Recurring Buy
In simple terms
A recurring buy is like setting up an automatic subscription where your bank account sends money to buy crypto on a schedule you choose—say, every week or month. Instead of having to remember to buy manually each time, the system does it for you automatically.
Definition
Automated scheduled purchases of crypto at regular intervals.
In depth
A recurring buy is an automated investment strategy where a user configures a standing instruction with an exchange or wallet service to execute cryptocurrency purchases at predetermined intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) using a connected bank account or payment method. The exchange's backend system triggers these transactions according to the user's parameters, executing market or limit orders at each scheduled interval. This mechanism is commonly used to implement dollar-cost averaging (DCA) strategies, reducing timing risk by distributing purchases across multiple price points rather than attempting lump-sum buys at potentially unfavorable prices.
How does Recurring Buy work?
You create a standing instruction with an exchange or broker: which asset, how much, how often, and which funding source. On each scheduled date the platform pulls money from the linked bank account or card, places an order, usually a market order at whatever the price is at that moment, and credits the crypto to your account. A fee applies every time. If the payment fails or the bank rejects the debit, that cycle is skipped and may be retried. The schedule can be paused, edited, or cancelled from account settings.
An example
Someone sets a recurring buy of $25 every Friday from a linked bank account. Over eight weeks that would be $200, with an illustrative 1 percent fee taking 25 cents each time, or $2 in total fees. One week the bank balance is short, the debit fails, and that Friday is skipped, leaving seven purchases and $175 spent. All figures here are illustrative.
Figures are illustrative only.
What beginners get wrong
- A forgotten schedule keeps debiting a bank account for months and can trigger overdraft charges when the balance runs low.
- Deleting the app does not stop the instruction; the schedule must be cancelled inside the account itself, not on the phone.
- Purchased coins stay in the platform's custody until you withdraw them, so a recurring buy alone never puts crypto under your own keys.
- The advertised convenience fee may exclude the spread applied to the automatic order, making the real cost higher than the quoted percentage.
Related terms
Part of
How do you buy cryptocurrency safely? — the subject page for buying crypto, with all 15 of its definitions in one place.
Educational only — not financial advice.