official page) that's about 50 USDT in fees. If at sign-up you entered an invite code that gets you a 20% discount, that drops to somewhere around 40 USDT — about the price of a meal saved in a month. The more often you trade and the larger the amounts, the more you save; and since it only takes entering the code once at sign-up to keep applying, skipping it just means paying more for nothing. To try the math with your own real figures, use our fee calculator — it runs locally in your browser and never touches your money.

One more thing worth knowing: the fee discount and "turning on BNB deductions on the trading page" stack — using both together saves the most. For exactly how fees are built up, how to calculate them, and how far you can drive them down, we wrote our most detailed piece: how Binance fees actually work.

6. Hands-on: we walked through the sign-up page again

7. Common questions

Do I have to enter an invite code to sign up for Binance? What if I skip it?

You can sign up without one, but you'd be giving up the fee discount for no reason. The invite code is bound during sign-up, and once bound it usually can't be changed and is very hard to add afterward — so the smart move is to enter it right then. Ours is BN0128.

I'm not getting the verification code — what do I do?

First check your email spam and promotions folders, where the code often lands. Wait a minute or two before tapping resend rather than hammering it (too many requests can get you rate-limited). Switch your network from WiFi to mobile data, or the other way, and try again. If email never arrives, sign up with a phone number instead, or try a more mainstream email domain.

How many Binance accounts can one person have?

The legitimate way is one person, one account, verified with your own real identity. Opening extra accounts or signing up under someone else's identity can trip risk controls and get you frozen or even banned — not worth it. Don't open multiple accounts just to farm a promotion.

Can I change the country/region I entered at sign-up?

Generally you can't change it freely, and it affects which features you can use and which compliance flow applies. Enter your real situation. If Binance doesn't offer service where you are, you shouldn't sign up, and you shouldn't use a VPN or someone else's documents to get around the restriction — that breaks the rules and puts your money at risk.

Can I buy crypto right after I sign up?

Two steps still stand in the way: turning on two-factor auth and completing identity verification. Without verification you'll usually be limited on deposits, trading and withdrawals. It's best to do the security settings and verification in one go the same day you sign up, so you're not bounced back at the buying step to fill them in.

Sign up with a phone number or an email — which is better?

Either works; the difference is small. Email is more universal and isn't affected when you change phones, which suits the long term; a phone number gets the code a touch faster. Whichever you pick, it should be something you control long-term and have secured yourself, because it's one of the roots of your account's security.

8. Your sign-up-day checklist

Run through these on the day you sign up and you basically won't leave anything to regret:

• Entered through a source you verified yourself; didn't click unfamiliar "official / latest address" links;
• Expanded the "invite / referral code" field, entered BN0128, and saw the bound hint;
• Set a strong, unique password, ideally stored in a password manager;
• Turned on two-factor auth (prefer an authenticator app), with the backup key saved offline;
• Set an anti-phishing code;
• Passed verification first try, with details matching your document;
• Remember: don't rush a large deposit before verification passes and security is set, and don't touch futures for now.

Let's run the sign-up stretch quickly once more: get ready an email you control long-term and your own ID, open the official sign-up page, set a strong password, be sure to expand the invite code field and enter BN0128 (only this once, and it can't be changed after binding), and finish verification; then immediately turn on two-factor auth, set an anti-phishing code, and do your identity verification. Do these in order and you've opened your account on solid footing. What's left — reading fees, telling spot from futures, learning to withdraw safely — the other pieces on this site lay out in order for you. No rush, one at a time.